Chapter 7

In the morning Nanny came to help Daphne dress for the ride with the king to Edinburgh. The day would be spent celebrating the king and his arrival. Nanny picked out one of the dresses Daphne had made in Jamie's clan colors. This was a simple white blouse with plaid skirt short enough to dance in during the celebration.

"We need to talk young lady, you are in danger. I suspected it on the trip here when you became sick. I talked to Jamie this morning and he thinks someone has been poisoning your chocolate?"

"He thinks it is one of the girls who arrived with me. But what reason would they have to kill me? I am not a threat to anyone."

Nanny scoffed.

"If they want to be his Duchess you are the biggest threat there is. You have stolen his heart."

"But women do not go around killing off their competition I do not believe a woman would do that."

"You are young and naïve women kill for much less than love. You need to be aware of your surrounding and who is around you. You need to stay alert, so you can stay alive."

"I will do my best, but it is not in my nature to be weary of others. I trust people until they are proven to be untrustworthy."

"I understand, and I admire that trait in people but if it puts you in danger you need to learn to be a little mistrusting and more observant."

"Yes, Nanny I believe you are right of course and I will make myself be more observant."

"Good girl now let's take a look at you Jamie should be here any minute to get you for the first day of celebration."

Just as she finished her sentence there was a knock at the door it was Jamie. When he saw what she was wearing he had to smile Daphne in his colors made him tremendously happy. When he led her out to the waiting carriages they were surprised to see her mother sitting in the lead carriage with the King. Daphne, Victor and Jamie had the second carriage then the rest of Scotlands nobility. Alongside of their carriage was Daphne's guard. But it was Victors presence in the carriage Jamie had to wonder about. How come they had been given Victor as an escort? He laughed when Victor made a comment only Jamie would understand.

"I have not heard an announcement."

"I have to have an interview with the king. I am not permitted the luxury of some I have restrictions placed on me."

Victor nodded he understood, but still he could not allow Daphne's name to be muddied. Daphne turned to Victor

"have you found out what was between my mother and the king?"

He shook his head no.

"I was investigating other things."

He turned his attention to Jamie.

"We know who the false guest is, but we need to prove they are here to harm the king."

Daphne spoke up and surprised both men.

"Do you mean Lilly and Alice?"

They both turned their attention to Daphne.

"What do you know of Lilly and Alice?"

"Well for starters they like to talk in a lot of foreign languages. They think no one can understand them but I know me, and my mother can. They talk about a half moon, and how the French would appreciate their efforts, and they would be hero's. things like that. Why is any of that important?"

Victor leaned over and gave Daphne a kiss on the forehead.

"You are the best Daph simply the best. You have solved the mystery of when, and why. Now all we must do is either catch them in the act of planning or when they are trying to carry out the act. Oh Daph, you cannot imagine how helpful you have just been."

Her eyes were sparkling making Jamie laughed the girl loved to be praised. He would have to learn to praise her every day, so he could see that sparkle. When they arrived in Leith there was a red carpet rolled out for the king and his noblemen to walk. As the king was standing up in his carriage to get out one of the Glengarry galloped alongside of the carriage. Sweeping his bonnet off his head and addressing the king.

"Your majesty is welcome to Scotland!"

Jamie had to laugh when the king who seemed to be in good humor bowed graciously at the Glengarry's intrusion. Lowland and highland regiments escorted the King there were pipe bands and dancers there to add to the merriment of the occasion. Jamie and Daphne went off to enjoy the festival. Victor went off to find Othello who needed to know the information Daphne had given him. The first place Jamie and Daphne went to was, the booth with custard throwing. Daphne had never thrown a pie before she had only baked them, so given the opportunity to do so she wanted to experience it.

By the time she had thrown her first pie she was covered in custard. Jamie was glad the booth attendant gave her an apron to wear or she would have had to go back to the castle to change. Jamie loved to watch her try to lob the pies to the marker, but she could not get them even a quarter of the way there. He thought she would have thrown them a little farther if she had not been laughing so hard. Their next stop after Daphne cleaned up was to the field where there was a golf course. Jamie loved the sport, but he had never enjoyed it more watching Daphne making a fool of herself just for the sake of having fun. Her score was in the high hundreds, but he loved every stroke she took.

After they went golfing Jamie took her to a food booth where they had traditional Scottish food for sale. He bought the Scotch Pies and Hotch-Potch soup hoping to keep her warm. The day was fair but after the rain the day before there was still a chill in the air. When they finished eating Daphne wanted to shop there were booths with all kinds of artisan's merchandise. She was buying souvenirs for her family. She found a book for Valarie written by a Scottish poet. Tory, she bought a hairpin with green stones to match her eyes. Jamie could not help but noticed they would have matched Daphne's eyes as well. She bought her father a quilt she found trimmed in Campbell clan colors she explained he always like to curl up by the fire with a warm blanket and read a book, and the blanket he had was worn-out and needed to be replace.

He wondered why she had not thought to buy something for her brother, but he did not ask it was not his place, maybe by the end of the shopping spree she would buy him something but for now she had a toy for Dominic and presents for all the Valentines, Jeremy and Justin, and her mother but nothing for her sibling. His curiosity won out.

"Are you not close to your brother?"

"I really do not know him he was twenty years older than me he was out of the house before I was born. I was raised with the Valentines. Bertram is someone who comes home when it is requested by my father for business. He has his own family, but they are not close to us. I think that is why my parents are so indulgent of me, it is so I will stay around and not leave them as Bertram has done."

"It is hard to imagine you a have family member who is distant from all of you."

"It was Bertram's choice. I heard he left home because they had me. He was not happy about having a sibling. I overheard Vincent telling Jeremy when they found out my mother was having another baby he stopped coming home during school vacations he either stayed at school or went home with his friends. To be honest one of the first times I remember seeing him was when I was ten and he brought his future wife to meet my parents. So, no I am not going to be buying anything for my brother and his family, simply because I do not know them."

Jamie was silent for quite some time after she told him about her brother and her family. He had to wonder if there was not something else that Bertram had been mad about, something Daphne was too young to understand. It was not for him to know even if he married her he would not look deeply into that situation. He directed Daphne to a jeweler's booth. She explored the hairpins, and the necklaces but what she was going to buy herself for herself touched Jamie's heart as well as his soul.

"I think I will purchase this beautiful ring. It's card says it is a Scottish infinity Celtic ring. I think it would be perfect. I will for eternally be enchanted with Scotland and all her people. I have loved England and my home, but the beauty of Your home is something I will always think about and cherish into my old age."

He bought her the ring. If a ring was to be placed on her hand he wanted to be the one to place it there, and with all the meaning this ring held for her it was only right he be the one to give it to her. When the sky was getting dark and the music was picking up Jamie and Daphne brought all the purchases to their carriage and then went to find where the music was coming from. They danced until midnight when word was sent to Jamie there had been someone seen near Daphne's room and they needed to see if anything was missing or out of place.

Upon their arrival at the castle Jamie noticed there were now two guards in front of her door. Three of them went in Jamie, Daphne, and her personal guard.

"Your highness look, around the room see if anything is missing, or if there has been anything that has been disturbed."

Daphne carefully looked around the room and found the only thing to be disturbed was her jewelry box, and the bed. First, she went to the bed she could have sworn something was moving in it, and that scared the life out of her. She quickly threw the blankets back to find an adder in the center of her bed. The guard grabbed her away from the bed and then set about catching the serpent. Jamie pulled Daphne farther away and pulled her to him as if he was too afraid to let her go. When the adder was captured and taken out of the room. Jamie made Daphne check her jewelry to see if anything was missing. To her surprise the only object missing was the boatswain's call was missing it was the gift the sailor had given her when she was leaving the ship on her first day in Scotland.

"My boatswain's call is missing nothing else."

"Is there something special about the call?"

She laughed,

"Only to me. I got it on my first day in Scotland after helping one of the sailors with Emily and her mother."

"Do you think Emily would have taken it?"

"I do not think anyone, but my mother knew I received the gift I did not tell anyone or make a fuss about getting a gift. So, I cannot say who would take it."

He knew she had gotten the gift word was sent to the castle about her behavior, but who else did the shipmen tell? He was going to have to find out. The ship was in port it would not be a hardship to find out he would go when he made sure Daphne was safe and secure. Jamie decided he would change Daphne's room until the room could be inspected to make sure no more surprises loomed in the room. He placed her in his chambers and then went to find his Grandfather to tell him of the situation, and about Lilly and Alice, to see what he wanted them to do about it.