On the evening of December 27, Francis Hepburn, Alexander Home, about forty border chiefs, and their followers slipped through the Duke of Lennox's stables and gained entrance to Holyrood Palace. Their first objective was John Maitland. But as they rounded the corner of a badly lit passage, they startled a pageboy, who cried out in fright.

Maitland, hearing the shout and the tramp of many feet, withdrew into his inner chamber. Lennox gave orders for the door to be broken, but the Earl of Both-well, Lord Home, and Hercules, with most of their men, passed on, trying to gain entry to the royal apartments.

Maitland lowered one of his servants out of a window and gave him orders to toll the common bell. When it rang the citizens of Edinburgh came running from their houses and hurried towards the palace.

Lord Home pulled at Francis Hepburn's arm. "Come on, man! The game's up!"

But Bothwell was desperate. "No! I must get to Jamie. Damn, Sandy! I promised Cat!"

Hercules used his giant size to yank his brother around. "Listen, ye besotted fool! What will happen to her if I haul ye home on a slab? Come on now, man! We'll try again another time." He dragged the protesting earl down the passage.

Cat was so delighted to have him safely back that her disappointment was less than Bothwell had expected. Bothwell, however, was angry. "I wanted to start the New Year knowing we could set a wedding date," he complained.

"Dinna fret, my love. By this time next year 'twill surely all be settled," she soothed him. Pulling his head down, she kissed him passionately. "They canna separate us now," she whispered fiercely. "We belong to each other."

On New Year's Day the Earl of Bothwell handed out gifts to his staff, tenants, and retainers. In the afternoon he was able to be alone with Cat and the children. Though they did their best to hide it, the young Leslies were as excited by the prospect of gifts as children anywhere.

Jamie could hardly believe that the young red stallion prancing in the courtyard was really his. "He's a son of my Valentine," smiled the earl. "I call him Cupid."

For Cat's daughter, Bess, there was a beautiful cloak of burgundy velvet trimmed in soft pale gray rabbit fur with a little gold clasp studded in rubies. Colin Leslie, the budding courtier, received a round gold clan badge for wearing with his plaid. The griffin on it had sapphire eyes. Robert Leslie was given a puppy, born ten weeks earlier to Bothwell's favorite Skye terrier bitch.

The children were ecstatic. Bess put on her cloak, Colin pinned his badge to his shoulder, Robert found a lead for his puppy, and they all ran down to the courtyard to see Jamie try out his new horse. Bothwell and Cat watched indulgently for a few moments, and then turned away from the windows.

He wordlessly handed her a flat box which she opened eagerly. Cat gasped. On a bed of white satin lay a heavy gold chain which held a round gold pendant. Upon the pendant was a great lion rampant within a royal tres-sure debruised by a diamond-stubbed ribbon. The lion had emeralds for eyes, and diamonds studded his waving mane.

"Do ye mind that I mark ye wi my beast?" he asked her.

"I am proud to wear the Hepburn lion," she answered him.

Lifting it from its box, she handed it to him. "Fasten it on for me, my lord." When he had done so she preened before the pier glass, then walked over to the table and picked up the one remaining box. She handed it to him. In it was a large round emerald ring set in gold and into which his seal had been cut. "Emeralds are for constancy," she said in a low voice. "But wait, my lord. I hae one other thing for ye," and reaching into the purse that hung from her waist she drew out a plain gold band.

He laughed softly. Reaching into his own pouch he drew out a similar ring, which he gave to her. Her eyes closed, and two tears slipped out. "Damn, Bothwell! I did want to be wed to ye soon. Damn James Stewart! I hate him so!"

He held her close. "Poor love," he said. " 'Tis harder for ye than it is for me. I am sorry our raid failed. If James weren't so stinking stingy the passageway would hae been lit better and that bloody boy would nae hae cried out."

She began to laugh. The thought that the king's cheeseparing ways were responsible for her misery was ludicrous. Quickly picking up her thoughts, Francis laughed with her. Neither of them, however, laughed for very long.

Early on the morning of the 11th of January an exhausted messenger galloped into Hermitage. The king had personally penned a proclamation offering a reward to any man who would kill the Earl of Bothwell.

They were shocked, for they could not believe James would do such a thing. Maitland had, according to the messenger, frightened the king badly after the raid of December 27, and had convinced James that his cousin wished to kill him and rule in his place. After all, did they not call Bothwell the uncrowned king? If the king were prudent, he would kill Bothwell before Bothwell killed him.

Francis Hepburn got on his horse and rode directly to the capital. He wished to try to settle the matter with his cousin, in person. He was forced to retreat to Hermitage when the king rode out after him with a large troup of soldiers. James forced his horse into a bog in pursuit of Bothwell and then nearly drowned. This didn't help matters. Again there was talk of witchcraft.

The next three months saw a forced peace between the king and his cousin, brought on by the advent of severe winter weather. The roads were closed by heavy snows throughout Scotland. Cat could not have been more pleased. Though Jamie and Colin had returned to Rothes, Bess and Robbie remained. Cat could pretend during those precious months that they were a normal family. Bess, her father's pet, was more reserved with Francis than Cat would have wished, but Bothwell understood, and treated the little girl with grave respect.

"We'll hae a wee lass of our own someday," he whispered softly to his mistress.

The young Robbie adored Francis Hepburn. The fourth of Cat's children, with two girls after him, he was truly a middle child. No one had ever had a great deal of time for Robbie, but that winter the great Earl of Bothwell found the time. In this six-and-a-half-year-old boy he found a quick, inquiring mind, and an ability to recall the smallest fact. Delighted, Bothwell taught him a great deal. Bess frequently joined them, particularly when they studied languages.

Bothwell and Catriona had been together a year now, and he could not believe that in twelve short months his life had changed so much for the better. Though he was involved in a life-and-death struggle with the king, Both-well was sure that if he could see James and talk to him, he would be able to make him understand. When the warm weather came he would try again to get to the king.

In early April the roads opened again, and the earl and Cat escorted Bess and Robbie Leslie to Dundee, where Conall More-Leslie waited to return them to Glenkirk.

"Will ye never return to Glenkirk, mother?" asked Bess.

Cat put an arm around her eldest daughter. "Now, Bess, ye know that as soon as my divorce petition is granted I will marry wi Lord Bothwell, and live at Hermitage. Ye like Hermitage, don't ye?"

The girl nodded slowly, adding quickly, "But I love Glenkirk best of all! If ye marry Uncle Francis, who will be my father?"

Catriona Leslie saw once again how her divorce from Glenkirk would affect their children. Still, she thought, I hae been a good mother, and I will be a better one wed wi the man I love.

She bent and kissed the top of Bess's dark head. "‘Tis a silly question ye ask, Bess. Patrick Leslie is yer father. He always will be. Naught can change that Francis will be yer stepfather."

"Will we live wi ye?"

"Aye, lovely."

"And who will live wi father?"

"Lord, Bess! Yer grandmother is at Glenkirk, and yer Uncle Adam and Aunt Fiona come often. Then too, yer father might find another wife someday."

"I think I would prefer to stay wi father," said Bess quietly. "He will be lonely wi'out bairns about him. Jamie and Colin are already gone, and Robbie goes in a short time. If ye take Manda and Morag from Glenkirk, father will hae no one. Unless I stay."

Cat gritted her teeth. Bess showed Leslie traits at the damnedest times. "Let us talk about it another time, lovey," she said.

Bess looked levelly at her mother and said, "As ye wish, madame," and Cat had the feeling she had lost the battle.

Conall met them on time, and was surly almost to the point of rudeness. She spoke sharply to him. "Dinna choose sides in a battle ye know naught about, Conall." He reddened. "How is Ellie?"

"Well enough. She misses ye, my lady."

“Tell her when this business is settled I would like her to come to Hermitage wi me. I miss her too."

"I'll tell her, my lady."

"Go carefully wi my bairns," she said to him. Turning slowly, she rode back to where Bothwell awaited her.

Conall had to admit that the border lord on his gray stallion, and Lady Leslie on her golden-bay gelding, made a handsome couple. He felt a kind of sadness as they raised their hands to the bairns in a gesture of farewell, and then turned and rode off.

Chapter 31

WHEN the king learned that Bothwell was in the north, he left Edinburgh for Dundee. But by the time he arrived, the earl had already returned south to the borders with Cat. Francis Hepburn hoped that by remaining quiet and unassuming he could calm his nervous royal cousin. James, however, egged on by Maitland and constandy waylaid by either the Earl of Angus or his daughter-both lobbying for the return of Bothwell's possessions to the earl's heir-felt he was constantly assailed by Francis Hepburn.

When the parliament met on May 29, the king denounced the Earl of Bothwell, claiming he aspired to the throne and stating that he had no right to that throne. They might both be grandsons of James V, but Bothwell's line was the bastard one. Then the king proceeded to have his parliament ratify the sentence of forfeiture against his cousin.

Francis Hepburn was honestly astounded. He and Jamie had always rubbed each other, but he had tried hard to avoid an open confrontation with the king. That James could accuse him of wanting the throne was laughable. Of all the things he wanted in the world, the kingship of any land was the last on his list. However, he understood what his cousin was really up to. James was asking for support without doing so in plain words.

Had the nobility known that the king simply wanted their support, they might have given it to him. But they saw John Maitland behind everything James did, and the nobility of Scotland hated Maitland. Consequently, they all but shouted their support of Francis Hepburn and their defiance of the king.

"He wants to destroy ye," said Cat. "Is there no kindness in him? All we ask is to wed and live in peace wi him."

"Maitland wants to make an example of me, Cat, and the fact that Jamie wants ye back in his bed doesna help matters."

"Would it help ye if I returned to him? I would sooner die than hae him touch me again, but if he would restore to ye yer possessions I would do it for ye, my love."

Roughly he pulled her to him. "I would strangle ye, lass, before I would ever let any man touch ye! I'll nae let ye go! Christ, my darling, the very thought of my royal cousin wi ye infuriates me!"

"But I dinna want to be responsible for hurting ye, Francis. Oh, my love! Take me away! Please take me away before it is too late!"

"Gie me a bit more time, my love. Let me try to make my peace wi Jamie."

Frightened, she clung to him, and like a cornered animal she felt a net closing about them. Then she quickly shook it off. He needed strength now, not a weak and weeping woman.

Word came that the king was at his palace of Falklands. Bothwell and his supporters rode forth, and Catriona Leslie rode with them. Between the hours of one and two a.m. on the morning of June 20, 1592, they surrounded Falklands. Unfortunately James had been warned in time by the watch, and he retired with the queen to a fortified tower. By seven a.m. the local country people were streaming to Falklands to see what the matter was. Bothwell and his company were forced to retire. They did so to the cheers of the locals, who had recognized the border lord.

On July 2, a proclamation was issued for the raising of a levy to pursue the Earl of Bothwell. The proclamation was pointedly ignored by one and all. James retired to Dalkeith for the remainder of the summer. On August 1, the lairds of Logie and Burley smuggled Bothwell into the palace in hopes of getting him into the king's presence so he might publicly ask for royal pardon.