Legend of the Crown and Thistle

by Janie Brians

  "Hi there! Come in, you two." Anne said as she opened the door wide for them to enter.

  "I hope you don't mind, but Chris will be showing up a little later too." Paul said as he walked in behind Melanie. "I saw him earlier, and, well, one thing led to another...." and he held up his arms in a gesture of, 'I couldn't help myself.

  "Of course we don't mind. It'll be like old times." Anne smiled at Melanie and said, "How have you been? I'm glad you and Pauly...uh, Paul...could come." Anne shot Pauly a glance of apology.

  "I'm fine, thanks, Anne. It's good to see you again," Melanie replied as she walked into the living room. "Oh, what a lovely apartment! So friendly and welcoming. I love your coffee-table!" she exclaimed.

  "Thanks. We've had it for a long time. We found a couple of interesting things when we were kids, and Lizzie and I have just added to it over the years. When mom and dad were going to move to Nassau they wanted to take it with them but Lizzie and I wouldn't give it up."

  "Hey, where is Lizzie, anyway?" Paul asked.

  "She should be here any minute. She probably got stuck at the office. Malcolm's back in town, you know," Anne joked.

  "Good old Malcolm....the slave-driver."

  Anne laughed and said, "Thank goodness he's been doing a lot of traveling lately. The last few years he's been really busy helping to set up museums in other countries. I guess he's somewhat of a leader in that field and since Lizzie has been working for him he's had a lot more freedom to take care of those other jobs. He really loves museums, they're his whole life."

  Just then the front door opened and Lizzie came in with Malcolm right behind her. She looked flustered and excited about something. Malcolm said dramatically, "Good e'en one and all!"

  "Hello! Well, this is really turning out to be a party! Chris will be here soon, I hope, and then I'll start serving the drinks," Anne said.

  "Good! I feel like celebrating tonight!" Lizzie said.

  "What's up? Your old boss finally give you a raise?" Paul teased.

  "No. Something better! At least it's better as far as I'm concerned." And standing in the middle of the room, with all eyes upon her, she said, "He's giving me an all-expense paid trip to....drum roll, please....SCOTLAND!.... Can you believe it?! I've always wanted to go there! Ever since I first learned about Mary Queen of Scots and Lord Darnley!"

  "Wow! Not bad! "Paul replied.

  "Sounds exciting!" Melanie added.

  "So what do you have to do for this FREE vacation?" Anne asked skeptically, looking at Malcolm.

  "Now, lass, is that any way to talk!" He pretended to be hurt. "But, since you mention it, there is a conference in Edinburgh that I've been asked to speak at and I need my assistant's talent with the spoken word to help me keep from making a fool of myself."

  They all laughed at him then Lizzie said, "That's nothing really, only one day. After that, I get to play tourist for the remaining nine days! I can't wait!" Then looking at Anne, she said," I sure wish you could come Annie! We'd have a blast!"

  "I know, but we're in the middle of inventory this week and it probably won't be done until the end of next week. Nobody's allowed vacation during that time. When will you two be going?"

  "We leave Sunday. Uncle's speech is Tuesday morning."

  "Take loads of pictures for me," Anne said with a smile. "Now, let's celebrate!"

  Just then the doorbell rang and the last member of the party arrived. "So, what are we celebrating?" Chris asked as he took the drink from Anne.

  "Tell him your news, Lizzie. I'll start the nachos."

  Since her flight left Sunday morning, Lizzie spent most of Saturday packing. Anne sat in her room with her, drinking coffee and helping her decide which clothes to take. Later that afternoon, Lizzie called her folks to tell them of her plans. The flight from Freeport had a forty-five minute lay-over in Nassau, so they said they'd run to the airport to see her. Darlene asked to talk to Anne.

  "Honey, after you're done with the inventory, why don't you come down here for a few days. I bet by then you'll need a break and I'm sure Sinclair will understand. That way you'll be here when Lizzie comes back through. What do you think?"

  "Sounds like a great idea to me. I'll see what I can do."

  The girls woke up early Sunday morning to the sound of a drizzling rain, but by the time Malcolm arrived, it had cleared up nicely.

  "Do you have your passport?" Anne asked Lizzie as they climbed into Malcolm's car.

  "Yes, Annie, for the third time."

  "Right. This from the girl who's so excited she nearly forgot to pack her make-up," Anne said dryly. Lizzie giggled.

  "You didn't forget your typewriter, eh lass?" Malcolm asked.

  "It's in my carry-on bag. I'll work on your speech on the airplane, okay?"

  "Good girl."

  With that they were off to the airport. The flight left promptly at 9:50 a.m., and as Anne watched the jet reach the clouds and disappear from sight, she said under her breath, "Safe journey, little sister."

  Monday morning began quickly. Between the extra work because of inventory and helping people find what they needed, the morning flew by. Jane had arrived a few minutes early so Anne was able to leave her at the desk and before leaving for lunch, she talked with Mr. Sinclair about a few days off after inventory was done.

  "Going down to the folks' place, eh?" he said with a smile, as he sat his round spectacles down on his desk.

  "I'd like to. I've checked the schedules and once the inventory is done I don't think I'd be missed for say five days, if you have no objections."

  "Not a bit, my dear. Say hello to the folks for me. The Mrs. and I will be heading down there for some R and R next month."

  "Thank-you, I'll give them your message."

  Anne left his office and went to lunch with a bounce in her step. She hadn't taken time off for quite awhile. "You deserve a break," she told herself.

  She was actually glad for the extra work of inventory that week. It had kept her busier than usual. She had thought the week would drag by because of her eagerness for departure, but far from it. Before she knew it, she was packing for the trip and even though she'd been to the B'n'B before, something inside told her that this time would be different. Little did she realize just how different it would be. For, far away in the land of the Scots, Lizzie was setting into motion a series of events that would lead both girls to the adventure of their lives. An adventure that could cost them their lives.

  CHAPTER SIX

  "ANNIE, YOU'RE NOT going to believe it!" Lizzie said from her hotel room in Edinburgh. "It's a pretty great place, I take it." "Oh! It's beautiful! I could live here, I mean it!" " So tell me, what have you seen so far?"

  "Well, after Uncle's speech on Tuesday, we had dinner in a lovely pub down the street from our hotel. I had my first Guiness Stout. Everything was delicious, but, between that and the jet-lag I went back to my room and fell fast asleep. Next day after breakfast, I decided to go to Endinburgh Castle. What a place! I wish you could see it. First I took a guided tour to learn as much as I could about the history. After the tour, I decided to walk around on my own and get some photos too. Next thing I knew, the whole morning was gone and I was hungry. I walked down the Royal Mile and found a little cafe that the served the best soup and scones."

  "The Royal Mile, what's that?"

  "It's the road that stretches between the castle and the Palace of the Holyrood House which was the official residence of Mary Queen of Scots while she was queen. When she went to or from the castle, she used that road and that's why it's called the Royal Mile. Oh, and Annie, you should see all the shops along the mile. I can't wait to do some shopping there!"

  "Sounds heavenly! Was Uncle with you?"

  "No. He had some friends he said he wanted to visit out of town so I went alone. But while I was touring the palace, I met a man who was also taking the tour. He's so...l don't know how to describe him, but we seemed to stick together through the whole tour. He'd been there before and
so already knew a lot about the place and it's history. Afterwards, he invited me to have afternoon tea....oh, but I'm getting ahead of myself...listen! you'll never guess what we saw when we were in the palace!"

  "What!"

  "We were in the Great Banqueting Hall. On one wall of this immense room was a fireplace. And hanging over the mantle were several family crests that had been made during the reigns of the various kings and queens of Scotland. One crest represented the joining of Mary and Lord Darnely. While I was listening to Liam explain this to me, I noticed the crest next to it. And what do you think was the design on it?"

  "I've got no idea, what?"

  "Well..." and she paused a few seconds for effect, " just walk over to the coffee-table, sis. You'll see it right there." she said cryptically.

  "Our coffee-table? What are you saying, Lizzie?"

  "Simply that the symbol on the family crest for the marriage of Mary and Lord Bothwell, the man she married after Darnley died, was a thistle in a crown!"

  "Are you saying that the medallion we have has the symbol of the royal family of Scotland on it?"

  "That's exactly what I'm saying.Now, it could just be coincidence and that medallion is only

  what Uncle said, but I for one am too curious to just let it drop. Liam and I are having dinner tonight and since he's so knowledgeable, I'm going to try to see if there is any more info I can get about it."

  "Liam, eh? Liam what?"

  "Liam McFallen. Annie, he's so intelligent and....and...well, he's absolutely gorgeous! There's just no other way to describe him!"

  "Really? And does he have a thick Scottish brogue?"

  "You can hear a touch of it in some of his words, but he went to a university in London for four years and has lost a lot of his accent. He's about six-feet tall, broad-shouldered, well-built, if you know what I mean. He has the bluest eyes you've ever seen and very dark, almost black, hair. He's in the middle of writing a book about the mystery surrounding Lord Darnely's death, which is why he's so well informed on the subject of Mary. But he's not the least bit of a snob. I felt comfortable with him from the very first time we spoke. He's fabulous!"

  "Make sure you get a picture of him for me. I want to see what my future brother-in-law looks like."

  "Ha! I'll keep you informed....Well, I'd better cut this short. If you don't hear from me again, I'll tell you everything when I get to Nassau."

  " Okay, I can't wait to hear everything. Have fun and say hi to Uncle for me."

  "I will. Take care...bye."

  Lizzie decided to shower and get ready for her date with Liam. She was really looking forward to seeing him again. After all, it had been a whole day since she'd had tea with him yesterday afternoon. She wondered if he was thinking of her now too. "You're such a hopeless romantic, Lizzie," she thought, laughing at herself.

  After showering, she put a little extra effort into arranging her short, wavy, brown hair and putting on her make-up. She wanted to look just so, tonight. He hadn't said where they were going for dinner so she wasn't quite sure how to dress but eventually she decided to wear her deep coral-colored dress. It had long sleeves and a v-neck that dipped modestly and very becomingly. On her ears she wore paisley-shaped earrings. Black and gold, with tiny crystals set in them, they sparkled lustrously in the evening light. Just as she was putting on her lipstick, there was a knock at her door.

  "That's him!" she said to herself. Giving herself one last check in the mirror, she tried not to run to the door. She opened it and there he stood, tall and handsome in dark brown slacks, brown tweed jacket and light blue shirt that seemed to emphasize his deep blue eyes.

  "He's even more handsome than I remembered." she thought to herself. He smiled as if he'd heard her thought and said,"Evening, Lizzie. You look exquisite."

  "Thanks...I'll just be a second. Would you like to step in? I want to write a note for Malcolm so he won't worry."

  "Sure...so, you said he was your boss?"

  "That's right, but he's also my uncle...well, not really, but he's been a friend of the family since I was a kid and so he's like an uncle to me."

  "Oh, I see." Did she detect a note of relief in his voice? She smiled to herself. Finishing her note, she crossed through the connecting door and left it on Malcolm's pillow so he'd be sure to see it when he returned. Back in her own room, she picked up her purse and said with a smile, "All ready."

  "Let's be off, then," Liam said and held the door open for her. As she passed him, the fragrance of Night Jasmine delicately scented the air. He breathed deeply and said," 'Summer Nights'...my favorite perfume...on you it's absolutely irresistible."

  "I'm glad you like it," she said almost shyly.

  They left the hotel arm-in-arm.

  Liam took her to a cozy but elegant restaurant on Prince's Street. Situated on the second floor of the building, it had a beautifully decorated terrace in the front that boasted a perfect view of Edinburgh Castle and the lovely park that surrounded it. On that particular evening in the early spring, the weather was quite mild so they chose to sit on the terrace amongst a profusion of brightly-colored tulips, daffodils, and peonies.

  After placing their orders, Liam rested his face on one hand and said, "So, tell me more

  about yourself, Lizzie. We only just got started yesterday." .

  "Well, what would you like to know?" she asked, not knowing what would interest him.

  "You said you grew up in the Bahamas. That must've been a great place for a child to grow up."

  "It was. There always seemed to be something to do or discover. People came there from all over the world to live so, for us, having friends from so many different countries made us more curious and determined that we'd go to those places someday....."

  Once begun, she had no difficulty giving him a lively account of her childhood. He listened attentively as she drew him a mental picture of her family and life experiences. She could not know that as she spoke of those things dearest to her, her eyes sparkled and she became quite beautiful.

  "....and so you see, that's why I'm so curious about that crest we saw yesterday. I wonder if there could be any connection between that and the medallion Annie and I found when we were kids."

  She heard the chimes of a grandfather clock in the main dining room and realized then that they had been there nearly three hours already. Where had the time gone?

  "Well, I think I have a great idea," Liam said.

  "What's that?"

  "Why don't you, and your uncle if he'd like, come and visit me at my home this week­end?"

  "Oh...well..that's very nice of you Liam."

  "I'd like to show you my family estate."

  "Estate? That sounds very grand and intimidating."

  "It's been in my family since James I awarded the barony to Douglas McFallen for meritorious service to the King. It's not as impressive as it sounds, though. Down through the centuries, because of heavy taxes, the estate has come into disrepair. That is one of the reasons I'm attempting to have this book published. I'm hoping to make enough money from that to continue my restoration work. Up to now, I've only managed to restore part of it."

  "I'd love to see it, but do you really have the room for Malcolm and I to stay?"

  "Sure. There are fifteen bedrooms in the place and though I've only been able to restore the east wing so far, that end has five bedrooms. So there's plenty of room for you both." He looked at her expectantly.

  "Well, I can't speak for Malcolm, but I'd love to come."

  "Great! And there's another reason I think you'd enjoy it. I have a neighbor who lives in her estate not too far from mine. It's in much better condition than mine, I might add. I think you'll enjoy meeting her. She's quite an art collector and also has some pretty impressive historical artifacts. She's in her sixties now and has done a tremendous amount of traveling. She is an absolute fountain of information and I thought perhaps she could help you in some way. Maybe she could shed some light on this crest you're interested
in. Besides, I know it would mean a lot to her to have the opportunity of meeting your uncle. She has great respect for him and his work."

  "I'd love to meet her, and I've never seen Malcolm able to resist a fan," she said cheerfully.

  "Wonderful. If you'd like, I can pick you both up at your hotel tomorrow at noon and we can all go in my car," he suggested.

  "Fine. Then Monday, Malcolm , if he comes, and I can take the train back to Edinburgh and then on to London."

  "When do you leave for home?"

  "Our flight leaves early Tuesday morning, so we need to be back in London no later than Monday night."

  "Then please stay with me until then," he asked as he took her hand in both of his.

  They left the restaurant and he suggested a walk through the park on their way back to her hotel.

  As they walked hand-in-hand under the starlit sky, she said to him, "You haven't done very much talking about yourself, Liam. Tell me about yourself, your family, your work."

  "There's not much to tell, Lizzie. I was born in the town of Grief, not far from the ancestral home," he laughed. "My parents were not wealthy and since my father had inherited McFallen House at the death of my grandfather, all its debts and liabilities were passed on to him. For awhile they thought of restoring it and opening a B'n'B, but it never worked out for them. You see, five years ago at the ripe old ages of fifty-two and fifty-three respectively, they both died in a train accident on their way to Glasgow."

  "Oh Liam! How horrible!" Lizzie gasped in shock. "I'd be devastated if anything like that happened to my folks!"

  "Devastated was the word for it. I was twenty-three and had no brothers or sisters. No other family at all really, except for one very elderly uncle living in Edinburgh, and he was bedridden. Still, he was very kind to me and took me under his wing by making it possible for me to attend a university in London. He passed away during final exams my last year of school. Even though I hadn't known him long or spent much time with him, I missed him very much. Silly, eh."

  "No, not at all. Family, whatever form it takes, is one of the most important things in life. So, after that what did you do?"