John and Adele Richardson are fascinated by a local legend that Mary Queen of Scots rode across their land and stopped at the now-ruined Pele tower on their farm. The Richardsons want Jonathan to create an image of the tower of Queen Mary’s time, and for the team to find out if they had a Royal visitor.
Miranda cycles to visit historian Keith Durham in Jedburgh, to find out more about Mary’s alleged journey. She discovers that the Queen was meeting her lover Bothwell, the warden of the area, who had been wounded by one of the notorious Reivers of the Scottish Borders. Then, she meets the head of a local clan, who is descended from the Reiver that stabbed Mary’s lover.
Jonathan explores the ruined peel tower on John and Adele’s land, to piece together how it would have looked in Mary’s time. He visits another tower that is still intact, and spends a night sleeping under the stars and cooking a traditional meal to experience life in the darkness of the Borders. Finally, he has all the evidence he needs for his painting.
Scouring the archives, Nick uncovers dramatic proof of the Reivers’ exploits, and checks out the family history of the Turnbulls, who owned the tower at the time of Mary’s alleged ride and were her allies. Finally, his hunt turns up an official record of Queen Mary’s journey.
She would definitely have passed the Richardsons’ Pele tower, and would have found a warm welcome if she stopped there. John and Adele are delighted with Jonathan’s picture of their Pele tower, and by the team’s findings.
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