The room full of people quickly knelt. Charlet moved closer to the king, her eyes shifted and she whispered, "Should I also kneel?"
"Nay, they honor you. However, it would save a few knees if you were to tell them to rise."
She cleared her throat, "You may rise." She was amazed when they obeyed. Maybe being Queen would not be such a bad thing after all.
*
Each morning, Blair promised himself he would not go to the MacGreagor hold to see if there was any word of her. But sooner or later, he ended up there anyway. Kevin was not handling the absence of his wife well and was often foul tempered, so Blair spent most of his time with Connor.
Laird Ferguson seemed to be there almost as much as Blair and all three became friends. They were the next generation, close to the same age, could share stories and try to figure out how to solve problems. Even so, Blair was having trouble enjoying even the funniest stories or concentrating on much of what they said.
Ferguson told them of all the changes he was making at the Ferguson hold. He wanted everything to be clean and repaired when he took Kenna there as his wife. He asked for all kinds of suggestions and the other two men were happy to oblige, although Blair and Connor did not always agree.
Blair didn't really believe Charlet would come back. The call of the English crown was a strong one and he could not blame her for accepting it. Still he hoped and when the whistle came to signal approaching riders, he raced up the steps of the Keep to see who it was and to stand by Kevin on the landing.
It was clearly Anna and her guard, but Charlet was not with her. He had to fight the lump in his throat and calm the dread in the pit of his stomach. He watched Anna ride across the bridge and then across the courtyard. Connor lifted her down and then she climbed the steps to reach Kevin. Her expression was somber and for a moment, Blair wondered if something had happened to Charlet.
Anna never took her eyes off her husband's. "The king is dead, he died in his sleep."
Blair's head was swimming, his mouth was dry and a harsh pain deep in his heart was beginning to consume him. He was barely aware of the thought forming in his mind and he certainly didn't realize he was saying it. "God save the Queen."
Anna softly touched Blair's arm. "Nay, God save the King."
He couldn't believe his ears. He was sure she would not give up the crown for him and he could hardly catch his breath. "Where is she?"