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Arran, who had got wind of her plans, forbad Marie to leave Linlithgow. The dowager queen continued to subvert Sadler, telling him that Arran would break his word, wait until Henry was dead and then marry Mary to his own son and seize the throne himself. Marie had no evidence for this except that most people were willing to believe the worst of Arran, and Sadler was inclined to believe her. In fact, as it turned out, there was no need to implement the move to Stirling, since Marie’s Guise connections in France were beginning to bear fruit.
    The intelligence from France was that François was financing Mary’s uncle the Duc de Guise to raise an army, if it should be needed. In the event, François sent Matthew Stuart, Earl of Lennox, Arran’s rival in the line of inheritance, to Scotland. (While living in exile, Lennox had become a French citizen and changed the spelling of Stewart to Stuart, the French version of his name.) Lennox came prepared for conflict and occupied his castle at Dumbarton on the north coast of the Clyde – another impregnable rock-perched stronghold. Cardinal Beaton – called by Henry ‘the best Frenchman in Scotland’ – had been moved from prison to his own stronghold at St Andrews, and the Catholic lords were gathering around him. Henry, impatient and sickened by the lack of results in Scotland, now ordered Arran to move the child to Edinburgh Castle. The impotent Arran, since he had no power to do this without a confrontation with Marie, Lennox and Beaton, prevaricated. His feeble excuse was that the baby was teething and could not be moved. The two sides were now clearly defined. Marie, Beaton and Lennox had the growing backing of François and were in possession of the infant Mary. Arran had a few of the lords, who were fulfilling their promises given to Henry during their imprisonment after Solway Moss, and Henry himself was breathing down Arran’s neck, demanding action.
    Tudor patience was very limited and Henry’s had run out. ‘The king’s majesty causeth such preparations of force and power to be made on the borders, as in case these promises, gentlehandling and reasonable communication take not effect, the king’s majesty may use his own princely power and strength.’ He let Arran know that he would send a treaty to be agreed with the implied threat that if it was not immediately agreed to Scotland could expect an English invasion. This was the Treaty of Greenwich, and on 1 July 1543 it was duly agreed with no great enthusiasm. Henry, above all, wanted Scotland to be tied to him by treaty and to be unlikely to call for French help, while he himself had the freedom to look across the Channel for an opportunity to invade France. The terms of the treaty were therefore surprisingly favourable to Scotland. Mary would stay in Scotland until she was aged ten, and Henry would send a nobleman and his wife to supervise her education when she was of a suitable age. In other words he wanted Edward’s bride to speak English, not French or Scots. On her tenth birthday Mary would marry Prince Edward in England, the implication being that she would not return to Scotland. The terms of the dowry were agreed, although both sides knew they could be renegotiated. Astonishingly, Henry agreed that the kingdom of Scotland should ‘retain its ancient laws and liberties’. He was guaranteeing Scotland’s independence for ten years, with the promised marriage postponed for the same period. In the manner of these treaties, both sides knew that everything could change in this space of time, and all the parties involved set about making what profit they could from it.
    In the meantime, Sadler was receiving the inevitable requests for money to secure the loyalty of the Scottish lords. These ranged from £100 from the Earl Marischal and the Earl of Angus, through £300 for Lord Maxwell, up to the £1,000 for Arran himself. Arran assured Sadler that he could control the Scottish lords: ‘If they would