Love Wild and Fair

obedient to her royal master's wishes.

Awaiting his arrival, Cat knew what she might expect. She realized that she could not escape James' attentions even in her own house, and she steeled herself to be sweetly complacent so he might not suspect that she intended fleeing. She must not even speak openly with Jemmie.

With her son's marriage impending, Cat had removed her things from the apartments of the Earl and Countess of Glenkirk. It had not been easy leaving the rooms that had been hers all these years, but in a few weeks they would rightfully belong to young Belle. To camouflage her plans for escape, she went to the expense of redoing an entire suite of rooms for herself in the west-tower apartment, which had once belonged to her great-grandmother, Janet, before that lady built her own castle at Sithean. The tower had not been used since, and Cat fancied she could feel the other woman's presence.

'Well, Mam,' she sighed aloud, 'I am in another coil. Ye always warned us to stay clear of the Stewarts. My willfulness has cost us all, and now I must flee my home or submit to the king's lust. I wonder what ye would think of me if ye were here today.'

She walked to the bedroom windows and gazed out across the Glenkirk hills to Sithean's loch, and to Greyhaven, her childhood home. Here she imagined her great-grandmother waiting for her lover, Colin Hay, the Master of Greyhaven. Well, if Mam could defy convention to be with her lover, thought Cat, then so can I!

She sighed. Ah, Bothwell! 'Tis almost three years since the terrible day I stood on Rattray Head and watched that damned ship take ye from me. And in all that time we hae nae dared to even correspond. I dinna doubt that there hae been many women in yer bed, but is there one who's love has made ye forget me? Dear God! Please! No!

And as she closed her eyes in an agony of doubt his face swam before her darkened eyelids. That dearly beloved rugged face. The deep sapphire eyes, the sensuous mouth, the marvelous auburn hair and elegant short tailored beard he always had.

As she leaned against the cold stone she imagined the velvet firmness of his broad shoulder, and his big hand gently stroking her long hair. Suddenly, for the first time in all these long months, Cat wept. She wept in great gulping sobs. She wept for Patrick Leslie, and the happy years they had had before James ruined their lives. She wept for their loss of innocence-both hers and Patrick's. But most of all she wept for the Earl of Bothwell, the man she loved, cruelly exiled and impoverished because of his cousin's jealousy. Francis -who so loved his castle, Hermitage, and his beloved borders-forced to wander Europe alone and friendless.

But soon, she vowed, soon she would seek him out across Europe, and when she found him… She stopped. What if he had remarried? After all, even Francis might have to compromise his honor in order to live. No! He had not remarried. But they would marry when she found him, and then Jemmie would send their bairns to them, and they would live to a peaceful old age, far from the intrigues of the court.

But first, she must contend with Cousin Jamie. He would come crawling into her bed when he arrived for the wedding. Well, and she laughed through her tears, he would find her eager. She, who was so used to regular lovemaking, had not had a man since her husband went off those long months ago. She despised James, but her body craved a man's touch. For once it would be she who used him!

Seeking out her eldest son, she warned him, 'Ye must nae let the king know that yer aware of his nocturnal visits to me while he's here.'

The young earl was shocked. 'Jesu, mother! Would he dare, under our very roof?'

She laughed at his outrage. 'Dare? He is the king. Lord, Jemmie, James would dare almost anything with regard to his personal desires! If ye understand this, ye will understand him. Dinna be fooled by his show of piety and learning. He is outwardly pious because it keeps his Protestant kirk contented, and out of his private affairs. He is learned, yea, but he is also superstitious, cruel, and willful. Never trust him, no matter how fair he speaks to ye. Learn from my mistakes, Jemmie. Dinna involved yerself wi the king or the court.'

'But what should be our attitude towards the Stewarts, mother?'

'Loyalty in times of danger to the crown or to the country. At all other times, maintain yer distance. When forced to be wi the king, show admiration and affection. Be agreeable wi'out being a toady. Jamie can be most charming, and his humor is quite droll. He doesna mean to play the villain. Ye simply must nae get too involved.'

Jemmie nodded, but his brow was furrowed. 'I wish he were nae coming to the wedding. Do ye think the queen will be wi him? At least her presence may help to keep his lust in check.'

'She will nae come, Jemmie. I hear she is breeding again, and the king will use it as an excuse to keep her in Edinburgh. Dinna fret, my son. If I am to escape royal James, he must believe that I am ready to accept his will. His visit here will reassure him completely. The widow of Glenkirk will receive him hesitantly, but sweetly. I shall worry about my position, and he will offer comfort and encourage me to trust him completely. And once he has assuaged my fears, he will leave feeling very self-satisfied and manly.'

Jemmie Leslie looked at his mother in frank amazement. 'Yer the most devious woman I've ever known,' he chuckled. 'I would nae like to hae ye for an enemy, madame.'

Cat laughed aloud. ''Tis strange,' she said, 'but yer father once said that same thing to me.'

Five days before the wedding was to be celebrated, James Stewart arrived at Glenkirk. He was greeted by his distant cousins, the Leslies, and his closer cousins, the Gordons. His amber eyes lingered a moment on the black- garbed Countess of Glenkirk, and Cat flushed uncomfortably under his gaze. It was her duty, and Meg's, to escort the king to the suite of rooms set aside for the occasional royal visitor.

James' glance swept the large rooms, each warm with its own blazing fire. 'Most attractive, dear Cousin Margaret. Ye Leslies hae the knack of making a man feel welcome. I hope all yer rooms are as pleasant'

'Oh, yes, James,' replied Meg. 'I may call ye James, mayn't I? After all, I could be yer mother.' Giving his arm a little squeeze, she smiled up into his face, her eyes twinkling in a kindly fashion, and Cat wondered if she were going mad. What on earth possessed Meg to simper so? 'I am,' continued the elder dowager, 'supposed to make my home in the dower house, but I am here in the castle more often than not. I live in the south wing, where the sun can warm my old bones. The earl's suite is in the east wing, so that the morning sun-according to tradition-may wake him early, and send him about his duties.'

Christ in his heaven, thought Cat, where is she getting such nonsense?

'The royal suite has always been here in the west wing so royal visitors will nae be wakened early, but find their rooms filled with warm afternoon sunlight after a morning's hunt,' finished Meg triumphantly.

'What a charming and thoughtful custom,' said the king. He turned to Cat, who had maintained her silence all this time. 'Ye no longer reside in the earl's suite?'

'No, sire.' Cat kept her eyes modestly lowered.

Meg chattered on. 'Oh, no, James! We hae redone those rooms for little Belle. Cat's apartments are right here in the west wing-in the tower! She was her great-grandmother's favorite girlchild, and dearest Mam lived in the west tower. So, when Cat had to pick other rooms, she chose Mam's. Why, there is even a secret entrance from here to those rooms!'

'Meg!’Tis a family secret,' chided Cat softly.

'Ahhhh,' breathed the king, 'but I am family, sweet Cat. Tell me, Aunt Meg, what of this secret entrance?'

Meg giggled. 'I am nae sure,' she said, 'but Cat would know. Come, dear one. I always remember Mam chuckling about that secret entrance where she used to let Colin Hay in when he came calling. I know ye know where it is, and it does have an exit into this very apartment, doesn't it?'

Cat hesitated, then spoke low. 'Aye. It does.'

The king tried to keep the impatience from his voice. It was obvious that the old woman liked him, and was slyly attempting to further his cause. 'Come, Cat, dinna be coy wi me! What of this secret entrance? Is there one here?'

She walked across the bedchamber to the fireplace and pressed a rose carving on the left side of the mantel. A small door swung open. Taking a lighted candle from a wall sconce, Cat beckoned them to follow her. The flickering light wound up the cool, winding passage for two and a half flights. Then Cat stopped. Reaching up, she touched the molding around a door. The door sprang open. Walking through, they found themselves in what was obviously a