18. Spiders in a Jar

Complete story — includes the ending

Lady Lola conspires with a Scottish assassin to kill Queen Elizabeth Tudor, but the assassination attempt fails and both are captured. Queen Elizabeth has Lola executed by public beheading, which Narcisse is there to witness. Mary consolidates her power in Scotland, and successfully uses the suicide of a Catholic priest as propaganda in gaining support. Gideon arrives in Scotland as part of an English delegation, and he and Mary resume their affair. When Queen Mary learns of Lady Lola's execution, she vows to take Queen Elizabeth's throne, and asks Gideon to help her. James figures out that John Knox was behind the order to assassinate Elizabeth, but he has no evidence. Bash leaves Queen Mary in order to join the druids and hone his own supernatural gifts, as Nostradamus and Delphine had with theirs. King Charles safely returns to French court and ousts Catherine as regent. Catherine retaliates by parading her third son, Henry, who is next in line to the throne. Catherine gives her blessing to Princess Claude and Leith to get married, but Leith is betrayed and killed by the machinations of Martel de Guise (Lewis Kirk), a jealous former lover of Princess Claude's. Queen Elizabeth asks Robert to marry her, but she is dismayed to learn that he has married Lettice Knollys.