The Ballad of the Five Marys

by Donald Smith

  Livingston

  Seton is wiser than she lets on to others. She watches and sees things while others chatter, and stores her harvest for a later day.

  There will be a collapse tomorrow, and we will have to guard her chamber against all comers. Our Mary is not able to cope with such adversity and anger on her own. She is not made for cold reason or iron will.

  Beaton

  Mary rises to a crisis. I think she will surprise us with her determination.

  Fleming

  As long as she does not act without her counsellors’ agreement. Why has life become so grave?

  Livingston

  There are still some diversions, and this is a day of news. John Knox is marrying Margaret Stewart, the daughter of Lord Ochiltree.

  Beaton

  The Queen’s own cousin betrothed to lie in a preacher’s bed? This will not mend Mary’s temper. He will need her permission. It is a shame the pious English wife could not endure Scotland’s rigours. She could have taken him back to Geneva and everyone would have been better off. How old is Margaret Stewart?

  Livingston

  Seventeen years; younger than all of us, but older than Mary when she was first married.

  Maister Knox’s bed. Is he fiery there too? There is something… desirous about him. He eats you with his eyes.

  Beaton

  Exactly, disgusting. He will make her read Scripture before lying down to his ministrations.

  Mary has told Randolph she intends to marry.

  Livingston

  How does Beaton always receive the English Ambassador’s intelligence before anyone else?

  Beaton

  The same reason Fleming knows the Secretary’s mind, and that you, Livingston, know what the loyal Catholic gentlemen are thinking, like he I shall not mention. Only I am not shamed to own my liaison.

  Should we write of such things? If Mary marries we shall be writing of little else. According to Randolph, she says her Scottish subjects expect this of her. Though she would have much preferred to be in concord with Elizabeth, she could not indefinitely postpone her duty to Scotland. Did she know already what was in Randolph’s dispatch? Who does she intend to marry? Is it another Stewart? We should remember that our Mary was raised to be political.

  Fleming

  Beaton has become a courtier, not a lady-in-waiting. Why have people begun to pen this book in riddles? Let us be plain. Elizabeth now says she will not name her successor until she herself has married or decided definitely not to marry. Maitland and Moray could not be expected to accommodate such changes of mind.

  Beaton

  Which means Elizabeth will never marry. She will be the Virgin Queen to her dying day. Unless… I have stroked out those words, and even the thought.

  Anyway, Mary says it is a tragedy that they might harm rather than help each other – two sister queens in the same island. Randolph is begging her not to be hasty.

  Livingston

  In doing what? Is Mary going to marry in haste? Where is the groom?

  Beaton

  Lord Darnley has been granted the passport to visit his father. The question is, has Elizabeth allowed Darnley to come because he might marry Mary instead of Dudley, or because she can instruct him not to marry Mary since he is an English courtier? Anything rather than a royal husband for the Scottish Queen. What is it that women truly want? I despair.

  Seton

  I sense uncertainty and danger. We must all pray for Mary to be guided through the hazards.

  Livingston

  Was ever such a snow and ice seen before in Scotland? Mary cannot stay inside; she is fired up and always wanting to be out hunting, visiting, riding through the drifts. We are making a progress through Fife which is surely the most frozen shire in the Kingdom, blasted by icy winds from the sea.

  At Wemyss Castle the Queen’s cousin from England arrives to pay his respects. Before even seeing his father or his mother’s Douglas kin. He has his passport from Elizabeth to visit his father, but brings greetings to Mary from the English Court and from Lady Lennox his mother. We all attend despite the cold.

  Lord Darnley is very tall and very slender. His head seems small but finely proportioned like the rest of him. Fair haired and smooth skinned. He has the manners of the Court and of a well practiced gallant. She was welcoming to him, but formal.

  There are very few men who can match her height. He looks well beside her. Very handsome, though in a boyish, beardless fashion.

  Beaton

  Mary was taken with his person. There is no one here like him in stature or poise. She will play with this long lad for her own pleasure.

  Seton

  He is very confident of his station. Proud and ambitious. We do not yet know his nature.

  Fleming

  Mary is resolved now to make her own free choice in marriage. Her tutelage is over.

  Livingston

  Lord Darnley has gone to see his father the Earl, but has made an assignation to cross the Forth with the Queen in two days’ time. If he makes such a pace through the country in this winter season, then he is an excellent horseman. Or an ardent wooer.

  Beaton

  Mary’s chamber Secretary is dispatched and then arrested at Leith; his papers are seized. Has he betrayed the Queen’s ciphers? Rumours swarm.

  Fleming

  There is no scandal. He has been released; only his papers are detained.

  Beaton

  Why should the private secretary be under suspicion? Is this Moray’s doing, because Raulet is a Guise retainer? But he has been copying Mary’s letters. For whom I cannot say, but my information is reliable. For someone in France most likely.

  Fleming

  I shall not write on this page or about this matter. We should not speculate, even in our private book. David Rizzio, the Italian musician, will have Raulet’s place. He is already appointed.

  Livingston

  A singer?

  Beaton

  He has French as well as Latin and Italian. Clever and charming, you must admit. He will be Mary’s own man and not the creature of her uncle, or of Moray, or even William Maitland.

  Livingston

  What if he has been sent by the Pope? He is an Italian.

  Fleming

  How can any one of us say or write such a thing?

  Seton

  Why should we not have an emissary from the Holy Father?

  Beaton

  Not an emissary, Seton, a spy. Anyway, he has not been sent by the Pope, but appointed because he is not another Raulet, but an intimate and trustworthy servant.

  Seton

  Mary will always be able to rely on us in every particular. Rizzio is a commoner.

  Livingston

  She has much need of our loyalty, for she has few friends in Scotland for all their show. Often she takes consolation in her own company. I hear her talking and praying alone.

  Seton

  No, she is talking with her mother as if she were still living on the other side of the sea. That will change if she marries. Pray God it will be so. No one deserves happiness more. Mary was made to shine. And we are her mirrors. May good fortune shine on us as well.

  Fleming

  Only if we avoid foolishness and loose talk. The book should be sealed and kept in the locked desk, with the key in a place which we alone know.

  Beaton

  We hold court at Stirling, in the French manner. Mary is always lighter and freer here in her mother’s palace. It seems like a return to former days. But we are girls no longer and every day brings new consequences.

  Lord Darnley dances well. He sings and plays at the viol. He fences and rides at the ring. He plays at billiards, at cards and at tennis. He joins in the masque and writes poetry. Darnley is a perfect gentleman and his eyes are always on Mary. The other lords begin to be jealous since he flaunts himself as suitor. They are jealous of his father’s wealth, now that Lennox has recovered his estates in Scotland. At table yesterday Darnle
y said that Moray’s holdings have grown too great. Does he not understand the trouble careless talk can cause? Is he so confident of his position, though newly arrived? He dines though with Moray and Randolph, and attends Maister Knox’s sermons, to increase acceptance beyond the Court. Moray seems slow to detect his purpose, while Randolph believes he may be recalled by Elizabeth at any time. I did not contradict him since he may be right. I wonder though if Darnley is already beyond England’s reach?

  His father Lennox has instructed him how to act, but a child cannot always be obedient. He has hazel eyes that bewitch. His mouth is full but sometimes he purses up his lips and makes it small. Is he petulant?

  Mary likes him. She is attracted by his type, so different from the Scots lords. I do not like him. His eyes measure you as if one were a length of damask. And naked underneath. Alright, I am blotting it out.

  Fleming

  She has not made up her mind about Darnley.

  Maitland has been sent on embassy to France, but goes to London first. He may seek consent in France for Mary’s marriage, from her family and perhaps the Medici.

  Beaton

  That is what we are supposed to think. But William Maitland is carrying an ultimatum for Elizabeth. Things are in the balance, and Mary is ready to act for herself. I know this for certain. Would she make Darnley King? Everything hangs in the scales.

  Fleming

  Let us be discreet, above all else.

  Livingston

  Lord Darnley is taken ill, sweating and in a fever. Mary orders him removed from Lennox’s lodging and housed in private apartments in the castle. He is under her special protection.

  As the fever breaks his skin erupts with a thick rash. It is pustulous and fouler than the normal measles. He is afflicted with sharp pangs in the head and belly. Mary has him bathed and anointed every day, though always with Lennox’s body servants present.

  He is in the room directly below her bedchamber and she slips up and down at all hours to make sure he is comfortable. There is an inner stair between the apartments.

  Is this like Francis’ last illness, when she would not leave the bedside? Does she think that Darnley will die as well?

  Beaton

  He has become the child of her compassion, the object of her love. No one else has free access to his apartment. He is hers to dote upon, cocooned in weakness and indulgence.

  Maitland is back from England where he announced the Queen’s intention to marry Darnley. He is closely followed north by Throckmorton, Elizabeth’s latest emissary on the marriage. Arriving in Stirling, the castle gates were shut in this new ambassador’s face, and he had to take up residence in the town. Melville has come posthaste from Fife to cluck like a diplomatic hen stirred from her eggs.

  Livingston

  Darnley is gaining strength as the scabs dry out and begin to peel. They laugh and joke together like lifelong friends. He loves her undivided attention. He does not want her to leave him alone. Mary has outlet for her frozen affections.

  I understand her feelings. We are grown women and should be able to give our hearts in love. I am not ashamed to write that mine is pledged and that when Mary marries I shall ask her permission to do the same. This is not because I love her or you any less, but because I have found a different love, the Master of Sempill. See I have written his name for all to read.

  Beaton

  Are only men suitable to be objects of affection? Forgive me, I tease. Livingston has chosen well, or been chosen. I only wish my heart could be so freely given. My affections are as tangled as the Court’s affairs.

  Fleming

  Beaton is playing with fire. Her affections are engaged with someone whom she cannot wed.

  Beaton

  This is a game of fire. You cannot play without sometimes being burned.

  Seton

  I do not believe all that is written here is true. Such make believe is dangerous even amongst ourselves. If we are grown then let us behave like adults in a world of sober truth.

  Fleming

  I fear the world is full of lies and deceit. We did not make it so but should not become embroiled. Let our hearts and our loves be open for all to see.

  Beaton

  Fleming declares her own heart. But the crooked world runs on. Events declare themselves. Moray has realized too late what is afoot. And that Maitland has bypassed him. Did he not see the signs? Mary has surprised her own brother, but we have witnessed everything at first hand. The Marys are first to see and hear and know.

  Fleming

  Moray was called today to the sickroom and instructed to sign a pledge in support of the marriage. He was dismayed by Mary’s assurance, when he is used to being asked for guidance. His normal mask failed him and he blustered angrily, refusing to sign, calling this alliance hasty and ill-considered. He questions whether Darnley is a friend of true religion, since he was raised Catholic and has never renounced that allegiance.

  Mary heard him without interruption, but would not allow Darnley to reply. Then calmly she commanded Moray to leave her Court, until he would be more inclined towards his Sovereign’s will.

  Beaton

  Shock was written on the Earl’s brow, but he turned without another word and left within the hour. Perhaps he fears for his safety in a Court that has become Mary’s to govern?

  What differences one short year can bring. Moray’s reign has ended; Mary’s has begun. This had to happen, since she is strong in her own will and desires authority.

  Livingston

  Mary is smitten by her love for Lord Darnley. They hold hands and she gazes at him from a stool at the bedside. She indulges her feelings as never before. She hangs on his every word and urges his recovery by force of will daily, hourly. There is something excessive in this devotion, as if her heart pretends to direct her head. Is this love or toying with love?

  Seton

  What will happen to us when she marries? Will we be sent away again?

  Fleming

  This time Mary is Queen in her own right and will keep her own household.

  Beaton

  Even if Darnley hates us?

  Throckmorton has spoken with Mary. ‘Do I not behave honourably?’ she quizzes, ‘marrying an English nobleman as Elizabeth requested, and her own kinsman? Have I not notified her of my decision immediately as my mind was resolved? Do I not seek the blessing of the cousin whose advice I value closest to that of my own dear, departed mother?’

  Throckmorton was silenced, so Melville mumbled about good counsel and conciliation between such noble Queens, as if pouring cherry cordial on a gaping wound. It was Mary at her most assured, but when the ambassador left to write his report, Maitland urged delay till Elizabeth’s reaction was known. And she accepted his advice. Is she really so confident?

  Seton

  Mary knows to depend on someone who is loyal and wise.

  Livingston

  What difference can it make now? Darnley is ennobled as Earl of Ross and will be Duke of Albany within the week. He has fourteen new knights to support his station. His recently putrid flesh is adorned with gold, silks and furs, as if he were already King.

  Beaton

  The Dukedom is postponed till Elizabeth’s reply. Many a slip between cup and lip. Darnley drew his dagger on the messenger and threatened to stab the Duke of Hamilton for changing his mind about the marriage. The old ditherer was always opposed to this for it makes his claim more distant and advances Lennox.

  Every earl and lord has dined with Darnley and pledged a kingdom in his cups. Was he drunk when he drew his blade?

  Seton

  I have not seen Lord Darnley in drink.

  Beaton

  Unlike her Saviour, Seton does not keep company with sinners. Darnley and Rizzio drink deeply every night with whoever else will join them from hall or kitchen. Either Mary does not see, or deliberately turns a blind eye. Maister Knox will sniff them out shortly.

  Livingston

  I have heard that
Darnley and David Rizzio have shared a bed. Are they Greeks?

  Beaton

  Livingston is listening to servants’ gossip. If they collapsed senseless from drink on one couch, what matter that one gawping lassie puts her head round the door?

  Livingston

  What will Darnley do next? He is like a child who must always be given a new toy lest he breaks out in some fresh mischief.

  Beaton

  Randolph has received more letters. He says London is buzzing like a hornets’ nest. Cecil thinks the English will flock to Mary’s support if she gives birth to an heir. The Catholics will try to assassinate Elizabeth. Spies are to be sent to Scotland and the north. Lady Lennox is imprisoned in the Tower. Lord Lennox and Darnley are both ordered south.

  Livingston

  Beaton as ever has the English news. Mary has it too, and shuts herself up to rage and lament. Will this finish it? Will she give way? If war with England follows, she cannot die in battle like her father and grandfather.

  Beaton

  Let Darnley do the fighting, if he’s fit for anything more than drinking and wenching.

  Seton

  What does Beaton mean? Has she heard more of Livingston’s gossip?

  Beaton

  He is in Edinburgh nightly and is the talk of the town. Out of spite. Things must be resolved soon.

  Livingston

  Mary should send him back to England.

  Beaton

  And what then? Will she beg Moray’s forgiveness and marry her own brother?

  Fleming

  Lennox and Darnley are commanded to stay in Scotland. The banns of marriage are to be read in St Giles Kirk. Darnley is proclaimed Duke of Albany. Randolph is denied Beaton’s company unless he attends the marriage.

  Beaton

  Why should I be sad on my wedding day?

  Darnley insists on being proclaimed King. Maitland and Melville insist Parliament should be consulted. The Council is against it to a man, even with Moray, Hamilton and Argyll absent. But Lennox says his son will not marry to be ruled by his wife, as if he were a mere nobleman his family are of royal descent.

  The heralds waited outside to process to the Mercat Cross. Mary withdrew to speak with Darnley. Returning she said she will submit to her husband’s will. They will rule jointly. She commanded the lords’ consent. The marriage was proclaimed at the Cross and Darnley is to be crowned after the wedding.