Once the babe was suckling contentedly, Emma turned her full attention to Isabel. “Now tell me everything. Leave nothing out,” she demanded.
Isabel started at the beginning, describing how she had returned to the pond and found the footprint. She couldn’t help gloating. “You see, Emma, I wasn’t imagining his presence.”
Then she explained how surprised she had been to find him at the high table in the great hall. As she told Emma how she had impulsively asked him to escort her to Aachen, she wondered again at her boldness.
Finally, Isabel related how Lady Winifred had taken over, first suggesting they walk in the garden, then joining them. Her grandmother had suggested a marriage of convenience, and after much discussion Lord Chetwynd had agreed.
Emma’s eyes sparkled as she absorbed every word of Isabel’s story. Her friend had always enjoyed a good tale. When Isabel was through, Emma pointed out what she considered the problem with the plan.
“And you plan to live as sister and brother with that tempting man?”
“Yes, that’s one of the terms of the marriage.”
Emma raised her eyebrows in her most skeptical manner. “I doubt it will work out that way, Isabel. You are both mature and well-made, and you are going to be traveling as man and wife. Besides, why would you want to deprive yourself?”
Isabel laughed, realizing she should have predicted her friend’s response. “Emma, Lord Chetwynd is not Derek. Your husband can’t keep his hands off you, but Lord Chetwynd does not feel the same about me.”
Remembering the details of her conversation with Chetwynd, Isabel’s amusement disappeared. “There is one thing I forgot to tell you, Emma. Lord Chetwynd is in love with someone else. A woman he is not free to marry. Living together as brother and sister is what he wants. I have no intention of tempting him into my bed, as my grandmother has suggested I do.”
“Oh Isabel, what a muddle,” Emma remarked. “I don’t see how you can not . . . well, you know . . . be tempted just a little. I suspect your grandmother knows exactly what she is doing, putting the two of you together in this way.”
“Yes, you’re right. She admitted she hopes things will work out between us. But Lord Chetwynd is marrying me because he can’t marry the woman he loves. He spoke of it in the past tense, but who knows. No doubt he hopes to use our marriage to disguise their meetings.”
“Good lord, Isabel, your story is not supposed to end like this. He is your champion.”
“No, Emma, my champion was a fantasy, just as you have told me all these years. Lord Chetwynd is nothing like the gentle soldier I imagined. Most of the time he seems full of anger. When I first asked him to take me to Aachen, he refused and acted offended that I’d asked. There is nothing warm or gentle about him. Even you noticed how stony he appears.”
Emma frowned and moved her babe to the other breast. “Lord Chetwynd may have good reason for his anger. Life is not kind to everyone, Isabel, as you know. I’m betting you’ll be able to warm him up.”
“You sound like my grandmother, Emma. And don’t shake your head like that. I know how you think.”
“I’m not saying you should trap him. But I think there’s a strong possibility that things may work out between you. I agree with Lady Winifred.”
“I never thought I’d hear you say that.”
“Nor I. Imagine agreeing with your grandmother.” Emma wrinkled up her nose at the idea. “But even if the marriage is annulled, at least you will have joined Justin and escaped from Lady Winifred.”
“Yes, that’s a definite advantage. She threatened to send me to a nunnery if I sabotaged yet another match.”
“The witch!”
Isabel giggled. “Lady Winifred doesn’t know the whole story. Not that I think Lord Chetwynd being in love with someone else would change my grandmother’s mind. She will have me wed.”
The baby had stopped nursing, and Isabel lifted the child away from Emma. Together they sang a lullaby Emma’s mother had taught them, and the babe slept cradled in Isabel’s arms.
“I’m going to miss you, Emma. Perhaps I’m a bit mad to wish to leave a place where I have such a good friend.”
“No, Isabel, you’re not mad. I’ll miss you, and I’ll miss the stories you tell me. There will be a hole in my life. But if you don’t go to Aachen, you’ll be sent to a nunnery. Either way you’d leave Narbonne.”
Emma leaned back on her elbows and stared at the sky. There was a dreamy expression on her face as she made a prediction. “I believe you’re destined for a great adventure, Isabel. I hope you will come back and tell me about it one day. What a tale you’ll have to tell then.”
Feeling a tug of sadness, Isabel looked down at the babe to hide the tears that sprang to her eyes. “You have been blessed, Emma. If I find something half as wonderful as this sweet babe, and your appealing husband, I will be lucky.”
“I know you will have good fortune, Isabel. I’ll be there when you exchange your vows, but I’d best leave now before Lord Chetwynd arrives.” Emma leaned over to kiss Isabel’s cheek and held her in a long hug until the babe who was crushed between them began to complain.
After Emma’s departure, Isabel moved to lie in the shade of a tree. She wondered how much longer it would be before Lord Chetwynd appeared. Now that she had talked to Emma, she was eager to have things settled.
The warm morning sun made Isabel sleepy. Since she’d had little rest during the night, it was hard to keep her eyes open.
Lord Chetwynd didn’t see Lady
