Chapter 13 #2
and prepared for serving. While Fergus held the tray, his wife
served their plates at the table. Sabina entered with a basket of
freshly baked breads and a pitcher of cold water.
When their guests’ plates were heaped, the
women retired to the scullery while Fergus remained standing behind
the queen to see to her every need.
The queen tasted her food and gave a smile of
pleasure. “Mayhap I will not miss Holyroodhouse as much as I had
feared. Mistress Macnab is as good as she promised.”
Behind her Fergus stared straight ahead. But
the comment had not been lost on him. His eyes were alight with
pleasure.
Lindsey savored the meal as much for the
excellence of the food as for the fact that the queen had not
addressed her since the meal began. Suddenly, however, the food
turned to ashes in her mouth when the queen fixed her with a
haughty look.
“You say you followed Jamie to
Holyroodhouse?”
Lindsey swallowed. “Aye, Majesty.”
“Was he not accompanied by Mary Livingston,
one of my ladies?” the queen asked, studying her pointedly.
“I—did not know the lady’s identity.”
“Ah.” The queen’s lips curved slightly. “Did
it not occur to you that Jamie and the woman might not be returning
to the inn?”
Lindsey felt Jamie’s gaze on her and took a
sip of water. “I may have entertained such a thought, Majesty. But
by then, it was too late. I had no choice but to follow him, since
I was thoroughly lost in the city.”
“You did not know you were at
Holyroodhouse?”
“Nay, Majesty. I knew only that Jamie and the
lady had entered, and so I followed.”
The queen arched a brow and shot a glance at
Jamie. “So, if my lord MacDonald had been entering into a—tryst
with the mysterious lady, perhaps in her own home or the home of a
trusted friend, you would have been a witness to it?”
Lindsey’s cheeks flamed. There was no
escaping the queen’s razor wit and sharp tongue.
“I... have never before done such a thing,
Majesty.”
The queen’s voice was warm with laughter.
“You are indeed a bold woman, Lindsey Gordon.”
Lindsey could feel Jamie’s gaze boring into
her, but she avoided meeting his look.
Abruptly the queen changed topics. “How many
brothers do you have?”
“Four, Majesty.”
“Four brothers. Should that not give you an
advantage over most other women?”
“I do not understand.”
“One would think that you, surrounded by so
many men, would understand the way a man’s mind works.”
Lindsey couldn’t hide her wry smile. “I
regret, Majesty, that despite having a father and four brothers, I
have never understood the working of a man’s mind. It is still a
puzzle to me.”
“As it is to me,” the queen said
thoughtfully, glancing at the man who sat at the other end of the
table. Though Darnley shared their meal, he seemed to take little
interest in their conversation.
“Perhaps, Jamie,” the queen said with a
laugh, “you will one day help us with our dilemma.”
“I am more than happy to accept your offer,
providing Your Majesty will teach me the way a woman’s mind works
in return.”
“It does not work,” came Darnley’s voice from
his place at the table. “A woman simply makes a judgment, and all
the powers of persuasion in the world will not change her
mind.”
Mary studied her husband’s frowning face for
a moment, then turned to Fergus. “We would take our sweets
now.”
“Aye, Majesty.”
The old man hurried away and returned within
minutes, followed by his wife and daughter, who carried trays of
puddings and tarts.
As the queen accepted a heaping portion she
remarked, “The child I carry will be very sweet indeed. For I have
never craved sweets as much as I have in these past months.”
“My son,” Darnley said with a sneer, “will
not be sweet. He will be strong. Strong enough to control the women
he beds.”
“You mean woman,” Mary emphasized.
“I mean women.” Lifting his goblet in the
direction of the housekeeper he snarled, “Fill this, wench. And be
quick about it.”
Mistress Macnab lifted a decanter and filled
his goblet, then started to walk away. He caught her by the wrist,
pulling her back with a vicious tug. His display of temper was
distressing for all to witness.
Jamie started to rise, but the queen laid her
hand upon his sleeve to stay his movements.
As the three watched, Darnley snatched the
decanter from the housekeeper’s hands and set it down with a
clatter beside his plate. “I need to fortify myself,” he muttered
to no one in particular, “lest this meal should go on forever.”
“You need not stay,” the queen said with icy
calm.
“You would suggest that I break with
protocol, madame? Who would dare to leave the room before the
queen? Surely not her husband and loyal servant.”
“You are neither.”
His head came up sharply, and he got to his
feet so quickly his chair tumbled backward, making a terrible
noise.
Mistress Macnab and her daughter came running
from the scullery, then stopped in their tracks.
“Are you suggesting that I am no longer your
husband, madame?”
The queen said nothing as he weaved
unsteadily.
“And as for loyal servant... There has never
been a more loyal servant than I,” he shouted. “I have given you
what your first husband, your beloved Francis, could not give you.
A child, madame. A royal child, an heir to the throne.” His voice
wavered. “There is no more devoted servant in all of Scotland than
I. And you would be wise to remember that.”
In the silence that followed the queen
shocked the onlookers by getting to her feet. In her most haughty
tones she said, “I would take your arm now, Darnley, so that I
might retire.”
He blinked, then stood straighter as he came
around the table and offered her his arm. Placing her hand upon his
sleeve she turned to the bewildered housekeeper. “My compliments,
Mistress. Macnab. The meal was every bit as fine as any I have ever
been served.”
Mistress Macnab curtsied. “Thank you,
Majesty.”
“Good day, Jamie. Lindsey.”
The two stood and bowed until the queen and
her husband exited the room. Then they sat down.
Shaken by the scene she had just witnessed,
Lindsey sipped the strong, hot tea that had been served with the
sweets. Beside her, Jamie brooded in silence.
When the servants left the room, Lindsey
turned to Jamie. “Is he mad?”
“I think not. But his mind is surely addled
by spirits. I had heard the rumors, of course, but I had no idea it
had gone so far.”
“The queen does not seem to fear him.”
“It is not her nature. Mary is a fiery
Monarch, who was raised since infancy to believe that the world is
hers. I think she still cannot completely believe that anyone would
want to see her dead.”
“But she fled Holyroodhouse.”
“Aye, and perhaps she was right to flee. That
band of angry lords had fire in their eyes. I know that look. They
will not be satisfied until there is blood on their hands. But I
think my fear for her was greater than her fear for herself.”
“But you tried to persuade her to stay.”
“Aye. It is why I brought your family to
Edinburgh. They are the sort of warriors I need to keep the queen
safe from attack until she can take her cause to the people. But
Mary fled because she fears that the minds of the people have been
poisoned against her.”
“And what say you, my lord?”
“I think, for now, this quiet place will be
good for Mary. I will do all in my power to raise an army to lead
her back, victorious, to Edinburgh.”
Jamie stood and paced to the windows
overlooking the fragrant garden. When he turned, his eyes were
narrowed upon Lindsey.
“Perhaps your intrusion upon our mission was
the hand of fate.”
“I do not understand.”
“Since her birth, Mary has always been
surrounded by people who tell her only what they think she wants to
hear.” A hint of a smile touched his lips as he added, “You are not
at all like that, my lady. I could not see you telling even the
queen pretty lies.”
“I would never say hurtful things.”
“Nay, my lady, nor would I want you to. But
even the queen needs at times to hear the truth.”
As the servants entered to begin clearing the
table, Jamie offered his arm to Lindsey. “You should rest now. The
night was a long one.”
“Aye, my lord.”
They walked from the refectory. At the foot
of the stairs Jamie paused and placed a hand beneath Lindsey’s
chin, forcing her to meet his steady gaze.
“If you think to escape and return to your
father, be warned that the loch has claimed many lives, my lady.
And if the loch does not stop your escape, I will.”
She tried to back away but he held her
firmly. She glared at him. “I do not think you would kill me, Jamie
MacDonald.”
“It would not be necessary to kill you, my
lady, in order to halt your escape. There are other ways.”
“What other ways?”
He ran his finger lightly across her lips.
Too late, she saw what he planned. As she tried to pull away he
drew her closer and covered her lips with his.
The kiss was hard and quick. Lindsey felt the
swift rush of heat as her pulse grew erratic. She despised the
weakness in her that made her want to cling to him and offer
more.
Too late, Jamie realized his mistake. He
should have known the mere taste of her would fire his need for
this woman. But she had become an obsession, filling his mind when
he least expected it. And now that he was tasting, he wanted more.
Much more.
Calling on all his self-control he lifted his
head.
In a voice barely more than a whisper he
said, “Remind me to thank Mistress Macnab for finding you such
fetching clothes. Though I agree with Darnley that you filled the
breeches nicely, you are a rare beauty in that gown.”
Lindsey felt a rush of heat and pushed away
from him.
“Good day, my lord.”
She turned and hurried up the stairs. But not
before he saw the color that flooded her cheeks.
Jamie moved toward the gardens, deep in
thought. The lass would try to escape. He could see it in her eyes.
But she would not succeed.
He thought about the blush that had touched
her skin. It gave him an odd sense of power to know that his simple
touch could have such an effect on the bold lass.
Despite the danger in this undertaking, he
found himself already looking forward to the days to come, when he
would have other chances to spar with this fascinating, beguiling
woman.