“Yes, yes. So you say, Your Majesty. But she has been hurt.”
Because it was becoming hard to follow the conversation, Isabel closed her eyes. Gilda was stroking her face with a sweet-smelling cloth, and she allowed herself to enjoy the sensation.
“And who are you?” Lothar was saying again. Isabel was puzzled because she had already told him who she was.
“I’m Gilda, Lord Chetwynd’s sister. I’m a nun from the Convent at Saint Ives. I became acquainted with Isabel there. Queen Judith sent me to Aachen to prepare for her arrival. She and King Louis are on their way.”
“You’re a nun?” Isabel heard Justin’s shocked voice and tried to find him in the blurry sea of faces around her.
“Yes, I’m a nun.”
Clearly Gilda hadn’t told Justin she’s a nun. Isabel wondered if Justin was disappointed to hear this news.
“Lord Justin, you brought this woman to my chambers and you don’t even know who she is?”
“I know she’s Lord Chetwynd’s sister, but she didn’t tell me she’s a nun. Look at her; she doesn’t look like a nun.”
Isabel decided Justin was definitely angry, and she smiled to herself. Justin and Gilda would suit each other perfectly.
“What’s a nun supposed to look like, Lord Justin?”
Gilda sounded angry as well.
Lothar interrupted them. “Can we return to the problem at hand, Lord Justin? I didn’t know Lady Isabel’s identity, but I did, indirectly, cause her to be injured. It was an accident that happened in Chetwynd’s cell.”
“It’s easy enough for you to make amends, Your Majesty. Release Chetwynd and let him take Isabel back to his manor. That way they will be gone by the time King Louis and the queen arrive. Why you had to put him in the dungeon in the first place is beyond me.”
Isabel approved Justin’s plan. But she wasn’t sure he should talk to Lothar in that manner. She always assumed diplomats spoke more diplomatically.
“You’re speaking to a king, Justin. I could have you thrown in the cell with Chetwynd.”
“Just settle down, both of you. Why can’t you just release Chetwynd, Your Majesty?”
Good. Gilda was keeping her head, Isabel thought. Don’t let them start fighting again.
“It’s very simple, my dear . . .”
“She is not your dear.”
Saints in heaven, Justin. You’re supposed to be the diplomat. Isabel tried to open her eyes, but she became dizzy and gave up the effort.
There was silence for a while, and Isabel wished she knew what was happening. Finally, she heard Lothar speaking. “I don’t think it would be wise to release him just yet. We need a little time for Lady Isabel to recover from her wound. Lord Chetwynd is going to take one look at her and attempt to kill me. He already threatened me in his cell. I think his words were, ‘If you touch her, you’re a dead man.’ Since I don’t want any more trouble with either of them, I think I should delay his release.”
“I’m not sure that’s wise, Your Majesty. If Chetwynd’s worried about Isabel, there is no telling what he will do.”
“The man’s locked in a cell.”
“He has a lot of friends. If Isabel was able to get into the dungeon, one or two of them might also succeed.”
Isabel was nodding at Justin’s reply. She could picture Jerome storming the dungeon.
“I see your point. I need some time, Justin. The king and queen return to Aachen tomorrow, which is no longer far off. When they arrive, I will return to Rome. Can we delay releasing Chetwynd until then? Lady Isabel should be recovered, and I’ll be on my way.”
Isabel heard Gilda’s voice again, and she struggled to open her eyes.
“I think Chetwynd needs to see that Isabel is all right. I can bring her to the dungeon so she can talk to him.”
“He will see her injury, Gilda.”
“Wait, the nun has a good idea, Justin. Lady Isabel can stand outside the cell door. She will inform her husband that she is fine and has convinced me to release him as soon as King Louis arrives.”
“The nun does not have a good idea. Look at Isabel. Do you think she is in any shape to do what you say?”
“I can do it,” Isabel tried to shout, but even to her ears it sounded like a whisper.
“My sister has just made my point,” Justin said.
“Wait. Here’s the physician. Marlin, why is Lady Isabel so sluggish?” Lothar asked. “Her color is good and the wound has been tended.”
“I gave her something to relax her. Just leave her be for an hour, and she’ll be fine.”
“What about Chetwynd?” Isabel managed to ask the physician, remembering that she asked him to check on her husband.
“Lord Chetwynd is not seriously injured, Lady Isabel. I’m sure he has received much worse treatment and survived. If you go to sleep for an hour, perhaps you can go see him.”
Isabel sighed at this promise and gave in to the drowsiness she had been fighting.
The physician looked at the other three and nodded. “Move away and keep your voices down. She should have been asleep an hour ago. No doubt Lady Isabel was straining to hear what you were saying.”
Even after they moved to another part of the chambers, Justin kept his voice low. “Did you know that Isabel was kidnapped on the journey from Narbonne, Your Majesty?”
“Yes, of course. People love a good story, and it has been repeated around the palace. I understand she managed to escape.”
“Chetwynd is going to want to know who was behind Isabel’s kidnapping. Did you have anything to do with it?”
Gilda, impressed by Justin’s daring, kept her eyes on Lothar to watch for his reaction. She wondered if he would admit it even if he were involved.
“No, Justin. I had nothing to do with it. Don’t you think it’s more likely to have been the queen? No doubt she was upset to learn that Chetwynd had married. She could have arranged to have his wife kidnapped.”
Since Lothar and the
