"Aye. For a while," Rosamund answered.
"The castle is full, I fear," the queen announced. "You may sleep in my apartments, Rosamund, and Lord Leslie in the hall. He has done it before, I am certain."
"The distance between here and Leith is little. We can remain at the inn." The idea of being separated from Patrick for even a few nights made her unhappy.
"Nay, you will remain with me," the queen murmured sweetly. "We shall send for your cousin Lord Cambridge to come back to Scotland. He must be bored to death at Friarsgate by now."
"He will not come unless he has a place to lay his head in privacy," Rosamund said.
"I understand he leased a house in the Highgate in antic.i.p.ation of your return. When he arrives I shall give you permission to live there," the queen said.
"I do not know how to thank you, Meg," Rosamund told Scotland"s queen sharply.
The queen giggled. "You will find a way to be with your earl, Rosamund. Sometimes the king and I have made love in the oddest places just for the fun and excitement of it. You could not expect to lie to me and disappear for several months, and I would not punish you. Even if you were helping Lord Leslie complete his mission for my husband. Nay. This will be your chastis.e.m.e.nt."
When the Earl of Glenkirk learned of the queen"s decree, he said, "I will speak with Jamie."
"Do not, lest you endanger my friendship with the queen, Patrick," Rosamund warned him. "Meg cannot remonstrate with her husband for the deception I played on her, and so she punishes me. I will accept it with good grace. We are both exhausted with our travels, and a few nights apart cannot harm us. She is sending to Friarsgate for my cousin, and tells me he has leased a house here in the town. Believe me that Tom will return with the messenger, for he will not wait a moment to rejoin this court given the opportunity. And I am anxious for news of home. He will invite us to join him, and we will be together once more."
" "Tis you who should be the diplomat, sweetheart," he told her with a smile.
Rosamund was correct when she said that her cousin, once summoned, would come posthaste from Friarsgate. He did, and no sooner had he arrived than he sought her out, knowing he would find her in the queen"s apartments. He had gained a bit of weight, enough to show, and she teased him.
"I see Maybel has taken good care of you, cousin," she greeted him, and patted the small silk-covered belly he attempted to hide beneath his ornate doublet.
"My dear Rosamund," he murmured, kissing both of her cheeks. "You are looking lean, yet strangely content, cousin." He glanced about the queen"s antechamber. "Am I permitted to see the princely heir?"
"My lady, here is my cousin Lord Cambridge, who you will remember. He has returned at your invitation and is anxious to see the prince."
"You will go back to England this summer, my lord," the queen greeted Tom, "and you will tell my brother, Henry, what a fine laddie I have birthed the King of Scotland." She smiled and held out her hand to be kissed.
Lord Cambridge took the plump little hand and saluted it. Then he said, "Madame, it would be worth my life, and you surely must know I am not a brave man, for me to bring your kingly brother such a bold message. If I should see King Henry, I will say that you are looking well and that your son appears healthy for the moment."
The queen laughed. "My husband says this wee laddie of ours will reign as king one day, for his lang eey tells him that. You are welcome back to our court, my lord."
"I could not refuse so gracious an invitation, madame, but I regret that I cannot remain long. My cousin must return home, and I must go south to see to my own holding. I have been gone far too long."
"Aye, and Rosamund does long for her Friarsgate after her adventures abroad," the queen said mischievously. "Go along now and tell your cousin of what has transpired while she has been gone. I know she is anxious to speak with you."
The two Boltons bowed themselves from Queen Margaret"s presence and found a secluded place in the castle"s Great Hall where they might sit and speak.
"My la.s.sies are well?" was her first question.
"They thrive, and Philippa grows more like you every day," he told her. "Bessie and Banon are charming little wenches, the wee one in particular. She has a way about her, and all who meet her love her. Maybel wants me to tell you that you are to cease your foolishness and return home immediately." His eyes twinkled as he said it.
"Patrick is coming with us," Rosamund said quietly.
"Will you wed him?" Lord Cambridge inquired.
She shook her head. "Nothing has changed, Tom. I still owe Friarsgate my loyalty first, and Patrick his to Glenkirk. We need no vows between us to prove our love for each other. He will come with me and remain until he feels it is time for him to go. His son is grown and capable of managing in his father"s absence."
"Then you will be safe while I am gone. I go south only to sell my estate, Rosamund. I am purchasing Otterly from your uncle Henry. It is practically in ruins at this point. Mavis, his wife, has run off, and "tis unlikely he"ll ever see her again. Her sons, including your uncle"s lad, have taken to robbery on the high road. They"ll all be hung eventually. One already has been. The two daughters Mavis birthed are whoring in Carlisle, I am told. Henry Bolton is a broken man. I have promised him a cottage on the estate and a servant to look after his needs. I intend that Otterly be restored and made magnificent. It is for Banon one day, and I will see that Bessie is so well dowered that she will be considered quite the heiress. Philippa, of course, has Friarsgate after you, unless, of course, you give the earl a son."
"Patrick can no longer sire bairns, Tom. An illness rendered his seed dead. There is no chance of my having another child." Leaning over, she kissed her cousin on the cheek. "You are so good to my girls, Tom. Are you sure this is what you want to do?"
"Aye, I do, Rosamund. I am but a few generations out of c.u.mbria, and the land seems to catch at your heart. I never cared much for my house at Cambridge. I"ll keep the London and Greenwich houses, however," he said. "You never know when we might want to trot south to court, although quite frankly, Queen Katherine"s court is a bit too formal, dull, and staid for me. I far prefer this delightful court of King James."
"Here you are, sweetheart." Patrick had come upon them. "I understood you were back, my lord." He held out his hand to Tom. "Stay seated, my lord. I am going to join you." He looked at Rosamund. "You have asked him, I hope."
"Asked me what?" Tom wanted to know.
"There has been no time. I have been getting the news of home," she replied.
"You must ask him," the earl said, a desperate tone in his voice.
"Ask me what?" Lord Cambridge repeated.
"May we please stay at the house you have leased here in Edinburgh, Tom? The queen has had me sleeping in her antechamber, and poor Patrick has been in the hall. We so long for a comfortable bed to lay our heads in, dear cousin."
Tom laughed. "The Tudors have a rather wicked sense of humor, my dear Rosamund. I told the queen when I leased the Edinburgh house that when you returned she was to give you the key to it. This great hulking old castle is scarcely a place a guest of little importance, such as you and the earl, want to stay. She must have truly missed you, cousin, that she played this jest on you. Of course you may stay with me. The house is not large, but it is comfortable and clean. And it is an easy walk up the castle hill. You know how I dislike being late for social functions. I thought when I arrived yesterday that you had not returned yet, as you were not in residence and the housekeeper said no one had come. I a.s.sumed the queen had been sent word of your impending return, which was why she sent for me. What a wicked tease she is." And he laughed heartily.
Neither the Earl of Glenkirk nor Rosamund joined in his laughter. They were not amused.
"Can we go now?" the earl asked. "I need a bath and a soft bed."
"I will excuse myself from the queen"s presence," Rosamund said. "Do not go without me, my lords. You will have to share your bath, Patrick."
"As we did in San Lorenzo," he replied softly, and he smiled into her eyes.
"Aye," she said slowly, her amber eyes never leaving his.
Lord Cambridge shook his head wonderingly. Nothing had changed, he thought. They were as deeply in love now as they had been at Christmas. Yet Rosamund would not marry the Earl of Glenkirk and had said quite frankly that one day they would be parted, as the fates meant them to be. He worried for his cousin. He had loved her as the sister he lost ever since they had met. But this love she bore for Patrick burned white-hot, and what would happen when they were separated he feared to learn.
The queen was gracious in her small victory over her friend. She released Rosamund from her company. "Go home, and be with your la.s.ses," Margaret Tudor said. "Your earl has done us good service, and you should be together. I will ask you to come to me again one day. G.o.dspeed, dear Rosamund."
Rosamund kissed the queen"s hand, and after curtsying, immediately left her. Together she and Patrick took their leave of the king.
James Stewart"s warm amber eyes surveyed the pair. "Twice you have come to my aid, Patrick. If I call you again, will you come?"
The Earl of Glenkirk nodded. "You are my king, Jamie Stewart, and though I lost my beloved daughter, Janet, in your service, I will answer your call. I think that you royal Stewarts are not fortunate for the Leslies of Glenkirk, but I will come should you need me."
"Had you not come this time, Patrick, you should not have met Rosamund Bolton," the king reminded the earl.
"Aye, that is to your credit," the earl agreed affably.
"Are you bound for Glenkirk, then?" the king asked.
"Nay. I have sent a messenger to my son asking him to maintain his position as sole keeper of our lands for a time longer. I am of a mind to see England. I shall go with Rosamund to Friarsgate."
"Claven"s Carn is on your route," the king said mischievously.
"We will not be stopping," Rosamund replied tartly.
The two gentlemen laughed. Then the king and the Earl of Glenkirk embraced. James kissed Rosamund"s hand, and she curtsied prettily.
"Go with G.o.d," the king told them as they left him.
Lord Cambridge was waiting for them, and together they walked down the castle hill to the house in the Highgate that he had leased. "I have come all the way to Edinburgh and am not to go to court," he grumbled. "It does not seem fair."
"You are welcome to remain," Rosamund told him sweetly.
"Without you? After all these months? I think not, cousin!" Lord Cambridge said firmly. "Ah, here we are." Drawing a key from his pocket, he unlocked the door of the gray stone house and led them inside. "Mistress MacGregor!" he shouted. "We are here!"
A small, thin woman came from the dark recesses of the long hall. "I am nae deef, yer lordship," she said, and seeing the earl and Rosamund, she curtsied.
"My cousin wants a bath," Lord Cambridge announced to the housekeeper.
"You"ll have to take it in the kitchen, m"lady," Mistress MacGregor said. "The tub is there wi the hot water. There is nae one to lug it all upstairs."
"I shall be happy to bathe before a hot fire in your kitchen," Rosamund said. "My servants will be here shortly. Dermid will do any heavy work you require, and Annie, while expecting a child, is quite strong."
The housekeeper smiled broadly. "I"ll be pleased for a wee bit of help, m"lady," she said.
"Annie is expecting a child?" Tom looked at her askance.
"She and Dermid wed in March," Rosamund quickly explained. "After Patrick and I have washed, are in warm, clean clothing, and are fed, I shall tell you all of our adventures in San Lorenzo, Tom. Oh, I wish you had been there! You would have simply adored it. The weather was warm. There were flowers everywhere in February. It was really a little bit of heaven on earth."
"I am so pleased to learn that," he replied dryly.
Annie and Dermid arrived with a cart carrying the luggage. They had been directed from the castle where they had first gone, having just come this day from Leith. Rosamund, with Annie"s help, bathed in a st.u.r.dy oak tub before the kitchen fire. Afterwards, the earl, with Dermid"s aid, bathed in the same water before it grew cold. Wrapped in chamber robes, they sat before the fire in the room that served as a hall, their feet turned to the fire taking the chill from the June night. Mrs. MacGregor served them a fine dinner of broiled salmon, duck with plum sauce, fresh green peas, bread, and cheese. There was good brown ale to drink. Finally sated and relaxed, they shared with Tom their adventures of the past few months. He laughed to learn of the nudes the artist, Loredano, had done of them unawares. He was interested to learn that a Howard was an amba.s.sador from King Henry.
"I remember that particular Howard. A sly fellow with ambition not suited to his few talents. He recognized you?"
"Aye, but as I was never formally introduced to him, I claimed I knew him not," Rosamund said. "He looked like the sort of fellow who sees plots where there are none."
Tom nodded. Then he said, "I cannot wait to see the portrait he did of you, my dear girl. Is it marvelous? Is it too wonderful?"
"It is magnificent!" the Earl of Glenkirk enthused. "He pictured her among her hills, a flaming sunset behind her, defending Friarsgate. There are really no words to describe how wonderful this painting is, Tom. You will have to judge for yourself."
And afterwards, as Patrick and Rosamund lay together in the first bed they had shared in weeks, he held her close, stroking her long auburn hair. They had made long and sweet love earlier. Now they were both allowing the exhaustion of the past few weeks to claim them.
"Are you asleep yet?" he asked her.
"Almost," she murmured.
"Let us leave for your Friarsgate soon, Rosamund. I am weary of travel," he told her.
"Aye, in a day or two, after I have caught up with my sleep. It will give Tom a few days to play at court before we go," she said, and she yawned. "I am so tired, Patrick."
"A few days to sleep, aye, my love," he agreed, and then he began to snore softly, and curling up next to him, Rosamund joined him in his slumber.
Chapter 10.
Three days later they departed Edinburgh for Fri arsgate. Lord Cambridge promised to follow them in a few days" time, for the queen had asked him to remain at court for a short time.
"I have told her I have absolutely no news of her brother"s court, but she insists I stay for a few weeks. I may go directly south to save time. I want this business with your uncle Henry settled as quickly as possible."
"You will make a far more congenial neighbor than he," Rosamund said.
"Pity him, cousin," came the reply. "His fall is quite sad, and he is a broken man. His wife destroyed him. He can be certain only that young Henry is his get, yet all Mavis" b.a.s.t.a.r.ds bear the name of Bolton. Though her adultery was an open secret, your uncle was too proud to publicly expose her. Still"-and this was said cheerfully-"as I have previously said, those lads will all end their days on the hang-man"s rope."
"You find gossip where there should be none," Rosamund laughed. "Write to me, and let me know when you intend to return to us. You will have to stay at Friarsgate while Otterly is made fit for human habitation again."
"I intend to tear the place down and build a new house," Tom said.
"And will its interior match your houses in London and Greenwich, cousin?" Rosamund asked him, knowing as she spoke what he would say.
"Of course," Lord Cambridge answered her predictably. "You know, dear girl, how I despise change. And this way the servants can come north with me, as they come to Greenwich, and not be idle. I have been keeping them in London all these months while they do naught. Shocking!"
"Tom, I adore you!" Rosamund said, and she kissed him on both cheeks.
"I am relieved to know I have not been replaced entirely in your heart, dear girl," he said, returning her kiss. "Travel safely, and I will indeed write to you."
"I want to know all your adventures," she said, laughing.
"My adventures pale in comparison to yours, dear girl. And to think when I first met you, you were such a quiet little country mouse," he replied. Then, with a wave of his hand, he left her.
"He loves you very much," the earl noted.
"I love him back," Rosamund said. "He is like a big brother, and he has been wonderful to me from the moment we met."
Edinburgh behind them, they moved south and west through the borders, traveling only in the daylight hours, for even in the best of times the borderland between England and Scotland could be a rough place. They forded the Yarrow River at Yarrow and the Teviot at Hawick below Jedburgh. They followed the path along Liddel Water through the Cheviots. Rosamund was anxious to get past Claven"s Carn, but as luck would have it, the summer twilight found them right where she did not want to be.
"I"d rather camp in a field with the cattle," she said to Glenkirk.
"I would not," he told her. "He"s a married man now."
"You will see, Patrick. And I would not harm that sweet wife of his for the world, but you will see. He will glower at me and make cruel remarks. She is not stupid, and she will wonder what it is all about. And his roughneck brothers and their wives will tell her I am flirting with him to take the onus off of him."
"Is there anywhere else we might stop?" he asked her.
"No," she admitted glumly.