*Notes: I decided to split Chapter 20 into two parts, as it's been a little while since I updated this story and I wanted to put the next part out there. This chapter mainly focuses on the visit to Edinburgh, while the visit to London will now take place during Chapter 21.
The next morning, Mary woke up bright and early. Already, she felt wide awake. She was eager to begin preparing for her political visit to Edinburgh and London, but first, she knew that she had other matters to take care of.
After a quick glance outside her window and into the castle gardens, Mary changed into casual clothes and made sure to put on a thick coat with a hood. Discreetly, she slipped out of her room and tiptoed through the castle's halls and down several flights of stairs.
Luckily, the castle was quiet this morning. With a quick glance over her shoulder, she headed out into the castle gardens, walking on the grass and in the direction of the stables.
Yesterday, Mary hadn't exactly planned on paying a visit to the stables in the morning, but last night, just before she had gone to sleep, she'd been thinking about the people with the tattoos she'd encountered in the village, as well as Bash and Francis's fight, and she'd decided that she wanted to talk to Bash.
Bash was already at work when Mary snuck in through the stable's side door. He only looked mildly startled to see her.
Mary greeted him politely and sat down on one of the nearest wooden benches. He walked away from the grey horse he'd been looking after and moved to sit next to her.
"Mary, I'm sorry," Bash told her the moment he sat down. He looked like he meant it, too.
Mary nodded, accepting Bash's apology for the fight yesterday.
Bash looked like he wanted to discuss yesterday's events even further, but Mary quickly cut him off. "I am worried that there are people congregating in the village who may not exactly be…friendly towards the crown," said Mary, cutting to the chase, while at the same time trying to be diplomatic and not give too much away.
As she spoke, Mary studied Sebastian's reaction. He definitely looked worried by this declaration, she decided. He even seemed to have gone a little pale.
"I was wondering if you could perhaps…keep an eye on the castle grounds while I am away? And, could you also keep a lookout in the local village, if you have the opportunity to go there?"
Bash seemed to study her facial expression for a long time in the silence that followed Mary's question.
Finally, Bash spoke. "Consider it done, Your Grace," he told her with a nod, his face the picture of duty.
"Thank you," said Mary, hoping that she was conveying her gratitude in her voice. She knew it would be useful to have somebody keeping an eye on things in the village; somebody who was not one of the castle guards, who had to do exactly as they were told. Bash had never really seemed the type to follow orders. "Perhaps you could report back to me, if you see or hear anything suspicious?"
She wondered if she was maybe asking for too much, but again, Bash nodded.
Still, Mary felt a little uncertain. She knew that she was taking a risk, in asking him to do this favour for her; she wasn't yet sure whether Bash could be trusted, or whether he was fully loyal to the crown, and there could be repercussions on so many levels; but given the current circumstances, and the fact that she would be away from the castle for at least one full day and one full night, and the fact that she had few allies within the castle walls at the moment, Mary didn't know if she had any other choice; did she truly have many other people who she could turn to?
If her parents weren't going to take the threat of potential rebels seriously, then she would have to. She knew that she couldn't rely on Bash alone though; she would have to find some other backup, as well.
Mary spent the next half hour talking to Bash about how he was settling into his work at the castle. She couldn't help noticing that he talked about his job like it wasn't something permanent; like he wasn't planning on staying around for much longer. Mary didn't know how she felt about that; Bash had been something of a distraction for her since the matchmaking process had got started-a reminder that there was life outside the castle-but she also didn't know him very well. Would she miss him a lot, if he left the castle? At the moment, she felt so confused about everything, and she wasn't sure where Bash fitted into her life.
"I should return to the castle," Mary eventually told him, feeling a little reluctant to go back to her duty.
"Mary?" Bash called out to her, just as she started to head out of the stable door. "I meant what I said yesterday; you have a way out of this process, if you ever want to take it; just say the word, any time, and we could be away from this castle in a matter of hours…"
At a loss for what to say, and not wanting to say the wrong thing, Mary simply nodded at Sebastian before she headed back out into the gardens. She had a lot of work to do over the next few days, and she did not want to have her head turned by the temptation of escape; it was a temptation that was still too great.
As she crept back into the castle, Mary had the strange feeling that Bash already had experience in running away; sometimes it seemed as though he was the kind of person who had lived his whole life on the run.
When Mary returned to her room, she noticed that a letter had been left on her desk. There was nothing written on the envelope to indicate who the letter was from.
Cautiously, she opened it. She was disappointed but not surprised to find that the letter contained the promised list of demands-no doubt from the King of France, even though the letter was not signed-all the 'rules' that he would expect her to comply with if she married Francis.
Mary felt a fresh wave of anxiety. She had almost forgotten that the king had threatened that he was going to do this during their last meeting. And, by not signing the letter, he had plausible deniability if Mary ever decided to make the contents of the letter public. Quickly, she scanned through the list.
A few of the demands were exactly as Mary had expected: a proportion of the money belonging to the Scottish crown would have to be sent to France; France would have a say in any decisions made by Scotland; France would offer extra security to Scotland in exchange for Scotland's 'compliance' in France's decision-making; Mary would have to dismiss her Publicist from his role; James and Kenna would have to consider Henry's youngest sons as prospects for a royal marriage to any of their heirs in the future.
Then there were a few extra demands that Mary knew she should have anticipated: Mary would have to spend the majority of her time in France carrying out royal duties-Scotland could no longer be her priority; France would have a say in the employment of senior staff in the Scottish castle; if James and Kenna were to have no children, then France would have a claim on the Scottish crown; and, one other surprise demand-Mary would have to dismiss Sebastian from his role in the castle.
Mary sighed. She knew that there was a possibility that Bash was an illegitimate son of Henry's, and yet the king would still see him callously dismissed from his employment, all for the sake of ensuring France's control over Scotland. It just showed what kind of person he was.
These 'demands' would be of no benefit at all to Scotland-whether Mary ended up marrying Francis or not, Scotland would still be in a vulnerable position either way. She couldn't help wishing that she was in a more powerful position within her family; she wished that there was something more she could do to protect Scotland.
As she folded the letter back up, Mary felt yet another prickle of suspicion. She couldn't help wondering how this letter had ended up on her desk, when it contained no address or signature. Again, she started to feel suspicious that somebody in the castle was working undercover on behalf of the French royal family. But who was it?
A knock at the door and a few sentences spoken in a thick Scottish accent indicated that a member of staff had arrived with Mary's breakfast. Her parents had allowed her to eat within the privacy of her room this morning. Mary had hoped that some time spent on her own would help to calm her down before she faced the day ahead, as she had several appointments to keep and she was planning on spending most of the afternoon in the library with Francis, the two of them preparing for the visit together, but already, the arrival of the letter from the king had unnerved her, preventing her from finding any sense of calm.
After breakfast, Mary met with her mother in the queen's office to discuss the itinerary for the political visit.
Mary was surprised, and pleased, to see that her mother had scheduled in a little free time during the visit-she and Francis would have some time to get lunch in Edinburgh together and walk around the city for a little while, and they would have a small amount of free time to do the same in London the following day. The queen was even going to allow Mary and Francis to take a train back to the caste from Edinburgh on their return from the visit-Mary had always loved travelling by train as a child, taking in the view of the Scottish countryside from the train window, and she was happy that her mother seemed to have remembered that.
But Mary was not ready to express her gratitude just yet-she was still angry with her mother for adding an extra complication to the matchmaking process by suggesting a last-minute political marriage alliance with Conde.
Mary's mother, however, definitely seemed to have other priorities at the moment: "We have to push for more funding for security in Scotland," said the queen as she paced up and down, "and it is perhaps the time to start talking about tougher penalties for those who are inciting violence against the crown and the government…"
Her mother looked tired, but Mary didn't dare point this out, or suggest that her mother should sit down.
Mary sighed. It was a shame, she thought, that the focus of this visit had to be on rebels and security. A lack of security seemed to be the main focus of everything at the moment.
At the very least, the queen also talked to Mary about possible healthcare budgets and education reforms. She even informed Mary that she had sent castle security guards to patrol the village this morning. Mary felt slightly more encouraged, knowing that her mother was at least beginning to take her claims about rebels in the village seriously. Either that, or her mother was giving her some kind of peace offering in exchange for Mary's good behaviour on the political visit.
The moment the meeting was over, Mary started to head out of her mother's office, but her mother called her back to remind her that she had a dress fitting for her bridesmaid dress to attend before she could head to the library.
Unable to help herself, Mary rolled her eyes.
"Mary," said her mother, her expression stern, "no matter what is going on with you and your brother at the moment, you have to remember that the castle will be full of journalists and photographers over the next few days; not to mention that the world will be watching James and Kenna's wedding ceremony. Regardless of your own personal feelings about the wedding, you are to smile, be polite, be enthusiastic; for all intents and purposes, you are thrilled about your brother's wedding, and you are looking forward to the alliance between England and Scotland that this marriage will bring."
"Of course," said Mary, trying and failing to sound sincere, "the show must go on, right?"
The queen didn't answer, but her silence said enough.
After her meeting with her mother, Mary headed to a room on the top floor of the castle, where her dress fitting had been scheduled.
The room had been converted into a makeshift dressing room, where rows upon rows of dresses were hanging on clothes racks, while a few glittering jewels and accessories were displayed on wooden shelves. A few curtains had been put up for people to change behind, and a huge mirror had been placed right in the middle of the room.
Kenna walked between the racks of clothes, speaking with her assistant about the plans for the upcoming wedding.
Usually, Kenna was in her element when she was surrounded by expensive jewels and designer gowns, but Mary noticed that her mood was a lot less upbeat today.
After Mary had changed into her bridesmaid's dress, she stood in front of the large mirror, taking in her reflection while a dressmaker fussed around her, making a few last-minute adjustments.
Mary was barely aware of her surroundings. She continued to stare at her dress in the mirror. The bridesmaid's dress was bright red in colour, with a lace bodice and sleeves, and a long, flowing skirt.
It was perhaps not the type of dress that she would have ordinarily chosen to wear, and the style was maybe a bit over-the-top, but that was not the reason why she felt so preoccupied at the moment. The sight of herself wearing the red dress was an all-to-poignant reminder that all of this was real; it was actually happening. Kenna and James were going to be married within days. It would only be a matter of time before James and Kenna were the king and queen of Scotland. James's future was already decided, and it therefore wouldn't be long before the people of Scotland expected Mary to inform them what she was going to do with her future. Time was running out to make a decision.
"I know you might think it's a little over the top…"
Mary noticed that Kenna had moved to stand next to her, and Mary could now see both of their reflections in the mirror.
"And I'm not sure if the dress is to your usual taste; but I thought it would look nice on you, and it matches my dress…"
Kenna's tone was not bossy, or judgemental; instead, she sounded a little sad, a little unsure. Mary suspected that she was projecting her anxiety about her upcoming arranged marriage with James onto the little details of the wedding ceremony.
"It looks beautiful," Mary replied after barely a moment's hesitation. She could only hope that her tone of voice was enough to reassure Kenna. "I'm sure your wedding day will be perfect."
Kenna smiled, and her eyes even filled with tears. "Thank you," she told Mary's reflection in the mirror. She sounded sincere, and grateful for the little reassurance that Mary could offer.
Mary felt guilty all over again for disliking Kenna when she had first got engaged to James. Now, Mary almost felt like the two of them were on the same page, facing an invisible battle together. Perhaps they were not so different after all.
"Kenna?" Mary asked her a few minutes later, after she had changed out of her bridesmaid's dress and a sudden idea struck her. "Will you do me a favour and keep an eye on Bash when I'm away from the castle? Watch where he goes, who he talks to? It's difficult to explain why exactly…I just need someone I can trust…"
Mary knew that she was taking a risk in asking something like this of Kenna, but she still didn't fully trust Bash's motives, and she was curious as to whether he would honour her request to keep an eye on things at the castle while Mary was away. Mary wasn't sure who else she could ask this favour of-it felt like she didn't have many trustworthy players left on her imaginary team, and so she would have to put her trust in Kenna.
"Consider it done," said Kenna, now looking more cheerful than she had looked all morning.
By late afternoon, Mary had already been in the castle's library with Francis for a couple of hours.
She sat in an old wooden chair with her laptop open on the desk in front of her, along with several folders and piles of paperwork.
Francis alternated between sitting at the desk with Mary and pacing up and down behind the desk and in between bookshelves.
Mary knew that she should be entirely focused on politics right now, but she was more than a little distracted. She kept looking at Francis out of the corner of her eye, taking in the casual clothes he was wearing today-a plain white T-shirt and jeans-and thinking yet again about how much she liked getting to see this side of Francis.
Since her conversation with Francis in the television room yesterday evening, Mary hadn't been able to stop thinking about the words that Francis had said to her: he had told her that he wanted her to choose him based on what was in her heart.
Was that what he truly wanted? For Mary to love him with all her heart? To disregard all thoughts of alliances and just choose love in the end? Is that how he felt about her? Would it be that simple, if that was the case? Could it ever be that simple, given their roles as royals?
Then Francis had said something about the crown that she would one day wear on her head. What did that mean? To Mary, that comment didn't really make sense-the Scottish crown belonged to James, and the French crown was dependent upon a marriage to Francis. There were no guarantees, when it came to Mary's future crown, and yet Francis had seemed so sure that a crown would one day be hers. It didn't make sense.
So Mary was left to play his words over and over in her mind, like a cryptic puzzle that she couldn't quite work out.
Mary shook her head, telling herself that she needed to focus on the upcoming visit. Things had been a little awkward between the two of them in the library today, and Mary was sure that this was due to a combination of Francis's fight with Bash and the words that Mary and Francis had exchanged in the television room yesterday, and she didn't want to make things even more uncomfortable.
For what felt like the tenth time in past two hours, Mary showed Francis the paperwork that she had been putting together during their session in the library in preparation for the visit. She had come up with several ideas based on the files and speeches that she had hidden in her room for years.
Francis's face was the picture of professionalism again as he read over the paperwork.
If you agree to cuts in royal spending," Francis muttered as he read over one of Mary's possible political proposals, "you should get some kind of agreement in writing as to what the government will offer you in return…"
Mary nodded, making a mental note to do this during the negotiations.
"And perhaps you should ask if the Prime Minister will give more focus to educational reform in her next live address to the nation-too much focus on security reforms will only make people wary…"
Mary agreed that she would think about it, and then they spent the next few minutes debating the merits of agreeing to some kind of publicity stunt in Edinburgh from the royal family in exchange for more support from the government-perhaps the whole family could pay a visit to the city soon, or they could organise some kind of royal event, like a ball.
Francis was a natural at all this, Mary knew that already. He was the person she wanted by her side when it came to royal and political negotiations. Soon, she would have to decide if she wanted him by her side in other aspects of her life, too.
After the two of them had gone over their paperwork to the point of exhaustion, Mary and Francis asked for tea to be brought to them in the library.
Mary smiled to herself from behind her teacup as she took a sip from her tea. She liked that tea-in-the-library was almost a thing between the two of them now, in spite of the grumbling from the castle staff.
Francis seemed to be enjoying a well-deserved break for a little while; after this time spent in the library, he was expected to head to one of the castle's conference rooms for a telephone meeting with French politicians.
Mary mentioned the small amount of free time that they had been granted during the visit to the two capital cities. Francis seemed happy about this, and Mary was at least glad that he seemed to be looking forward to spending time with her. She wondered what things would be like between the two of them, when they had some free time together in Edinburgh and London, away from the castle and other members of the royal family.
All too soon, evening arrived. Mary had one more appointment to keep before she could head back to the privacy of her room.
She headed in the direction of the television room, only pausing briefly to look out of one of the larger windows, to see if her older brother was walking outside.
Mary hadn't seen or heard anything from James all day. She suspected that her brother was deliberately avoiding her. Right now, Mary was almost glad about this realisation, as she wasn't sure what she would say when she next ran into James, after all the harsh words they had exchanged during their argument, but still, Mary sort of hoped that he wasn't hiding away and sulking somewhere.
There was no sign of James out in the royal grounds, but Mary noticed that Bash and Francis were outside, walking together. For a moment, Mary felt tense-she couldn't bear another fight between the two of them-but luckily, the two of them seemed to be exchanging civil words; their body language was not hostile, and Francis's facial expression looked almost apologetic. Mary could only hope that the two of them were apologising to one another, and that Bash wasn't telling Francis about Mary's visit to the stables earlier.
Mary watched them for a few moments longer to ensure that another argument didn't break out, and then she continued to head in the direction of the television room.
"Smile, be polite, tell the assembled press and politicians how much you value a relationship between the Crown and Parliament…"
Mary paced up and down the television room, going over the aims of the Parliamentary visit with her Publicist. Narcisse would be accompanying her on this trip, as Mary's mother was resorting to any means possible to avoid any diplomatic incidents with the English and Scottish politicians.
Narcisse would be expected to guide her in this public appearance, and also to help her to provide a good show for the cameras.
Mary had been more than a little worried since her mother had informed her that Narcisse would be travelling with her to London and Edinburgh. Narcisse on the other hand was strangely enthusiastic about the upcoming trip. When Mary had tried to find out why, he had been rather vague, mumbling something about how he would be glad to get away from the castle for a couple of days; Mary guessed that his eagerness to get away had something to do with the fact that Lola seemed to be giving him the silent treatment since their argument.
"Make any and all of your demands clear," Narcisse told her, his voice barely more than a whisper, but somehow still sounding deadly. "Make sure there is no room for Parliament to…misinterpret…your requests at a later date."
Mary stopped her pacing and regarded him suspiciously for a few moments. "Why are you so enthusiastic about helping me?" she asked him.
"I am putting your interests first, as any good Publicist would do…" Narcisse responded to her suspicious expression with a shrug that looked a bit too casual.
"What do you have to gain from putting my interests first?" Mary asked him with a frown. Narcisse did not seem like the selfless, caring type…nor did he seem particularly loyal. Mary had already heard from Francis that Narcisse usually had ulterior motives.
"Potentially permanent employment, should you be in a position to hire staff after this matchmaking show is over," said Narcisse, his expression more serious now.
Mary regarded him for a few more moments, as she worked out what it was that he was telling her. Narcisse was helping Mary in the hope that she would become the queen of France, but a queen on her terms, so that Mary would have more say in who she employed in her own inner circle of staff. He wanted to be in that inner circle, working as Mary's Publicist, even after the matchmaking show was over.
She was certain that being the Publicist of a queen brought a much higher salary than being the Publicist of a second-born princess, not to mention a greater vantage point, if he wanted to extract revenge on the French royal family…
Mary thought carefully about what to say before she gave her answer. Any negotiating and bargaining with Narcisse would put her in a more vulnerable position, in some ways, but on the other hand, she could perhaps buy his loyalty with the promise of potentially lucrative employment: "Then prove to me that I can trust you…"
As though time had somehow sped up overnight, the morning of the visit to Edinburgh and London seemed to arrive all too quickly.
Mary woke up early again. Her mind was full of thoughts of politics and the two cities she was about to visit, as well as the duties that lay ahead. Already, her nerves about giving speeches and making a public appearance with key politicians were starting to set in. There would be no older brother around to help her this time.
She got up and out of bed and walked slowly over to the window, deciding to take in the view of the gardens for a few moments and hopefully calm herself down before she had to start preparing for the day ahead.
As the sun rose over the royal gardens, Mary noticed that Kenna was walking with Bash on one of the pathways close to the stables.
Mary rolled her eyes, although she didn't really feel all that irritated. It seemed that Kenna was taking Mary's request to keep an eye on Bash seriously. Although, given the way that Kenna seemed to be smiling and laughing at whatever it was that Bash had to say, looking up at him with blatant admiration in her eyes, Mary suspected that Kenna hadn't really needed an excuse to spend more time with Bash.
Mary felt a strange sense of sadness as she watched the two of them. They would have made a nice couple, Mary thought, if the two of them had met randomly at a party in Edinburgh or in London and they hadn't both already had their roles to play in the Scottish castle. In spite of how different the two of them were, they both seemed well-matched as they strolled around the gardens together, apparently oblivious to their surroundings; they seemed to be too busy looking at each other.
Mary, however, could not remain oblivious to other things that were going on outside. Her eyes were drawn to two figures who were walking fairly close to one another on the other side of the gardens.
Mary frowned as she realised that it was Francis and Lola who were walking together. The expressions on their faces seemed to suggest that they were having a very serious conversation. Mary wasn't sure what it was about the sight of the two of them together that always got to her so much; she had seen Francis walk around the gardens with several other people since his initial arrival in Scotland, and perhaps he was just being friendly, acting as a shoulder to cry on for Lola since her argument with Narcisse…but still Mary couldn't help the nagging doubts that had crept in about possible other women in Francis's life, especially since the recent pictures of Francis and Olivia had emerged.
With a sigh, Mary made herself walk away from her bedroom window. She had much more pressing matters to think about at the moment.
Narcisse had had Mary's outfits for the next couple of days sent to her room with her stylists. Along with the hair and makeup team, they all helped Mary to get ready.
Mary's publicity team had decided that she should dress in a smart light blue shirt with black trousers, along with flat shoes and an expensive black blazer. She could not wear flowing dresses or shiny tiaras today; she had to show the world that she meant business.
After the hair stylists had styled her hair into a neat bun and the makeup artists had applied subtle makeup, they were all finally ready to leave for the capital city.
Most of the luggage that Mary would need for her trip had already been loaded into the royal car, but Mary still had a small handbag that she was going to take with her in the car.
Before she left her room, Mary discreetly placed her silk ribbon containing her key, ring and house into her bag. Perhaps she would wear the necklace if she had any leisure time during the trip, but for now, with an impeding political visit and yet another upcoming show for the cameras, she was not going to take any risks or cause any potential diplomatic incidents.
Mary's mother was waiting for her in the entrance hall to wave her off on her city visit. Mary had to put up with several minutes of her mother reminding her about the fact that she was on a diplomatic visit to Parliament, and any incidents or 'dramas' should be kept private, and that Scotland had to be a priority over England. However, her mother didn't seem as irritated as she'd been two days ago, and she even told Mary that she looked nice just before Mary headed out of the main doors, so Mary decided that that was something.
Francis was already waiting by the cars when Mary stepped outside. In spite of herself, Mary thought about how handsome he looked, dressed smartly in a white shirt and an expensive-looking jacket and black trousers, with his hair neatly styled.
He smiled at Mary as he approached her, before he bowed to her.
Mary smiled and him in return and bowed. She tried not to think about the photos of Francis and Olivia, or the fact that Francis had been walking around the gardens with Lola only a couple of hours ago. She couldn't allow any of these negative thoughts to distract her today. The camera crew would still be around for most of the visit, capturing any moments that they could use for the next episode of the show. Then there was also Narcisse to consider, who would be accompanying them on the visit. Mary could only hope that no arguments would break out between Francis and Narcisse.
Even though there were several members of staff standing in the driveway, Francis opened the car door for Mary so she could step into the car, before he followed her inside.
As the car pulled slowly out of the driveway, Mary glanced back over her shoulder. She noticed her father at the window, waving goodbye with a proud-looking smile on his face. Even Kenna was at the window, waving and smiling.
James was notably absent from the goodbye party at the window. Mary knew that this was because the two of them still weren't speaking, but she also suspected that her brother doubted whether this visit would even be worthwhile. More than ever, she was determined to prove him wrong.
The cars made the short journey to the local airfield. The queen's team of staff had arranged for a private jet to take Mary and Francis the rest of the way to Edinburgh. The royal family had arranged this because time was short on this official visit, but already Mary knew that they would all face criticism when it became known that they had taken a private jet on such a short journey.
Mary and Francis sat in silence for a little while on the plane. Mary was partly conscious of the fact that they were surrounded by a team of staff, along with Narcisse, who had found a seat at the back of the plane, where he was now sitting with his arms folded, looking grumpy, and she was partly starting to panic about all of the duties she would have to undertake in full view of well-known politicians and a camera crew. She imagined that the consequences would be disastrous for the Scottish royal family, if she made any serious mistakes.
A flight attendant served a light breakfast to all of the passengers on the private jet, but Mary found that she had little appetite.
"Are you nervous?" Francis finally asked her, looking at her with a concerned expression on his face.
"No," Mary replied instantly, automatically.
Francis raised an eyebrow at her.
"Terrified," Mary finally admitted when Francis continued to look at her. She couldn't help her embarrassed grin at this admission.
Luckily, Francis smiled back at her. "You'll be fine," he told her, his expression sincere.
Mary really wanted to believe him.
With some of the tension broken, the two of them spent the rest of the journey going over Mary's notes about her upcoming meeting with the Prime Minister, as well as her speech that she was expected to give inside the Parliamentary Hall, and also the speech that she would be giving outside of Parliament. Little did Francis know that Mary had an additional comment that she was planning on adding into to her speech.
After the plane landed on a private airfield just outside of the city centre, Mary and Francis were quickly ushered into a waiting car by their security guards. There were a few photographers hanging around the airfield, but Mary had been advised not to talk to the press until after she had met with the Prime Minister.
Thankfully, the team from the castle who had helped to organise the trip had the good sense to allow Francis and Narcisse to travel in separate cars.
In spite of her nerves, Mary still enjoyed pointing out various buildings and landmarks in Edinburgh's Old Town as they made their way to Parliament, and Francis really seemed interested in what she had to say.
Finally, the car pulled up outside the Scottish Parliament.
The Scottish Parliament was made up of several buildings, all of which had been constructed in various architectural styles, with solar panels built into the building.
Mary took a moment to marvel at the building's design before she had to go inside. The reflection of the sunlight almost made the exterior of the building look like it was glowing a bright shade of silver. Mary hadn't been here many times before-usually James and her mother went on the official Parliamentary visits. She knew that she had to make the most of this opportunity.
The Scottish Prime Minister had always seemed like a rather stern-looking woman, from what Mary had seen of her official speeches, and from the few times that she had paid a visit the castle, but in person, she came across as being a lot more pleasant-she smiled warmly at Mary as she approached her in the building's entrance hall.
The Prime Minister was shorter than Mary, yet she was still a commanding figure in the way she carried herself, with her shoulders back and her head held high. She had short hair, and she wore glasses, and she was dressed in a very smart grey suit.
"Your highness," she greeted Mary with a bow, following royal protocol.
"Please, call me Mary," Mary insisted, trying to keep things as informal as they could possibly be. She knew that relationships between the royals and the government had not been so great over the past few years, and she doubted that their meeting would be as productive if the distance of keeping to royal protocol was placed between them.
"Mary it is then," the Prime Minister replied with a grin, before she shook Mary's hand.
Mary noticed that she eyed Francis and his team of French staff almost warily from over Mary's shoulder as she stepped forward to shake Mary's hand.
Mary supposed she could understand her wariness; not many Prime Ministers would be completely comfortable with the idea of a future king from a rival country attending Parliamentary meetings.
After a quick tour of the building, the Prime Minister showed Mary and Francis into a conference room, where the meeting was scheduled to take place.
Francis seemed to take a step back during the meeting, letting Mary take centre stage as he hung around in the background, taking the occasional phone call from members of staff from the French castle and making conversation with a few of the guards.
Narcisse had also made himself scarce, stepping outside the meeting room with a couple of the guards at the start of the meeting.
Mary conversed with the Prime Minister on various political topics. Together, they talked about plans for possible educational reforms, while Mary broached the idea of more funding for security in the country.
The Prime Minister initially gave little away, but she seemed to be listening to what Mary had to say.
Negotiations between Crown and Parliament were always difficult, as there could be uncertainty on both sides as to how much of a role the royals should play in political decisions, and too much or too little involvement could bring criticism from the public either way.
As their negotiations went on, the Prime Minister admitted to Mary that Scotland was struggling financially, and that she too was worried about rebel activity all over the country. It seemed though that there wasn't much money available to help with more security.
The Prime Minister also seemed enthusiastic about the idea of some kind of publicity stunt from the royal family in order to distract Scotland from its troubles. She was so enthusiastic that she even suggested to Mary that she might want to consider holding her future wedding with Francis in the capital city, in full view of the country's major politicians and celebrities and media. Mary felt a little terrified at the very idea of it-there was no guarantee that she and Francis would even be getting married, and she wasn't sure she was keen on turning any possible marriage ceremony into a political performance, or yet another distraction technique…but then, perhaps that would be a sacrifice that she would be expected to make, as a royal.
Either way, she knew that the royal family might need to be more visible in Edinburgh from now on, in order to let the country know that they were there and taking their concerns seriously, and Mary promised that she would do her best to make more official visits to the city.
After the meeting, Mary was led to a podium in the Parliamentary Hall to give an official address to several key politicians.
Mary's hands were shaking with nerves as she took to the podium, but she was determined not to lose her nerve now. Today might be her only opportunity to speak for her country, before James became king and took over this role entirely.
Mary tried to follow the guidance of all those who had advised her about this visit, taking about how much she valued a relationship between Parliament and the Crown, and expressing her hopes that they could continue with this good relationship going into the future.
A few cameras filmed her as she spoke, no doubt preparing to broadcast this speech on the Scottish news later in the evening.
She noticed that Narcisse gave her a discreet thumbs up from where he was standing towards the back of the room, and even Francis seemed to smile proudly at her from where he was sitting a few rows away from the podium.
It seemed that Francis had managed to charm the Prime Minister in the few minutes he'd been speaking to her in the meeting room, because she now regarded him with a lot more warmth as Mary continued with her speech.
Feeling encouraged, Mary tried her best to keep the focus of the rest of her speech positive. She talked about her hopes for educational and employment reforms, and how she hoped to work in Edinburgh more with her family in the near future.
The assembled politicians gave Mary a round of applause after she finished her speech, and Mary really hoped that this applause was out of more than just politeness; she hoped that they had liked her speech.
After another quick conversation with the Prime Minister, Mary and Francis were ushered out of the room and down a long corridor, heading back outside so that Mary could give another speech with the Prime Minister outside; a speech that was to be for the benefit of the general public.
"How do you think it went?" Mary whispered to Francis, before they could step outside.
"You were perfect," Francis whispered back to her with a smile.
Mary couldn't help beaming with pride in return. Sometimes, she felt like Francis reserved his open, genuine smiles just for her. Or perhaps that was only wishful thinking on her part.
A few members of the public had been invited to assemble around the stone steps outside Parliament, along with several journalists and news reporters, and of course the camera crew from the matchmaking show.
Mary stood at the top of the stone steps, looking out on her audience in the same way that she knew that they were watching her.
The weather had got a little colder over the past hour, and there a definite chill in the air. The wind whipped through the few loose strands of Mary's hair that had come loose from her neat bun.
Both Narcisse and Francis stood in the crowd, and Francis threw several glares in Narcisse's direction when he thought that nobody was watching him. But Mary knew that she did not have the luxury of caring about any of that right now-the eyes of the country were upon her, and she had to make a good impression. This would perhaps be her only opportunity to quell some of the anger and the fears about the state that the country was in; maybe this would be her only chance to offer some sort of hope for the future. The people of Scotland did not need political jargon; they needed a clear and concise plan of action. They needed decisive leadership.
"I have hope of a strong and stable Scotland," Mary told the assembled crowd and the cameras, after her initial introductions. "Today's meetings and negotiations have been positive," she announced, even though she wondered if this was a slight exaggeration. "My family and I will work with your Prime Minister to introduce several beneficial education and workplace reforms. We will do our best to create more opportunities for everyone. We have heard your concerns, and we will do our best to answer them…"
Mary tried her best to project her voice, trying to sound as strong and as stable as the country that she was dreaming of for the future. She thought about how terrified she had been on the night of the attack in France, and the night when she had been cornered in an alleyway in Edinburgh. She did not want that to happen again, to anyone; she wanted the people of Scotland to feel safe. If there was some way to appeal to those who were thinking about rebelling against the country and to stop them in their tracks, then she hoped that promises of change, and promises of more stability and more opportunities, might go some way in doing just that. before they had to resort to even tougher security measures.
She touched briefly on new security measures in Scotland, trying her best to reassure people that they were doing all they could to keep people safe, and that the extra security had been put in place amid safety concerns, and that they were trying to protect law-abiding citizens from rebels. Still, Mary had a nagging doubt that these reassurances would not be enough to ease a lot of the tensions in the country. Quickly, she moved on to other topics.
"As well as an excellent relationship between Crown and Parliament," Mary continued, doing her best to exaggerate this positive relationship, as she knew that there had in reality been tensions between her mother and the Prime Minister for quite a while now, "Scotland has also been lucky to enjoy a supportive relationship with France, as a result of the Royal Matchmaking television show." This was another exaggeration, given Mary's issues with King Henry and Queen Catherine, but she decided to go with it, if only to make it seem as though Scotland had a potentially powerful ally.
She took a few deep breaths before she continued, knowing that she hadn't planned this part of the speech with Narcisse. There was no doubt that he wouldn't have approved. "As a thank you for such a supportive relationship, I can offer my assurances to France that I will continue to value the input of the French royal family in the future. I will also request that the Queen Mother remain at the French castle in the future as my chief advisor, should I take on a more permanent role as part of the French royal family…"
Narcisse looked shocked by this promise. Even Francis's eyes widened a little, before his expression quickly became the picture of professionalism again.
Mary knew that she was taking a risk, in promising to allow Catherine to remain at the French castle after her husband's death, in the event of Mary marrying Francis, especially after Catherine had so blatantly tried to sabotage the matchmaking show since it had got started, but Mary really hoped that this risk would be a calculated one. Mary was a threat to Catherine's wellbeing, as she could easily ask her to leave her home if she became the queen of France; Catherine had said so herself during Mary's visit to France. Perhaps Catherine would not interfere in the matchmaking proceedings so much, if her own future was more secure. Mary was securing her own future possibilities, as much as she was securing Catherine's.
After a scattered round of applause, and a brief speech from the Prime Minister in which she (thankfully) backed up a lot of what Mary had just said, the crowd dispersed, and Mary and Francis shook hands with the Prime Minister and her team of politicians one more time before they were ushered back to the cars by their security team.
The moment she got into the car, Mary's phone buzzed to let her know that she had just received a message. It was from an unknown number. She opened the message a little cautiously. Well played…it said, simply. Mary knew straight away that the message was from Catherine.
Mary couldn't help feeling a little relieved as the car drove away from the Parliament building. She had got through the first part of the visit without any disasters. She felt even better when Francis smiled at her from the seat next to her in the car.
In the afternoon, Mary and Francis were allowed a little time together.
First, they went to an expensive-looking restaurant close to the original Edinburgh Castle, where they were served a delicious afternoon tea, consisting of sandwiches and cakes and scones.
After filming for a few minutes, the two of them were thankfully left alone by the camera crew for a little while to enjoy their food. They fell into a conversation about the Scottish royal family's residence in Edinburgh and all the antiques and portraits the building contained; Mary was already an expert on the building's history. Mary found herself wishing that she could take Francis on a tour of the royal residence-if only they had a little more time, and they weren't on such a tight schedule. Maybe next time, Mary decided, surprising herself with this idea.
After they had finished eating, Mary and Francis were driven to Arthur's Seat, a well-known lookout point in Edinburgh that had always been a favourite place of Mary's as a child; it was an ideal place to go walking and to take in the views of the city.
Mary and Francis decided to use what was left of their free time in Edinburgh to walk up the grass-covered hill together and enjoy some fresh air and good views before they had to travel to London.
This time, they were left alone to walk without a camera crew or even Narcisse and his Publicity Team to follow them. With the exception of a few guards who were following them from a distance, keeping an eye out for any sign of danger, Mary and Francis were mostly left alone.
As they walked up the hill, stopping along the way to take a few photos together, Francis praised Mary for her speeches in Parliament.
"You looked strong, confident," he reassured her.
Mary couldn't help smirking a little-she knew that this was high praise indeed from a member of the Valois family, and she liked the idea that Francis had wanted to praise her in private, rather than making this moment into a scene for the show.
The conversation flowed easily between them now, as it always seemed to when they were away from the cameras or the watchful eyes of their families.
Then, a few feet further down the hill, they noticed a young man get down on one knee, proposing to his girlfriend.
As the couple kissed and embraced to loud cheers and a round of applause from the small crowd who had gathered to watch the couple, an awkward silence passed between Mary and Francis.
Francis seemed to look away from Mary as the couple continued to kiss, and Mary couldn't help wondering if Francis was feeling a little tense due to the fact that he was not used to seeing spontaneous, romantic proposals from members of the public (Mary imagined that the Valois family would disapprove of something like that), or whether it was because the proposal had served as a sharp reminder that he and Mary would soon have to make a decision regarding their own marriage plans.
They walked up the hill in silence for a few minutes, and Mary was even tempted to resort to making small talk about the weather to ease some of the tension, when finally, Francis spoke…
"Your offer of a permanent role in the French castle for my mother was a very generous one," he told Mary.
Ah, Mary thought, so Francis had been thinking about that part of her speech.
"You didn't have to do that," he added.
She doesn't deserve it…
These were the underlying words that Mary could almost imagine that Francis was saying, even though he would never say something like that out loud about his mother.
"I wanted to," Mary assured him. Part of this promise had been tactical, of course, but she also did not want to throw Francis's mother out of her home, if she ever became a queen in France. She hoped that Francis understood that.
Francis nodded, and Mary got the impression that he understood what her motives were.
"Thank you," he told her, his expression formal, serious, as though they were currently engaging in some sort of political negotiation.
They had reached the top of the hill, and they were soon distracted by the beautiful views of the city from this vantage point.
Normally, Mary loved to look out on the city from Arthur's seat, but today, she couldn't help feeling more grateful for Francis's presence than the views from the hill, even though this thought made her feel a little embarrassed.
Mary and Francis were only given a few minutes to appreciate the views from the top of the hill and to take a few more photos together however, before the guards made a gesture to the two of them to let them know that it was time to head back down the hill and begin the next part of their journey.
With a sigh, Mary headed back down the hill, with the guards behind her and Francis by her side.
It was time to head to London.