After two more days of arguing at Berwick, Captain Hawkins and his crew sailed south on the Nemesis with their share of the booty, a loan of £600 from the Earl of Lancashire and others, and Isabel's money for the purchase of a new ship.

Isabel herself, with 30 guards and the remaining sixty percent of the booty, set out by land to escort the Scottish knights along the eastern coast on their way back to Yorkshire. Of course, twenty percent of the spoils went to Ser William Earle, the captain of the guard at Berwick, and his brother Ralph.

At the beginning of October, Isabel and the others returned to Sharif Hatton Castle all the way safely. In handing over the captured Scots to the Duke of Richmond, the Duke showed great interest in Sir Andrew, the guard of the palace of Linlithgow. However, before meeting Sir Andrew, the Duke still wanted to hear the advice of his Privy Counsellor.

Upon her return to her father, Baron Walton's estate, Isabel Walton was surprised and delighted to discover several ebullient love letters from the city of London, necklaces adorned with pearls or diamonds, and jewels made of gemstones, earrings, brooches, and other jewelry. Looking at the signature of the signer of the love letter, it turned out to be William Parr, Earl of Essex, the younger brother of Her Majesty Queen Catherine.

A little more than two months ago, Baron Walton wrote to friends and relatives in the North and South to inform her of her engagement to Sir William Ingleby. Unexpectedly, the day after she led the raid team to leave Sharif Hatton Castle, Baron Walton and his wife received letters and some luxurious gifts from the Earl of Essex from the city of London.

In view of William Parr's title of high nobility, special status and status, Baron Walton could only write a reply to the Earl of Essex, who was far away in the city of London, under the pretext that his daughter was on official duty. Now, when Isabel returned, it was natural that she would personally write a reply to the Earl of Essex.

What does the letter say? First of all, it is to appreciate the large number of extravagant gifts sent by the other party. The next step is to tell the other party sharply that unless the other party and his wife successfully divorce, they will never accept the other party's courtship of him. In fact, Isabel's attitude towards love is not so worldly. She felt that as long as the two of them really loved each other, other things such as material things were not important. However, the current era has forced her to think more about practical things.

After two days of rest at her father's estate, Isabel met with Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond, on Tuesday morning, October 7. Subsequently, the Duke and Isabel had a separate meeting in the hall of the castle. When Eugene, the valet, closed the door to the hall for the two of them, the Duke of Richmond immediately sat down beside the Privy Counsellor with a smile on his face.

As the Duke handed Isabel a glass of fine wine, he stared at her with a look of worry, delight, excitement and curiosity, "You know, Isabel, even though I'm used to the results that you always bring me good news, I'm still... Or..."

Isabel straightened her upper body, maintaining the elegance and reserve of an aristocratic woman, and then smiled, "Henry, I know. What do you want to tell me, though? ”

The Duke raised his chin with a frown and looked at a huge, blooming rose on the ceiling of the hall, "Well, think. Yes, I was thinking about how I could get His Majesty to award you the Knight of the Order of the Garter. ”

Isabel was thrilled to be awarded the Knight of the Order of the Garter, which was only available to members of the royal family and male aristocrats. Although she did not know how many women received the Order of the Garter after Edward III established it in 1348, one thing was clear to her. After the death of Henry VII, the founder of the Tudor dynasty, on April 21, 1509, no woman in the Kingdom of England was awarded the medal.

Material things like titles, wealth, and land can be easily obtained. However, the Knight of the Order of the Garter, which only applies to the Kingdom of England, is a mark of honour that is not easy to obtain. After all, a medal represents a very high honor, a high praise for an individual in the name of the country.

Isabel Walton, who always remembers herself as a naval intelligence officer, dreams of being awarded a medal in her lifetime, just like a soldier and officer in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. Even receiving a medal of purple hearts, which represents blood and sacrifice and is called "Forever Purple Heart", will give her the greatest psychological and spiritual satisfaction.

Of course, if she could get a Navy Cross, second only to the Medal of Honor, she would have jumped with joy. As for the Medal of Honor, which is awarded only to the bravest warriors and whose heroic deeds can be proven, she also very much wishes that she could get it. However, as a female naval officer, she probably didn't even have a chance to go to war. As a result, she just sees the Navy Cross or the Medal of Honor as an unattainable goal.

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At this moment, the opportunity to be awarded the Knight of the Order of the Garter was in front of her, and she wanted to seize this opportunity to reach the pinnacle of her naval career. Still sitting on the bench, his eyes fixed on the Duke of the Royal Family, as if thinking, he said softly, "Henry, I don't care about the titles, riches, and lands that I might get, I just hope that everything I do will be approved by His Majesty the King and the nobles." ”

The Duke of Richmond turned his head to stare at her and nodded, "Isabel, I said I would assist you in this matter. It's just that the knights from the Scottish royal palace must tell the queen's whereabouts in person. ”

Isabel nodded thoughtfully, "Henry, I think Sir Andrew will say it." Give him some benefits, though. ”

"Well, wealth and land are the things that poor Scots want most. It's not a very difficult thing to do, and I just need His Majesty's permission to handle it. ”

"Henry, that's a lot easier, isn't it?"

Later, the Duke of Richmond asked with interest about the experiences of Isabel leading a sneak attack team into Scotland. When Isabel spoke of the almost impregnable Stirling Castle, the Duke of Richmond's expression became solemn, "Well, if, as you say, Mary I was hiding in Stirling Castle, I'm afraid we wouldn't have captured her easily." ”

The question of how to break through Stirling Castle has also been pondered by Isabelle. If the use of sneak attack tactics is not successful, a large number of ground forces and naval fleets will be required to be effective.