JAMES (interrupts). Oh, aye, right right, next time I want to watch bloody Danish cast-offs shagging their livestock and knitting socks out of herring I’ll be straight up there!

MARGARET goes to ROSS. She kisses him.

MARGARET. It will be alright in the end, sweetheart, I promise, I promise, don’t worry.

She turns on JAMES, cold now.

Jamie, baby John and I will live in Stirling. You can have Edinburgh.

JAMES. Stirling’s got better ceilings.

MARGARET. Edinburgh is your bloody capital!

JAMES thinks.

JAMES. Yes, but the rooms are cosier here… but then the company is better in Edinburgh… alright you can have Stirling but I get the tapestries.

MARGARET. I hope they fall on you and suffocate you!

JAMES. Nothing could be as suffocating as your presence, my angel.

MARGARET. You can visit. Twice a year. When we do the accounts.

JAMES. If I choose to visit.

MARGARET. Naturally.

JAMES. Fine then.

MARGARET. Good.

MARGARET exits in one direction, JAMES in the other. Everyone else just stands stunned, looking at each other. ROSS moves first, hurrying after his father, then JAMIE follows MARGARET.

One by one the characters exit after either MARGARET or JAMES till only ANNABELLA and PHEMY are left.

ANNABELLA. Smell those roses.

It’s a bonny day, a bonny, bonny day, let’s make the most of this sun, Phemy, I doubt it’ll soon be gone for good.

PHEMY exits after MARGARET as ANNABELLA settles herself and turns her face up to the sun.

End of Act One.

Act Two

ACT TWO

The Queen’s Room, Stirling

There is a big bathtub sitting on its own in the middle of the floor.

PHEMY enters with a bucket of hot water, she is staggering, exhausted.

ANNABELLA enters with a tent of cloth, she begins to fix it up on hooks round the bath. ANNABELLA is still in her nightdress. She looks at PHEMY.

ANNABELLA. You never carried that up here yourself!

PHEMY nods, too exhausted to speak.

Well, what’s that boy doing!? Get him up here!

ANNABELLA heaves the bucket up and empties it into the tub. She hands it back to PHEMY, PHEMY trails out again.

MARGARET enters half-dressed. She’s tying her hair up or getting ready to get dressed, getting ready for the day.

ANNABELLA sticks her hand in the water.

One more should do it.

MARGARET. You go ahead. I already had a washdown with the first bucket.

ANNABELLA. Oh, Margaret, you never take the time for a soak these days.

MARGARET. I want to get on. The King has sent me messages from the papal ambassador. I need to think how to advise him.

ANNABELLA. You should advise him that if he’s not going to treat you like a decent wife he should pay you a wage.

MARGARET. I like being busy.

ANNABELLA is hidden behind the curtain as she gets in the bath.