The king’s voice was soft but authoritative. “I have looked forward to meeting you, Lady Isabel. You are a fortunate man, Lord Chetwynd. Your wife’s reputation for bravery and resourcefulness are legend. My congratulations to you both.”
Surprised by such praise, Isabel was speechless, but she heard Lord Chetwynd reply, “Thank you, Your Majesty. I am indeed a fortunate man.”
The king spoke again, as Isabel and Chetwynd started to move on. “Perhaps we can have a chat one day, Lady Isabel, and you can tell me of your adventure with the bandits. My son Lothar tells me it is quite a tale.”
When Isabel looked back, she saw that the queen’s smile had become stiff and it no longer reached her eyes. As they moved on, they passed by Lothar, who leaned toward Isabel and whispered, “The ballad shall be called the Song of Isabel.”
Pulling Chetwynd along, Isabel rushed away from the crowd of spectators who all seemed to be smiling in her direction. “Did you hear that?” she whispered to him. “The queen claims I helped her in her darkest hour, when in fact we fled in the night. The king thinks I had an adventure with bandits, and Lothar makes a jest about a ballad. Their view of me seems far from reality.”
“At court, stories have a life of their own, and they can change as they are repeated. Your presence is a breath of fresh air, and everyone likes that, especially me.”
Chetwynd steered her around a pillar and out of public view and then took her into his arms. “You are indeed brave and clever and incredibly arousing. If someone isn’t already composing a ballad about you, they should do so.”
“Don’t you start talking about a ballad.”
He kissed her nose. “I will be hearing soon where my next assignment takes me, and I don’t wish to miss a minute of the time we have left together. Why don’t we return to our bedchamber and test your delicate condition.”
Isabel grinned at her golden-haired champion. “I’d like that, my lord.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Born in New Haven, CT, in April 1935, Ida Curtis grew up in a small town near Hartford, CT. After marriage, she and her husband raised a family of two children, moving around the United States as his academic career dictated, living for the longest period in Vancouver, British Columbia. After retirement, they moved to Seattle to be near their son and daughter. Based on a handbook written by a ninth-century widow of a wealthy landowner to educate her sons, Song of Isabel captures what life was like for a young noblewoman of that period.
SELECTED TITLES FROM SHE WRITES PRESS
She Writes Press is an independent publishing company founded to serve women writers everywhere. Visit us at www.shewritespress.com.
A Girl Like You: A Henrietta and Inspector Howard Novel by Michelle Cox. $16.95, 978-1-63152-016-7. When the floor matron at the dance hall where Henrietta works as a taxi dancer turns up dead, aloof Inspector Clive Howard appears on the scene—and convinces Henrietta to go undercover for him, plunging her into Chicago’s gritty underworld.
A Ring of Truth by Michelle Cox. $16.95, 978-1-63152-196-6. The next exciting installment of the Henrietta and Inspector Clive series, in which Clive reveals that he is actually the heir of the Howard estate and fortune, Henrietta discovers she may not be who she thought she was—and both must decide if they are really meant for each other.
The Great Bravura by Jill Dearman. $16.95, 978-1-63152-989-4. Who killed Susie—or did she actually disappear? The Great Bravura, a dashing lesbian magician living in a fantastical and noirish 1947 New York City, must solve this mystery—before she goes to the electric chair.
After Midnight by Diane Shute-Sepahpour. $16.95, 978-1-63152-913-9. When horse breeder Alix is forced to temporarily swap places with her estranged twin sister—the wife of an English lord—her forgotten past begins to resurface.
In the Shadow of Lies: A Mystery Novel by M. A. Adler. $16.95, 978-1-938314-82-7. As World War II comes to a close, homicide detective Oliver Wright returns home—only to find himself caught up in the investigation of a complicated murder case rife with racial tensions.
Just the Facts by Ellen Sherman. $16.95, 978-1-63152-993-1. The seventies come alive in this poignant and humorous story of a fearful rookie reporter at a small-town newspaper who uncovers a big-time scandal.
