Cedric waved them to a bench, then took his chair behind a writing table. “If Charlemagne were still alive there would be no need for this interview. Louis goes too far,” he mumbled as he made himself comfortable.
Gilda remembered Freda’s words on the subject. Clearly Cedric agreed with Freda that the king was overzealous in his desire to enforce strict adherence to the papal restrictions on dissolving a marriage. Although the Franks prided themselves on being Christian, in the past their marriage customs differed from those imposed by Rome. She imagined both Freda and Cedric considered themselves good Christians in spite of their opposition to the changes sought by Louis.
Having made his complaint clear, Cedric explained his own situation. “My wife has fled, deserting me and her responsibilities. She joined a religious retreat, then refused to return home. The marriage was a mistake, and I have asked for an annulment from the Bishop of Mainz. That should be the end of it.”
“As I’m sure the bishop has informed you, staying overlong at a religious retreat is not grounds for an annulment, my lord. On what grounds do you seek an annulment?”
Before answering Justin’s question, Cedric glanced toward Gilda. Her head was bowed in what she hoped was an attitude to encourage frank discussion. She could have assured the count that there were no intimate details of marriage that she hadn’t heard about during her work with women at the convent. But she knew that wouldn’t be wise. Instead she tried to be as invisible as possible. She would leave the questioning to Justin and hope he covered the areas that were important.
The count seemed to have decided to be frank. “Our marriage was never consummated. Lady Mariel claimed the marriage was made under false pretenses, and she refused to honor her vows.”
Cedric’s words gave Justin pause. If what the count said was true, there should be little trouble in obtaining an annulment. But there seemed to be more to the case. “Are you saying that Lady Mariel felt deceived in some way?” he asked.
“That’s what she said. She would have nothing to do with me and kept her bedroom door barred against me.”
“What reason did she give for her behavior?”
It was clear they were approaching a subject with which Cedric felt uncomfortable as he turned to look out the window before continuing. Finally, he said, “Lady Mariel is from Bordeaux, where she lived with her father. His wife died some years ago, and he kept Mariel at home rather than sending her away to be educated. Until she was married, she never left her father’s manor. She is an unworldly creature. Sometimes I wonder if she isn’t demented. Perhaps that’s why her father kept her at home.”
The count seemed to be wandering in his explanation and Justin wondered why. “Do you honestly believe there is something wrong with Lady Mariel’s mind?” he asked.
“No, no. I’m just frustrated by her wild antics. She is young, fourteen years, but my first wife was only twelve.” He pushed his fingers through his gray hair. “My marriage to Mariel was arranged between her father and myself at Aachen during the Spring Assembly. Because I was unable to travel to Bordeaux, which is quite a distance from here, I sent my brother Philip in my place for the marriage ceremony.”
Gilda had to fight to keep her eyes lowered. No wonder the count was reluctant to tell them the full story. Such a practice was common at one time but had fallen out of favor. It certainly explained the beginning of the connection between Mariel and Philip.
The count shook his head before continuing. “Lady Mariel claimed she was led to believe she was marrying Philip. Which is ridiculous, as Philip will tell you. He is much younger than I am, of course, the son of my father’s second wife. Perhaps Mariel believed I would be younger, but there can be no way she could have believed she was marrying Philip. It was just an excuse to keep me from our marriage bed.”
Justin was sure that Cedric was well aware that such errors and excuses were the reason the practice of using a surrogate in a marriage ceremony had been discontinued. “Did Lady Mariel make this claim as soon as she arrived in Mainz or after she had been here a while?”
“She was confused and tired when she first arrived. I left her alone for some weeks.” His eyes darted over to Gilda, then back to Justin. “It was only when I attempted to make her my wife that she came up with her wild story.”
Because Cedric was becoming more and more uncomfortable, Justin decided to change the subject from the marriage bed. “Did Philip explain to you why he went to the Abbey of Saint Ives without your knowledge?”
“Yes, he did. He said he hoped to speak to Lady Mariel and convince her to return to Mainz and honor her marriage vows. He didn’t tell me about it because she avoided speaking with him. He felt as though he had failed in his mission. He is a bit impulsive, and I apologize again for the way he attacked your reputation at the table.” Cedric glanced toward Gilda again. “I believe he was extremely distressed by the confusion Mariel felt about the marriage.”
Justin paused before his next question. He wondered how Gilda would proceed, but he couldn’t ask for her comments. He knew the best strategy was for her to remain silent and share her observations with him later.
“Count Cedric, you have petitioned the bishop for an annulment. You have not been married long, and your brother has tried to speak to Mariel on your behalf. From what you have told me about Philip standing in for you during the marriage ceremony, there was certainly room for misunderstanding. The king will want to know why you do not give your marriage more time to work out.”
The count stood up and walked to the window,
