“You did not resist,” he countered with a small smile. “Was my kiss so unwelcome then, my lady Cicely?”
“Nay,” she admitted, “ ’twas not. Still, we are but newly acquainted, and I am not easy with my favors like some, my lord. It is said Scots girls are quick to kiss, but I am English, not Scots. You would do well to remember it.” Her cheeks felt warm.
“If you married into Scotland you would be Scots, but then your kisses would have to be reserved for your husband,” the laird of Fairlea said.
“I have not yet wed into Scotland, my lord,” Cicely replied. Her heart hammered with excitement. Was he suggesting that they wed? “Anyone suing for my hand,” she told him, “must speak with the king, for it is his decision to make. My father gave him the authority, as he himself is too far distant.”
“Then you must wed where the king says,” Andrew Gordon said.
“Nay. I wed to please myself,” Cicely explained. “But ’tis King James who will act for me. My father loved my mother, and she him. He has given me the privilege of following my heart, my lord, and I will do so.” She arose from the bench where they had been sitting. “We should return to the hall lest unseemly things are hinted about out absence,” Cicely told him.
“Of course,” he agreed, standing and escorting her back into the palace. He left her with the queen and went off to find his kinsman, the Lord Huntley.
“You are flushed,” Queen Joan noted softly.
“He hints at marriage,” Cicely said slowly.
“Do you like him?” the queen asked.
“He is charming, aye, and we have much in common, but it is too soon, Jo. We have known each other but a brief time, and he is certainly on his best behavior with me,” Cicely said. “But I will not marry in haste, and should he press the issue he will drive me off, for then I shall wonder if he wishes to wed for love, or for love of my fortune. The Earl of Atholl’s wife is a bit of a gossip. Few of our secrets are safe once she has ferreted them out. I am no dewy-eyed girl to be gulled by a handsome man’s kisses.”
“Then he has kissed you!” the queen said excitedly.
“A few kisses, which I most thoroughly enjoyed. But today I put a stop to it in a manner not to offend, but one that allowed us both a wee bit of pleasure,” Cicely admitted with a small smile. “He was a gentleman, and his breath did not offend.”
“His clan is important, and he stands in favor with Huntley, who has some power,” the queen said. “It would be a very good match for you, Ce-ce.”
“I want to be in love, Jo. My parents were. You and the king are,” Cicely replied.
“Jamie and I, your parents, we are not the rule. You know that,” Joan Beaufort said. “Marriage is made for land, for wealth, for alliances.You have wealth and beauty. You are a queen’s friend, all of which makes you valuable. Love is elusive. The best you can hope for is a man who will respect you and be kind. And if you are friends it makes it even better. But love is rarely part of marriage, Ce-ce.”
Cicely sighed. She knew the queen was right, but she could hope, couldn’t she? “We are still too newly met for me to even consider Andrew Gordon as a suitor,” she said. “And there are some other handsome men without the encumbrance of a wife here at your court.”
“You have been looking about, have you?” The queen laughed. “Who takes your fancy, Ce-ce?”
“I don’t know if he takes my fancy, but the MacDonald of Nairn is certainly worth a second glance, and the Douglas of Glengorm, if he were a bit cleaner, is a handsome man. Obviously there is no one to care for him, for his shirt had a ring about the collar.”
“The MacDonald of Nairn is too dangerous a man. He’s a Highlander, and he eats little English girls like you for breakfast,” the queen said. “As for the Douglas of Glengorm, you gave him very short shrift before you traipsed off with your Gordon.”
“I thought him bold,” Cicely replied.
“You said he barely uttered a word to you,” Queen Joan said, surprised.
“He didn’t, but he had a look in his eyes I couldn’t fathom. Bold, and yet at the same time a bit shy. I felt sorry for him, Jo. Especially when Andrew Gordon came to take me away. Andrew was so perfectly dressed, his hair clipped neatly. The borderer’s best had seen better days, and his hair was rough cut. It touched his shoulders. ’Twas not at all fashionable. But he seemed a decent man.”
“You minx! You think to test Andrew Gordon with another man,” the queen said. “It will not work, Ce-ce. If Fairlea is after you for your fortune he’ll never admit to it. And who is to say every man who seeks to court you isn’t interested in your wealth?”
“Well,” Cicely said, “if that is so I hope I am as fortunate as mystepmother. At least Luciana knew my father respected her and would be kind. But before I shackle myself to any man I would seek love.”
May melted away into June. The queen’s pregnancy was officially announced. There would be a child before year’s end. All of Scotland prayed for an heir. The laird of Fairlea was openly courting Lady Cicely Bowen with the approval of the Lord Huntley. The lady, however, seemed in no hurry to commit herself to him quite yet.
Huntley complained to the king that his kinsman was ready to declare himself and make Lady Cicely his wife, but that she went out of her way to avoid any such talk. “What is the matter wi’ the lass? Does she nae understand what a good family we are? Why, Andrew could have any lass he wanted, and the wench would fall at his feet wi’ gratitude to be his wife.”
“Ce-ce—Lady Cicely—is not ready to leave the queen, my lord,” James Stewart said, although he knew exactly what Cicely was thinking, because his wife had told him. “They have been together since girlhood. Wait until my bairn is born, and Lady Cicely feels more settled away from England. I will champion your kinsman’s cause with the lady. I think him an excellent match for her, but I promised her father the choice would be hers. I am not a man to break my word. Tell Fairlea if he waits until Twelfth Night he will have my permission to ask the lady, but remind him I cannot compel her.”
“He’s impatient, my liege, and I can’t say I blame the man. The lass is passing fair,” Huntley replied.
“The lady has complained of being pressed too hard by your man, my lord. He attempts to stifle other friendships, which is unwise,” the king murmured as a soft warning. “Perhaps he should return home, attend to his estate, and return in December.”
