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The
King seemed to have aged a little in those three years since the
Graham had last seen him, but the process made him look only the
more noble. Calm, a little sad, his great lustrous Stewart eyes so
deeply full of patient understanding and care, he looked every
inch a king. Bare-headed, hair falling in natural waves to his
shoulders, he was dressed simply enough in the royal blue that he
favoured, with deep lace collar and ruffles at slender wrists. He
had been writing, a quill still in his hand.

'My
lord of Montrose!' he said - and his voice was kind, almost warm. 'I
rejoice to see you once more. A captain of renown now, I am told. My
lord of Dunfermline. My lord of Rothes.' The smile was a little less
warm. 'My lord of Loudoun . . .' He paused, fine brows raised. 'But
five, six, of you? These only? Where are your friends? Whom I
summoned. My good lord of Argyll? My lord of Eglinton? Of
Wemyss? Of Cassillis?'

It
had been agreed that Rothes, the oldest, should act spokesman; but
since he said no word, Montrose made answer.

'All
send their loyal devotion and greeting, Sire. But all could not
leave their duties at one time. And some were at too great a
distance.' In fact, Argyll had flatly refused to attend, and the
Tables had forbidden others. 'But we six have full authority to
speak on behalf of all, Your Grace.'

'The
King's Highness prefers Majesty to Grace, my lords.' Will Murray
said quietly, at their backs.

'Their
attendance was a summons, my lord - not an invitation,' the King
mentioned, but more in mild reproach than anger. 'I must not blame
you, however, for the failings of others — you who
have
come.
Forgive me, my friends. And this gentleman, whom it has not been my
pleasure to have met hitherto?'

The
Reverend Master Alexander Henderson, formerly of Leuchars, now of
Edinburgh's High Kirk, Sire. Moderator of the General Assembly.'

'Ah,
yes. The General Assembly. I have heard of Mr Henderson. He has even
honoured us with letters. I greet you, sir.'

Stiffly
the minister bowed. Your Grace is kind,' he said. 'I came unbidden -
but for good reason.' 'Majesty,' Murray jerked again.

Your
reasons, sir, I hope, for your breaking of our compact and
treaty, the so-called Pacification of this Berwick? This has much
grieved me, my friends.'

'We
break
the treaty!' Rothes burst out. 'Of a truth, Your Grace - Your
Majesty, the boot is on the other leg! You have called the bishops
to the new Assembly! After all that has been done and said! It is
beyond all belief! Bishops again !' He glared at the prelate at the
King's side.

'Control
yourself, my lord,' that cleric said. 'Here is no way to speak in
His Majesty's presence.'

'Sir
- I do not require any English clerk to tell me how I should speak
with my liege lord ! It is my duty as an earl of the Scots realm to
advise His Grace. And I do so advise him that in this of the bishops
he has made grievous error. To call them to another Assembly is
beyond all in folly. Against all that was decided here at Berwick.
The Kirk of Scotland, in Assembly, has abolished bishops.'

'You
say so, my lord of Rothes?' Charles's voice was sorrowful but
restrained, reasonable. They had never been on good terms, these
two. 'Did your Assembly
appoint
the
bishops? No. Then how may it abolish them? But, even allowing it
jurisdiction in the matter, surely the bishops had the right to
appear before the Assembly that sought to depose them, to speak for
themselves, to present their case? You call your Assembly the high
court of the Church. It is the veriest, simplest, right of any
subject of mine, in any of my realms, to appear before the court
that tries him, to answer charges before judgment. You are all
holders of jurisdictions, my lords. Is it not so?'

There
was a pause, since none could gainsay that. Henderson, not
being any sort of magistrate or judge, did his best. 'The bishops
could have attended the Glasgow Assembly, Sire. None forbad them.
But they chose otherwise.'

'Scarce
the same thing, Mr Henderson.' That was said with a sigh, not
harshly.

'To
summon the bishops to attend this Edinburgh Assembly, in August, is
an affront to the Kirk and people of Scotland,' Rothes went on,
blundy. "Your Majesty must see it'

'I
see, my lord, other things. That your Tables continue to meet and to
exercise authority - the authority of
my
Privy
Council. Your Covenant army is not disbanded, nor your General
Leslie dismissed. My Treasurer, the Earl of Traquair, is attacked
and ill-used in Edinburgh streets. Others of my loyal servants
likewise. These things I see, my lord - and require your
explanations. And apologies. Do I have them?'

'We
did not come here to make apologies, Sire,' Rothes declared grimly
out of a tense silence. 'The time is past for such bairn's play.'

'Then
why did you come, my lord? For I cannot believe that it was but in
humble obedience to my royal summons!'

'We
came to inform and advise Your Majesty. Inform that by this calling
of the bishops again, you have set back the cause of peace in
Scotland in marked degree. And to advise that you seek to undo some
of the harm done by recalling the former bishops forthwith.
Preferably to England - where they might be better thought of!'

'And
if I choose to disregard such unsought advice, my lord?'

'Then
Your Majesty must bear the consequences. Renewed warfare in
Scotland. And the possibility that the Scots might join forces with
your English Puritans - who do not love bishops any more than do
we!'

That
brought gasps even from Rothes' fellow Covenanters. And a hand
upraised in horror from the cleric.

'How
. . . how dare you speak the King so!' he cried.

'Who
is this English clerk?' Rothes demanded.

Murray
answered him. 'No Englishman, my lord. But Dr Balcanquhal, from my
own Fife. And yours. Dean of Durham.'

'So
much the worse for him !'

Charles
spoke, quietly. 'Are you making a threat, my lord? To me - the King!
In this of the Puritans?'

'I
would name it advice, and warning, Sire.'

Charles
rose from his chair. 'I cannot accept such threats from any subject
of mine,' he said, head shaking. 'I find your manner and behaviour
unsuitable and unsupportable, my lord. Were you not here on my royal
summons, and therefore presently secure from the consequences of my
displeasure, you would discover how ill-advised are your words. You
have my permission to retire, sir.'

Curtly
Rothes bowed, and turned away. The others, glancing at each other in
doubt, began to move after him.

Not
so Montrose. He had been shocked at Rothes' tone. The man was
obviously not well, and all his bonhomie and shrewd canniness seemed
to have disappeared with his health - like his Doric speech. His
attitude in the monarch's presence was not only deplorable, but
damaging to the Covenant cause. They had not come all this way
deliberately to offend the King and add to their problems. Today,
whatever the rights and wrongs of the conflict, Charles had become
the injured party.

'Sire,'
he exclaimed, 'of your royal clemency, hear me. My lord of Rothes
has not spoken ,so by our prior agreement. He is a sick man - not
himself. He and we all, are loyal subjects of Your Majesty. We did
not come here to threaten nor to distress Your Highness. But to
discuss with you the betterment of your Scots realm's affairs.'

Then,
my lord of Montrose, I think that you chose but an unfortunate
spokesman!'

'Perhaps,
Sire. But the Earl of Rothes is senior as to age. Wc crave your
royal indulgence.'

"Very
well.' The King sat down again. Rothes went out, slamming the door
behind him. But the others lingered.

'We
believe, Sire, that mistakes, errors, on both sides of this
controversy, might have been avoided had we been able to speak face
to face. Instead of through intermediaries who have proved by no
means reliable. This of the bishops and the next Assembly, for
instance. If Your Majesty had been advised to ask that they attend a
special hearing, to answer and speak to their deposition at the
previous Assembly, instead of summoning them a's of their
right to take part, no clash need have occurred.'

There
was a stir and murmur behind him, but no outright denial of that
from the others.

‘
You
would have me submit the bishops, the lords spiritual of my Church,
to your trial, my lord?'

'Such
was Your Majesty's own figure, a trial and judgment. Speaking
before a court. But my contention is that if we could but consult
together, from time to time, much distress, misunderstanding, might
be spared all. Your Highness's advice on matters Scots has, I fear,
been but poor. And the first that we are apt to hear of your
policies is their implementation.
^,

'And
you conceive this to be improper, my lord? I have a Scots Privy
Council to advise me.'

'Of
whom the former bishops still comprise the majority, Sire!' That was
Loudoun's first contribution.

"You
would wish me to turn your Tables into my Privy Council, sir?'

'Not
so. But your present Council has served you but ill. We urge that
your interests would be better served by keeping in touch with
the Tables, Sire,' Montrose suggested, moderate of voice.

"Very
well. Your urgings I have heard and will consider, my lord.' There
was a pause.

'And
the bishops, Sire?' Henderson asked. ‘Do they attend, or do
they not?'

'That
is for my decision, sir. But
...
they will not attend to be insulted. Nor, I think, will
I.'

Quickly
the Covenanters glanced at each other.

'Were
you
..
did Your Majesty think to attend? To attend the General Assembly in
person?' Seton, Earl of Dunfermline, put their question.

'I
did. That is why I am still here, at Berwick.'