Chapter 12 #2
Darnley will occupy the other room.”
Mistress Macnab arched a brow but said
nothing.
“Now I would rest,” Mary announced. “Sabina,
you will assist me.”
“Aye, Majesty.” The girl bowed and began to
remove the queen’s cloak.
“If you will follow me,” the housekeeper said
to Lindsey and Jamie, “I will show you to your rooms.”
They followed the woman down the hall toward
a second suite of rooms. The sitting chamber was a large, cheerful
room with rich tapestries on the walls and heavy rugs on the floor.
A fire blazed in the fireplace, in front of which had been
positioned several chaises and chairs. On a sideboard were a
decanter of ale and several crystal goblets.
On either end of the room were doors leading
to identical sleeping chambers.
The housekeeper seemed embarrassed as she
explained to Jamie, “I was not told to expect you and the lady. I
have no other rooms prepared. And my Lord William had the servants
transported to his castle outside Edinburgh, because, he said, the
queen would bring her own trusted staff. But if you will give me a
day, my daughter and I can have another suite of rooms
prepared.”
“It is not necessary, Mistress Macnab. The
lady and I are—together.” Jamie had seen the look on Lindsey’s
face. And he knew she was calculating how long it would take her to
swim the loch and return to Edinburgh. He would need to keep her
close. “Lady Lindsey will be quite comfortable sharing the
suite.”
To hide her embarrassment, Lindsey stepped
into one of the sleeping chambers, hoping the color would fade from
her hot cheeks. It was not seemly that a maiden share such close
quarters with a man. But like so many other things in her life
lately, this was beyond her control. She would simply have to make
the best of it until she could slip away from this terrible
place.
She took these minutes to appreciate the work
that had been done in preparation for their visit. The rooms were
furnished much like the queen’s chamber, with a large bed
surrounded by satin curtains. In front of the fireplace were two
chairs covered with animal hides.
“My lord William loves to hunt.” Mistress
Macnab, standing in the doorway, had noted the direction of
Lindsey’s gaze.
“So this is his hunting lodge?”
“Aye. He thought it would be a fine place for
Queen Mary to await the birth of her bairn.” The housekeeper turned
a quizzical glance toward Jamie. “We expected Her Majesty to travel
with her servants, my lord.”
Jamie’s features revealed nothing. “The queen
has chosen a respite from the pomp and ceremony that surrounds her
at court. This will be a quiet time for her until after the birth.
We are here to see that nothing disturbs her. If a problem should
arise, Mistress Macnab, bring it to me. And if anyone should come
to call, anyone,” he said very carefully, “you are to tell me at
once.”
The housekeeper smiled conspiratorially.
“Aye, my lord. I understand. I felt the same way myself, before
giving birth to Sabina. Why, there were times when I wished I could
just send Fergus away, so I could sit all by myself and dream about
the wee bairn I would soon be holding to my breast. A woman needs
some time alone. Especially a woman like our lovely queen.
“I told Fergus how blessed we were that we
had been chosen to be the ones to stay behind and see to the needs
of our monarch. If my lord William had not chosen us, I would be in
that cold city now, cooking for the likes of Lady Margaret, who
finds fault with everything I do. That woman has never liked
anything in all the years I have been with Lord William. Of course,
Fergus and I have been with him since he took his first wife, the
lovely Lady Catherine...”
Lindsey swallowed a laugh and turned to warm
herself in front of the fire. As the housekeeper paused to take a
breath, Jamie seized the opportunity to say, “You mentioned a meal
earlier, Mistress Macnab. The lady and I would be pleased to sample
your cooking.”
“Oh.” She seemed surprised at the
interruption of her narrative. “Aye. Of course, my lord. I prepared
a fine meal in honor of the queen’s visit.” She started toward the
door, then paused. “Will your trunks be here soon, my lord?”
Jamie coughed. “Nay, mistress. I fear there
will be no trunks. We had—an accident along the way.”
“How dreadful. What will you do for
clothes?”
Before Jamie could think of something to say,
the housekeeper brightened. “It is no matter, my lord. There are
trunks filled with fine clothes for Lord William, Lady Margaret and
the guests who always accompany them to Lochleven. I will see that
your wardrobes are well stocked.”
“We are indeed fortunate to have you,
Mistress Macnab.”
At Jamie’s warm smile she blushed all the way
to her toes and bowed her way from the room. When the door closed
behind her, Lindsey speared him with a hateful look.
“I had not known you to be so charming. Nor
such an accomplished liar, my lord.”
“Nor had I.” He shrugged. “Necessity is a
fine teacher, it would seem.”
Lindsey walked to the balcony and stood
watching as the morning sun burned off the mist that shrouded the
loch. On the far shore, the boat could be seen heading toward land.
She would have to make good her escape before Jamie’s mount was
ferried across or she would have no horse to ride to Edinburgh.
“What bitter irony,” she murmured. “All
during our journey, my consolation for the discomfort was that I
would finally see the queen in Edinburgh, a city teeming with
people, with life, with excitement. Instead I am isolated.” Lindsey
shivered, drawing her arms tightly around her. “I am far more
isolated here in Lochleven than I have ever been in the Highlands.
What is worse, I am separated from my father and brothers.”
Jamie cautioned himself against feeling too
deeply about the lass’s troubles. His only concern must be the
safety of the queen. He must not let anything or anyone distract
him from his duty. He lifted the decanter and filled two goblets.
Crossing the room he handed one to her.
As she accepted it he said, “I have learned
never to question fate. This is not as either of us had planned it,
my lady. But it could have been much worse.”
“Worse? My dream has always been to meet the
queen.. Yet I met her, not in my finest gown, but in the garb of a
street lad. I was abducted, without even a chance to get word to my
father, who will be grieving inconsolably. We rode all night in
fear for our very lives.” She turned away, missing the smile that
touched his mouth. “How could it have been any worse?”
“You could still be at your quiet, isolated
home in the Highlands, my lady, yearning for adventure.”
“Oh!” She pushed past him and slammed her
goblet down on the sideboard. When she lifted her head he could see
the glitter of tears filling her eyes. “If I could think only of
myself, none of this would matter. Do you not see? My father’s
heart can bear no further strain. My unexplained absence could be
the death of him.”
“Where was your concern about your father
last night?” Jamie asked quietly. “Did you give a thought to him
when you dressed yourself in such a manner and followed me to a
tavern? It would seem, my lady, that you think of others only when
it pleases you.”
Lindsey blinked her tears away and
straightened her spine. Turning toward the sleeping chamber she
said, “If you will excuse me, my lord, I will follow the example of
the queen and seek my solitude.”
“Aye. But bear in mind that it was Mary who
ordered you here, my lady. Do not attempt to leave Lochleven. Or
the queen might order the removal of your lovely head.”
“She is not that cruel.”
He caught her arm and drew her close, his
eyes narrowed in anger. Through clenched teeth he said, “It is not
cruelty for Mary to protect herself at all cost from those who
would steal her very life. And no one, not even you, my lady, will
be permitted to leave this place, lest you unwittingly reveal the
queen’s sanctuary.”
Pulling away from him, Lindsey entered her
sleeping chamber and slammed the door, shutting out his words.
For long minutes after she left, Jamie stood
staring at the closed door. Then he turned and glanced at the
rolling hills in the distance, far across the loch.
The lass was right about one thing. Her
father would suffer great heartache from her unexplained
absence.
His hand clenched at his side. Though it
would involve much risk, he would find a way to get word to Douglas
Gordon.