“Come along now,” Bess said to Orva. “She is in her privy chamber with Lady Stewart of Dundonald and the Countess of Atholl, both of whom bore and irritate her by turns. Only Lady Grey of Ben Duff amuses her, but she will return home soon. Poor Lady Grey is very distressed over the disappearance of Fiona Hay, who was her friend. And nowthis!”
The two tiring women entered the queen’s privy chamber, where the women sat sewing on garments for the expected heir.
The young queen looked up and, seeing Orva, said, “Is Ce-ce back then?”
“Now, my dearie,” Bess began, “you must not be distressed by what Orva has to say to you, but it seems that Lady Cicely has been taken off.”
“Taken off?”Joan Beaufort’s voice trembled. “What do you mean, taken off?” The queen grew very pale, and Lady Grey quickly hurried to bring her a small sop of wine as a restorative. The queen gulped it down, and then looked at Orva.
“When we reached the lace shop my mistress instructed me to go down the street to Master George’s to purchase the lavender oil and balm that have given you such ease. I did as she bade me, and whenI departed Master George’s I heard a voice calling for the watch, and, hurrying to find Lady Cicely, I discovered it was an apprentice from Mistress Marjory’s shop shouting that his mistress had been injured. I found the woman half-conscious in her storeroom.”
There was a murmur of distress from the other women with the queen.
“And my mistress was gone,” Orva continued. “The shopkeeper claims she was kidnapped. And certainly there was no sign of my lady, but Mistress Marjory knows more than she is telling, Your Highness. I sense it! She is hiding something.”
At that moment the king burst into the queen’s privy chamber, startling the women there. “Sweetheart! What is it? Is the child coming?” He knelt by her side.
“Ce-ce has been kidnapped from the lace shop!” the queen cried. “You must find her, Jamie!You must!”
The king arose and, seeing Orva, said, “What is this all about?”
Orva repeated herself, concluding with her suspicions about Mistress Marjory.
“Why do you think the shopkeeper is involved?” the king queried Orva.
“My lord, why would two masked bandits break into a lace shop at the exact time that the queen’s known favored companion is there? We were at the shop four days ago, and the lace had just come in, for Mistress Marjory said she had sent her nephew to the docks to retrieve it. Why, then, ask us to return four days later instead of the next day? Nay, the woman is duplicitous, and knows more than she is telling,” Orva declared.
James Stewart nodded. “You may very well be right,” he said. “The captain of the watch suggested that perhaps the Gordons stole my mistress away to hurry the marriage that they want. He said bride stealing is a custom here in Scotland,” Orva added. “Would they do that, my lord?”
“I hope they have not,” the king replied, “but Huntley is here,so let us find him and ask him. In the meantime we shall send for Mistress Marjory, and see what she has to say for herself. Bess, remain with your mistress. The rest of you ladies are dismissed, but will remain here in the queen’s apartments, for I forbid any gossip in this matter being circulated until the truth of it is known. Orva, you will come with me.” The king strode from his wife’s rooms, going to his small library, Cicely’s tiring woman in his wake. Once there he sent his page to fetch Huntley while ordering two men-at-arms to go into town and return with Mistress Marjory.
Huntley came, greeting the king politely, his eyes going to Orva, who sat silent in a corner of the room.
The king quietly explained that Lady Cicely Bowen had been taken forcibly from the lace shop. He did not mention the possibility that the shopkeeper might be involved. Instead he said, “Has your kinsman in his impatience involved himself in a wee bit of bride stealing? I shall not be pleased if I learn the laird of Fairlea has stolen her away. Especially if the Gordons of Huntley are involved.”
“Given what has recently befallen my kinsman of Loch Brae I am surprised that you would ask such a question of me,” Huntley replied stiffly.
“Perhaps Andrew Gordon has taken a leaf out of someone else’s book,” the king suggested.
“If he did,” Gordon replied, “I was certainly not involved. ’Tis true the girl is a prize worth having, but her connections are too powerful for Andrew to attempt to force the issue. He is not foolish. Besides, he believes his charm will win the lass over.”
James Stewart barked a hard laugh. “ ’Tis true. I have noted that Fairlea thinks highly of himself. Where is he at this time, Huntley?”
“On his lands,” Lord Gordon said. “I stopped to see him three nights back on my way to Perth. He was overseeing the refurbishing of his late mother’s chambers for his anticipated bride. Besides, his favorite mistress was about to drop her whelp. It’s his first child, andhe has a soft spot for the mam even now. The wench went into labor the morning I departed. It would have been impossible for Andrew to keep his promise to her and get into Perth to steal Lady Cicely. I only just arrived myself a short while ago.”
“Then,” said the king, “I will accept your word he is not involved. But if I find out later to the contrary that he is somehow enmeshed in this situation I will punish him severely, and he will not have Lady Cicely as a bride.”
Lord Gordon of Huntley nodded. “I will stand by your side as you mete out your judgment, my lord, but I know Andrew is not so dim-witted as to bride steal.”
“It is possible that the shopkeeper may know something,” the king said slowly. “Do not send to your kinsman until I have had more time to straighten this out. I do not need an enraged suitor here muddying the waters of my inquiries.”
“Of course, my lord,” Huntley replied, and then he bowed himself from the king’s presence.
“I think he tells the truth,” the king said to Orva.
“Aye, but that does not mean the laird of Fairlea isn’t involved in this,” she noted.
“Let us see what the shopkeeper has to say for herself,” the king remarked. “You will wait here with me until she is brought for questioning.”
