At Edinburgh Castle, I always set aside a few minutes to visit the oldest building in the city.  Saint Margaret’s Chapel dates from the twelfth century.  Margaret was the wife of King Malcolm III.  With her gentle influence, she helped to civilize and educate the Scottish court.  She and her royal husband were revered for their good deeds and charitable works.  To honor his mother, David I built the tiny chapel in her memory in 1130.  Today, Saint Margaret’s Chapel offers a small corner in the bustling castle where tourists can pause and enjoy a quiet moment of reflection.

Photo by L. Walkins, 2010

Delicate sunshine filters through the colored glass illuminating the gentle features of the saintly queen.  Standing before the window, Elizabeth Ann looks around the small stone chamber,  letting her gaze follow the swirl of reflected blues and greens splashed across the stone floor.  Slowly, she retreats to one of the benches lined up against the wall across from Saint Margaret’s stained glass portrait.

She sits and closes her eyes.  An unbidden image of a man with shaggy straw-colored hair, a narrow face, and twinkling light brown eyes fills her mind.  Sebastian.  She wonders what he is doing.  The last time they saw each other was in Paris.  They had visited Sainte-Chapelle to admire its famous stained glass.  Sebastian knew everything about the history of that chapel.  He had linked arms with her as they gazed up at the towering windows, entertaining her with a plethora of random facts until, laughing, she had retreated to the gift shop.  If he were here now, what would he tell her about Saint Margaret and Edinburgh Castle?

Opening her eyes, Elizabeth Ann looks through her  guide book.  She studies the map of the castle and rises to her feet.  With one last glance at the saintly queen’s wise face, she pushes her memories to the back of her mind.  Sebastian is married to someone else.  He is part of her past.  That’s all.

Elizabeth Ann turns her back on what might have been and steps out into the afternoon sunshine.