At this moment, Sir William Earle, the chief of the border guard, who was sitting at the top of the conference table, picked up a glass of ale in front of him and took a sip. When he put down his glass, he looked calmly at Isabel, who was sitting on the right, "Your Excellency, my brother told me that you were assigned by His Highness to come to Berwick to check on border defense affairs?!" ”

Isabel didn't answer the other party's words directly, and turned to look at Baldwin, the guard standing behind her, "Give me the letter from His Highness." ”

Baldwin pulled out a sealed letter from the letter box he was carrying, and handed it to Isabel with both hands. After Isabel took the letter, she gently placed it on the table and pushed it in the direction of the chief guard, "Sir, this is a letter from Your Highness. ”

Sir put away his chin and looked at the letter written by the Duke of Richmond on the table, and hesitantly stretched out his right hand to take it. Untied the ribbon, unsealed it, stretched out the rolled letter and looked at it carefully. Halfway through it, Jazz's eyes widened. Raising her head slightly, she glanced at Isabelle, who was sitting there quietly, with an incredulous look, and then continued to look at the second half of the letter.

Finally, Sir saw the Duke of Richmond write in his letter: "Sir, the military campaign for the capture of the Queen of Scots has not been unanimously approved and authorized by the members of the Northern Council. However, the opinion of the Privy Counsellor has been informally permitted by me and my father, Lord Walton, a member of the Council. ”

"Therefore, I hope that Sir will be able to fully assist the adviser in this military operation. In addition, by 1 September, an armed merchant ship from the south would request to dock at Berwick's docks, and Sir would not have to stop it. ”

"Informal permission? Armed merchant ships? The captain of the guard thought to himself as he re-rolled up the letter, and looked at Isabel suspiciously as he placed it on the table, "Your Excellency, the queen who captured the Sugs could end our war with Scotland early, so why wouldn't the members of the committee allow this?" ”

Isabel fiddled with the ribbon in which the letter was tied and said calmly, "Sir, if any of the county knights of the northern counties were to direct this operation, the members of the Council would surely approve this proposal. ”

The Chief of the Guard looked at the female Privy Counsellor, came to his senses and nodded, "Well, Your Excellency, you're right. It is conceivable that if Her Majesty the Queen Regent, who was far away in the court of the City of London, wanted to come here to check on the border affairs, she would probably be discouraged by the members of the Regency Council. ”

"But, sir, it would be dangerous for the Shire Knight to carry out the order to capture the Queen of Scots. After all, no one knew where the queen was hiding by her mother. ”

"Even the Scots you've been bribed don't know?"

The head of the guard shook his head regretfully, "I'm afraid that only the royal family of Scotland will know the location of the Queen's hiding. Even ministers and nobles may only be known to the members of the Regency Council. ”

This was something that Isabel had expected, and she hadn't put her hopes in a Scotsman in the first place. Putting down the ribbon in his hand, he picked up his glass and took a sip of wine before smiling, "Sir, have you ever thought about the question of where the queen is hiding?" ”

As the captain of the guard looked at her, he couldn't help but nod, "Your Excellency, I have already sent the Scots loyal to me to inquire about this matter. Unfortunately, nothing was found. ”

"Sir, even though the Queen is now just a baby, she is the Queen. Even if she is hiding from us, her mother will arrange for her mother to live in some royal estate, manor or church. ”

"Well, Your Excellency is right. It's just that these places are far north of Scotland......"

Isabel smiled lightly, "That's what I'm here for. ”

The captain of the guard pondered her words, and then remembered that the Duke of Richmond had mentioned in his letter about armed merchant ships from the South. The frown began to relax a little, "Your Excellency, I think you will definitely take that merchant ship from the south to some port in the north of Scotland, and then land there to find the Queen, right?" ”

"Yes, sir. In the war a few months earlier, the Royal Fleet had used this method to land at Leith, and together with the army forces, had taken full possession of the city of Edinburgh. ”

———————————

While Isabel waited for the merchant ships to arrive, Sir William Ingleby intended to return to Yorkshire. With her permission, he walked slowly to the foot of a defensive rampart to the east of Berwick Castle. As the two men walked, Sir William looked at the wall on his left, which was nearly half a mile long and nearly 330 feet (about 100.6 meters) thick, and could not help but say with some emotion, "I am afraid that such a strong and durable defensive wall can only be seen here." ”

Isabel, who was walking slowly on the grass with her hands behind her back, but her eyes were admiring the surrounding houses and natural scenery, nodded, "We have been fighting the Scots for hundreds of years to get this town. I think the reason for this is because the location of the town is important. ”

When Sir looked at her with an approving gaze, he said with some hesitation, "Ma'am, did Your Highness ask you to check on the border defense affairs this time, and have you mentioned the question of time?" ”

"Sir, you're trying to say when I can go back to Yorkshire, don't you?"

"Well, yes, ma'am. Either way, you're just a lady. I guess such a border town is not for you. ”

Isabel sensitively believed that her husband-to-be was discriminating against women, including herself, and sneered, "Sir, do you think that my good companion Catherine Parr is not fit for the position of regent, and that she is only fit to be a queen and majesty who is praised by the world?" ”

Sir William's intention was that the town was filled with an atmosphere of Anglo-Soviet war at any moment, and that his noble wife-to-be, Lady Isabel, should not be trapped in it like a knight. After all, war is a knight's duty, and one of the basic rules of chivalry is to protect weak women, the elderly, and children.

Faced with the wife-to-be who was unabashed, and borrowed Her Majesty the Queen, who was now the regent, to explain his actions, Sir sighed helplessly, "You know, Isabel, I didn't mean that. ”

"Sir, we're just engaged now, and you should call me by my title." Isabel was reluctant to get closer to Sir William, deliberately emphasizing the etiquette of the aristocracy.

"Yes, ma'am, I dare not expect you to accept my quest for you. I only wish I could serve you as a noble lord. When Sir William finished speaking, he immediately felt a fever on his face.