Gilda’s expression became more serious. “There is also satisfaction in being a refuge for women who have no other place to go. In some cases their husbands have died; in others the wives have been abandoned.”
Gilda stopped her story abruptly. “I’m talking too much. You really should rest, Lady Isabel.”
“No. Please, go on.” Isabel was fascinated by Gilda’s tale. She had never met anyone like her. “Why are the women abandoned by their husbands?”
“All right. Lie down. I’ll talk for a few more minutes if you promise to go to sleep.”
Isabel thought those might be the words Gilda used often with the young girls she taught, and she nodded agreement.
“The most common reason for abandonment is failure to bear children. We also shelter women who have been accused of adultery. Husbands are sometimes quick to seek a divorce for either adultery or barrenness, especially if they have concubines who have borne them children.
“In the cases where the husband obtains a divorce, the women are often set adrift. Through my acquaintance with these women, I have become somewhat of an ally in divorce cases. Last year when the bishops were deciding one particularly involved case, I was called to Aachen to give evidence.”
“What happened?”
“The count received his divorce. But I was able to secure a settlement for the wife. It worked out for the best, because it wasn’t a good marriage.”
“Is it difficult to obtain a divorce?” Isabel asked.
“Yes. The church doesn’t allow them often.”
“How about an annulment?”
Gilda paused, no doubt wondering if Isabel had a personal interest in the matter. “An annulment is fairly easy to obtain if the marriage has not been consummated.”
Isabel nodded and rushed to change the subject. “Your vocation is certainly different from what I imagined, Gilda. I thought it would be a quiet life, spent in prayer. The opposite seems to be true. My life has been very sheltered by comparison.” When Gilda raised her eyebrows, Isabel smiled and added, “Well, at least until recently.”
“Saint Ives is almost too worldly at times, especially for the nuns who seek a more spiritual vocation. But for me it’s exciting and satisfying. I suspect I have more independence than most wives.”
Isabel thought about her marriage to Chetwynd. If it was annulled, life as a nun seemed a better alternative than making another match. She had begun to suspect that Chetwynd cared for her, but she couldn’t be sure how strong his feelings were, and he had made it clear he didn’t wish to be married.
“I’m not sure how much Chetwynd has told you about our marriage, Gilda. It’s not a conventional match. I wished to leave Narbonne, and we married so that I could travel with the caravan.” Isabel decided not to speak further of Chetwynd’s reason for marrying her. “The marriage is to be annulled when it has served its purpose.” Isabel noticed Gilda’s eyes widen at her words.
“I suspected there was something unusual in your hasty match, but I admit I wouldn’t have judged your marriage to have been based on convenience alone.”
Isabel smiled and stared at the fire to avoid Gilda’s eyes.
“I think exhaustion is taking its toll, Isabel. Things will look better in the morning. Just let me suggest that you not give up on Chetwynd. He was hurt by the first woman he loved, a situation that would make any man cautious.”
Isabel was tired, but she couldn’t let Gilda’s casual comment go unquestioned. “What do you mean, Gilda?”
“We’ll talk tomorrow.”
“Please tell me.”
Gilda sighed, sorry she had brought it up. Of course Isabel would want to know what happened. “Last story, Isabel. When Chetwynd was very young, he was in love with Theresa, a young woman who came to be educated at my father’s manor. I was only about ten and was still living at home. When Chetwynd went away to join the household of Count Jonas, he thought he had an understanding with Theresa that she would wait for him. While Chetwynd was away, my mother died. My father had his eye on Theresa, and he asked her father for her hand in marriage.
“I expected Theresa to refuse the match, but she was young and ambitious. Chetwynd was a third son and not likely to have much of an inheritance. Theresa married my father. Maybe you can understand why he is slow to trust his feelings.”
Isabel nodded and closed her eyes.
“I think we have talked enough for one evening. Now it’s time for you to sleep, my dear. Marianna and I will sit by the fire in case you need anything.”
“Thank you for telling me about Theresa, Gilda.”
Although Isabel was bone-weary, she still couldn’t fall asleep. Gilda had urged her not to give up on Chetwynd, but Isabel knew his reluctance to take a wife went beyond his memory of Theresa. There was also the beautiful Queen Judith.
Isabel wondered if Gilda knew about Chetwynd’s involvement with the queen. If she did, she hadn’t given any hint of that knowledge. Gilda had made it clear that her life at Saint Ives was not an isolated one, a fact that gave Isabel reason to suspect she knew about her brother’s latest love affair.
Isabel had expected Chetwynd to come see her, which was one of the reasons she had fought going to sleep for so long. After finding her at the aqueduct, Chetwynd had been tender and loving, practically carrying her down the steep riverbank. When he judged her to be too tired to ride the horse they had brought for her, he mounted his and instructed Ingram to lift her up to ride in front of him. Isabel had almost objected to being declared too feeble to ride, but then realized she wanted to be as close as possible to Chetwynd.
Isabel remembered the feel of Chetwynd’s
