The king had quickly learned of the tragedy, and without consulting the Leslies, he declared young James Leslie the fifth Earl of Glenkirk. Cat was furious, though Glenkirk needed its lord. Once again James Stewart was interfering in her life. He had written to her this week that her mourning was not to exceed six months. She was to be back at court by spring.
His motive, couched in kindly rhetoric, made her laugh and swear alternately. The young earl was ordered to marry quickly to ensure the Glenkirk succession. Thank God, thought Cat to herself, that Patrick and I had the wit to betroth Jemmie to Isabelle Gordon two years ago-else King Jamie would interfere in that as well!
The king's letter continued. Since Patrick's mother, Meg, still lived, Glenkirk had the unusual distinction of having two dowager countesses. As the elder resided in the dower house, the younger must come to court so the young people might have their marital privacy, and so the older woman would not be disturbed.
Cat snorted. Ye dinna fool me, Jamie! Wi Patrick gone and Bothwell exiled, ye think to hae yer way wi me. Come to court and gie my son and his bride their privacy! Pah! Come to court and gie ye my body. You bastard! Ye say nothing of my other bairns. What would ye say if I arrived wi them all?
She was in a very difficult position and could not ask her young son for protection against the king.
But the young earl knew most of the reasons for~ his parents estrangement. Now, with the king seeking to entrap his mother again, Jemmie sought and found what he believed was a solution to free Cat without openly offending the king.
As he burst into her apartments she looked up, startled. 'My God! Ye look so like Patrick,' she said with a catch in her voice.
He knelt by her side, saying softly, 'I hae the answer to yer dilemma, mother! I know how we may thwart the king wi'out bringing his wrath down on the Leslies!’Tis foolproof!'
She put a hand on his shoulder, and he saw the sadness in her face. 'Jemmie, my love, I thank ye, but I am trapped, and I would nae shame yer father's memory by destroying his family-our family. The king wants me as his mistress and there is simply no escape for me. I must obey him.'
'Nay! Listen to me! The king is nae aware that I know of his duplicity. What if after Bella and I and Bess and Henry are married this winter, we all troup to court, leaving ye here to complete yer mourning period. We return to find ye gone. Only a note remains… telling us ye've gone to visit our Leslie cousins in France in hopes of overcoming yer depression.'
'And,' said Cat, excitedly catching his mood, 'if as soon as ye leave Edinburgh to return home, workmen arrive at Glenkirk House to completely refurbish it, the king will nae suspect that I dinna intend to return.' She chuckled. 'I will secretly transfer the deed to Glenkirk House to Bella, and my lodge, A-Cuil, to Bess. That way, when Jamie discovers that the bird has flown, he canna confiscate them. Yer right, my son! If ye play the loyal and loving subject then Jamie dare not touch anything Leslie. His involvement has been wi Bothwell, yer father, and me. If he believes ye know nothing, he can nae punish you or our family. His pride will nae permit it, for he is very anxious the English hae a good report of him. The old queen has never officially declared him her heir, and she might name Arabella Stewart, his first cousin. But, Jamie. Ye must publicly denounce my wicked behavior. Not even Bella must know of our plot.'
He grinned at her. 'Aye, mother. Ye are indeed a shameful hussy, but I'd hae ye no other way!' Then he became more serious. 'Ye'll need money. I’ll ask the Kiras the best way of secretly handling funds for ye.'
'Nay, Jemmie, but thank ye for the thought. There's nae been a need for ye to know, but I am a very wealthy woman in my own right. I will hae the Kiras begin to slowly transfer my funds to Europe.'
'Where will ye go?' he asked her, knowing in his heart the answer she would give him.
She looked straight at him. 'Why, Jemmie, I go to find Bothwell. If Francis will still hae me I will be the happiest woman alive.'
'I dinna think ye need fear that Lord Bothwell doesna want ye. I understand he was recently expelled from France for killing a man in a duel. The unfortunate gentleman in question made an unkind remark regarding a lady of quality in Scotland who held Bothwell's devotion.'
'And where is Francis now?' she asked evenly.
'Italy. He tried Spain, but the Spaniards are a bit too religious, and their court is quite stuffy. Ye'll find yer border lord in Naples. Go to him, mother, and be happy! Marry him as ye both always wanted. Glenkirk will ever be here for ye, but I dinna think you'll need it.'
'Frances Anne?'
'Will remain here until yer safely established. I send her to ye then.'
'Ian and Jane also,' she said quietly.
James Leslie laughed softly. 'I always suspected as much, though, thank God, father never did!'
She flushed under her eldest son's amused gaze. 'Ye amaze me, Jemmie. How can ye be so tolerant?'
'I am tolerant because ye were always a good mother to us. I am tolerant because until the king forced ye into his bed ye were always a good and loving wife to my father. I am tolerant because the same hot blood that flows in your veins, mother, flows in mine. I have seen how other men look at ye, and as a page wi Lord Rothes' household I have overheard things. Whatever happened that lost my father yer love I blame on the king. I dinna suppose ye would tell me now, would ye?'
For a moment she was thoughtful, and then she spoke. 'When yer father found the king wi me he was shocked and very, very hurt. The king might have saved Glenkirk's pride, but instead he cruelly praised my performance in his bed to your father. He took him into my antechamber and there they spent the next few hours drinking Glenkirk whisky, and talking. Afterwards, when they were both very drunk, they entered my bedroom, and…' She stopped for a minute, her face white with the memory. She resumed quietly, 'Yer father and the king spent the rest of the night taking turns raping me. After several years I forgave yer father, Jemmie, but that night killed my love for him. I could understand, and, aye, even sympathize wi him, but for him to believe that I, who was ever faithful to him, had willingly betrayed him…' She stopped, momentarily lost for words. 'He was ever stubborn, was Patrick Leslie! I loved him once, Jemmie, but I always questioned our marriage. We were, I suppose, too alike.
'I fled after that night to the only friend I had- Lord Bothwell. I only meant to gain time, to have a little peace, to think. But Francis and I fell in love. The rest ye know.
'As for James Stewart, I despise him! He plays the good Christian king, the perfect husband, the ideal father. Alas, he is a hypocrite, and the greatest lecher I hae ever known!'
'I thought he was nae interested in women, but preferred men,' said Jemmie.
'Nay.’Tis a ruse he uses to hide his real desires.'
'That father could treat ye sol He deserved to lose ye! If I had known, I would hae killed him myself!'
'Jemmie! Jemmie! Yer poor father suffered terribly for that one extravagant cruelty. He returned from Glenkirk eager to see me, and instead found his half-naked wife being fondled by the king. How would ye nae felt if it had been yer Bella? Nay! 'Tis James who is to blame! Yer father-may God assoil him- is gone. Francis is in the kingdom of Naples, and though I dare not communicate wi him, I will soon be going to him. The old life is almost over, and I will soon be on my way to Bothwell. For now, however, our thoughts must be on planning yer wedding to Isabelle Gordon.'
'And yer plans, mother?'
'Will be taken care of, Jemmie.’Tis best ye know nothing more lest ye innocently gie me away. When I am gone, and until I am out of disgrace wi the king, ye can secretly get in touch wi me through the Kiras.' She kissed him on the cheek. 'Despite my love for Bothwell,' she said, 'I would nae leave ye if I dinna think ye could handle yer title and the duties that go wi it Learn a lesson from yer ancestors, Jemmie. Only the first Earl of Glenkirk lived to be a white-haired old man. Most of the others involved themselves wi the Stewarts and died young.
'If I had not been so insistent about going to court, perhaps none of this would hae happened. Yer father -and in fairness to his memory, Jemmie, I tell ye this-yer father warned me nae to get involved wi the Stewarts. I would nae listen, but
'But what happens, mother, when the old queen in the south dies? What if our king goes to London?'
'He will, Jemmie. He impatiently waits for the day he may leave Scotland. Then yer Uncle Adam must go to London to represent our interests, but ye and Bella must remain here. Glenkirk must never be ruled by an absentee lord. 'Twould be its downfall. Teach yer sons a love of this land so it may never be wi'out a Leslie.'
'Ye talk as if ye'll ne'er see Glenkirk again, mother.'
