middle of the courtyard, and then we would go for long walks, or hide away in our room for a while.
The feasts throughout the week were grand. So much food. Games and activities throughout the day kept us very busy. I totally understood why Mary of Guise called this the most princely of palaces. We felt lavishly, excessively, royal.
On the last night, after the feast, and a little too much wine, Mary of Guise said, “I have this lovely ribbon for a prize, so now we need a game!” She paused to look around the table and her eyes settled on me. “Lady Kaitlyn, I give you one minute, can you get your husband to declare his love to you—“
I jumped to my feet with a laugh. “Game on!”
Mary of Guise laughed. “I barely finished!”
“Doesn’t matter!” I called over my shoulder as I strode across to Magnus’s table.
The women behind me counted, “...five, six, seven...”
His eyes glinted when he saw me, suspecting I was up to something. “Ye hae a wide smile?”
“There is a game afoot, my love, you will need to take a knee.”
“...fifteen, sixteen, seventeen...”
“A knee? Am I liable tae win a prize for it?”
My eyes went wide, aware that they had counted to the twenties now. “I’ll win that beautiful ribbon, you’ll win whatever you want. The best kinds of prizes.”
“...twenty-nine, thirty...”
I put out my hand.
He dropped from his seat to his knee, took my hand in both of his, looked up at me as if he wanted to devour me, and kissed my knuckle. “Mo reul-iuil, tha gaol gam ort.” He grinned up at me. “Tis good enough for your purposes?”
“My knees went a little weak, so yes, but maybe in English too.”
“I love you.”
“I love you too.” I helped him up because he was a little wobbly from the partying. And then I curtsied to Mary of Guise’s table while Magnus bowed.
All the ladies applauded enthusiastically as Mary of Guise passed me the ribbon. “Well done, Lady Kaitlyn! Well under a minute!”
I hiccuped and tied the ribbon around Magnus’s neck with a big jaunty bow to the side.
And the night went on like that — fun, game after game, musicians playing, all of us dancing, and a few of us drunkenly singing. Until late at night Magnus and I stumbled up to our room.
I collapsed onto the bed. And Magnus collapsed beside me. He said, “Ye were laughin’, I hae missed hearin’ ye laugh.”
“I missed hearing you laugh too.”
Fifty-seven - Kaitlyn
Stirling Castle was gorgeous, even bigger and more imposing than Edinburgh, steeped in history, and it was only 1552. Clinging to the edge of cliffs, like it was part of the stone and rock jutting up from earth, it sprawled — full of rooms. We rode through the big imposing gate and were given a tour, including the armaments which were the reason we were here. Mary of Guise’s military engineer wanted her approval of his designs. We were shown to our rooms and again treated royally, something I could totally get used to.
Magnus and I had a large room, with windows that looked out over the courtyard, with a four poster bed with quilted, silk brocade curtains. We set a transmitter in the window behind the shutters, though we were actually past hoping, now it was just something we did out of habit.
Our days were full of meals and small talk, walks around the grounds. The men went on hunts and we all played at archery. The younger people played at games that involved much laughing and chasing and being embarrassed and caught by the opposite sex. There was a great deal of it that was silly and naive and quite a bit that was sure to end someone in the middle of the #MeToo movement.
There wasn’t a lot of talk of consent in this world, but as I was an old married lady I got to watch and gossip with Mary and her ladies, and if young ladies needed help in finding a match, it was our job to embarrass everyone roundly while putting the young ladies with their match at any cost.
Mary of Guise would say, “Mistress Seonnie, you must carry this to young Master Cornet, I demand it.” And the poor girl would have to carry something to the man and would have to converse with him while her cheeks turned red in embarrassment.
As the days passed I realized the nature of the real game: can the virgin stay virtuous while