BALVENIE is close to LIVINGSTON.

And Douglas stands beside you, Livingston. You know that. Stop worrying.

LIVINGSTON. Aye. Right enough. I can rely on you, can’t I?

BALVENIE. I’ve got your back. You can trust me. Don’t you know that by now?

LIVINGSTON. Aye, I trust you to stay fat, eh, Balvenie?

(To women.) What do you think, Your Highness, Princess Annabella, he looks like a man who knows how to stay fat, eh? The abbey at Coldingham was it, Balvenie? I think the crown will be giving you that gift, I’ve got a feeling about it… Crichton can plot all he wants as long as I keep feeding you up, eh, Balvenie?

LIVINGSTON exits.

BALVENIE (to MARY). Did he scare you?

MARY. No.

BALVENIE. No. Don’t let him scare you. No one here means you harm, Queen Mary.

MARY is now gathering up the broken cakes, he helps her, tastes one.

Apple cakes. Wonderful. You see I’d still eat that.

ANNABELLA. You can’t eat them off the ground!

BALVENIE. If I don’t, the dogs will.

ANNABELLA. Who are you? I should know you, I’m sure, but…

MARY. This is Balvenie, Annabella, the Earl of Douglas. The father of William Douglas…

MARY has gone to ANNABELLA.

I dare you… to kiss William Douglas.

ANNABELLA gasps.

ANNABELLA. Be quiet, Mary!

MARY. I dare you! I dare you!

WILLIAM enters under this. MARY screams in excitement when she sees him, pushing ANNABELLA towards him. ANNABELLA is pushing her back, chasing her off.

ANNABELLA. Stop it! Be quiet!

They run off, giggling. BALVENIE has started to laugh.

WILLIAM. What’s the joke?

BALVENIE. It’s on me, William, it’s on me.

Look at you. You could win a war and you could marry a princess, couldn’t you? It’s that easy.

It’s in your blood, isn’t it? The blood of Robert the Bruce.

WILLIAM. What about it?

BALVENIE. I shouldn’t forget that’s in you, should I?

WILLIAM is absorbed in marking out the football pitch.

WILLIAM. Whoever plays from this side will have the sun in their eyes. I’ll make him play this end.

BALVENIE. Maybe I haven’t made the best of you, William. I might be guilty here. I may have overlooked one of my strongest resources, my best assets. What are you doing?

WILLIAM. Laying out the field, for the football.

BALVENIE. No. Events are moving on, as we hoped. So there must be no football today. That’s not in the best interests of the Douglas family.

WILLIAM. Aye it is! The Douglas family can beat anyone else on this field! I’m telling you! Me and the King are battling the day and Douglas will win!

BALVENIE. William… William… William… It’s energy, isn’t it? It’s not stupidity. You understand what’s happening, I know you do.

Douglas can’t seem so powerful, William, until it is, until there’s nothing that can stop us. Do you see?

WILLIAM. Aye.

BALVENIE. I know you do. And I know you understand why.

WILLIAM. So, one day, when no one’s looking, you can slip onto the Scottish throne and make a Douglas King of Scots. A beat.