"Well enough. She misses ye, my lady."

“Tell her when this business is settled I would like her to come to Hermitage wi me. I miss her too."

"I'll tell her, my lady."

"Go carefully wi my bairns," she said to him. Turning slowly, she rode back to where Bothwell awaited her.

Conall had to admit that the border lord on his gray stallion, and Lady Leslie on her golden-bay gelding, made a handsome couple. He felt a kind of sadness as they raised their hands to the bairns in a gesture of farewell, and then turned and rode off.

Chapter 31

WHEN the king learned that Bothwell was in the north, he left Edinburgh for Dundee. But by the time he arrived, the earl had already returned south to the borders with Cat. Francis Hepburn hoped that by remaining quiet and unassuming he could calm his nervous royal cousin. James, however, egged on by Maitland and constandy waylaid by either the Earl of Angus or his daughter-both lobbying for the return of Bothwell's possessions to the earl's heir-felt he was constantly assailed by Francis Hepburn.

When the parliament met on May 29, the king denounced the Earl of Bothwell, claiming he aspired to the throne and stating that he had no right to that throne. They might both be grandsons of James V, but Bothwell's line was the bastard one. Then the king proceeded to have his parliament ratify the sentence of forfeiture against his cousin.

Francis Hepburn was honestly astounded. He and Jamie had always rubbed each other, but he had tried hard to avoid an open confrontation with the king. That James could accuse him of wanting the throne was laughable. Of all the things he wanted in the world, the kingship of any land was the last on his list. However, he understood what his cousin was really up to. James was asking for support without doing so in plain words.

Had the nobility known that the king simply wanted their support, they might have given it to him. But they saw John Maitland behind everything James did, and the nobility of Scotland hated Maitland. Consequently, they all but shouted their support of Francis Hepburn and their defiance of the king.

"He wants to destroy ye," said Cat. "Is there no kindness in him? All we ask is to wed and live in peace wi him."

"Maitland wants to make an example of me, Cat, and the fact that Jamie wants ye back in his bed doesna help matters."

"Would it help ye if I returned to him? I would sooner die than hae him touch me again, but if he would restore to ye yer possessions I would do it for ye, my love."

Roughly he pulled her to him. "I would strangle ye, lass, before I would ever let any man touch ye! I'll nae let ye go! Christ, my darling, the very thought of my royal cousin wi ye infuriates me!"

"But I dinna want to be responsible for hurting ye, Francis. Oh, my love! Take me away! Please take me away before it is too late!"

"Gie me a bit more time, my love. Let me try to make my peace wi Jamie."

Frightened, she clung to him, and like a cornered animal she felt a net closing about them. Then she quickly shook it off. He needed strength now, not a weak and weeping woman.

Word came that the king was at his palace of Falklands. Bothwell and his supporters rode forth, and Catriona Leslie rode with them. Between the hours of one and two a.m. on the morning of June 20, 1592, they surrounded Falklands. Unfortunately James had been warned in time by the watch, and he retired with the queen to a fortified tower. By seven a.m. the local country people were streaming to Falklands to see what the matter was. Bothwell and his company were forced to retire. They did so to the cheers of the locals, who had recognized the border lord.

On July 2, a proclamation was issued for the raising of a levy to pursue the Earl of Bothwell. The proclamation was pointedly ignored by one and all. James retired to Dalkeith for the remainder of the summer. On August 1, the lairds of Logie and Burley smuggled Bothwell into the palace in hopes of getting him into the king's presence so he might publicly ask for royal pardon.

It had been decided that the queen's antechamber would be the ideal place for the earl to catch the king. James must pass through it on his way to his wife's bedroom. Francis Hepburn knelt before his queen. He took her extended hand, kissed it, and then turned it over and kissed the palm.

"Rogue!" laughed the queen, snatching her hand away. But her face was flushed and her heart beat quicker.

Bothwell grinned up at her and rose to his feet, "Thank ye, madame, for letting me wait for Jamie here. I must make peace wi him. And too, he must allow the cardinal to gie my lass her divorce so we may wed. Catriona has always been a loyal servant of yer majesty9 and it hurts her too when Jamie punishes me."

"You love her very much, don't you, Francis?"

"Madame, I hae never known such happiness or such' peace since Cat came into my life. If only I were reconciled wi James. All we ask, yer majesty, is to live quiedy at Hermitage. We would even live abroad if it were the king's pleasure. I ask only to retain Hermitage for any bairns Cat will gie me. Our children must nae forget that they are Scots, and loyal subjects of James Stewart-as Cat and I are."

The queen was obviously touched by this speech. "I will plead your case, cousin. James is not thinking clearly at all. Master Maitland confuses him." She sat down and patted the space to her left. He sat next to her. "Beatrice," she said to Lady Ruthven. "Please watch for the king, and see we have plenty of warning." She looked to her other ladies. "The rest of you may make yourselves useful with your embroidery, or music. I wish to talk to the earl privately." The ladies of the queen's bedchamber settled themselves across the room from the windowseat where the queen and Bothwell sat conversing.

"Now, tell me, Cousin Francis, how did this great romance with the Countess of Glenkirk begin? I thought she truly loved her husband."

Carefully, he told her the story he had concocted when anticipating her question. "Cat and I became friends before yer majesty came to Scotland. Glenkirk and I are distant cousins. Did ye know his mother is a Stewart? I have always liked Cat. She is an educated woman, and I enjoyed being wi her. Never did anything improper occur between us in those early days. But as time went on, yer grace, I found that I was falling in love wi her. I fought my feelings, for I knew that she was no loose woman. Imagine my surprise to discover she was fighting the same feelings! Finally we could fight our emotions no longer. We love each other," he finished simply.

The queen's eyes were bright with unshed tears. "What of poor Glenkirk?"

"He loves her too, but is resigned to letting her go."

"Perhaps," said the queen, looking towards Christina Anders, "the earl might remarry. Mistress Anders' husband has recently expired from measles, and she is widowed again."

Bothwell did not think Patrick Leslie would marry Christina Anders, but he needed the queen's support, so he nodded affably and said, "Very possibly. But first he must be free, and the king will nae allow the Cardinal of St. Andrew's permission to sign the petition of divorce."

"I will help you, Francis," said the queen.

At this point Lady Ruthven returned white-faced. "Your grace. His majesty is in the corridor outside. He asks me to tell ye that he has learned the Earl of Bothwell is somewhere in the palace. He says he will punish anyone who tries to introduce the earl into his presence."

Francis Hepburn stood up. "Damn!" he said. And then turning to the queen he asked, "Is there another way I can leave?"

The queen led the way into her bedroom and, opening a small unobtrusive door, revealed a narrow staircase. "My tiring women use this. Follow it all the way to the bottom. It exits in the servant's courtyard."

He kissed her hand again in farewell. "Thank ye, madame, and God bless ye for yer help."

She smiled prettily at him. "I won't forget, Francis. Go with God."

The queen closed the door and returned to her antechamber. She picked up her embroidery. "Beatrice, go and ask the king if he intends standing in the corridor all night."

The queen's ladies giggled, and Anna bit her lip to keep from laughing as James entered her rooms with his guards. They rushed into her bedchamber, poking under the bed and behind the draperies with their pikes.

"Come, sire! What is the meaning of this?" demanded the queen.

"Bothwell is in the palace, Annie!"

The young queen drew herself up. "Well, sire! He is certainly not in my bedchamber. Or is this some new slander of Master Maitland's? First he alleges that the bonnie Earl of Moray is my lover… does he now say 'tis Bothwell?" She turned to her attendants. "Fling open the wardrobes, ladies, so the king may see we hide no earls!" She turned back to the king. "When ye have finished with this foolishness, please take your men and leave me. All this uproar has given me a terrible headache."

Disappointed, the king retired to his empty bed. Equally disappointed, Bothwell returned to Hermitage. He again set himself to living quietly, in hope of allaying the king's fears and calming his anger.

In October the king mounted a small expedition into the borders. Bothwell and Cat immediately left Hermitage for their secret and well-hidden hunting lodge. Hermitage Castle stood open to the king, who could not, under these circumstances, complain of his cousin's disobedience.

The king returned to Edinburgh only to be waylaid again by Lady Margaret Douglas. She had chosen to catch him publicly, in front of the gates of Edinburgh Castle, crying for mercy upon her and her children. In God's name she begged the return of Bothwell's property for her innocent children.