Chapter 51
Elspet Balfour
THE KING LOOKS OVER HIS pregnant wife with approval. Mar is at his shoulder, as always. The Queen’s belly is enormous on her slight frame.
‘Excellent.’ King James pats Queen Anna on the shoulder awkwardly. She looks at his hand with contempt, and he withdraws it quickly.
‘My son will be born soon.’ The King turns to Mar with satisfaction. ‘An heir and successor who will firmly establish my position. The rebel Earls will see I cannot be deposed. And more importantly, the Queen of England will have no remaining excuse to delay naming me as her successor.’
‘Indeed,’ the Earl of Mar agrees. ‘The birth of this child will be a great day for Scotland.’
‘Good. Well, my Annie, make sure you rest,’ the King says as he steps away. ‘I must attend to important business now. I have reports of another servant of Satan discovered right here on our doorstep.’
The Queen looks bored and does not reply as the King withdraws, leaning on Mar for support as he leaves the chamber.
Dorothea appears in the doorway and stands aside to let them pass. ‘Your Majesty,’ she says to the King. Her face is drawn and, as soon as the men have left, she rushes in.
‘Are you well, Mother?’ Beatrix steps forward to hold her mother by the arms.
‘What’s the matter?’ the Queen asks.
‘I bring grave news.’ Dorothea wrings her hands. ‘I was powerless to stop them . . .’
‘Stop who?’ the Queen demands.
‘The King’s soldiers – they came to the house. They’ve taken Kitty.’
Beatrix’s eyes are wide. ‘Taken Kitty? Taken her where?’
Elspet’s stomach has already dropped. Before Dorothea opens her mouth to answer, she kens what she’s going to say.
‘To the judiciary . . . to the cells . . . She’s accused of witchcraft.’
‘On what grounds?’ the Queen demands, her voice rising. ‘How can this be?’
Dorothea shakes her head, holding out her hands helplessly. ‘They wouldn’t tell me anything, Your Majesty.’
‘Could the Earl of Bothwell have found a way to accuse her from his exile?’ Margaret asks.
‘Or Mary and Atholl?’ Beatrix suggests. ‘Remember his interest in the activities in Sutherland? Did they discover Kitty was at New-Frater House, Mother?’
Dorothea looks confused. ‘I don’t think so . . . I don’t know.’
‘This is outrageous.’ The Queen stands up awkwardly, hauling her round frame out of her seat. ‘How dare they take her?’
Elspet’s vision swims. She sees the wolf corpses hung up outside the stables at Dunrobin. Just like that string of dead beasts, this poor woman never stood a chance.
‘Dear God,’ Beatrix says. ‘What shall we do?’
‘This is sad news,’ Margaret says carefully, ‘but this must be the end of our plot. We must accept now that this is impossible.’
‘No!’ Beatrix cries. ‘We’ve come so far – we can’t give up. And besides, we can’t leave poor Kitty to her fate. She may have her flaws, God bless her, but we know she’s no witch.’
Elspet wants to wrap the young woman in her arms, grateful that she is putting up resistance not just for the Queen but for Kitty – the most vulnerable person in this dangerous, twisted plot.
‘I fear Lady Margaret may be right.’ Dorothea puts a hand on her daughter’s arm. ‘You may have no choice in the matter, my dear.’
Nobody speaks. They all turn to look at Queen Anna. Despite the roundness of her stomach, the rest of the Queen’s body remains wiry and slight. As she leans against the gold brocade back of her chair, Elspet is struck once more by how young she is.
‘We have some time.’ The Queen’s voice is calm and measured. ‘There must be a trial at least and even if Kitty should be sentenced to the worst possible fate, they cannot execute a pregnant woman.’
‘Who would do such a wicked thing as point the finger at an innocent woman?’ Beatrix says fiercely.
Elspet wonders; she’s learnt that pointing the finger at an innocent woman is not an unusual occurrence, and accusations of witchcraft are an excellent way to gain the King’s favour. It could’ve been anyone.
Overriding everything is a wave of overwhelming guilt. She’s certain Kitty would not be in this situation if it wasn’t for her. But for all that woman is full of anger and resentment, she’s also full of life. There must be some hope.