03 Not for Glory by J.R.Tomlin

Author:J.R.Tomlin [J.R.Tomlin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

"The line of King Alexander had many branches besides the Balliols. That must be considered."

"And risk another battle over the crown?" someone shouted. James craned around to see who, but everyone was craned and scowling at Soules.

"That’s madness," Boyd said.

"My lords!" Gilbert de la Haye shouted, stepping forward. "This is a counsel, not a brawl. Remember yourselves in the king’s presence."

Angus glowered at Soules for a moment before he resumed his place. Maol gave Soules a hard look before he did the same, and there was an uneasy silence. James glanced at the king’s rigid face and back at Soules.

Soules raised his open hands. "Sirs, I suggest nothing so drastic as recalling the Balliols. I only remind you that a child is not our only choice."

"The king is in good health," Robbie Boyd put in. "But if he should be killed, God forefend, we have strong men to rule for the child. Guardians of the Realm must be named."

"What is the advice of the council?" Abbot Bernard said. "Is there another name put forward besides the king’s grandson?"

Soules turned, staring at the angry faces around him. "No. I have none," he said and sat down. Who was it whom he would have named? James wondered. But the man said nothing more. Soules’s grandfather had made some distant claim to the throne, but surely Soules did not think they'd accept him in place of their rightful king's heir. Impossible...

"Then is the counsel’s advice to put forth the name of Robert Stewart, son of the High Steward, to the parliament to be declared heir presumptive to the throne?" Abbot Bernard asked.

"It must be the king’s grandson," James said. He watched Soules from the corner of his eye. The man sat with eyes downcast, saying nothing more.

Maol of Lennox said, "Boyd is right. The Guardian of the Realm cannot be left in doubt. It must be someone who can be trusted."

The king held up a hand. "Both of you are in the right, my lords. A Guardian must be named, but with the lad’s tender age, I’d have two guardians. My nephew, Thomas Randolph, earl of Moray, was named in the previous act. I believe he should be named again. But there must be a second for a child so young. I say that should be the good Sir James, Lord of Douglas. There are no two men in the kingdom I trust more."

James closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath. Holy St. Bride, to be Guardian of the Realm? True, he'd been regent briefly whilst the king was in Ireland, but he'd never dreamed of being named after the king's own nephew.

Lennox was nodding. "That would be wise. I agree to it."

There was a shout of agreement, although one or two held their tongues, and Soules was frowning. "Your Grace, what if the child dies?" he asked.

Walter Stewart jumped to his feet and took a step toward Soules. "My son is a strong lad. He will not die. I pray God that his grace has a son, but if that is not God’s will, we’ve named my son as his heir.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.