Nigel Tranter - The Wisest Fool

'That… that insufferable youth! That insolent catamite! Great God-can this be true?"

"I fear it is. For I lent Dewsbury money only two days ago. For the payment."

"Infamous! Shameful! Hetty-do you hear? How I am misused, mocked! By that puppy! Oh, it is beyond all bearing. Carr's minions in my household! How long has this been going on?"

"I do not know, Madam. I heard only two days ago. Have you made many new appointments?"

"I do not make them, sir! I have scarce any say in the matter. It is James who appoints. Sweet Jesu-he who humiliates me, at every turn! But yes-there have been new appointments of late. Are they all… Carr's?" "Who knows? Perhaps not…"

'They shall all be dismissed! Every one! I will not be served by creatures of that depraved boy! And this Dewsbury shall never start. I will teach them!" 'Your Majesty's wrath is just and understandable," Heriot observed. "But see you-that might not be the wisest course. After all, the fault lies not with these, so much. The men so appointed. They may be honest enough, in their way. They may even love and desire to serve you well-sufficiently so to pay hundreds of pounds for the privilege! Although I doubt the worth and results of such a system. The fault lies elsewhere…" "The greatest fault lies with James!" "H'm. If His Majesty knows."

"You did not go to him? First? To tell him. You came to me. Why?"

Heriot chose his words carefully. "Before I spoke with His Majesty, I believed that you should hear of it. In case there was aught I did not know. In which the King might be… concerned."

"You mean…? You do not suggest, sir, that James might himself be in this, this wickedness? Dear Christ-that the money goes to him? Or part of it? "

That was exactly what the man did mean. But he could not admit to it. "Scarce that, Madam. But… His Majesty, I have learned, knows more of what goes on, in things great and small, than might be expected. It could be that he is aware of this of Carr-since there have been rumours-and has some purpose in permitting it meantime. I wished to discover this from Your Majesty."

"How should I know? James tells me nothing. You are his man-of-business, are you not? Have you been aware of him gaining large moneys, knowing not whence they came?"

"No. But I might never hear of it. I am not His Majesty's treasurer or purse-bearer. And I have not spoken with him these three weeks."

They discussed the subject for some time, the Queen outraged, seeing the hands of all against her, Heriot seeking now to limit his involvement, to soothe and parry. He even made a plea on behalf of Sir Asher Dewsbury, indicating that as Almoner he should be watched, in the distribution of the Queen's charities but pointing out ruefully that, if the man was actually refused the appointment now, after paying for it, he, Heriot, might never get his loan back When he deemed the moment ripe, even more carefully the visitor introduced his second subject. "I have this other matter, Madam, on which to seek your good offices. The same sorry matter on which we disagreed heretofore." "Ha!" the Queen said, stiffening.

"I am, I hope, a wiser man now that I was then," he went on, placatingly. "I have learned much of the constraint and difficulties under which Your Majesty laboured at that time-and could by no means tell me. In, h'm, the matter of the Earl of Orkney." Anne sat up straight, eyes widened, wary-but did not speak.

"I regret my… intransigence then," he went on. "Not understanding Your Highness's difficult position. With regard to the King, and his cousin Orkney. Now, I know better, seek your royal pardon, and make bold to suggest how an unfortunate situation could be improved."

"The Letters, sir? You mean that you know how we might gain those evil Letters?"

"Not that, Madam, I fear. I do not know just where these Casket Letters may be now-although I think that my lord of Orkney no longer has them, and may have given them to the Master of Gray."

"Which is worse, I say-for he is the cleverer man! That I knew, anyway."

"Not necessarily worse, Majesty, I think. The Master is cleverer, yes-but has scruples which the other has not. But that is not what I would speak of. It is rather the consequences of that trouble. The case of Mistress Hartside." "That creature of Orkney's. She deserved all that she got, sir!"

"Perhaps. Though I still believe her innocent of intent against Your Majesty, and used by others. But whatever the rights of it, the present situation is not good. Your Highness has always been held in love and esteem by the folk of Scotland. But your credit and fan name is being impaired by the holding of this unfortunate woman without trial for so long."

"How can bring her to trial, without all that evil business of Orkney and the Letters and the blackmail being brought to light? Before all?" Anne cried. "You must know very well my difficulty. That is why I sent her away, to Scotland. Where I have my own jurisdiction of Dunfermline."

"I know it, yes, and understand. But I believe that now the girl can be brought to trial, and safely. The Earl of Orkney will no longer have reason to try to use her…"

"But she will still deny all. Hartside will. And so it will all come out"

"Not necessarily, Madam. That would depend on what was the accusation. If you, or the Crown, accuses her of theft, of stealing those jewels, then to be sure she will deny it. But if a lesser charge is brought it might be otherwise. She might well be brought not to deny such. Or only make token resistance. So that the court appearance is only brief and formal, and no unhappy disclosures necessary."

"How could I make so small a charge? When Hartside has been kept under ward all this time? Would not I seem harsh? My credit suffer as badly, sir?"

"The charge would have to be carefully considered. I am no lawyer, but I believe it could be arranged. Suppose the charge was not stealing but misappropriation-a lesser offence. Or depositing jewels in her care with the Queen's jeweller-myself-without your royal permission? With no intent to defraud. Might that not serve?" "Would she admit to that?"

"She might well. With… guidance! She could admit that the jewels were in her care. That she brought them to me. And I would testify that I restored them to Your Majesty."

"And the money you paid her? What of that? She took it Was that not stealing? "

"Not, perhaps, if she intended to devote it to some good purpose in Your Majesty's service. In fact, she wanted it to give to her husband, so that they might settle in Orkney. You also, in fact, gave these jewels to the Earl of Orkney, and he gave some to his gentleman, Buchanan, Hartside's husband. So, it would be near enough the truth to say that she intended to give the money to one of the Earl's gentlemen, on your royal behalf, for services rendered to Your Highness."

Anne clutched her head. "This is too deep for me, Master Geordie! Too complicated. You spin a veritable spider's web" "Only that I may lift Your Majesty off the horns of this dilemma. And restore this young woman to her liberty, at minimum cost to all. A trial there must be, now. And a verdict which is not a mockery. But… no disclosures of the true cause. Can you think of better?"

"No. No, I cannot. You say that there must be a verdict. What would this verdict be?"

"It would be guilty, to preserve Your Majesty's credit But guilty of what would not too greatly hurt Margaret Hartside. With able counsel-such as Master Thomas Hope whom I have already retained, and discreet judges, the penalty would be no more than perhaps the repayment of the price of the jewels taken. With, say, perpetual banishment from Your Majesty's Court-to Orkney!" "Ha! But-would she, could she pay?"

"I would pay, Highness. In her name. It is little enough price to clear up so grievous a matter. A few hundred pounds Sterling."