Margaret the Queen (18 page)

The King, they discovered, was away with his bride-to-be visiting the small monastery which St. Columba
himself had founded on an island in the Scottish Sea, St. Colm's, called after him — this significant in itself as indicating the influence Margaret was establishing over the monarch, at this stage at least, in that Malcolm had never been one for visiting religious establishments as a means of recreation or enjoyment. Cospatrick had his comments to make about that, too.

Magda was with her mistress, and Maldred was not one to discuss affairs with the Princesses Agatha or Christina — who already seemed to be carrying themselves with enhanced authority and assurance. So he gained no detailed information until the royal party returned, with sundown — and Malcolm, hearing that his envoys were back, summoned them to his presence forthwith.

The King was stamping around the hall fire, sipping at a quaich of whisky, for a chill wind had made the voyage home a cold business. Margaret had gone to her room to change.

"You are back, then," he growled at them. "Both of you!" Undoubtedly he emphasised that, a little. "Your m
essage reached me. That Waltheof’
s also. Is all well?"

"All is well," Cospatrick nodded. "This time. But William will try again. Nothing surer."

"No doubt — fiend burn him! And the Orkneymen?"

"Sailed after lesser game, I think. But — I hear that you are to wed again, cousin? I wish you good fortune. And you will need it, with that one, I swear! Eh, Maldred?"

Maldred compressed his lips and said nothing.

Malcolm glared. "Watch your tongue!" he jerked. "I mislike loose tongues."

"You owe my tongue a deal!" the other observed, cheerfully.

The King hunched his heavy shoulders in the bull-like way he had, big head thrust forward, lower lip curling down. "I
owe you
nothing — save perhaps a hanging!" he said deliberately. "Remember that. I do not forget who betrayed me, not so long ago. I have a good memory."

"Then, I hope that you will remember what I have saved you, these last days, my lord King! Perhaps your kingdom, indeed." Cospatrick flung that back almost casually, confidence evidently nothing diminished. "How say you, Maldred?"

"I would say that His Highness may have much reason to be grateful, my lord," the younger man said carefully.

The monarch looked from one to the other, assessingly. He was a realist, above all. "So-o-o! Out with it, then. What have you saved me? And how?"

"Why, I have destroyed a most dire threat to this realm. Turned back invasion on many fronts. Talked the Thorfinnsons, Godfrey Crovan, my brother Waltheof and Waldeve Siwardson out of a combined attack, wrecked the Norman's plans against you, and persuaded the Orkney earls to assail Man instead of you. All without a life lost, a drop of blood shed. Is it not enough?"

"All that? So nimble a tongue! Or so great a liar!"

"Have it as you will. But the threat was there. Thousands of men mustered against you. And now is not. William forced to think anew. If you do not believe me, ask Maldred."

"It is true, Highness. All true. My lord Earl did all that he says. By using one against the other. By cozening, yes — but shrewdly. By threatening his brother, first, the weakest link. It was featly done. The Orkneymen had four thousand waiting to strike. Waltheof fifteen hundred. Waldeve I know not how many. Somerled more. Others also. The Norse may still strike, at Moray and Ross, where Farquhar MacBeth hates you. And William waiting with a fleet in the Humber, to finish all."

"While you, cousin, courted!" Cospatrick added easily.

"I have five thousand waiting at Stirling and Scone. Others mustering. Think you I have lost my wits, fool?"

"Men have done that over a pretty face, before this."

"Not Malcolm mac Duncan!" the King said grimly. "Now — from the beginning. Tell me it all."

He listened, weighing each word, as Cospatrick recounted the circumstances and details — the tale losing nothing in the telling. At the end, he stroked his cruel, down-turning moustaches.

"As well that it was witlings, fledglings and cravens you had to deal with! Men of any parts and experience would have required more than a glib tongue to persuade."

"They were the same whom William's tongue had first persuaded! Do not forget it. Nor forget that, like William, I require my price!"

"Require,
you say . . . ?"

"Aye. For the labourer deserves his hire. And, if refused it, might hire his labour to . . . another!" "I promised you a Scots earldom. The Merse."

"That, cousin, will be more burden than reward. Since it is your border with William's England, and I shall have to fight for every yard of it. You should
pay
me for holding your March for you."

"You seek more?"

"Much more. I shall
need
another earldom to enable me to hold the Merse. It had better be that next to it. Lothian."

"Lothian! So rich a province? So great? You are bold, man!"

"I am. But then you need my boldness, do you not? And I am not done yet. I am giving you back control over Cumbria. And now Northumbria also,
my
Northumbria, which William promises at large. For these, to help you hold them, I require ten thousand merks, in gold and silver."

The King's intake of breath was audible. Maldred tensed physically for the explosion. But before it came, a stir behind them turned them all. The Princess Margaret stood there.

After a moment Cospatrick and Maldred bowed, the former deeply.

"Lady," he said. "Your most humble admirer. I was felicitating the King's Highness on his good fortune."

"Was that what it was, my lord? To me, it sounded as though your felicitations were becoming expensive!" She turned. "Maldred — I rejoice to see you back."

He inclined his head. "I also must offer my humble duties," he said flatly. "And my good wishes."

At his tone of voice she looked at him searchingly, almost anxiously. "I. . . much esteem your . . . goodwill, Maldred. Your regard. I hope that I shall always have it." For that clear-sighted young woman, that was less than assured.

Malcolm humphed impatiently, such talk not for him. "This fine cousin of mine, Cospatrick, claims that he has saved my realm for me! And asks,
requires,
two earldoms and ten thousand merks for doing it. What say you to that?"

"The Earl Cospatrick esteems his services more highly than do you, my lord King?" "It seems that he does, yes."

"The buyer need not pay all the seller asks, I think. In any market. Often the seller scarcely expects him to! All depends on whether there is another buyer in sight?"

"M'mm. The only other buyer for these goods, I say, could be William the Norman."

"And he already has bargained with this seller. And lost to him. Twice, has he not? I think that our merchant will . . . chaffer!"

"Aye, by God — you could be right!"

The Earl looked from one to the other. "I perceive that Scotland is going to have a queen of some . . . commerce!" he said. "I admire that. I will take
eight
thousand merks. But I must have Lothian as well as the Merse. There are insufficient men in the Merse to keep your border for you. The March. Insufficient wealth and rents to pay them, also. For you are giving me the Merse as a task and duty, not a reward."

"I will give you half of Lothian, then. The east. Dunbar, with Lammermuir. And the Merse. And
five
thousand merks. Not a merk or an acre more. That is the last of it."

The other grinned. "Very well. Chaffering over! I accept. Earl of Dunbar and March. And five thousand merks. Before these witnesses! I am your true man." He made a half-mocking bow. "And your most deft lady's. You can belt me an earl of Scotland some other time."

Malcolm, however, ensured himself the last word. "At
my
convenience. You have my permission to retire. Both of you."

Maldred went in search of his brother and Magda — and hoped that he might not find them together.

The girl was easily discovered. But it transpired that Madach was with his Atholl regiment at Stirling, and had been for some days. Magdalen was undisguisedly glad to see him, at least, and chattered away like a kettle on the hob. Maldred did not have to steer the subject round to the matter of Margaret and the King. Magda was not long in reaching it herself — and in no uncritical fashion.

"There was no stopping her. Once she had made up her mind," she declared. "I saw it coming."

"But why? Why?"

"She conceived it to be her duty."

"Duty? To give herself to a man old enough to be her father. And such a man as Malcolm."

"Even so. As Queen of Scotland she sees herself as greatly aiding Edgar and her mother. And as Malcolm's wife she thinks that she can do much for Scotland. And even possibly England. The Saxon cause. She says, who is she to refuse, reject, so great an opportunity to serve others?"

"Saints above! How can she believe that? Delude herself?"

"But she does believe it. Has come to. And once she believes, nothing will move her. You do not know her as I do."

"But does she know what she does? In giving herself to the King. Can she think of what it will be like, wed to such a man?"

"As to that, Maldred, no woman will fail to consider! And Margaret is no shrinking flower. She is prepared to accept it all."

"She has no fondness for him, surely?"

"I think not. But princesses are seldom permitted to wed where they are fond. That is for lesser beings! I hope! No doubt she believes that she may grow into some fondness. I know that she prays for that."

"Prays!" He shook his head. "And so soon after the Queen's death."

"She prays over that, also. But the King is . . . urgent. He much desires her. And she will allow him but little, until they are wed."

Maldred made a growling noise.

Magdalen raised an eyebrow at him. "Envy is a sin!" she said succinctly.

"I am not envious," he lied hotly. "But — it is all so wrong. So great a, a waste."

"You will just have to console yourself. . .elsewhere, my friend!"

They left it at that.

With Margaret seldom free of the King's company, Maldred and she were never alone. One day, however, with the monarch visiting the army in Fortrenn, Margaret and a large party with him, whilst Malcolm was speaking with some of the leaders and officers at the old palace-fort of Dunsinane, the princess sent Magda off on an errand, and beckoned Maldred forward to her side.

"Are you avoiding me, Maldred?" she asked. "It seems that we do not now have opportunity for a privy word. I have never told you how rejoiced I was at your knighting."

He bowed a little, stiffly. "I thank you." Then a thought struck him like a blow. "It, it was not
you?
You who won Malcolm to do it?"

"I had said, more than once, that you were very deserving of knighthood. That is all."

He moistened his lips. "I would not wish, I would not like to think, lady, that I owed my knighting to, to
...
!"

"To a woman? You need not so think, Maldred. Malcolm would not have done it to pleasure me, I promise you. But — why do you call me lady, now? As though we were no longer friends. You did not do that before."

"No. But you are to be Queen. It is different now."

"Different, yes. But not so greatly that we should cease to be friends. I would have you always that, Maldred." She paused. "You do not approve, do you? Of me being the Queen."

"It is not for me to approve or disapprove." "But you would have it otherwise? That I should
not
be Queen of this realm."

"Say that I would not have you wed to King Malcolm." "Do you hate him so?"

"No. He is my liege-lord. And my cousin. I serve him to the best of my abilities. He has good qualities. But. . ."

"You think that I am not the wife for him? Yet he needs a wife, and Scotland a queen."

"He
had
a wife. And Scotland a queen."

"Yes. So that is where the trouble lies? You were fond of your cousin Ingebiorg, and resent me taking her place?"