it hadn’t been long at all since his last visit to helwater. in truth, he had delayed it as much as he possibly could in order to avoid any undesired attention. the reason for that being that before james fraser came along, his visits to the estate had been nowhere near as frequent. and even though john was quite fond of the dunsanys, it wasn’t until he’d arranged for the former jacobite to be under their employment, that john’s demeanour suffered a drastic, yet rather delightful change. even isobel seemed to notice his high spirits. though, as much as he valued her friendship, he was still, like most, a selfish individual. and therefore, the truth of what lied in his heart remained solely with him; hidden in plain sight, like the object of his affection.

               the euphoria never lasted long after his visits. after all, he was driven by the idea of pursuing an unrequited love, and though he knew in his heart that it would never be more than what it was, he was still willing to sacrifice parts of himself that he knew would never fully heal. after all, it wasn’t like him to simply forget someone after they had touched him so profoundly. and jamie was entirely that: a sickly addiction he was too weak to escape, and which he sadly, always seemed to return to.

               he’d been assured by one of the grooms at the stables that ‘mackenzie’ would be found at lady geneva’s side, accompanying her on her morning ride. john then requested that the young man saddled his stallion for him; all the while growing increasingly restless as the seconds dragged by. he wasn’t sure why he couldn’t simply wait for their return. something inside him; a tightness in his chest, alerted him to some sort of unseen crisis. he then galloped through the estate and into the woods as fast as the beast beneath him would allow him to. it didn’t take long for him to track them down. however, once he did, he’d found himself trapped in the middle of what could only be described as his worst nightmare. 

               he yanked the reins towards him so quickly, it was a wonder he didn’t fall face first onto the dirt. it took everything in him not to swivel around and head straight back towards the house; as far away as he could from this sudden display of indecency. you see ––– he’d managed to find them in a rather compromising position, as lady geneva had somehow managed to trap the redheaded scot between herself and a tree; her bare breasts fully exposed as she fumbled with jamie’s garments. the english soldier’s eyes had almost popped out of their sockets at the sight in front of him. yet, he was paralysed, knowing fully well that they’d heard his approach.

               what she suggested was impossible ––– ramblings of a lunatic, no doubt. mary queen of scots? who in their right mind would believe such a tale? his face remained perfectly composed when the ardsmuir guards brought her in for questioning. her garments as well as her formal speech suggested she was indeed of royal descent. though surely, if she were someone of importance, he would’ve recognised her? unless, perhaps, she belonged to the french court ––– though she quickly denied that too, a strange emotion crossing her features at the query.

               his efforts to obtain valuable information from her proved futile, and eventually, due to lack of proof as well as fatigue, he resulted to throwing her in the dungeons with the rest of the highlanders and former jacobites. he needed time to think, and perhaps, a second opinion. he didn’t waste any time in writing a letter to his elder brother recounting the events that had transpired, in hopes that he would somehow give him the clarity he needed in the matter.

               days went by and still, no word from hal. things in the prison however, had taken a turn for the worst. the prisoners seemed to be slacking off more than usual; neglecting their chores and refusing to follow commands from the guards. strangely enough, the only person they seemed to listen to, was their queen ––– mary ( if that was indeed her real name ). they seemed to worship the ground she walked on, as though she'd parted waters and saved a nation from the ravages of war. how she managed to accomplish that, he didn’t know. but he was quite certain they’d follow her to the ends of the earth.

               it wasn’t long until john grey saw no choice but to extend her an invitation to dine with him in his quarters. whether he liked it or not, he needed her if he were to govern over the prison successfully. perhaps if they reached some sort of understanding, she would be willing to comply to some of his demands. yet, he couldn’t help asking himself what the chances were; if any at all, of him being able to reason with a mad woman.