Using caution not to strain her aching body as she pushed herself to her feet, Isabel feared there would be questions about why she had missed morning worship. It couldn’t be helped. If she had confronted Chetwynd sooner, she wouldn’t have been able to hide her feelings.
As she entered the dining hall, keeping her eyes away from the table where Chetwynd was likely to be, Isabel took a seat beside Marianna and the other servants.
“How was your night?” Isabel asked Marianna.
“I slept as though dead, my lady,” Marianna replied. Then she lowered her voice to a whisper. “Lord Chetwynd asked me to attend you this morning, but you weren’t in your bedchamber. When I didn’t see you at worship, I became worried. Where were you? And why aren’t you sitting with your husband?”
In her head Isabel answered, Because he’s not really my husband, and he sought another’s bed. But out loud she said, “I went for a walk. I’m sorry I worried you, Marianna, but I wanted a stretch before the long ride. I had a cramp in my leg during the night, and I woke up very stiff. I thought some exercise might help. And the reason I’m sitting here is that I need to talk to you.”
Isabel summoned enough nerve to glance over to where Chetwynd sat talking with Ingram. She couldn’t help but wonder if Ingram knew their marriage was not a real one. Chetwynd was staring at her. At the sight of his narrowed eyes, Isabel quickly looked away.
Marianna watched the exchange. “Are you all right, my lady? If something happened last night to upset you, maybe I can help. Sometimes it takes a while for a married couple to . . .”
Isabel interrupted her before she could go any further. “Come with me, Marianna, I need to talk to you and I can’t do it here.”
“But you haven’t eaten, my lady.”
Isabel picked up some bread and cheese from the table, knowing it would be madness to travel on an empty stomach.
Marianna hesitated for a minute, and then followed her mistress out of the dining hall. They walked without speaking until they were out of hearing range of any of the other guests.
Finally, Marianna broke the silence. “You are acting very strange, my lady. Lord Chetwynd was staring at you, waiting for you to come to his table. What has happened?”
“Lord Chetwynd can just wait. I’m not going to worry about what he expects of me.”
Isabel had spoken sharply, but when she saw the confused expression on Marianna’s face, she softened. They were in the covered walkway of the cloister, and Isabel pointed to a bench on the edge of the garden.
“Sit down, Marianna. I should have talked to you about this before we left Narbonne, but there was so much to do, and I had my mind on other matters. Lord Chetwynd and I are married in name only, and we intend to live as brother and sister. He left our bedchamber last night to sleep with another woman. Under the circumstances, perhaps you can understand my reluctance to rush to his side and play the dutiful wife.”
Marianna frowned and shook her head. “I don’t understand, my lady. Why would he do that? You exchanged marriage vows.”
“The marriage will eventually be annulled. We planned it that way from the beginning.”
Marianna was clearly shocked. “Why would you make such an arrangement, my lady?”
Isabel sighed. She was beginning to wonder the same thing. “Lady Winifred suggested the marriage as a means of persuading my father to allow me to travel with the caravan. You know how much I wished to leave Narbonne. Lord Chetwynd has his own reasons for agreeing to the arrangement. I should have confided in you sooner, because I’m going to need your help. We have to make sure there is no repetition of last night’s sleeping arrangement.”
Marianna was clearly struggling to absorb this news. “I know marriages are entered into for any number of reasons, my lady. But I understand that if the couple is lucky, there can be great satisfaction in the match. I think you and Lord Chetwynd are such a pair. I have seen the way you look at each other.”
“You are imagining things, Marianna. There is nothing between us.” Isabel stood up to indicate the discussion was over, and Marianna followed her along the arcade.
Despite her protest, Isabel began to wonder if she might be looking at Chetwynd in a way that revealed the desire she was beginning to feel in his presence. Last night his touch had excited her to the point where she wanted him to caress her the way Derek caressed Emma. The agreement to live as brother and sister had flown from her mind.
Isabel vowed to be more careful in the future. The last thing she wanted was for Chetwynd to discover how she felt. She sighed at how complicated their marriage was turning out to be.
When they had almost reached the guesthouse, Isabel paused, her hand on Marianna’s arm. “I hope you understand, Marianna. Whatever happens, make sure you stay with me at night.”
“I will do as you ask, my lady. At least until you tell me otherwise.”
Isabel narrowed her eyes at Marianna’s smile. “I’m not going to be telling you otherwise, Marianna, so don’t give me any of your knowing looks. Lord Chetwynd is in love with someone else. Now do you understand?” Before she had a chance to say more, they saw Lord Chetwynd striding toward them.
“Are you all right, Lady Isabel?” Chetwynd asked solicitously, putting out his hand to take her arm.
Isabel noted that he had returned to addressing her formally, and she couldn’t resist pulling her arm away from his hand. “Of course. I’m fine.”
Isabel was used to being on her own and felt
