JOAN. But why weren’t you safe in Scotland?

JAMES. Those were troubled times. It’ll be different now.

JOAN. Meg… my woman says you don’t even have apple trees in Scotland.

JAMES. No, we have apples… small ones maybe but… but… of course… of course we’ll take a beautiful English apple tree.

JOAN. I can watch the birds in that.

JAMES. You see I love that too! I love watching the birds.

JOAN. Well… that’ll be something we can do together.

(Looking out of the church door.) I think we’re supposed to…

JAMES. Of course.

Our wedding procession.

She curtseys and waits. So does he. An impasse.

JOAN. You have to lead me to the coach.

JAMES. Aye! Of course… Just…

He gets tangled in her dress trying to get on the right side to lead her.

Sorry…

To Scotland, then.

JOAN. To Scotland.

The Scottish Throne Room / Great Hall, Stirling

A throne and some scattered precious objects. ISABELLA is sorting through silver plate and cups. BIG JAMES comes quickly into the room with a bag.

ISABELLA. Quick, quick, quick…!

He helps her bundle silver plates into the bag.

WALTER and ALISDAIR enter, breathless.

ALISDAIR. What next?

WALTER. Take the table.

ALISDAIR. Fuck that, take the throne.

They go and try and lift it.

ISABELLA. Will it even fit on the cart?

ALISDAIR. Cut the fucking legs off.

(Strains.) Big James, come and give us a hand.

BIG JAMES goes to them.

They all strain.

WALTER. Allez mes braves! Encore une fois!

ISABELLA. Watch yourselves! Watch!

They are all straining to lift the throne when MURDAC enters.

MURDAC. What are you doing!?

ALISDAIR. Hullo, Father.

BIG JAMES. Just helping the mother.

WALTER. Just giving the mother a wee hand with removals.

MURDAC. Put it back.

ALISDAIR. No, we can shift it see…

MURDAC. Put it back!

They put the throne down.

Now put the rest back.

ALISDAIR. There is a point where a man doesn’t take orders…

WALTER. Except maybe from his mother.

MURDAC moves in on WALTER, showdown.

MURDAC. Well, maybe that man should leave his father’s house and his father’s horses and give back all the land his father gave him and wander about the hills in his semmet and a pair of leaking shoes having a wee think about all the many implications of defying the fifth commandment of God. Maybe that’s what that man should be doing?

ALISDAIR. Well, maybe we honour our father and our mother. BIG JAMES. Especially the mother.

They look at ISABELLA.

ISABELLA. We’re leaving them the bloody crown, Murdac.

What more do you want?

MURDAC. I thought we’d had this conversation. No. I know we did. Isabella, we’ve had this conversation and we agreed.

ISABELLA. I’ve changed my mind.

ALISDAIR, WALTER and BIG JAMES exchange looks and then position themselves to watch the fight. ISABELLA is lifting a beautifully decorated stool.

MURDAC. That’s not yours.

ISABELLA looks at it.

ISABELLA. So whose is it then?

MURDAC. It stays here.

ISABELLA. Whose feet have been on it these last eighteen years?