Counsellour." Edmondes described their meeting during dancing organised by the queen at Basing House. The Earl of Worcester wrote of a gallant of 70 years that in one night could dance himself into a fair lady's favour. Robert Cecil wrote that Nottingham had "begun the union", meaning the union of the kingdoms of England and Scotland. The king gave her Chelsea Place and a yearly pension of £600. In January 1604 she played the part of Concordia in the masque The Vision of the Twelve Goddesses, wearing "crimson and white, the colours of England and Scotland joined". Her mantle was embroidered with clasped hands and she carried a bush with red and white roses as an offering in the Temple of Peace. Her role in the masque made an allusion to the union of England and Scotland. In December 1604 she was excused from performing in the queen's masque, The Masque of Blackness, because she had a "polypus" which was thought to require surgery. Ann Howard, her daughter-in-law, appears in the cast list as "Lady Effingham", in the part of "Psychrote". Margaret did not appear in any further court masques. Her husband was involved with the negotiations with Spain known as the Somerset House Conference and the subsequent ratification of the treaty at Valladolid. The King of Spain, Philip III gave him a diamond and gold feather jewel for his hat, and other jewellery and gilt plate. The countess was given a gold chain with diamonds and portraits of Philip III and Margaret of Austria, Queen of Spain, and a casket decorated with diamonds and the Spanish royal portraits, and perfumed gloves and other perfumed goods. Misunderstanding on the Thames In 1606, when Christian IV was preparing to leave London, he had an argument with the Earl of Nottingham aboard ship about time and tide. The Danish king insisted it was two o'clock and waved two fingers at the Earl. Nottingham or the countess thought he made a joke about their age difference. An angry correspondence ensued. Arbella Stuart attempted to mediate in the scandal in letters to Christian's chamberlain, Sir Andrew Sinclair. Margaret insisted in a letter to Sinclair that Christian IV should know "that I deserve as little that name he gave me as either the mother of himself or his children". Sinclair had to pass the letter on to Christian IV. Anne of Denmark asked James to