Mary Queen of Scotland & the Isles Read Online Free PDF
Author: Margaret George
Tags: Fiction, Historical
so frightened she felt almost sick. Her knees started to shake, and she dropped to all fours and crawled toward the door.
But then she found herself in an even darker room. There must have been two doors in the room; maybe there were three. How could she get out? Terror overtook her and all logical thought fled. She huddled on the floor and shook with the feeling of helplessness.
Then she heard a noise. The ghost! The ghost of her father! He was coming to keep his appointment, and suddenly she did not wish to see him. Above all, she did not wish to see a ghost!
"Why, Mary," said a quiet voice. "Are you lost?"
She leapt up. Who was speaking? "Yes. I wish to return to the courtyard," she said, trying to sound dignified. But her knees persisted in shaking.
"Why have you come here?" The voice ignored her request.
"I wished to explore," she said grandly. No need to tell about the ghost, or the possibility of the ghost.
"And now you're lost." The voice held a mocking parody of sympathy. "What a pity." It paused. "Do you know where you are?"
"Not not exactly."
"I could lead you out."
"Who are you?" She knew the voice; she knew she did.
The figure stepped over to her, and took her hand. "Why, I'm James, your brother," he said.
"Oh! Thank goodness! Let us leave together!"
"I said I could lead you out." His voice had a slight catch to it. "And that I would be most glad to do, but in exchange I'd like you to do something for me."
"What?" This was very odd. Why was he so strange?
"I'd like a reward. I'd like the miniature of our father that you have that you're wearing this very minute."
She had pinned it onto her bodice that morning, as if it would serve to call him forth. She loved it; it was one of the very tangible reminders of him that she had. She liked to study his face, the long oval, the thin nose and shapely lips. Secretly she wondered if she looked like him, or would grow to look like him. She knew she did not resemble her mother in anything save height.
"No," she said. "Choose something else."
"There's nothing else I want."
"I cannot give it to you. I treasure it."
"Then I cannot help you. Find your own way out." Quickly he pulled his hand away and ran for the door.
She heard his footsteps disappearing, and she was left alone in the dark.
"James!" she called. "James, come back here!"
He laughed from the outer chamber.
"James, I command you!" she screamed. "Come here at once! I am the Queen!"
His laughter stopped, and in a moment he was standing beside her once again.
"You can command me to return," he said sulkily. "But you cannot command me to lead you out if I decide I will stay here with you. I will pretend I was lost as well. So. Give me the miniature and I will lead you out. Otherwise we will sit here and be lost together until a guard finds us." She waited, her lip quivering. At last she said, "Very well. Take the miniature." She refused to unfasten it herself; let James stick himself in doing it.
Deftly he unpinned it; he must have eyed it for a long time, since he knew how to unfasten it in the dark, she thought. "There," he said. "You forget he is my father too. I wish to have something of his. I promise I will treasure it and never let any harm come to it."
"Pray lead me out," she said. The loss of the pin was so painful that she wanted to get back out into the sun as soon as possible, as if sunlight could restore it in some mysterious way.
She attempted to forget about it; and in days to come she almost managed to convince herself that she had lost the pin in the dark chambers, surrendering it to her father as a gift. She was glad when James went away for several months to be with his mother on Lochleven. By the time he returned, she had no clear memory of the miniature.
FOUR
The wind was whipping across the empty, snow-dusted fields as the little party trotted
But then she found herself in an even darker room. There must have been two doors in the room; maybe there were three. How could she get out? Terror overtook her and all logical thought fled. She huddled on the floor and shook with the feeling of helplessness.
Then she heard a noise. The ghost! The ghost of her father! He was coming to keep his appointment, and suddenly she did not wish to see him. Above all, she did not wish to see a ghost!
"Why, Mary," said a quiet voice. "Are you lost?"
She leapt up. Who was speaking? "Yes. I wish to return to the courtyard," she said, trying to sound dignified. But her knees persisted in shaking.
"Why have you come here?" The voice ignored her request.
"I wished to explore," she said grandly. No need to tell about the ghost, or the possibility of the ghost.
"And now you're lost." The voice held a mocking parody of sympathy. "What a pity." It paused. "Do you know where you are?"
"Not not exactly."
"I could lead you out."
"Who are you?" She knew the voice; she knew she did.
The figure stepped over to her, and took her hand. "Why, I'm James, your brother," he said.
"Oh! Thank goodness! Let us leave together!"
"I said I could lead you out." His voice had a slight catch to it. "And that I would be most glad to do, but in exchange I'd like you to do something for me."
"What?" This was very odd. Why was he so strange?
"I'd like a reward. I'd like the miniature of our father that you have that you're wearing this very minute."
She had pinned it onto her bodice that morning, as if it would serve to call him forth. She loved it; it was one of the very tangible reminders of him that she had. She liked to study his face, the long oval, the thin nose and shapely lips. Secretly she wondered if she looked like him, or would grow to look like him. She knew she did not resemble her mother in anything save height.
"No," she said. "Choose something else."
"There's nothing else I want."
"I cannot give it to you. I treasure it."
"Then I cannot help you. Find your own way out." Quickly he pulled his hand away and ran for the door.
She heard his footsteps disappearing, and she was left alone in the dark.
"James!" she called. "James, come back here!"
He laughed from the outer chamber.
"James, I command you!" she screamed. "Come here at once! I am the Queen!"
His laughter stopped, and in a moment he was standing beside her once again.
"You can command me to return," he said sulkily. "But you cannot command me to lead you out if I decide I will stay here with you. I will pretend I was lost as well. So. Give me the miniature and I will lead you out. Otherwise we will sit here and be lost together until a guard finds us." She waited, her lip quivering. At last she said, "Very well. Take the miniature." She refused to unfasten it herself; let James stick himself in doing it.
Deftly he unpinned it; he must have eyed it for a long time, since he knew how to unfasten it in the dark, she thought. "There," he said. "You forget he is my father too. I wish to have something of his. I promise I will treasure it and never let any harm come to it."
"Pray lead me out," she said. The loss of the pin was so painful that she wanted to get back out into the sun as soon as possible, as if sunlight could restore it in some mysterious way.
She attempted to forget about it; and in days to come she almost managed to convince herself that she had lost the pin in the dark chambers, surrendering it to her father as a gift. She was glad when James went away for several months to be with his mother on Lochleven. By the time he returned, she had no clear memory of the miniature.
FOUR
The wind was whipping across the empty, snow-dusted fields as the little party trotted