“There is one other thing, Justin. Last night I met the young man who was racing with Lady Emma. He sat beside the count at the high table.”
“Philip!” Gilda and Justin spoke together.
“He hasn’t fled Mainz,” Gilda added.
“He didn’t tell the porter where he was going because he was meeting Lady Emma,” Justin added.
“Wait, wait. Let’s slow down,” Gilda pleaded. “Perhaps you misunderstood what you saw, Chetwynd. The discovery you made doesn’t fit in with anything we know about the situation. Philip is impulsive and energetic, and also quite young. We thought he might have been involved with Mariel.”
“I understand your problem, Gilda. But believe me, I know what I saw.”
“Lady Emma is a woman of thirty years, Chetwynd. He’s a young boy,” Justin pointed out.
“He’s not that young. I talked with Philip at breakfast this morning. He asked me a great number of questions about being a soldier in the service of the king and mentioned he had some training. He was very interested in my experiences. Perhaps he has been seeking advice from Metcalf and became acquainted with Lady Emma.”
“That’s possible,” Justin agreed.
“That may be how they met, but I’d be surprised if there wasn’t more to it. I can recognize when there is a special spark between two people.” Chetwynd looked meaningfully from Gilda to Justin.
Gilda ignored her brother’s suggestive look and spoke to Justin. “We have to rethink our assumptions. We can’t leave for Saint Ives without learning more about the situation here.”
“I’m wondering if Cedric and Gunthar have any idea of what’s going on. Would Metcalf have approached them to propose a match with Lady Emma if she was involved with someone else?”
“You know as well as I do that women have little to say in the arrangement of marriages.” Gilda frowned and shook her head. “Metcalf may not even know that Lady Emma and Philip are spending time together. Brother Arnulf, who seems well informed about everything, never suggested there was someone else paying court to Lady Emma.”
Justin shook his head. “I still can’t imagine Philip being involved with two women.”
“Why not? He’s full of youthful energy and pleasant to look at. I think he has an appealing quality that women would find endearing,” Gilda replied.
Both Justin and Chetwynd were staring at Gilda with raised eyebrows. When she realized they were surprised, she laughed. “It’s not as though nuns can’t notice these things.”
“And when was it you noticed, Gilda? The first night we were here, Philip accused you of improper behavior,” Justin pointed out. “Then later he didn’t want you in the room when I questioned him.”
“That’s true. But he wasn’t hiding his feelings either time. And he changed his mind quickly, a sign of how flexible he can be.”
“I guess he is flexible if he is making love to two women at once.”
“Justin, you don’t know that. Now who is jumping to conclusions?”
Chetwynd, who had been watching the building confrontation, said, “I’m going to the stables to make arrangements for my journey home.” Neither Gilda nor Justin bothered to answer him.
When the door closed behind Chetwynd, Justin grinned. “I’m actually jealous. I’ve never been jealous in my life.”
Pleased by his admission, Gilda grinned back. “You have no reason to be. I was just trying to say I find it quite possible that women find Philip attractive. His youth makes him more accessible, not threatening as an older man might be. That’s all I meant.”
“If your brother is not delusional and Philip is involved with Lady Emma, Gunthar and Cedric are going to be furious. What if they’ve gotten wind of Philip’s visits to the lady? Perhaps that would explain their sudden interest in declaring that Philip has betrayed Cedric by seducing Mariel.”
“Justin, Mariel is the key to all this. She is the only one who can tell us the name of the person she feared had made her pregnant. Perhaps we should return to the convent as we planned.”
“I suppose you’re right. Whatever is happening between Lady Emma and Philip doesn’t really matter. Our concern is whether the marriage of Mariel and Cedric can be annulled.”
When the door flew open, Gilda and Justin turned to frown at Chetwynd for the interruption. But the excited expression on his face changed their reaction to interest.
“Philip has returned. I was at the stables and approached him to see what I could learn. While we were speaking, he was grabbed by a couple of guards who hustled him away. I think Cedric means to imprison him.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Before Justin could respond to Chetwynd’s news that Cedric’s guards had seized Philip, Gilda was hurrying to the door. Knowing exactly where she was headed and poised to follow her, Justin spoke quickly to Chetwynd. “What makes you think Philip is in trouble?”
“The guards were rather rough with him. Philip resisted and earned himself a few blows. I stepped in, but some damage was already done. Gilda’s description of Philip as impulsive seems accurate. Do you want me to stay around?”
“That’s not necessary. I know you’re eager to return home to Isabel. But we appreciate what you were able to find out. I better try and catch up to Gilda.”
“I’m depending on you to keep Gilda safe, Justin. Just one warning, and it’s not about the mess Philip is in. If Gilda means as much to you as I think she does, be careful you don’t rush her and ruin your chance for a future together.”
Chetwynd’s words made Justin pause. He wished he had time to discuss the matter, but Gilda already had a head start on him, so he nodded solemnly to show that he understood Chetwynd’s warning.
By the time he caught up to Gilda, Justin hardly had enough breath to speak. “Were you going to barge into Cedric’s quarters on your own?”
“Of course not. I knew you’d catch up. I’m afraid Cedric will direct his frustration and anger
