Quest of the Highlander (Crowns & Kilts #5) - Cynthia Wright Page 0,120
called Mary.”
“How wonderful!” Nora said with feeling.
“Aye.” Tess’s strong face grew pinched. “Although, after the tragic loss of the two princes, we had deeply hoped for a boy. I know it was a great blow to the king, who was already laid low by the loss at Solway Moss.”
Her words brought back the memory of the day at Falkland Palace, when Lennox had sketched the queen with her new baby prince. Not long after, both of her little sons had fallen ill and died. He prayed that this infant princess would be healthy.
Yet, watching his aunt, Lennox felt a shadow of foreboding. “What is the second piece of news?”
“His Majesty, King James V, sank into a fever and died, just days after the birth of his daughter. The tiny babe is now Mary, Queen of Scots.”
“By the saints,” Lennox muttered as he tried to make sense of what Tess had told them. “What will happen now?”
“His Majesty lies in state in the chapel at Falkland Palace before being removed to Holyrood Abbey in Edinburgh.” Her voice quavered. “He was only twenty-eight years of age, you know.”
Lennox thought back to the chess matches he had shared with the monarch at Falkland Palace, while waiting for his chance to speak to Aunt Tess. James could be imprudent, selfish, even cruel to anyone he believed to be disloyal, like his old friend Hamilton of Finnart, yet he was also charming and dedicated to artistic pursuit. His youth had scarred him, Lennox reflected.
“I wonder if the little queen will be able to stay with her mother or instead be in the care of regents, as James was,” Lennox mused. If he were separated from Brienne, it would tear his heart out. The infant Mary had been born into a world of privileged nobility, one Lennox had glimpsed when he was with the Duke of Hastings. Yet it could be a cold, dangerous existence. Her father, the king, was dead, and if they took her from her mother, there was no telling what heartache and peril might lie in store for tiny Mary, the new Queen of Scots.
“We pray they will not be separated,” Tess replied, and he saw in her eyes that she shared his concern.
“Indeed, it would be tragic,” Nora nodded gravely, then rose to her feet. “I hesitate to interrupt this sober conversation, but I see that my parents are approaching.”
William and Ada had clearly grown curious about their visitor. When Nora guided them near, Lennox stood to make introductions. Tess was gracious to both William and Ada, but the sight of Brienne transformed her expression.
Little Brienne leaned out of William’s arms, straining toward Lennox, and he felt a familiar surge of love as he lifted her into his strong embrace. “This is our daughter,” he said proudly. “Brienne Brodie MacLeod.”
“Indeed she is your daughter!” Tess smiled broadly, looking from Lennox to Nora. “I would know my wee niece anywhere. What a welcome reminder that life goes on, even in the midst of tragedy.”
Lennox felt a bit guilty, letting her think they were related to Brienne by blood, but for now, it was the only way. Besides, he thought, it matters not.
“Brienne, will you sit with your auntie?” Tess spread her skirts to indicate the place on her lap for the baby.
Lennox carried Brienne over to the bench and took a seat beside his aunt. The others joined them. He expected the babe to be a bit shy with someone new, but to his surprise, she clambered over and sat on Tess’s lap as if they were old friends.
“She looks just like Eleanor when she was a wee babe, right down to the shape of her face, the tilt of her nose, and the dimples in her cheeks,” Tess marveled. “It is truly a miracle!”
Stunned, Lennox let her words sink in. He looked past his aunt to meet Nora’s startled gaze. Was it possible that she had not been with child at all after that night with Slater and that Brienne had been conceived when they were together that night in the woods? His mind raced with the possibilities.
“And look,” Tess was continuing, “this wee beauty will soon have green eyes, just like her da.”
“They are blue, like Nora’s,” Lennox corrected.
“Oh, no. The eyes of a babe often begin as blue but change with time. See for yourselves!”
Both Lennox and Nora leaned forward to look more closely at their smiling daughter. It was true, there was now a discernible green tint to