The Queen's Lady (4 page)

“Ladies of the court, if you will…” he suggested.

With a nod to one of the housekeepers, he led Mary's ladies toward their apartments. There was a great deal of tittering and whispering in French as he walked ahead. He shook his head, amazed that they weren't knowledgeable enough to realize that many Scottish nobles were well-versed in the language. He was well aware that they were discussing his attire and his
derriere,
and speculating as to what might lie beneath the wool of his kilt.

He chafed a bit at their company, his interest lying far more in the manner with which Mary conducted herself with both staff and statesmen. He was unsure whether even James was aware of these first hours as the queen was duly greeted and settled in Holyrood.

As he showed the ladies the magnificence of the palace, and pointed out where the queen's quarters, as well as their own, would be, the Marys flirted with him. They were lovely and charming, cheerful and full of life—and yet, he knew, as chaste as their young mistress now was in her widowhood. One day these ladies would marry well, with the approval of their families, but for now they simply longed to have fun, as was natural at their age. He did his best to be gallant to them in turn.

There was, however, one among their group who did not laugh and certainly did not flirt. She simply followed and listened in silence. The Lady Gwenyth.

He knew she was watching him, and he had to secretly smile at that knowledge, even though he knew she was wary, that she did not trust him. He was quite certain she did not give a damn what might lie beneath his kilt. She disliked him intensely—or thought she did.

“Are you happy with your situation?” he asked her at last, having shown the women the way to their chambers. “Will you be able to discover your way?” The hallways were long, the layout complicated, though certainly nothing when compared with some of the grander palaces of France. Still, they were arriving in a new home and might feel some confusion.

“I believe we can manage just fine on our own,” she assured him.

He had noticed that she seemed to hold herself slightly apart from the other women, which was, perhaps, natural. She hadn't left Scotland as a child, as so many sons and daughters of Scotland had, the bonds with France having been long established. Many noble sons of Scotland attended school in France. Trade between the two countries flourished.

She stared at him now through narrowed eyes, her expression deeply distrustful. And yet so beautiful, as well, he could not help but think. She was well-spoken, certainly well-read and, despite her words, he believed that she shared his concerns for the queen's safety. At the same time, despite her intelligence and dagger-sharp wit, there was an air of naiveté about her.

He stepped away from her now, nodding curtly in acknowledgment of what amounted to a dismissal. Striding the length of the hall, anxious to return to James and the new queen, he found himself pausing to look out a window.

From his vantage point, he could see the great stone edifice of Edinburgh Castle. The sky was as gray as the castle's stone, the recent weather having been wet and cold, and mist, a common enough occurrence, had settled around the stark battlements. There was a tinge of mauve in the gray, lovely to one who knew this as home. Foreboding, perhaps, for those accustomed to blue skies. He shifted his gaze to the Royal Mile, a fine thoroughfare offering shops that sold goods from around the world. Holyrood was a fine palace, Edinburgh a fine city. Surely the queen would find much to love here and in her people, people who had cheered for her arrival.

Perhaps he was being too defensive, worrying for naught. And yet…He knew that many members of Queen Mary's French escort mocked this land. It was cold, they said. Hard, like the unyielding, rugged rock of Edinburgh Castle. French shops were finer, French palaces far more beautiful—even if French laborers had worked on Holyrood.

Rowan forced himself to look on his city as others might see it. In the gray, foreboding day, the castle rose like a bleak and terrible fortress. The people themselves were as rough and hard.

Rock versus marble. Wool versus silk.

He gritted his teeth. They simply needed time. Time would bring the changes the young queen and her entourage needed.

The ties Scotland had shared with France were long-lived and strong. And yet….

No alliance was founded purely on friendship. Both the Scots and the French had fought the English, and that shared enmity had made them allies, even friends. But friendship was so often only on the surface, easily broken when more selfish needs intruded. And therein lay the dilemma.

What really simmered beneath the deeper waters of that alliance now that the French-raised queen had come home?

“I
AM EXHAUSTED
,” M
ARY
sighed, throwing herself onto the bed in her chamber. She stared up at the ceiling and laughed softly, sounding for a moment like any young woman. “Actually, this is quite lovely,” she said, surveying the room. She rolled to stare at Gwenyth, who was standing nearby. “It is, isn't it?” she whispered, and Gwenyth knew she was missing France.

“It is magnificent,” Gwenyth assured her.

Mary leaned back on the bed again. “Crowns,” she murmured. “They do weigh heavily.”

“My queen—” Gwenyth began.

Mary rose to a sitting position, shaking her head. “For now, I beg of you, please drop the formality. We are alone, and I must trust in you. You've not been gone so long from here, and you're not after any reward, nor testing me, weighing me. Use my given name, as if we were nothing more than a pair of friends. For you truly
are
my friend, and that is what I need now.”

“Mary, I believe your arrival here was a complete success. Your people are delighted to have their young and beautiful queen returned.”

She shook her head. “These people seem so forbidding”

“They're…” Gwenyth paused, not sure what to say. She shrugged. “They're forbidding,” she agreed. She hesitated, then went on. “It's due to John Knox and the way they have embraced their church.”

“Right. They can't follow the English, heaven forbid, but they don't want to believe in the old religion, either, so they must have their own church.” She sighed, then patted the side of the richly canopied bed to urge Gwenyth to join her. As soon as Gwenyth sat down, Mary gave her a fierce hug. “It's cold here, have you felt it?”

“There's a lovely fire burning,” Gwenyth said.

“You're right. And it will be warming soon. This is so strange a place, though. In France, while my husband lived, there was such a marvelous sense of security in being queen. And here…it is as if I am being tested because I am queen.”

“You must remember, your half brother, Lord James, has been the power behind the throne since the death of your mother. Time has passed, and things have changed. But now, both lords and churchmen have gathered to welcome you home. You must remember that. Everything is going to be wonderful.”

“Is it?”

Mary rose and walked toward the fire to warm her hands. For a moment she looked lost, even tragic. “If only…” Then she steeled her shoulders and swung around. “I have barely arrived, we're all dressed in the grays and blacks of our mourning, and do you know what was on the mind of those great and noble lords who greeted us and rode as our escort here to the palace?”

“What?”

“My remarriage.”

Gwenyth smiled. “My dear queen—”

“Friends, we are friends here tonight.”

“Mary, I'm sorry to say this, for I know your heart and know that you were deeply grieved by the death of your husband, but from the instant the king of France died, nobles and monarchs across our world were discussing your next marriage. You are a queen, and your alliances, both personal and political, can change the face of history. This is a sad truth to face when the soul is in pain, but it is the way of the world.”

“I am a commodity,” Mary said softly.

“You are a queen.”

Again, Mary paced. “You are right, I know. I scarcely had time to bury my husband with the honor that was his due before I, too, realized my future had to be decided. Today, when we stepped ashore, I had to wonder if perhaps I made a grave error. There were offers, you know, offers from
Catholic
royal houses. There is no right step to take, I fear. Were I to marry into such a house, I would turn Scotland against me. But here, today, I learned the minds of these men. They want me to choose one of their number as consort, a man who honors all that is Scottish, who bleeds pure Scottish blood, who will compensate for what they consider the disadvantage of my upbringing. Oh, Gwen, what is the matter with the people? How can I be anything less than true to what I have been taught all my life, to what I have read, to God as I know Him?”

“No one expects that of you.”

Mary shook her head in denial, and Gwenyth thought that, sadly, she was most likely right.

“They expect everything of me. But I am not an inconstant queen. I will honor and worship God as I see fit. But…” She turned away, lowering her head.

“But?” Gwenyth started to smile. She thought she had seen something in Mary's face.

“Well…” Mary inhaled deeply. “I loved him, but my late husband…he was never well.”

“There was no romance,” Gwenyth whispered.

Mary spun and rushed back to the bed. “Am I terrible? I have seen someone who…well, I was newly widowed when I saw him. He is a distant cousin, in fact.” She looked at Gwenyth mischievously. “He is most handsome.”

“Who is he?”

“Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley.”

“Ah,” Gwenyth murmured, looking away, thinking that Mary deserved some genuine happiness. She had spent her life doing what was expected of her, performing her duty. To hear that whisper of excitement in her voice was, Gwenyth thought, most gratifying.

Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley, was, like Mary, a grandchild of Margaret Tudor, the sister of the late English king, Henry VIII. Gwenyth did not know him so much as know
of
him. He was living in England currently, a so-called guest of Queen Elizabeth, due to what that monarch considered his Scottish father's sin in standing against her. His mother was an English peeress, however, so his stay could not properly be considered incarceration.

Gwenyth had met Lord Darnley only briefly, at the same time as the queen, when he had come to bring condolences on the death of King Francis. He was indeed handsome, as Mary had said, and he could be charming. Other nobles, she knew—especially many of the Highlanders—did not like him. He was fond of drinking, gambling and all manner of debauchery. He had Stewart blood, but he had English blood, as well. Then again, so did many of the Scottish nobility.

Gwenyth looked at Mary then with a definite sense of unease, though happily Mary did not take that look to mean personal dissatisfaction with the one man who seemed to appeal to her on a sensual level.

“Don't look at me like that! Why may I not enjoy the fact that I have seen a man who is both acceptable in the minds of many
and
appealing? Fear not, I have not lost my senses. I am in mourning, and despite everything, I did love Francis, dearly, though it was…it was perhaps more a deep and tender friendship than a passionate love. I remain in mourning, and I will not be rash in my decisions. I will be careful, and I will be listening to my advisors. No decision can be made for some time. I am still considering negotiations with Don Carlos of Spain and other foreign princes. My greatest strength lies in where I will cast my die. I shall not forget that for me, even more so than most, marriage is a matter political alliance, not love.”

“Mary, I know you will do what is right, but you certainly must allow yourself to dream of what will make you happy, as well,” Gwenyth said.

Mary, so tall and elegant in her robe trimmed with fur, looked at her with wide, beautiful dark eyes. “I am frightened,” she whispered. “Frightened that no matter how hard I try to do the right thing, I cannot make my people happy.”

“Oh, Mary! You must not feel so. It was a wonderful homecoming. And you're going to be a wonderful queen. You
are
a wonderful queen.”

“It is so…so different here.”

“These are your people. They love you.”

“They're so…” Mary paused, then offered a smile. “So Scottish.”

“True, this is not France. But, Mary, it is a wonderful country, filled with wonderful people. Who do outsiders look to when they seek military assistance? They offer rich rewards to entice Scotsmen to fight in their battles, because we are fierce and strong and loyal.”

“But I seek peace.”

“Of course. But peace is often obtained through strength.”

“Not in Scotland.”

“Ah, Mary. That's not true, not always. Think back. We are a country because of the determination and courage of men such as William Wallace and Robert the Bruce, your own ancestor. Scotsmen are also poets and scientists. They go to schools elsewhere, and they learn about the world. You have only to love the Scots and they will love you.”

Mary let out a soft sigh. “I pray…yes, I pray. And I thank you—my friend. My four Marys are most dear to me, but they do not know this land as you know it. They, like me, have been away too long. Tonight I dearly needed your friendship and understanding, and you have not disappointed me.”

“Mary, anyone who knows you is aware that you have a great heart, that you are both kind and wise. You don't need me. You need only to believe in yourself and to be willing to understand your own people.”

“I intend to try. For I intend to be a great queen.” Mary hesitated. “Greater, even,” she said softly, “than my cousin who sits on the throne of England.”

A chill snaked along Gwenyth's spine. Elizabeth was proving to be a very powerful monarch. She was ten years older than Mary and had been queen of England for several years now. And she was Mary's opponent in the political arena, for when Mary Tudor had died, the French royalty had declared Mary Stewart not just Queen of Scotland and of France, but Queen of England and Ireland, as well, considering Elizabeth to be Henry's bastard and therefore lacking the right to rule.

Politics could be a very dangerous game. Gwenyth knew Mary did not wish to oust her cousin from the throne, but she was loyal to her religion. It had become quite apparent that not only did the English not wish to have anyone other than their own Queen Bess, they wanted nothing to do with a Catholic monarch, and therein lay the seeds of potential—or perhaps inevitable—conflict.

Throughout the centuries, wars with England had torn Scotland apart. None wished to have more bloodshed to be forced upon them by the English, yet every alliance was like a dagger in the heart of some other nation. The English warily watched Scotland's friendship with the French, and the Spanish watched them all, so they watched the Spanish in turn. Such concerns would have a crucial impact on Mary's future marriage. She could bring an ally to their cause—and create a wellspring of enemies, as well.

As if reading Gwenyth's thoughts, Mary said softly, “I do believe it will be best if I marry within this realm in time. And he
is
good looking, isn't he?”

“Who?”

“Lord Darnley.”

“Ah, yes.”

Mary narrowed her eyes in amusement. “I gather you think someone else is also handsome? I believe I know of whom you speak.”

“You do?”

“Laird Rowan.”

Gwenyth started, and could feel her spine stiffening. “He is very rude.”

“He's blunt, and as you're the one teaching me about my people, you should know that such a laird, well-versed in both battle and politics, will be blunt. He is the epitome of a perfect Scottish nobleman.”

“In that case, why don't you have
your
eye on Laird Rowan?”

“Now you are joking with me, are you not?”

Gwenyth frowned. “I'm not joking at all.”

Mary laughed. “Well, then, I suppose rumor is not as rife as one would imagine.”

“Mary, please, whatever are you talking about?”

“My father had thirteen recognized bastards, you know. Some of them lovely people, actually. Like my dear brother James,” she said, and Gwenyth wondered if she heard a touch of bitterness in the queen's voice.

There had been talk at one time of having James Stewart legitimized, though it had come to nothing in the end.

Gwenyth's frown deepened. “He isn't one of your father's bastards, is he?” she asked incredulously.

Mary let out a small dry laugh. “No. Though he is the son of one of my father's bastards. His mother was the first issue of one of my father's first dalliances.”

“Is this true—or rumor?” Gwenyth asked.

“Don't be so concerned, my dear friend, or you will furrow terrible wrinkles into your brow. Laird Rowan's lineage is considered quite acceptable, I assure you. However, to find one's nephew to be attractive is quite another. Besides, he is married.”

“Oh,” Gwenyth murmured.

“Quite sad, really. He is married to Lady Catherine of Brechman.”

“The daughter of the Lord of Brechman—but…those are English lands,” Gwenyth said, realizing that she was about to hear the truth about Laird Rowan's mysteriously tragic past.

“Yes. And how do I know all this and you do not?” Mary inquired, seemingly pleased to be able to share what she knew. “I suppose, in the last months, I have had quite a lot of communication with my brother James, and he has told me the story. It's terribly sad. They were madly in love, and Rowan boldly declared himself to the lady's father. They were granted permission for the union by both my brother, James, and Queen Elizabeth. She became with child immediately, but shortly before the babe was due to be born, she was in a coach accident on her father's lands. She was badly injured and fell into a raging fever. The child did not survive, and Lady Catherine has not been of sound mind since, nor has her health ever improved. She is now quite insane and lives in Laird Rowan's castle in the Highlands, where she is tended by a nurse and the Laird's steward, who is both kind and loyal. She is very frail and, most fear, soon for the grave.”