JAMES. Well… what can I tell you. You always looked like you might have some growing left to do. Scrawny, stretched-out thing.

MARGARET. I thought you didn’t want me to be Queen. Not really.

JAMES. I can’t say I haven’t regretted it at times.

MARGARET. I thought I was too ugly.

JAMES. No, you were never that.

MARGARET. I wanted to do my duty. To do everything I’d been told I had to do.

JAMES. I know you did. You made my ears bleed!

(Imitating Danish accent.) ‘I am your wife. Take me to your bed. Let me be your wife!’

You started hitting me.

MARGARET. I did not!

JAMES. I could show you the scars.

MARGARET. And you wouldn’t tell me when. You’d never tell them to prepare the bed. You waited till it was my birthday feast, you waited till they were all too drunk to notice us slipping away…

JAMES. Aye, because otherwise the filthy buggers come and watch!

MARGARET. You barred the door…

And you were so…

(Getting emotional.) You were so..

JAMES. Yes, I was fantastic. We know. Moving on.

MARGARET. No. No. You were so kind. You were so gentle.

JAMES. And fantastic…

MARGARET (ignoring this). And everything they’d told me, everything they’d prepared me for… I didn’t even need to think about it. It wasn’t duty. It wasn’t duty, James. It was love.

JAMES. Of course.

Of course it was.

MARGARET. And Jamie came from that. That was the seed that made him. That’s why I love him, more than my breath. Because he’s yours too. He’s part of you too.

A beat.

JAMES. What do you want me to do?

MARGARET. Call a parliament.

JAMES. Alright…

MARGARET. Apologise to them…

JAMES. Apologise? Apologise!? For what!!

MARGARET. For being a self-centred, self-pitying arse who’s continuously abused his loyal, patient, long-suffering subjects!

JAMES. Well, I’m not saying that.

I’ll think of something.

Don’t look at me like that! I’ll do it. You know I can do it.

MARGARET. Thank you.

She goes to kiss his hand. He pulls it back.

JAMES. Don’t you fucking dare!

He embraces her. A hug.

JOHN enters.

MARGARET breaks away from JAMES.

MARGARET. The King is ready to summon a parliament.

JOHN. Is that right?

JAMES. Yes, yes, call them all in. They’ll come galloping if they think there’s a state dinner in it, won’t they?

MARGARET drops a formal curtsey.

MARGARET. Do I have your permission to leave Your Majesty?

JAMES. Are you going to keep this up all day? Because it is seriously tedious. Yes, go on, bugger off, but don’t go far. I need to talk to you later.

MARGARET exits. She throws a triumphant look at JOHN as she passes.