by J. R. Tomlin
A woman yelled across the noise of talking, laughter, and the scrape of spoons on the bowls, “Here’s royalty com calling, Richie!”
James swooped off his blue velvet cap and swept an extravagant bow to a lass who had turned, her face covered with a blush. “Royalty paying a call on the noblest of Edinburgh's taverns." There was a burst of laughter around the room.
“There ye are, Richie,” said a bystander in a laughing tone, “even King Jamie kens ye have the best ale in the burgh and the bonniest daughter.”
A man with frizzy gray hair wearing a tavern keepers apron and a linen shirt rolled up his muscled forearms bustled towards them. “Welcome, Your Grace and my lord. Welcome! I’ll have ale for you in a trice. Tapped only this morning, Your Grace.”
Patrick followed as the king made for his favorite table next to the hearth, murmuring greetings as he went. A pair of merchants hurriedly rose to bow and move away as everyone knew this was the king’s table. He had barely settled himself on the bench when a pottery cup with a generous measure of ale was set in front of first the king and then him.
“Make sure Sir William’s men receive a generous cup, Richie,” Patrick said.
As soon as the tavern keeper moved away, the bonnie Meg stood between the two of them. Her rosy-cheeked face with a wee pointed chin beaming a smile. "We've nae seen you in a week, Your Grace. I was convinced you'd forgotten me." James' face lit up with a smile of pleasure. She wore a linen cap, but her dark chestnut hair fell in two plaits past her small bosom.
She slid onto the bench beside the king who put an arm around her waist and hugged her to his side. Her father ran the tavern with bustling efficiency as her mother did the brewing and she helped out along with a couple of pot boys. It was a thriving business, but she ignored the covert glances of her father and the other patrons. The two guards seemed more concerned with the ale they’d been served than what the king was up to.
“You father has things well in hand, my sweetling, so come climb the stairs wi’ me,” the king said making no attempt to lower his voice.
Meg gave him a cuddle, kissed his cheek and then stood. She tangled her fingers with his and led him up the stairs.
Patrick watched them go, not moving until they were well out of sight. Then he carried his still full cup of ale to where Richie was busy at the barrel of ale pulling a cup. “See that the guards dinnae get thirsty. I’ll take my cup outside for a breath of air.” He clapped one of the guards on the shoulder as he passed. “The king should be busy for a while. I’m going to visit the privy if you need me.” The ferret-faced guard merely grunted.
There were still a couple of hours until sunset, but the clouds had closed in giving the afternoon a welcome murk as Patrick slipped around the corner. Below the third window, he coughed. The shutters were slowly pushed open, the king stuck his head out, withdrew it, and then threw a leg over the sill. He hung by his hands for a moment, before he let himself drop. He landed with a thud on bent knees.
“Hurry,” Patrick whispered. “This way.” He strode the back way through a gate toward a long building where apartments were rented, which Luckenbooths was well known for. They clattered up a narrow stair to an apartment where narrow bars of light could be seen through the opening in the shutters. Patrick gave a triple knock, and the door was opened by a cassock-clad priest.
“Wait outside,” Bishop Kennedy said to the priest. The bishop was still as thin as he had been that long-ago day when the king had been crowned, but now his short beard and the fringe of dark hair around his tonsured skull had a sprinkling of gray. When he turned from the window where he had been keeping watch, and a bit of light gleamed on the black brocade of his gown, the gold of the cross that hung from his neck, the fittings of his belt and his purse. His keen blue eyes swept over them both. He held out his hands to his cousin, the king. "Your Grace, you've grown yet again."
The stark room held only a small wooden table against the far wall. Not even a candle graced its gloom.
“Nae so much.” The king clasped Kennedy in a short greeting. “What news?”
Kennedy smiled briefly at the king’s impatience. “I am sending William Mundy to Rome once again. Since my position in the monastery of Scone is secure, I shall rid myself of the troublesome responsibility.”
"But why?" James demanded. "That letter to the pope demanding it be taken from you was none of my doing. I was yet a child albeit the letter was written in my name."
“I ken it was none of your doing. I could not give it up whilst there were demands that I do so with honor. Since the Earl of Crawford died under my interdict…” Kennedy clasped his hands before him in almost a motion of prayer. “Few now care to challenge my authority. So Master Mundy will pay obligations for me in Rome and resign my rights to that monastery.”
The king propped his hip against the table and cocked his head. “I dinnae understand. Again, I ask why?”
“Because it will free my time for concentrating on my duties at Saint Andrews. And because we shall need every ally we can gather about us.”
When James nodded his agreement with that, Kennedy continued. "He will go then to Burgundy to meet with Thomas Spems with whom I am much in agreement.”
Patrick uncurled his shoulder where he had slumped against the wall and asked, “In agreement about what?”
“That for the king to attack his enemies, he must have an alliance at once, a strong one that will give him the funds for an army and friends with an unbreakable reason to back him.”
“A marriage, you mean,” James stated.
“The groundwork must be laid for your taking power into your own hands.” For a moment, Kennedy pressed his clasped hands to his fingers before he continued. “You must begin to make yourself felt in small ways. Demand that letters be written to King Charles decrying their negotiations with England as a violation of the Auld Alliance.”
James shrugged. "Aye. It is, but I dinnae think King Charles will care about that if he can end the war wi’ them at last.”
“Suggest that you would be willing to wed a daughter of France.”
Patrick frowned. “There is no French princess whom he could wed.”
“But an offer must be made. Such letters require an embassy. I have in mind your father, Patrick, along with Crichton, Ralston, and Spens as the chief of the ambassadors. Once the formality of suggesting a daughter of France is out of the way, only three houses have the wealth and power to suit our needs: Burgundy, Guelders, or Cleves.” His smile was grim when he added, “Livingston will be left standing alone, for Crichton will be drawn to our side, and Douglas will know that his great power puts him far above our reach. Forbye, Livingston has angered them both with his own greed. Once you have that backing, we will charge Livingston with treason."
“He is the first of them we shall destroy.” James gave the bishop a scalding look. “But the Douglas was behind killing my cousins. And he was behind my mother’s death.”
Cameron opened his mouth to object.
The king cut him off with a slashing gesture. “I cannae touch him now. First Livingston…”
Patrick blew a breath through pursed lips. His young king was becoming a man, and he did not mean to forgive.
* * *
Watch for A King Empowered out in January 2019.
Historical Notes
I used as many original sources as possible, few of which are easily accessible to most readers. One of the few readily available books on James II’s remarkable years as King of Scots is James II by Christine McGladdery. While The Life and Times of James Kennedy, Bishop of St. Andrews by Annie I. Dunlop overstates the role of Kennedy at times, it also provides an interesting and in-depth view into a tumultuous and violent period of Scottish history. The most readily available original source, not available in translation, is ‘The Auchinleck Chronicle', which you will find as an appendix in McGladdery,’s James II.
The dreadful act which is generally referred to as ‘The Black Dinner’ oc
curred much as I described in the novel. It transferred the Earldom of Douglas and the French Duchy of Tourane to the Earl of Avondale, making him by far the richest and most powerful man in Scotland. While it was a number of years until King James II had the power to exact a due for this act, the due was indeed eventually paid.
Also by J. R. Tomlin
A King Ensnared - Stewart Chronicle Book 1
A King Uncaged - The Stewart Chronicle Book 2
Freedom’s Sword - Prequel to The Black Douglas Trilogy
A Kingdom’s Cost - The Black Douglas Trilogy Book 1
Countenance of War - The Black Douglas Trilogy Book 2
Not for Glory - The Black Douglas Trilogy Book 3
The Templar’s Cross: A Medieval Mystery (The Sir Law Kintour Series Book 1)
The Winter Kill: A Medieval Mystery (The Sir Law Kintour Series Book 2)
The Intelligencer: A Medieval Mystery (The Sir Law Kintour Mysteries Book 3)
About the Author
J. R. Tomlin is the author of ten historical novels. All are set in medieval Scotland, with portions taking place in England or France.
She has close ties with Scotland since her father was a native Scot, and she spent substantial time in Edinburgh whilst growing up. Her love of that nation is traced from the stories of the Bruce and the Good Sir James her grandmother read to her when she was small, to hillwalking through the Cairngorms where the granite hills have a gorgeous red glow under the setting sun. Later, her writing was influenced by the work of authors such as Alexander Dumas, Victor Hugo, and of course, J.R.R. Tolkien.
When J. R. isn’t writing, she enjoys spending time hiking, playing with her Westie, and killing monsters in computer games. In addition to spending time in Scotland, she has traveled in the US, Europe and the Pacific Rim. She now lives in Oregon.
Glossary
Any road — Anyway
Aright — In a proper manner; correctly.
Aught — Anything at all.
Aye — Yes.
Bailey — An enclosed courtyard within the walls of a castle.
Bairn — Child.
Baldric — Leather belt worn over the right shoulder to the left hip for carrying a sword.
Banneret — A feudal knight ranking between a knight bachelor and a baron, who was entitled to lead men into battle under his own standard.
Bannock — An unleavened bread made of oatmeal or barley flour, generally cooked on a flat metal sheet.
Barbican — A tower or other fortification on the approach to a castle or town, Especially one at a gate or drawbridge.
Battlement — A parapet in which rectangular gaps occur at intervals to allow for firing arrows.
Bedecked — To adorn or ornament in a showy fashion.
Bend — A band passing from the upper dexter corner of an escutcheon to the lower sinister corner.
Berlin — Ship used in the medieval Highlands, Hebrides, and Ireland having a single mast and from 18 to 40 oars.
Betime — On occasion.
Bracken — Weedy fern.
Brae — Hill or slope.
Barmy — Daft.
Braw — Fine or excellent.
Brigandines — Body armor of leather, lined with small steel plates riveted to the fabric.
Brogans — Ankle-high work shoes.
Buffet — A blow or cuff with or as if with the hand.
Burgher — A citizen of a borough or town, especially one belonging to middle class.
Burn — A name for watercourses from large streams to small rivers.
Cannae — Cannot.
Cateran — Member of a Scottish Highland band of fighters.
Ceilidh — A Scottish social gathering at which there is music, singing, dancing, and storytelling.
Chancel — The space around the altar at the liturgical east end.
Checky — In heraldry, having squares of alternating tinctures or furs.
Chief — The upper section of a shield.
Chivalry — As a military term, a group of mounted knights.
Chivvied — Harassed.
Cloying — To cause distaste or disgust by supplying with too much of something originally pleasant.
Cot — Small building.
Couched — To lower (a lance, for example) to a horizontal position.
Courser — A swift, strong horse, often used as a warhorse.
Crenel — An open space or notch between two merlons in the battlement of a castle or city wall.
Crook — Tool, such as a bishop's crosier or a shepherd's staff.
Curtain wall — The defensive outer wall of a medieval castle.
Curst — A past tense and a past participle of curse.
Dagged — A series of decorative scallops along the edge of a garment such as a hanging sleeve.
Defile — A narrow gorge or pass.
Destrier — the heaviest class of warhorse.
Din — A jumble of loud, usually discordant sounds.
Dirk — A long, straight-bladed dagger.
Dower — The part or interest of a deceased man's real estate allotted by law to his widow for her lifetime, often applied to property brought to the marriage by the bride.
Draughty — Drafty.
Duniwassal — A minor nobleman.
Empurple — To make or become purple.
Erstwhile — In the past, at a former time, formerly.
Ewer — A pitcher, especially a decorative one with a base, an oval body, and a flaring spout.
Faggot — A bundle of sticks or twigs, esp. when bound together and used as fuel.
Falchion — A short, broad sword with a convex cutting edge and a sharp point.
Farrier — One who shoes horses.
Fash — Worry.
Fetlock — A ‘bump’ and joint above and behind a horse’s hoof.
Forbye — Besides.
Ford — A shallow crossing in a body of water, such as a river.
Gambeson — Quilted and padded, or stuffed leather or cloth garment, worn under chain mail.
Garron — A small, sturdy horse bred and used chiefly in Scotland and Ireland.
Gentleman of the Bedchamber — An office that involved waiting upon the king in private, helping him to dress, guarding his bedchamber, and providing companionship.
Girth — Band around a horse's belly.
Glen — A valley.
Gorse — A spiny yellow-flowered European shrub.
Groat — An English silver coin worth four pence.
Hurlyhacket — A children's game of sliding down a hill often in a chain holding onto one another.
Hart — A male deer.
Hauberk — A long armor tunic made of chain mail.
Haugh — A low-lying meadow in a river valley.
Hen — An affectionate term of address used to women and girls.
Hied — To go quickly; hasten.
Hock — The joint at the tarsus of a horse or similar animal, pointing backward and corresponding to the human ankle.
Holy Rood — The Holy Cross.
Jape — Joke or quip.
Jesu — Vocative form of Jesus.
Ken — To know (a person or thing). Kent is the past tense.
Kirk — A church.
Kirtle — A woman's dress typically worn over a chemise or smock.
Laying — To engage energetically in an action.
Loch — A lake or for a sea inlet.
Louring — Lowering.
Lowed — The characteristic sound uttered by cattle; a moo.
Malmsey — A sweet fortified Madeira wine
Malting — A building where malt is made.
Marischal — The hereditary custodian of the Royal Regalia of Scotland and protector of the king's person.
Maudlin — Effusively or tearfully sentimental.
Mawkish — Excessively and objectionably sentimental.
Mercies — Without any protection against; helpless before.
Merk — a Scottish coin worth
160 pence.
Merlon — A solid portion between two crenels in a battlement or crenellated wall.
Midges — A gnat-like fly found worldwide and frequently occurring in swarms near ponds and lakes, prevalent across Scotland.
Mien — Bearing or manner, especially as it reveals an inner state of mind.
Mount — Mountain or hill.
Murk — An archaic variant of murky.
Nae — No, Not.
Nave — The central approach to a church’s high altar, the main body of the church.
Nock — To fit an arrow to a bowstring.
Nook — Hidden or secluded spot.
Outwith — Outside, beyond.
Palfrey — An ordinary saddle horse.
Pap — Material lacking real value or substance.
Parapet — A defensive wall, usually with a walk, above which the wall is chest to head high.
Pate — Head or brain.
Pell-mell — In a jumbled, confused manner, helter-skelter.
Perfidy — The act or an instance of treachery.
Pillion — Pad or cushion for an extra rider behind the saddle or riding on such a cushion.
Piebald — Spotted or patched.
Plaid — A tartan cloth used as a wrap or blanket
Privily — Privately or secretly.
Quintain — Object mounted on a post, used as a target in tilting exercises
Rood — Crucifix
Runnels — A narrow channel.
Saddlebow — The arched upper front part of a saddle.
Saltire — An ordinary in the shape of a Saint Andrew's cross, when capitalized: the flag of Scotland. (a white saltire on a blue field)
Samite — A heavy silk fabric, often interwoven with gold or silver.
Sassenach — An Englishman or sometimes a Scottish lowlander, derived from the Scots Gaelic Sasunnach meaning, originally, "Saxon."
Schiltron — A circular or square formation of soldiers wielding outward-pointing pikes.