Gemini - Dorothy Dunnett [228]
That night, James descended the hill from the Castle to Tobie’s house, walking incognito with a handful of men, and avoiding the great sprawl of Blackfriars where the French envoy slept. The King sent no warning ahead. Thrusting aside his brother’s guard at Tobie’s doorway, he marched into the house, throwing back his icy cowled cloak and demanding Andreas, who was absent in the sickroom with Tobie. Clémence, explaining, guided the King’s grace into her parlour and sent for the best glass goblets, and wine. He knew her well enough. She advised the Queen on the care of her children. De Fleury and good Tam Cochrane and the royal chapel musician Will Roger were already there in the parlour, and rose, until signalled to stay. The King, after chatting perfunctorily, grew fretful at the delay, and proposed to make his way to his brother’s chamber, if either Andreas or his brother did not come.
De Fleury said, ‘Your grace, my lord of Mar would be ashamed to be seen at less than his best. His doctors will prepare him. Perhaps indeed—Ah. Here is Dr Andreas himself.’
Softened a little by wine, the King was not displeased to see Andreas again. The man was worth his keep. Every Court in Europe knew how he had prophesied the Duke of Burgundy’s death. He was esteemed by Adorne, whose opinion the King valued. It was a pity that neither medicine nor astrology seemed able to make a proper man out of Johndie. The King greeted the doctor, and listened with patience to some rigmarole about what he might or might not be pleased to say, as if one required to be told how to address one’s own brother. Then someone went off to fetch Johndie. His chamber, it seemed, was not deemed fit for the King’s grace to visit. The King’s grace believed that. Any room of Johndie’s looked like a pigsty. Then Johndie limped into the room, with the doctor Tobias behind him. His skin was rough, but his hair was neat under his cap, and he was properly dressed, although he looked narrow inside his doublet. The King said, ‘Well, John. Not about to cut our throat this time then, you young ruffian? Have we to immure you for life, or do you expect to get your wits back one of these days? We are beginning to wonder.’
Later, Tobie maintained that it was the second worst greeting he had ever heard to a crazed patient; Andreas quoted three quite as bad. At the time, they all fell silent, simply measuring the space between Mar and the King and preparing to leap if Mar did. Mar said, ‘You poisoned me.’
The door was still open. Nicholas closed it. The King said, ‘No one poisoned you. You think you are like this because someone poisoned you? You tried to kill me.’
Nicholas said quickly, ‘My lord King, these were accidents. The proof is that, God be praised, you are both still living. My lords have great powers. Had either been ill intentioned, the other would be dead.’
The King looked at him. He said, ‘That would appear to be so. But had my brother not been put under restraint, who knows what might not have happened?’ He turned to Mar. ‘Deny it. You plotted with Sandy. You wanted me dead.’
‘Doesn’t everybody?’ said Johndie Mar. He had been given no wine. He took the King’s goblet and drained it. ‘No wonder Margaret gets out of your bed the first moment she can. I wouldn’t want to be tied to a vacant man who has to be supplied like an infant with friends.’
‘And what friends do you have,’ exclaimed James, ‘but raped women and doctors known for dealing with madmen? Why have they let you out? You should be under lock and key, and in chains.’
Those outside could not hear the scuffle. But when the King shouted, his guards broke the door. Inside, they found the King rolling over the floor-tiles unhurt, and my lord of Mar on his face, held down by three pairs of hands, with his smashed goblet strewn on the floor. Now his hat had fallen off, you could see the marks of blows at the roots of his hair, and his wrists were black and blue, as if he had recently struggled against