Adela was happy to see Madelyne until she heard who company was. 'I'm staying in this room until he leaves,' Adela shouted. ' Duncan gave me his word. How could he ask Gerald to come here?'
Madelyne could see how frightened Adela was. Her hands fell to her lap and her shoulders sagged.
' Duncan didn't invite Gerald. Don't get upset, Adela. You know your brother won't break his promise. In your heart you know I speak the truth, don't you?'
Adela nodded. 'Maybe, if I act like I did when you first came here, then Gerald will be so disgusted he'll leave immediately.'
''Tis foolish talk,' Madelyne announced, squelching the spark of eagerness in Adela's eyes. 'Gerald will only think you're quite pitful. He just might think you haven't gotten over your incident,' Madelyne said. 'If you look as pretty as you can and greet him respectfully, well, then I do believe he'll know your mind is set and you simply don't want to marry him. Besides, Duncan is the one who'll have to answer to Gerald, not you, Adela.'
'But Madelyne, I can't face Gerald, I just can't,' Adela cried out. 'He knows what happened to me. I'll die of shame.'
'For heaven's sake,' Madelyne answered, trying to sound exasperated. Inside, she ached for Adela. 'What happened wasn't your fault. Gerald knows that.'
Adela didn't look relieved by Madelyne's argument, so she decided to turn the topic a little. 'Tell me what you remember about Baron Gerald. What does he look like?'
'He has black hair and hazel-colored eyes, I think,' Adela answered, shrugging.
'Do you think he might be handsome then?' Madelyne asked.
'I don't know.'
'Is he kind?'
'Barons aren't kind,' Adela returned.
'Why not?' Madelyne asked. She walked over and started to rebraid Adela's hair.
'They don't have to be kind,' Adela answered. 'What does it matter if he's pleasing to look at or not, Madelyne?' She tried to turn around to look up at Madelyne.
'Be still, else your braid will be lopsided,' Madelyne interjected. 'I was just curious about the baron, that is all.'
'I can't go downstairs,' Adela said.
She started to cry. Madelyne wasn't sure what to do. 'You don't have to do anything you don't want to do, Adela. Duncan did give you his word, however, and it would seem to me that the least you could do to show your appreciation is to stand beside your brother and treat Gerald as an honored guest.'
Madelyne had to keep up her argument for quite a while. In the end she was able to sway Adela. 'Will you go downstairs with me? Will you stay by my side?' Adela asked.
'Of course I will,' Madelyne promised. 'Remember, Adela. Together we can face any challenge.'
Adela nodded. Madelyne sought to lighten her mood. 'I'm afraid your braid is hanging over your ear,' she said. 'You'll have to redo it, then change your gown. I must see to dinner arrangements and change my own clothes.'
Madelyne patted Adela on her shoulder. Her hands were shaking. She knew it was because Adela was so upset and had this new ordeal to go through.
She kept smiling until she shut the door behind her. Then she let her worry show. Madelyne began to pray for what she believed would take a miracle. She prayed for courage.
Chapter Sixteen
'Love conquers all; let us too yield to love.'
After Madelyne had given proper instructions to Gerty for dinner arrangements, she went up to the tower room.
It had been two weeks since Duncan had torn the door down and a week since it had been rebuilt. The loops were missing from the new door, however, and Madelyne smiled over that change every time she noticed it. Duncan must have given the order as a precaution so that Madelyne couldn't lock him out again.
Madelyne went through all her gowns and finally chose a royal blue chainse. The new ankle-length gown fit snugly and made a pretty contrast to the off-white knee-length bliaut she added. They were Wexton colors and a deliberate choice on Madelyne's part. She was Duncan 's wife, after all, and hostess to Baron Gerald. She wanted Duncan to be proud of her tonight.
She brushed her hair a long while, until it curled against the swell of her breasts. Since there was still ample time, she sat down on the bed and braided three long strips of blue ribbon into a pretty belt. She draped the braid around her waist but left it loose enough to fall against the tilt of her hips, as was the current fashion dictate, according to Adela, who knew far more on the subject of fashion than Madelyne did. She finished her dress by placing the small dagger she used for stabbing her meat inside the extra loop in the braid she had struggled to design.
Madelyne wished she had a mirror so that she could see how she looked, then decided it was vain of her to want such an unnecessary extravagance.
She was halfway down to Adela's room, when a sudden worry stopped her. Would Baron Gerald treat her as Duncan 's wife or as Louddon's sister? God only knew he had sufficient reason to hate Louddon. Her brother had destroyed Gerald's future with Adela. Would Baron Gerald lash out at her because of his anger?
Madelyne pictured one horrible scene after another. When she pictured Baron Gerald grabbing hold of her throat, she forced herself to calm down. She was afraid, true, but that fear helped give her composure. Madelyne forced a serene expression.
She told herself she'd gotten through far more degrading encounters. That thought gave her strength. Besides, no matter how horrible Gerald treated her, Duncan wouldn't let him harm her.
Adela was ready when Madelyne finally knocked on her door. The little sister wore a rose-colored bliaut over a lighter-colored pink chainse. Her hair was braided into a coronet on top of her head. Madelyne thought she looked pretty. 'Adela, dove, you look splendid.'
Adela smiled. 'You call me such funny names, as if I were younger than you are, when you know perfectly well I'm almost two years older.'
'That is no way to acknowledge a compliment,' Madelyne instructed, ignoring Adela's reminder of their age difference. After all, Adela might be older in years, but Madelyne felt far more worldly. She wasn't nearly as fragile as her friend, and she was a married woman.
'Thank You for telling me I look splendid,' Adela said.
'Madelyne, you always look beautiful. Tonight you wear Duncan 's colors. My brother won't be able to take his eyes off you.'
'He probably won't even notice I'm in the room,' Madelyne returned.
'Oh, he'll notice all right,' Adela predicted with a smile. 'Have you softened in your attitude toward your husband yet?'
Adela tried to sit down on the bed, as if she had all the time in the world for this discussion. Madelyne took hold of her hand and started tugging her toward the door. 'I never know how to feel about your brother,' she admitted once Adela was walking next to her. 'One minute I pretend our marriage will work to both our satisfactions, and the next I'm certain Duncan would like to be rid of me. I'm no fool, Adela. I understand why your brother married me.'
'To get even with your brother?' Adela asked, frowning.
'See? You've realized that fact too,' Madelyne exclaimed.
Madelyne had ignored the fact that Adela asked the question and hadn't spoken a certainty. Adela thought to explain herself more fully because she really didn't think Duncan would go to such extreme measures to get even,
