Page 48 of Much Ado About a Scot

“Thank you,” he said, with a catch in his voice. He wiped the tears from his cheeks with his hands. Then he swallowed thickly, and the tears welled all over again. “What can I do to show you I am a changed man?” He looked up at Isobel, misery etched into every line of his face.

She pressed her fingers to his cheek. “Be a grandparent to Jamie, and a good friend to me.”

He pressed his lips together then offered her a fragile smile. “It will be an honor, my dear.”

The moment was shattered by the sound of thundering hoofbeats. Xander tensed as he came to his feet and reached for his sword.

The earls had arrived.

Chapter Eighteen

It did not take long to apprehend the unsuspecting earls. After which, Xander said goodbye to Isobel, promising to return to her as quickly as he could. As he, his brothers-in-arms, and their army made their way to Haddington, Xander thought back to the stunned shock on the earls’ faces when they knew they’d been defeated. The Earls of Gowrie, Montrose, and Atholl were solemn and resigned now as they lay bound and tied in a wagon on their way to stand trial alongside their leader—the Earl of Bothwell. David Graham was spared from arrest by Xander’s own statement, explaining that Graham had been forced by Bothwell and the others to act against the crown and that he was no further threat to the king.

Leaving Isobel’s farm behind, Xander and his brothers-in-arms moved quickly, their horses flinging clods of grass and mud helter-skelter in their haste. They couldn’t risk stopping until they reached the village and the tolbooth where the earls would be held as prisoners and questioned.

“Stay alert, men. Only a few more miles to go.” Xander’s gaze swept the terrain before them, seeking any possible threats. Bothwell had his supporters, many of whom held positions of power in the king’s court. They would be less than pleased if they were exposed as supporters of Bothwell’s cause.

Gray clouds billowed overhead, bathing the world in a strange half-light as they finally entered the outskirts of Haddington. Xander slowed his pace as the tolbooth came into sight. They had made it this far. Once the traitors were imprisoned, he and his brothers-in-arms would stand guard outside to make certain no one came to their rescue until justice could be served.

The Earls of Montrose, Atholl, and Gowrie would be placed into the hands of the court, and whatever outcome befell them, they more than deserved. It was Bothwell, and what might happen next that worried Xander and his brothers-in-arms. For years Bothwell had been facing one charge after another and yet, he always seemed to find a way to elude punishment.

The charges of treason and witchcraft were serious. Xander and his brothers-in-arms were not as concerned about Bothwell being brought up on the charges of witchcraft as they were about the charges of treason. There was adequate evidence Bothwell had put the king and queen in danger over the past few years.

King James, however, thought the opposite. He wanted his cousin tried for witchcraft because the punishment for such a crime was swift and severe. Casting Bothwell as a witch, and making the charges stick, would finally rid the king of the biggest threat to his reign. And without Bothwell to inspire them to revolt, his followers would have no choice but to fall in line with James’s authority once more.

Xander and the others came to a stop before the tolbooth. No matter the outcome of the next few days, the one thought that brought him any comfort at all was that Isobel and Jamie were finally safe and away from harm.

*

Only an hour after Xander and his brothers-in-arms had arrived with the Earls of Montrose, Atholl, and Gowrie, an inquiry had been called in the courthouse. It was merely a formality to question Bothwell before the Lord Advocate moved forward with his trial once King James arrived.

Hearing that their leader was in custody, many of Bothwell’s followers had flooded the village, wanting to witness the trial themselves. Bothwell was held by the sheriff, standing in front of the high bench at the far end of the chamber and the gallery was filled to overflowing by murmuring, whispering people from the village.

Xander stood among his brothers-in-arms in the gallery as a door opened at the side of the room and a procession of men strode to their places at the magistrates’ bench. Xander recognized only two of the five men: Reverend John Brown from the church service he and Isobel had attended, and John Skene, the Lord Advocate sent from King James’s court to oversee what would surely be the trial of the century.

The Lord Advocate banged his gavel three times for silence. A hush fell over the chamber. “King James is making his way here for this trial as we speak. Until then, this tribunal is called to order for the purpose of inspecting the evidence against Francis Stewart, the Earl of Bothwell. Presiding is Alaric Wyth, recently sent to us by King James as our witchfinder following the death of John Swinton.”

Alaric Wyth stood to address the chamber. “Thank you, Lord Advocate. As your new witchfinder, I take my task very seriously and will have no shenanigans in this court, especially with such a high-profile case as this.” His demanding voice filled the chamber as his gaze narrowed on Bothwell. Then switched to the gathered crowd. “These are dark times for us all. The Devil walks the earth in many forms. None of us are safe until we rid the world of his evil presence. We must all be alert to the dangers, and be ever vigilant, and rid our community of Satan’s influence. For only when we purge this evil from our land will we have any sort of peace.”

The witchfinder’s words drew nods and a ripple of ayes from not only the crowd but also the panel presiding. “I promise you, I will be thorough in seeking out evil. And I will be rigorous in my interrogation of both the accused and the witnesses. I will see that justice is served, and those who are found guilty will meet a swift end. I will show no mercy. Witchery is unlawful. It is against God’s will. As for treason, I will prove that crimes of disloyalty have been committed against our sovereign. I will do all I can to see peace is restored in not only Haddington, but all of Scotland.”

Cheers and boos sounded all around the chamber. Xander frowned as he looked at the crowd. An uneasy feeling settled in his gut. He had thought no man could ever be as harsh or unfeeling as the previous witchfinder and witch pricker John Swinton, but in that moment Xander knew he had been wrong. Alaric Wyth was not only here to rid the world of ungodly people. He was here to make a name for himself. And not simply with the trial of Francis Bothwell. Others would soon fall victim to his ambitions.

Through Alaric Wyth’s entire speech, Bothwell stood rigid and his features set, yet a glimmer of amusement reflected in his eyes.

When the chamber quieted, the witchfinder proceeded. “According to the Witchcraft Act of 1563 the practice of witchcraft, enchantment, and sorcery or any such person who is found to have invoked or conjured wicked or evil spirits, or to have consulted or made a covenant with Satan and his followers, shall suffer the pains of death.”

He paused, letting his words sink in before continuing in a voice loud enough for all to hear, “Francis Stewart, Earl of Bothwell, you have been brought before this tribunal to answer for the following crimes:

“Item: You have acted against King James VI’s laws governing the use of sorcery.

“Item: You tried to arrange the death of King James VI through sorcery.

“Item: You were accused by Agnes Sampson as being the Devil himself when you, in your true form, showed her a picture of King James and said that he should be consumed.

“Item: You are accused of high treason against King James VI in whereas you have on three occasions tried to attack and assault his person to either garner his favor or see that criminal charges against you were absolved.

“Item: You have conspired with others to overthrow King James VI and to take his place as ruler of Scotland.