When the count turned back to face them, his expression was determined. “I wish an end to this marriage. That is all I have to say. Now I have another appointment. We can continue with this discussion later in the day if you wish.”
Justin was puzzled by the fact that Cedric would already be thinking that his marriage was a mistake. From his experience it was often the case that it took a while for a young wife to adjust to a marriage. Cedric must know this. “Thank you, Count Cedric. I have just one last question. Is there someone else you wish to marry?”
Cedric’s face turned red and his eyes flashed with anger, but he managed to keep his words civil. “I suppose you’ve heard rumors. Lady Mariel has not been a wife to me. I suggest you concentrate on that fact.”
Struggling to avoid looking at Gilda to see how she was reacting to the count’s words, Justin stood. “We will definitely need to talk later, Lord Cedric. In the meantime, I would like to speak with your brother. Will you arrange a meeting for us?”
“I will,” he replied tersely.
Once outside the count’s chamber, instead of heading for their apartment, Justin led Gilda outside. Their living quarters already held too many memories of their personal relationship, and they needed to concentrate on the interview with Cedric.
He could see that Gilda was bursting with the need to speak about what they had learned, but Justin put her off. “We need to find somewhere quiet to talk,” he said.
As they descended the steps into the bailey, people heading for the marketplace surrounded them. Justin was afraid he’d lose Gilda in the crowd, so he took hold of her sleeve. “Let’s walk over toward the gardens.”
It didn’t take long for them to leave the main courtyard behind. Justin walked quickly, and Gilda had to run to keep up with him. She was relieved when they reached the gardens and Justin slowed his pace. There was a maze of shrubbery to the left of a garden of root vegetables, and Justin didn’t stop until he reached a secluded bench inside the maze. Although they were still within the walls of Mainz, the greenery gave them some privacy.
Gilda sat on the bench and looked at him expectantly. “Before we talk about the interview, I have something of a personal nature to say,” Justin said.
But instead of speaking, Justin paced silently in front of her. Already suspecting he was going to say something about her entering his bedchamber, and dreading the discussion, Gilda lost her patience. “Pray speak, what is it?”
He sat beside her and spoke quickly to keep her from interrupting. “I sent Leonardo to your brother’s manor to ask Chetwynd to approve our betrothal. I wrote a letter explaining the situation. The trip is not a long one, and I’m hoping Chetwynd will send back a reply with Leonardo either tonight or early tomorrow.”
Gilda gasped. “You go too far, Justin.”
“Hear me out. Last night we agreed on a trial betrothal. Chetwynd is like a brother to me, and I don’t want him to hear about this from someone else.”
Gilda sat on her hands and stared down at her feet under the bench. Nearby, one of Justin’s large boots was sprawled out in front of him, the other tucked under the bench. She couldn’t help but remember stumbling over the boots in his bedchamber.
“You had no right to do that without speaking to me, Justin. You’re making things worse by involving my brother.”
“Maybe I should have told you. But after what happened in my chamber, I felt an urgent need to do something. You were in my bed last night, Gilda. Nothing happened, but it could have. You have no idea how close I came to joining you there.”
Gilda flushed. “As you say, nothing happened. But there is a difference between having an understanding between us and involving my brother.”
“His approval will make our betrothal more believable.”
For some reason his words only served to make Gilda angrier. “We can seek Chetwynd’s approval, and we can pretend the betrothal is real. But remember this, I’m still a nun. I have a task to complete, and I can’t do it unless I’m a part of a religious community. That’s why the king appointed me. Our betrothal is not real, and it’s unlikely to last beyond our assignment.”
Justin wanted to point out that if they ended up in bed together, she might change her mind about desiring a marriage. But he thought better of it and held his tongue.
“I wonder what my brother is going to think when he receives your message. I doubt others will understand what is happening here.” She could have added, “I know I don’t.” Justin tempted her and made her feel things she’d never felt before, but she didn’t want to be married. If there was anything she’d learned during her years helping women, it was that nuns had a lot more freedom than married women. Their husbands ruled their lives. Justin was already causing havoc in her life, and they weren’t even married.
Gilda changed the subject. “I want to talk about what happened this morning.”
Justin was relieved to drop the subject of their betrothal. “I’m eager to hear your opinion on what we learned from Cedric,” he said.
Gilda relaxed her shoulders, putting her personal problems away and recalling how Justin had conducted the interview with the count. “I think you did a brilliant job of uncovering several important facts. That Philip stood in for Cedric in the marriage ceremony was most interesting. Philip and Mariel could
