There was sliced salmon on a plate with cress, a large roasted turkey, venison, a hot rabbit stew, a bowl of new peas, bread, butter, and cheese. Their guests ate heartily and quickly. They drank down the rich red wine. The queen smiled at the small dish of tiny wild strawberries in a thick cream set before her as the pewter plates were removed.
It was a charming and delicate touch. She smiled gratefully at Annabella, who nodded in silent understanding.
They still had several hours of daylight ahead of them. As the Earl and Countess of Duin escorted their guests back into the courtyard to their horses, Angus asked the queen, “Where will ye go, madam?”
“Why, to England to beg sanctuary of my good cousin Elizabeth,” Mary replied.
Angus frowned. “I dinna think that wise, madam,” he told her candidly. “Would ye nae be wiser to go to France? Ye hae family there to help ye. Ye hae lands of yer own. Ye should be far safer in France than ye will be in England.”
“Nay, my good lord,” Mary Stuart said. “I must not put the open sea between myself and Scotland. My sister queen is a fair woman, and wise. She will shelter me and come to my aid. I will return to Scotland. Heads must cool. Only then can we negotiate this difficulty between myself and my lords.”
“I must trust in yer queenly wisdom, madam,” Angus Ferguson said, bowing. Then he helped the queen to mount her horse.
“Adieu, mon ami,” Mary Stuart said, giving him her hand to kiss. Then, with her small party of retainers, she departed Duin.
Angus and Annabella watched her go out from the courtyard, over the drawbridge, and onto the road. Free of the castle, the riders picked up speed and headed south. Soon they were nothing more than a cloud of dust, and even the dust faded quickly away. The Earl and Countess of Duin returned to their hall.
“I hope ye haven’t put us all in danger, sheltering her like that,” Matthew said to his brother as Angus came into the hall. He had been absent during the queen’s brief visit, but as steward he would have known she was there.
“I could hardly deny her entry to the castle,” Angus said dryly. “I will plead ignorance to any who would accuse me otherwise, little brother. We know little of what goes on past the borders of our lands, Matthew. Do ye know what happened?”
“I know what I heard, and I hae surmised the rest,” Matthew replied.
“Aye, ’tis obvious she escaped Lochleven,” the earl said.
“Escaped, and fought a battle she lost wi’ Moray,” his sibling responded. “There will be hell to pay now. If anyone learns she came here, Angus . . .”
“She’s fleeing into England, Matthew. ’Tis the end of it now. Bothwell is gone, and the queen is gone. She thinks the English queen will help her, but Elizabeth Tudor is too canny to involve herself in Mary Stuart’s debacle. When that finally becomes clear to Scotland’s queen, she will take the advice of those few around her and go back to France. ’Tis her only alternative.”
“Catherine de’ Medicis will hardly be glad to see her,” Matthew said. “They enjoy causing difficulty in Scotland. The borders will nae forget our queen’s uncle Henry soon.”
“Elizabeth will nae help the woman who calls herself queen of Scotland, England, and France,” Angus responded. “Remember there are still those who consider the English queen bastard-born, and if that were proven so, Mary Stuart is the true heir to England’s throne through her grandmother, Margaret Tudor. As long as Mary stays in Scotland, Elizabeth remains her most beloved cousin. She will not readily welcome the fugitive queen to her shores.”
“And none of it has anything to do wi’ us,” Annabella said. “Duin is safe, and nothing else matters.”
Both men chuckled. Annabella had become Duin’s greatest defender.
Several weeks later, in early June, a ship anchored in Duin’s cove. A messenger brought Angus Ferguson a letter. He read it and then announced, “I must go to France. The last of my mother’s family has died, and their lands are left to me. I dinna want lands in France, but it is required I appear in person to first claim them, in order to sell them to the neighbor who wishes to have them.”
“Could ye nae hae Jamie do it for ye?” Matthew asked. “Scotland is in such disorder right now I fear should ye leave us.”
“James is in Rome. It is quicker for me to go to France and return than to send to Rome so Jamie might go to France for me. It will nae take me long to complete this business. Besides, Matthew, ye are completely capable of managing in my absence,” the earl said. “The ship in the cove will take me, and when I have finished I will find the first vessel available to return me home via Leith.”
Matthew Ferguson did not look happy, but when he spoke with his own mother, she said, “The earl knows what must be done, and he will do it. His mother’s family had but one son. I do not believe he ever wed. The earl must claim those lands, even if he does not choose to retain them. I suspect it is the du Bottilier family who would have those lands. They are good folk.”
Annabella was not pleased that Angus would leave them. He came to her bed that night, climbing in and pulling her into his arms. “Why can ye nae send Matthew to act in yer stead?” she asked him as his lips brushed first her shoulder and then her neck.
“It would be considered boorish and an insult if I did nae go myself. This is a matter of respect and manners, as well as commerce,” he explained to her.
“Matthew is too hard a master,” Annabella said. “He dinna understand that ye rule here wi’ a firm hand but a kind heart. He believes he must be harsh in order to live up to yer expectations.” She snuggled closer to him.
“Woman, I dinna choose to speak on ordinary household matters now. I want to make love to ye,” he growled into her ear, then nipped at the lobe.
She felt a delicious shiver race down her backbone. Still, she protested softly, “But, Angus . . .”
He stopped her mouth with a long, hot kiss. “I will nae be gone long,” he said, and began to kiss her again.
She didn’t want to argue. His kisses were intoxicating. She kissed him back with equal passion. All would be well, Annabella decided. Matthew wouldn’t have enough time to irritate too many people. Annabella gave herself over to her husband’s hands and mouth with a gusty sigh.
