“Of course I’m listening. But who is that man over there with the ridiculous peacock plume in his cap? Do ye know him?”
“Oh, that is Sir Raymond Slater. He is the captain of Hercules, the ship that brought the grand Hunt of the Unicorn tapestries from France. Ever since the king arrived, His Majesty has been fawning over the Englishman.” She paused to give a disparaging sniff. “Christophe tells me, however, that Sir Raymond is a swaggering knave who basks in the praise that comes his way. He takes so much credit for the tapestries, one would think that he wove them himself!”
Lennox wanted to rise and make his way to Nora’s table, to find a way to remove Slater and take the Englishman’s place at her side. Should he find out if she needed his assistance?
“Forget about that man, will you please?” Fiona reached out to lightly tap his cheek. “Honestly, Lennox, sometimes I think you should be on a different sort of quest—one that has to do with your future rather than some secret from the past.”
“What are ye going on about now?” Of course, he knew well enough. She’d given him this speech several times during their journey from the Isle of Skye to Stirling Castle.
“Why not search for a bride instead of your lost father? Sometimes I suspect you are doing this merely to avoid what is right in front of you… You need someone to share your life with, to give you bairns, to—”
Lennox held up a hand to silence her. “Leave it alone, Fi. Talk to me about Aunt Tess.”
“I wouldn’t badger you if I didn’t love you so.” Sighing, Fiona continued, “Aye, I do have word of our aunt.”
“Word?” Lennox had assumed that, as a lady-in-waiting to Queen Mary, Tess would be present. “Is she not here tonight?” Even as he spoke, his attention firmly returned to the real reason he’d traveled to Stirling Castle. In his mind’s eye, he saw the face of the man in the miniature. Had he not upended his entire existence to embark on this quest? He must be on guard against distractions like the bonny Nora Brodie.
Fiona was shaking her head. “No, Aunt Tess is not present in the hall. It seems that Her Majesty will soon be delivered of a child, and she has taken a small band of trusted household servants to be with her at Falkland Palace, preparing for the birth. She had a son, Prince John, just last May, and it is very happy news that soon he will have a new brother or sister.” Pausing, Fi smiled to herself, and Lennox recalled that she had become a friend to Mary of Guise when the Frenchwoman was a new bride, in 1538. “As her lady-in-waiting, our aunt was among those who traveled to Falkland rather than coming to Stirling with His Majesty and the rest of the household. They will all be reunited after Easter.”
“But why did ye not tell me this sooner?” Lennox demanded, his voice rising.
“Perhaps I only just learned this news myself! Have we not just arrived at Stirling?” She cuffed his arm. “Unlike you, I have been asking questions about Aunt Tess, and unlike you, I have found the answers.”
He covered his face with both hands. “God save me. What next?”
“Falkland Palace isn’t very far away. Perhaps you’ll have to travel there to speak to her.” Fiona stared hard at him. “That is, unless you have a better reason to stay right here at Stirling Castle?”
“Nay.” Even as he denied it, Lennox stole another glance in Nora’s direction. To his surprise, he saw that her place at the table was empty, and for an instant it seemed the candlelight dimmed in the great hall. “As ye say, I will go to Falkland Palace. I have no choice.”
* * *
Nora found that she couldn’t walk on her own. The stone floor seemed to spin under her feet and she had to lean against Sir Raymond Slater. What was wrong? If only her father hadn’t gone to sup with the king, she wouldn’t have to rely on the kindness of this imposing Englishman when she began to feel ill.
“Don’t fret, my dear. I will take you to your rooms,” he was saying, holding her up as they started across the inner close, toward the wing of the old palace where the Brodie rooms were located. “Look, do you see how bright the stars shine tonight? The night sky is like velvet