“Rise, Lady Margaret.”
Margaret stood. The queen gestured and everyone stepped away from her, except for Marjorie, Mary and Christina, who remained seated with her. She waved at Margaret. “Your presence here is a surprise.”
Margaret came forward. “I have fled Castle Fyne, Your Majesty, with my brother’s help. I was hoping to join you and your women here.”
Her blue eyes were cool. “Really? And why would I allow a Comyn in my court?”
Margaret hesitated. “I have fled Sir Guy, Your Majesty. I cannot marry him so I am seeking sanctuary here.”
“Really? You cannot marry him, or you will not do so?”
She felt her cheeks heat. “I cannot and I will not, Your Majesty.”
“So you give up your great castle, just like that?” The queen was disbelieving.
“I am hoping that Alexander, who has sought my hand, will take Castle Fyne back.”
Surprised and titillated murmurs sounded.
The queen’s eyes widened. Then she demanded, “Speak forthrightly, Lady Margaret. Have you chosen to defy your family? Have you chosen MacDonald over Buchan? Do you support my husband now?”
Margaret wet her dry lips. “Yes, Your Majesty,” she answered. “I have chosen Alexander and I now support Robert Bruce.”
Shock rippled through the room. Everyone began speaking at once.
“Quiet!” the queen exclaimed. “And I am to believe you?”
“She is a spy,” Christina Seton said sharply. “Sir Guy and the Earl of Buchan have sent her here to spy upon us. Perhaps she has been in Alexander’s bed for the sole purpose of spying!”
Margaret gasped. “I am not a spy!”
The queen stood up. She was actually a tiny woman, no taller or heavier than Margaret, but her stature was immense. “All of Scotland speaks so highly of you, Lady Margaret. You are a legend in your own right, the great lady of Castle Fyne, a tiny woman brave enough to defy a mighty Wolf, a lady who would die of loyalty for her family. Are those legends not the truth?”
“I have been loyal and devoted my entire life. It is my nature to be loyal,” she said.
“Then you must have been sent here to spy,” the queen said.
She was going to become a prisoner of the queen, Margaret thought wildly. “I have not been sent to spy, Your Majesty. I have had to make a terrible choice!”
“And you chose to betray Buchan?” Queen Elisabeth was incredulous and mocking.
Margaret trembled. “Could I have a privy word, Your Majesty?”
A moment passed before the queen nodded. Everyone left the room, except for Marjorie, Mary and Christina. “They will not betray us,” the queen said flatly.
Margaret did not wish to speak openly in front of Marjorie, in case her husband was a spy for her uncle and King Edward. “I meant to obey my uncle. I meant to go forth in marriage to Sir Guy. It is why I refused Alexander, not once, but two times.”
“Go on,” the queen said, her red brows raised.
She bit her lip. “I do not want to sound foolish. But I have been influenced by my parents—their marriage was arranged, but they respected one another, and they even loved one another greatly.”
The queen was amused. “Will you now tell me you seek love in marriage—with the handsome Wolf of Lochaber?”
She knew she blushed. “I seek a future with someone I trust and respect, Your Majesty. As it happens, I care greatly for him, as well.”
Marjorie said softly, “She does not have a deceptive nature.”
Margaret started, then faced Elisabeth. “Your Majesty, may I try to prove my sincerity to you?”
