JOHN. I won’t be in anyone’s way. You just carry on.

ANNABELLA. We might alarm you.

JOHN. Princess Annabella, you could never do anything but delight me.

ANNABELLA (to MARGARET). Great shoulders and a smooth, smooth liar… you know where we are, just shout. Phemy! Come and get me dry.

ANNABELLA ducks back into the bath tent. PHEMY hurries in beside her.

MARGARET. The King’s not here. He won’t arrive until…

JOHN (cutting her off). Tomorrow. I know. I came ahead of him.

MARGARET. You…

Why?

JOHN. Cut out the wee man.

MARGARET. What?

JOHN. I give him the papers, he gives you the papers, you do all the work and give them back to him, then he gives them back to me. That’s how it works, eh?

MARGARET.…I suppose… Yes.

JOHN. So let’s save time. I reckon you and me can sort things out together. Quicker. Better. What do you say? We can do that, can’t we? You and me.

She says nothing.

I’ll see you in the hall when you’re done here.

He moves to exit.

You smell wonderful, ladies, you really do.

A pause, MARGARET is still stunned. PHEMY and ANNABELLA come out of the tent, ANNABELLA wrapped in towels.

ANNABELLA. No one would judge you. No one could. No one.

MARGARET. I’m not going to…! (Breaks off again.)

ANNABELLA. You’re not going to go and work through all the treasury documents with him?

MARGARET. No, I am…!

I will do that.

Why shouldn’t I do that?

ANNABELLA. No reason at all.

PHEMY. It’d be stupid not to. He’s come all this way.

MARGARET. I have to…

I have to look..

What dress should I wear?

PHEMY. The red. For sure.

MARGARET. No, no! I have to look formal! I have to look…

I need my jewels.

She hurries off. PHEMY is calling off.

PHEMY. Tam! Come and get this water!

TAM enters and sorts out the bath, getting it off.

ANNABELLA. Should we go down after her?

PHEMY. No. Why?

ANNABELLA. I think he has a hard face.

PHEMY. Aye! And then he smiles!

ANNABELLA. We shouldn’t have let him in.

PHEMY. She’s a grown-up woman, Princess Annabella. She’s safe enough.

ANNABELLA. We should never let anyone in. It’s never safe.

PHEMY. But did you see the smile on her when she was running for her jewels.

ANNABELLA. It’s never safe.

TAM is still clearing up.

TAM. She’s right. We shouldny be letting anyone in. There’s plague.

ANNABELLA. What?

TAM. There’s plague coming. Started in the docks at Berwick and they say it’s moving through the town.

PHEMY. Berwick’s a long way off.