“I never heard the like of this!”
“You may well say that. You see it is known that the king in disguise visits a certain house, for what purpose his majesty will be able to tell you better than I. He goes unattended and secretly, and this gives us our chance.”
“But what in the name of the god of fools whoever he happens to be, would you do with Jamie once you got him?”
“’Deed there’s many things that might be mended in this country, as you very well know, and the king can mend them if he likes, with a word. Now rather than have his throat cut, our leader thinks he will agree to reasonable reform.”
“And supposing he doesn’t agree, are you going to cut his throat?”
“I don’t know what would happen if he proved stubborn. The moderate section is just for locking him by somewhere until he listens to wisdom.”
“And it is in your mind that my house should become a prison for the king?”
“It seems to me worth considering.”
“There seems to me very little worth considering in the matter. It is a mad scheme. Supposing the king promised under compulsion, what would be his first action the moment he returned to Stirling Castle? He would scour the country for you, and your heads would come off one by one like buttons from an old coat.”
“That’s what I said. ‘Trust the word of a Stuart,’ says I, ‘it’s pure nonsense!’”