A Rough Wooing (7 page)

“He’s stabling the king’s mount.” He stared
in amazement at Jock’s beautiful young sister. “It’s unsafe for ye
to be out here with all these men.” He dismounted. “I’ll escort ye
to him.” He handed his reins to a Graham moss-trooper.

“Stand back, and give His Majesty room to
move!” a deep male voice ordered.

Douglas stared at a group of men crowding
together, and saw a burly red-headed man who was doing his best to
make way for King James to enter Langley Castle.
That must be
Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland. I’d best give my dearest uncle
a wide berth!

She slipped her hand into Will’s and tried to
keep up with him as he strode into the stables. Every stall now had
a horse in it, but a large box stall had been reserved for the
king’s royal mount. She saw her brother Jock giving it a rub
down.

Jock Elliot almost dropped the brush when he
saw his sister. “Douglas, I didn’t expect to see ye in England.
What are ye doing at Langley Castle?”

“I was on my way to Alnwick to find you,
Jock. It was just luck that I found out you were coming to
Langley.” She took a deep breath before she plunged into her tale.
Suddenly, she was strangely loathe to blame her family’s trouble on
Lancelot Greystoke. “The Earl of Cumberland’s men came to Castle
Elliot and arrested Gavin and Rob for stealing horses. They are
imprisoned in Carlisle Castle. You must do something, Jock. I fear
they may be hanged!”

“They didn’t find stolen horses at our
castle, surely?”

“Of course not!” Douglas was indignant.
“Thoroughbred horses were found at Langholm, and Sim Armstrong told
Cumberland’s men that he bought them from the Elliot brothers. They
had arrest warrants not only for Gavin and Rob, they had one for
you too.”

“Me? Didn’t Gavin tell them I was with the
king?”

“Of course, but the English devils didn’t
believe him. They searched the castle for you. They had an arrest
warrant for Douglas Elliot too, and when I told them I was Douglas,
they didn’t believe me. It made no difference—they arrested all
three of us.”

“Arrested
you
? The callous English
bastards! Gavin and Rob are still imprisoned in Carlisle Castle?
How the devil did you manage to escape?”

“I...I had help. After dark, Sir Lance
Greystoke led me to a back door of the castle and set me free. I
warrant he was acting chivalrously toward a woman.”

“Carlisle Castle is the next stop on the
king’s journey south. I’ll have a word with His Majesty about our
brothers being falsely accused and arrested. Once we get to
Carlisle, I’ll see to their release. King James doesn’t have much
use for the Earl of Cumberland. George Clifford spent his time
kissing Queen Elizabeth’s arse, instead of taking care of his
estates in the English Borders.”

Jock closed the box stall door securely.
“Stay beside me while I gather up my men. If we don’t go inside
soon, we won’t get fed.” He winked at Douglas. “Henry Percy is
sparing no expense to entertain King James and his entourage. Ye’ve
no idea how pleasurable it is to enjoy English hospitality.”

Douglas glanced down at her fine gown. “Yes,
I believe I have a very good idea.”

~~~

The following day was taken up with people
being presented to King James. Not only were the English who lived
in the Borders flocking to meet him, but the Scots who could afford
to accompany the king to London were arriving at Langley Castle
every hour.

“Jock, I’m grievously worried about Gavin and
Rob. Do you think you can persuade the king to set out for Carlisle
tomorrow?” Douglas asked.

“Why don’t I present ye to him and ye can
have a try at persuading him yerself? No doubt he’ll remember when
he met ye at Edinburgh Castle last year.”

“I warrant he’s not the type of man who
succumbs easily to feminine wiles, Jock.”

“Don’t underestimate yer assets, sweetheart.
He’d have to be a corpse not to appreciate yer half-exposed
breasts.”

Douglas heard the disapproval in his voice.
“The gown is borrowed. I cannot help that it is too tight. Beggars
can’t be choosers.”

“Come on. We’ll have to get in line behind
these English arse-kissers.”

There was hardly room to move in the throng
gathered to meet the new sovereign. Jock struck up a conversation
with the people in front of him, while Douglas schooled herself to
patience All at once she felt a hand caress her bottom. She whirled
about ready to strike the offending male, and stared into the
facetious face of Alexander Hume. “Do not presume to take liberties
with me, sir. Your familiarity breeds only my contempt.”
Bugger
and balls, I should have known the king would be taking his
Treasurer to London.

Alex Hume grinned. “Perhaps you’ll have to be
more generous with your favors, my lady, now that you’ll have
fierce competition from the English lassies.”

“I welcome their competition. I might even
let them win the prize, or take the cake if it is not to my
taste.”

“You play a high stakes game, Douglas—luring
a man on by holding him off.”

“I don’t remember giving you leave to use my
given name, my lord.”

Hume bent close and whispered, “I would be
most happy to call you
mistress.
”

Douglas turned her back on him, and saw that
it was her turn to make her curtsy to the king. Jock led her
forward and she sank low before James like a supplicant and gave
him a poignant smile.

“Och, I’d ken this lassie anywhere,” the king
said, staring overlong at her décolletage.

“Your Gracious Majesty, I have two brothers
imprisoned in Carlisle Castle, falsely accused of theft by George
Clifford, Earl of Cumberland.”

“Clifford has allus bin an avaricious swine,
wi’ his eye on the best Scots’ Borderland. It dinna surprise me
he’s stoopin’ tae false accusations tae get his hands on a piece o’
it.”

He raised Douglas and patted her hand. “Ye’ll
accompany us tae Carlisle, an’ I’ll decide who’s guilty and who’s
innocent.”

Dear God, I can’t return to Carlisle!
“I think it would be safer for me to go home to Castle Elliot, Your
Gracious Majesty.”

The king laughed. “Wheest, lassie, ye’ll be
safe wi’ Jamie. Ha’ no fear.”

“Thank you, Sire,” she murmured, and fear of
returning to Carlisle rose up in her. As she moved away quickly,
Alex Hume caught up with her.

“If you want something from the king, there
is no man breathing who has more influence than my brother. King
James never fails to take his Treasurer’s advice.”

Douglas almost cursed him for eavesdropping,
but shrewdly thought better of it. If Hume could influence the king
to pardon her brothers, he could also influence him to condemn
them. “It would be very kind of you to use your influence,
Alex.”

~~~

Douglas slept in a small chamber with the two
English ladies she’d met on the road to Langley. Their husbands had
been assigned to a dormitory chamber reserved for men.

On the morning they were all moving on to
Carlisle Castle, Douglas donned her leather riding clothes. She
carefully folded the blue brocade gown and an extra set of
undergarments, and put them into a bolster case. She arrived at the
stables early to retrieve Greystoke’s mare from the meadow that now
held over fifty horses.

She put the problem of finding a saddle in
the capable hands of her cousin Will and by the time the king’s
cavalcade was ready to depart Langley, she had her garments and the
exquisite antique pendant tucked safely into her newly acquired
saddlebags.

It’s only about thirty miles to Carlisle,
but I warrant it will take most of the day to get there.
Though
Douglas dreaded encountering Lance Greystoke, and would have much
preferred going home to Castle Elliot, she knew in her heart that
she would do anything she could to get her brothers released.
If
fortune favors us, I can ride home with Gavin and Rob.

The closer she got to Carlisle, the more she
thought about Lancelot Greystoke. She had been in utter despair
until he had freed her.
That night there was an unspoken bond
between us. Then I betrayed that bond.

Douglas told herself that she had
justification.
I gave myself to him freely, hoping that in
return he would offer to free my brothers.
She bent forward and
patted the lovely mare’s neck. “I promise to give you back,” she
whispered.

Though Langley had four great towers, it was
small compared with the massive fortalice known as Carlisle Castle.
Within its walls were many separate buildings and Douglas vowed to
avoid an encounter with Greystoke if it were possible.

The king’s entourage clattered through the
high covered arch of the main gateway into the outer bailey.
Douglas rode with her brother’s moss-troopers and in her leather
breeches and jack, she blended in well. At a slower pace, they
passed beneath the internal gatehouse with its L-shaped barbican
and entered the inner bailey that led to the massive three-story
keep.

“Welcome to Carlisle, Your Gracious Majesty.
I am honored to present you with the keys to the castle, as well as
the ceremonial key to the City of Carlisle.” Sir Thomas Scrope, the
Governor of Carlisle bowed low before King James. “Our castle and
our city are yours to command, Sire.”

The king was well-pleased with Thomas Scrope
who had carried on a secret correspondence with him for the last
year of Queen Elizabeth of England’s life. “We thank ye fer yer
hospitality, Lord Scrope.”

~~~

It was evening before Douglas was assigned a
chamber with other ladies, and she quickly washed and changed into
her brocade gown so she could meet Jock, who had insisted on
escorting her to the dining hall. She pinned the mirrored pendant
inside her gown for safekeeping, brushed the tangles from her hair,
and waited for her brother.

Douglas was thankful that she sat between
Jock and Will Elliot at the long, overcrowded trestle table. They
were able to grab food from the great platters, which were emptied
the moment the servers set them down. Her eyes searched the crowded
hall for Lance Greystoke.
One glimpse of his dark countenance
and I shall flee from the hall.

With her attention focused on looking for
Greystoke, she did not notice Alex Hume watching her like a hungry
predator. When she finished eating, she told her brother she was
going up to bed.

Jock reached into his pocket and handed
Douglas a couple of gold crowns. “I saw at least a dozen Carlisle
merchants arrive earlier. They are setting up their wares in a
chamber off the Great Hall. I think it’s time you had another
dress.”

Her eyes widened with pleasure. “Oh, Jock,
thank you. You are the best brother in the world. Whatever would I
do without you?”

Douglas spent the next hour selecting a gown
from the array of feminine attire the merchants had on display.
They had brought the latest fashions, knowing both the Scots and
the English who planned to follow the king to London would spare no
expense on their wardrobes.

She finally chose a pale green velvet gown
with detachable sleeves. She also bought another pair of sleeves
embroidered with pink English roses and silver Scots thistles that
she could not resist.

Douglas carried her treasures up to the
chamber she was sharing. When she opened the door she suddenly
found herself propelled into the room from behind. She swung about
to find Alex Hume leering at her.

“What the devil are you playing at? Please
leave; I am sharing this chamber with four other ladies.”

“None of whom will be retiring this early.
We’ll have plenty of time for dalliance.”

“I am not the least bit interested, Alex. I
want you to leave at once.”

“You’ve led me a merry chase, Douglas. I
tried to woo you when you were at Court in Edinburgh, but all you
did was cocktease and say no.”

“I did no such thing, sir! You are the reason
I left the Queen’s Court in Edinburgh.”

Hume grabbed her and brought his mouth down
on hers. He held her imprisoned against him. “You play a
high-stakes game, Douglas, holding out for marriage with a Hume.”
He squeezed her bottom. “If I can’t have you any other way, I
warrant I’ll have to offer for you. How about a foretaste? If you
are generous, I will help get your brothers released.” His hand
slipped into her décolletage and cupped her bare breast.

Douglas raked her nails down his cheek. “Take
your lecherous hands from me, pig!”

Two of the ladies who were sharing the
chamber with her entered. They saw the couple struggling, and
stared at the man’s bloody cheek.

Alex Hume stepped back from Douglas, but
before he left his eyes narrowed with thwarted anger. “Since you
are a ward of the Crown, I shall speak with the king.” Hume added
another threat. “One word from my family could get your brothers
hanged if you don’t change your tune.”

Douglas blushed as she explained to the
ladies, “His attentions are unwanted. I thank you for saving me.”
She hung up her new gown in the large wardrobe. Alex Hume had taken
the joy out of her purchase with his threat to her brothers’
safety.
He may look like an effete popinjay, but he is deadly
dangerous.
I must tell Jock what he is threatening.
But
Douglas was loathe to leave the safety of the chamber tonight. She
removed the blue brocade gown and hung it beside the new one.
I’ll tell him first thing in the morning.

Douglas was glad she awoke at first light.
She had been having a nightmare that King James had consented to
her marriage with his Treasurer’s brother, and Alex Hume had come
to claim her. In the dream she had not dared to refuse him because
her brothers’ lives hung in the balance. She had been trapped with
no way out, and as she donned the pale green velvet, and brushed
her hair, she sent up a prayer for divine intervention.