Part 1 - Mary Leaves France

Enters Mary, Seton

Seton      Mary, I am so sorry for you.

Mary      Merci.

Seton      Your poor husband.

Mary      Oui.

Seton      Poor Francois!

Mary      sigh

Seton      . . . First to loose his father in a joust and then, after only a year of marriage, to become sick while on a hunting trip and die from an ear infection. The pain and agony of the mounting puss with the gangrene infecting the whole side of his face. How horrible.

Mary      Ahem.

Seton      Is there anything I can do?

Mary      Yes, Seton, shut up and pack.

Seton      Pack?

Mary      Oui, My mother-in-law, Catherine de Medici, made it quite clear that I was no longer Beinvenue - welcome here in France.

Seton      Why?

Mary      After my husband died, I am no longer queen here.

Seton      But I thought Francois's brother, Charles proposed marriage. He is only eight, and he does have a tendency to spit while eating, actually spews rather large globs of food, but . . .

Mary      Seton!

Seton      Yes, Mary?

Mary      I think not.

Seton      Oh, but he is king now and that would make you queen again. Just think of the wedding with all the fine fabrics and flowers. Oh and we mustn't forget the . . .

Mary      Seton, you forget. I am still queen, just not in France. And I do not need another wedding.

Seton      Yes, but every man needs a woman.

Mary      Not every woman need a man. I am sure we will do quite fine without one. Besides, to stay in France would be political suicide and I hope to live for a very long time.

Seton      Long live the queen.

Mary      Very nice, now pack!

Seton      But where ever shall we go?

Mary      We shall return to where we are still Queen, Scotland.

Seton      Ack, No! It is so cold there!

Mary      Which is why we must pack everything. Think layers.

Seton      But I do not want to go to Scotland.

Mary      I can not stay here. Where else would I go, England? Elizabeth would have my head! I do not think she is very pleased with me for using England's coat of arms within my own.

Seton      But Elizabeth is a bastard.

Mary      Seton!

Seton      What? You said so.

Mary      What I meant is Henry VIII of England, her father, did not get a proper divorce making his marriage to her mother illegitimate as well as any off spring. Thus Elizabeth's claim to the throne is completely erroneous. I am the rightful heir. But, I will have to save England for another day.

Seton      So, you are giving up your claim to the English throne?

Mary      Of course not, but today, I simply say, Adieu, France.

Enters Bothwell

Bothwell      I am here to take you away.

Seton      Oh, Bothwell!

Bothwell      Ahem, I am here to take you away.

Mary      Good, you are just in time to help me pack.

Bothwell      You are not finished yet?

Mary      No, thanks here to Chatty Kathy.

Bothwell      Well, get a move on.

Mary      Monsieur, I will have you know I shall be finished when I am finished and not a moment sooner.

Bothwell      But the ship is waiting.

Mary      Then the ship will wait. Forget not that I am your Queen.

Bothwell      You always will be my Queen.

Mary      Toujours?

Bothwell      Always! They can strip me from your side, exile me to some foreign land, lock me away in a cold, dark, dank, deplorable Danish dungeon and slowly starve me to death, but I shall love you to the end.

Mary      Flattery will get you nowhere.

Bothwell      Nowhere?

Mary      Well, someday it may get you a wife.

Bothwell      I knew it.

Mary      ...but today all I need is to get this trunk closed.

Bothwell      Am I not handsome?

Seton      Yes.

Bothwell      Debonair?

Seton      Yes!

Bothwell      Admirable?

Seton      Yes!

Mary      I think you already have an admirer.

Bothwell      But I don't count.

Mary      So that why you have mirrors on your boots?

Bothwell      The mirrors are not for me.

Seton      Objects in mirror are larger than they appear. Oh my!

Bothwell      See?

Seton      Mary, you have got to see this.

Mary      Be quiet, Seton. You will only swell his head.

Bothwell      And a swell head it is.

Mary      Shut up! Seton, come here and sit down!

Bothwell      Come now, Mary. Every woman needs a man.

Seton      That is not true, not every woman does. I am sure we will do quite fine without one. Why look at Catherine de Medici, there is not a man is his right mind that would take her and look where she is?

Mary      hush

Seton      It's true. Why I heard that even one of her sons refused her . . .

Mary      Seton!

Seton      Anyway, we do not need men.

Bothwell      Not even one.

Mary      Well actually, I could use one right now.

Seton      Really? But you were just saying . . .

Mary      Bothwell, I want you.

Bothwell      You do?

Mary      right here.

Bothwell      Right now?

Mary      No, sit down right here on the trunk so I can get it latched.

Bothwell      Oh! (Bothwell sits of Seton) Well, how is that?

Mary      It will do. Now, if I just grab it right here. . . (fiddling with lock)

Seton      What? (Trying to see around Bothwell)

Mary      and pull like so. . .

Bothwell      Pull? (Standing up)

Mary      Sit! (Bothwell sits back down)

Seton      Oh!

Mary      Just a bit more. There! We are packed. Now, take this down to your ship.

Bothwell      Me?

Mary      Come, Seton. I want a good seat.

Exeunt

Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary

Part 2 - Mary marries Darnley

Enters Mary, Seton

Seton      Mary, I am so happy for you.

Mary      Merci.

Seton      A new husband!

Mary      Oui.

Seton      Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley!

Mary      sigh

Seton      . . . And soon to be Earl of Ross, Ardmonach and King. He can dance and sings like a farthingale. He knows how to play the lute. Every lady in court is envious, not me, of course, but oh how they talk.

Mary      Seton?

Seton      Yes, Mary?

Mary      Shut up and help me dress.

Seton      Dress?

Mary      Yes, I need to get this black gown on.

Seton      Black gown, what for?

Mary      The black gown is for mourning my late husband, Francois.

Seton      And the red dress?

Mary      For the wedding my new husband Darnley?

Seton      And the wedding is this morning.

Mary      Exactly.

Seton      But you are wearing the black gown in morning.

Mary      Yes.

Seton      And the red dress at the wedding.

Mary      Yes.

Seton      So what will you wear this evening?

Mary      The red dress.

Seton      So the wedding is this evening.

Mary      No, the wedding is this morning.

Seton      But you are wearing the black gown in morning and the red dress in evening.

Mary      Yes.

Seton      Wait a minute. You are wearing the black gown for the wedding?

Mary      No, I am wearing the red dress for the wedding. The black gown is for mourning.

Seton      Then when is the wedding?

Mary      This morning.

Seton      And you will be wearing the red dress.

Mary      Yes.

Seton      So, the red dress is for morning.

Mary      No, the black gown is for mourning. The red dress is for the wedding.

Seton      But you just said the wedding is this morning.

Mary      Seton?

Seton      Yes, Mary?

Mary      Pin! (Seton sits and begins to pin - Mary read prayer book)

Enter Bothwell

Bothwell      I am here to take you away

Seton      Oh, Bothwell.

Bothwell      Ah-hm. I am here to take you away.

Mary      That is very nice, here. (She holds free hand out)

Bothwell      You look beautiful today in your . . . black gown?

Seton      Don't ask.

Bothwell      The way it makes your eyes shine, your face glow and your fingers (kisses hand)

Mary      Do not kiss me. Tie me up. (She shakes hand indicating sleeve)

Bothwell      Tie you up? (He begins to tie the sleeve) Yes, then I will take you away to Castle Dunbar where no one dare follow. You will be the object of my every desire.

Mary      Merci (Bothwell moves to other hand behind Seton)

Bothwell      I will move in close.

Seton      gasp

Bothwell      Press my body against yours.

Seton      Yes

Bothwell      Tilt your head back as you close your eyes.

Seton      Yes

Bothwell      Feel my breath warm against your cheek as my lips move ever closer.

Seton      Yes, yes, yes!

Bothwell      And then . . . (moves back to kiss Mary's hand - Seton falls)

Mary      Seton, what are you doing?

Seton      Transgressing

Mary      Well, stop that and get back to pinning my gown.

Bothwell      So, shall we be off? (Takes Mary in his arms)

Mary      to where?

Bothwell      To Castle Dunbar.

Mary      Today?

Bothwell      Now! (Seton begins her quest again)

Mary      Not on my wedding day? Not likely. What would I do with Darnley?

Bothwell      Strangle him for all I care.

Mary      The offer is very nice, but I think I shall marry Darnley instead.

Bothwell      You can not get married. I forbid it.

Mary      Why? You yourself got married.

Bothwell      At your insistence. Besides it will never work out.

Mary      Why is that?

Bothwell      Have you ever tried to wear Gordon and Hepburn tartans at the same time?

Seton      Ewww. (Falling over)

Bothwell      So, come away with me, Mary. It is your last chance.

Mary      Somehow, I doubt that.

Bothwell      I can not stand to see you wed another, so I will go, to the marches, where my life will be in constant peril, facing reavers and vagabonds at every turn, all who have a blood pact out for my life. But what care I? For if I can not have my one true love, my own destiny, my heart, my soul, my all.

Mary      Your wife?

Bothwell      You are right. Your Majesty, with your leave?

Mary      Bothwell, wait. Perhaps I should not have said that. It was not fair.

Bothwell      I understand. I am not welcome here.

Mary      That is not true. I enjoy your company.

Bothwell      Yet it is I who always must come to you.

Mary      Not always. If you should ever need me, I will be there for you.

Bothwell      Right, like you would really ride 30 leagues over treacherous territory, all alone, with reavers and vagabonds at every turn just to be with me on my death bed.

Mary      It could happen.

Bothwell      And when it does, I will know that you love me.

Exit Bothwell

Seton      He is so handsome. It is just not fair.

Mary      What, that he is so handsome? I assure you, he is well aware of it.

Seton      No, that you have two husbands and I have narry a one.

Mary      I do not have two husbands. One is dead, after all.

Seton      But to have Bothwell, too.

Mary      Somehow, I do not think the other Nobles would be so understanding if I were to marry Bothwell.

Seton      Like they really understand your marriage to Darnley. Oh no, half of them refused to attend your little ceremony and are probably off right now saying some really nasty things. Just because Darnley is Catholic and more English than Scottish. He . . .

Mary      Don't start!

Seton      No, I am forever your humble servant.

Mary      Until you die.

Seton      Unless of course you die first.

Mary      Then what will you do.

Seton      Join a convent. Become a nun.

Mary      Why a nun?

Seton      Oh, I don't know. It was the first thing that came to mind, seeing you in that sack cloth.

Mary      Funny. Are you quite finished?

Seton      Yes.

Mary      The shall we? I want to get a good seat.

Exeunt

Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary

Part 3 - Mary says good-bye to Bothwell

Enters Mary, Bothwell

Bothwell      Mary, I am so sorry.

Mary      Merci.

Bothwell      Most of our troops have already left the field.

Mary      Oui.

Bothwell      Your brother wants my head!

Mary      sigh

Bothwell      . . . And soon he will have your crown, for I have no doubt he will ask you to abdicate the moment I am not around. Then he will have you locked away for the rest of your life.

Mary      Ahem

Bothwell      What can I do?

Mary      There is nothing we can do.

Bothwell      I will challenge them to a duel. It is me they are angry at. Let them choose a champion and I shall fight him with two-handed swords.

Mary      No! I forbid it.

Bothwell      You can not forbid me.

Mary      I can and will.

Bothwell      I am the master of this house.

Mary      And I am your queen.

Bothwell      I would be King if you would let me.

Mary      The other lords would not accept it, any more than they accepted Darnley as their king.

Bothwell      But I am your husband now, make me their king and I will make them accept it. You did so for Darnley and he was nothing more than a lackey, a whipping boy, an arse.

Mary      He never kidnaped me.

Bothwell      You wanted me to.

Mary      You should have asked. I would have come.

Bothwell      I am tired of being refused.

Mary      I am tired of being resisted.

Bothwell      Stop resisting me!

Mary      Starting listening to me!

Bothwell      Say something worth listening to . . . (Mary turns to leave) Mary, wait. Perhaps I should not have said that. It was not fair.

Mary      I understand. But, it is bad enough that my brother should oppose me, to risk losing you would be too much. Please, do not fight them.

Bothwell      How can I lose? Who would they send, Morton? He is an old man in comparison. Moray, your brother? Again his age is against him. Besides, he wants the crown and would not risk his life. Who is left, Mar? He at least has an honest quarrel. Darnley was a relation. And since this whole confrontation is all because I killed Darnley. . .

Mary      What?

Bothwell      Oh. . . all because they think I killed Darnley. But you know that I did not do it. I stood trial. You were there. They could not find me guilty.

Mary      I would not let them find you guilty.

Bothwell      They had no evidence.

Mary      They had enough.

Bothwell      What do you mean?

Mary      I mean to say, they had enough evidence to convict you and I would not let them. I had lost two husbands. True, Darnley was hardly a husband during the last few months of his life, but he was still the father of my child. He was still my husband. He was still king. Losing him was not easy. But my love for you made it bearable. Then to be confronted with the chance of losing you, again. No! I would not allow it. I am Queen and by God as such I should have that authority.

Bothwell      So, you knew?

Mary      No, but I suspected.

Bothwell      Oh.

Mary      It is alright. I understand. I did not give you much of a choice, but to kill him.

Bothwell      Actually, I did not kill him. God knows I meant to, but he had escaped the house before the charges went off. I have a feeling it was one of my men who actually did the deed.

Mary      It does not matter. But, now you see why I can not risk losing you over this.

Bothwell      What other choice is there?

Mary      If they allow you and a few followers to leave the field, unmolested.

Bothwell      I would never leave you here alone, with those traitors.

Mary      If I agree to go with them . . .

Bothwell      They will have your head.

Mary      If I do not they will have yours.

Bothwell      No!

Mary      It is already done.

Bothwell      So, you are giving me no choice.

Mary      I love you.

Bothwell      I know.

Mary      Go. Be safe.

Exit Bothwell, enters Seton

Seton      Mary, shall we away?

Mary      Bothwell

Seton      Mary, I am here to take you away.

Mary      Not just yet. Let me watch him ride over the next hill.

Seton      The Lords await your pleasure.

Mary      Then they will have to wait for a very long time.

Seton      I do not understand.

Mary      My pleasure has just ridden off and I shall never see him again. Therefore, it will be a very long time until my pleasure is mine again.

Seton      You will meet again.

Mary      No, Seton. I do not think so. Bothwell is like France, a love I shall never see again. Adieu, Bothwell.

Seton      Mary, they wait.

Mary      Let them wait. Forget not that I am your queen.

Seton      You will always be my queen.

Mary      Toujours?

Seton      Always.

Exeunt