“Time will tell, my lord,” she said pertly, and then she grew serious. “Have a care, Francis, and if you should ever need our hospitality it is yours despite the king. You have my word on it, and I am mistress ofDun Brocnow.” Then she bent from her horse and kissed him on the mouth.
His bright blue eyes met hers for a long moment, and without words they understood one another. “Godspeed, lass!” he said. Then, saying farewell to Alex, he sent them off toward Edinburgh and their cousin, James Stewart.
The king knew of their imminent arrival. John Maitland’s spies had brought word to the chancellor who had then carried it to James. The Earl of BrocCairn and his wife were visiting atHermitage.James had gone into a rage, a rage that was fed to excess by Maitland. “I’ve warned Yer Majesty about the earls time and time again,” he said mournfully. “I have been suspicious of the Gordons for some time now, Huntley in particular, and BrocCairnisrelated to Bothwell. Who knows what they plot together.”
“They are so arrogant,” complained the king bitterly. “They hounded my mother, my grandfather, my great-grandfather. There hasna been one James Stewart who has not been interfered with by them. They’re always sowing rebellion when things dinna suit them! Well, Maitland, I’ll hae no more of it, d’ye hear me? I’ll hae no more of it!”
“Ye hae but to command me, Yer Majesty,” Maitland replied smoothly. “Ye know that ye can trust me to do what is best for ye, for Scotland.”
“Arrest BrocCairn when he arrives in Edinburgh!” commanded the king.
“Jamie! You cannot do such a thing,” the queen interjected. “You have no reason to arrest Alexander Gordon. What has he done that has you so angered?”
“He has been wi’ Bothwell this last week, Annie. No loyal Scotsman should be associated wi’ Francis any longer. Have I not outlawed him?”
“Jamie, Lord Gordon returns from England with his wife who you know was lost to him for over two years. The girl has had a long and exhausting journey. I imagine Lord Gordon but stopped so that his wife might rest. It is possible, isn’t it?”
James liked his queen. Anne of Denmark was blond, pretty, and basically feather-headed, and she had actually nothing in common with her husband but a passion for hunting. She did, however, have a strong streak of common sense, which on occasion she exercised. She also had, like almost every woman at the Stewart court, fallen under the spell of Francis Stewart-Hepburn and defended him, much to Maitland’s annoyance.
Because James liked his wife, he was often influenced by her in small matters. “The Countess of BrocCairn had plenty of time to rest at her mother’s,” he grumbled.
“Nay, Jamie, she didn’t,” the queen replied.
“Ye’re singularly well informed, madame,” said the chancellor archly.
“Aye,Mas-terMaitland, I am,” replied the queen quickly. “Lord Gordon informed me of of his circumstances in a message that was delivered to me even as he hurried south for his reunion with his bride. He did so because he wished me to know that he would be stopping in Edinburgh on his return to present his wife to me prior to their homecoming at his castle in the north. His wife had only just returned to England, so I doubt very much,Mas-terMaitland, whether she had a great deal of time to rest. You have never been on a long voyage, but, as you will remember, I have. There is no doubt in my mind that the Countess of BrocCairn and her husband stopped atHermitageso that she might recuperate.” The queen turned to her husband. “Jamie, you must at least give Lord Gordon the chance to tell you that he stopped before you assume the worst of him. Neither he nor his father ever caused you difficulties, did they?”
“Nay,” the king admitted grudgingly.
“There, you see!” the queen said, smiling at him winningly. She put her head against his shoulder and looked up at him with her blue eyes. “Now promise me, Jamie, that you’ll not arrest Lord Gordon?” Her rosebud mouth was inches from his, and he thought of how nice she had been to him last night.
Sliding an arm about her waist, he said, “Aye, Annie, I’ll promise, but if he gies me no explanation, then I’ll have to assume the worst.”
“I suspect the worst is that he might fear to tell you because you’re so put out with Francis right now, though why I will never understand,” the queen replied.
“Lord Bothwell has flaunted the king’s authority by escaping from prison where the king placed him,” said Maitland, seeking to extricate James before he could give himself away.
“A lot of faradiddle over nothing,” said Anne, and then she smiled warmly at her husband. “You’ll come to see me tonight, Jamie?”
“Aye, sweetheart.” He smiled back at her, giving her a quick kiss, then loosing his hold upon her.
The queen curtsied prettily to the king and then left the room. “Until tonight, sir,” she said as she went.
“Yer Majesty must not allow the queen to wheedle ye,” the chancellor began, but he was cut short by James.
“She is right, Maitland. Let us see what Lord Gordon has to say for himself. I dinna want to act rashly, for Annie is correct. Neither Alex nor his father, nor any of their family, has ever given me any difficulties. I canna afford to make enemies.”
“Of course not, sire,” said Maitland sourly, forced to let the matter rest.
Two days later, the Earl and Countess of BrocCairn arrived from the Border country and went directly to the town house of George Gordon, the Earl of Huntley, the most powerful of all the Gordons and the head of the clan. They planned to stay but one night as both were anxious to reachDun Broc.Since the Earl of Huntley was not in residence at the time, there was plenty of room for all of Alex’s retainers. A message saying that the Earl of BrocCairn and his wife wished to pay their respects was sent immediately to the king. It was quickly answered, and they hurried off toHolyrood Palace.
They had taken the time to bathe and change, and Alex was enormously proud of his beautiful wife. The young Countess of BrocCairn was attired in a gown of rich, dark brown velvet. The dress had a very low square neckline, and with it she wore a starched cream-colored, fanshaped lace neck whisk. The sleeves of her gown were full to the elbow but fit the arm tightly below it, and the skirt was a pleasing bell shape. About her neck Velvet wore a necklace of red Irish gold from which hung a large, oval-shaped, golden-brown topaz surrounded by yellow diamonds. Her hair was parted in the center and caught in a caul of thin gold threads, drawn back over her ears so that her red gold necklace and topaz earbobs might be shown to their best advantage. As the day was warm, she wore neither hat nor cloak, but she did have delicate, pearl-embroidered French kid gloves of a beige color to protect her hands when she rode and to hide her rings from the cutpurses. It was altogether a simple but rich look and Alex knew that she would once again win over the king, and most assuredly the little queen.
Alex had debated as to whether or not he should tell James of their visit toHermitage, but when he came face to face with his sire, he immediately realized from the king’s suspicious attitude that James knew of it already and was but waiting for Alex to say something. Before he could, however, Velvet spoke up ingenuously.
“We saw Francis atHermitage, Your Majesty. Do you remember the first time that we met, when Alex and I had just been married atHermitage, and you were forced to return me to England because Alex had stolen me away from the queen’s court?”
James Stewart was forced to smile. “Aye, Lady Gordon,” he said, “and if I remember correctly ye were refusing to acknowledge yer marriage because it had not been performed by a priest of the old kirk. Do ye now admit to being married to this very disobedient earl of mine?”
