Bishop Gunthar laid a hand on the count’s arm, no doubt hoping to calm him, but Cedric pushed his hand away and appealed directly to Lord Metcalf. “Sister Gilda has befriended my stepbrother Philip. I suspect she has come to disrupt my plans to wed Lady Emma.”
Since Lord Metcalf already knew this, he didn’t comment on Cedric’s accusation. Instead he said, “If Sister Gilda was appointed by King Louis, she should join us at the head table. Let’s get on with it, Count Cedric. I wish to hear what their investigation has uncovered.”
Walking the short distance to reach Justin’s side, Gilda tried to stay focused on the business at hand. But all she could think about was moving closer to her husband, and she hoped the longing she felt for his touch wasn’t visible to everyone present.
Justin didn’t miss the special light in her eyes, and his voice was a little hoarse as he said, “Excuse me, Lord Metcalf, but I need a minute to confer with my associate in private before I begin to relate the details of our investigation.”
Cedric was fuming, but he had apparently overcome his surprise at seeing Sister Gilda and gained enough self-control not to make an objection. Metcalf studied the pair as they moved toward one another, then said, “Emma will show you to a private chamber.”
As soon as the door closed behind them, Gilda threw herself into Justin’s arms and whispered, “I was going mad with worry when you didn’t join us last night.”
He silenced her with a kiss, and as his mouth moved hungrily on hers, his hands moved to her hips to draw her closer. Gilda still wasn’t close enough, and she pushed aside his doublet so she could better feel his chest against her breast.
When they had to break their kiss in order to breathe, Justin took her face in his hands and stared into her eyes. “Why didn’t you wait at the cottage? You promised to do nothing without me. My heart nearly stopped when I saw you.”
“I had no choice, Justin. Leonardo came with us.”
“Where is he now? I didn’t see him.”
“He stayed with Emma when Freda and I went to speak with Lord Metcalf,” she answered, then kissed his mouth, nipping his lower lip and making him groan. She continued, moving her lips against his as she talked. “Leonardo told us you and Cedric would be coming here in the morning. We wanted to make a case for Philip before you arrived.”
Justin pulled his face away from hers. “And what of your promise to do nothing without me?” he asked, although he had already reconciled himself to the fact that she had ignored that promise.
“The circumstances called for action,” she muttered as she used her fingertips to caress his face.
Justin pushed her headcover off and ran his hands through her hair. “It always does with you. Did you succeed?”
“I don’t know. Freda talked of Metcalf’s wife, whom he clearly loved very much. They seemed to make a connection. Then she asked him if he wished Emma to have children, and when he said yes, she pointed out that Cedric has been married twice and has produced no heirs. She was brilliant.”
Kissing first one eye, then the other, Justin said, “I suppose she pointed out that Philip was younger and more energetic. Did her ploy work?”
Gilda kissed his neck and inhaled his scent. “Not exactly. He said we should be saying prayers and helping the poor, not interfering with a father’s decision for his daughter. He reminded me of you when he said that.”
“I guess I did say something like that once. It was long ago.”
A knock on the door caused the lovers to pull apart. After a discreet minute Freda entered the room. “Cedric is about to explode. I think you better rejoin us.”
“We may need Leonardo. Where is he?” Justin asked. “I didn’t see him when we arrived, which is why I was so surprised to see Gilda.”
“Emma told me she asked Leonardo to join Philip at the cottage. She was afraid that Philip wouldn’t be able to stay away. It must have taken some convincing as Leonardo was determined to watch over Gilda,” Freda replied. “What’s the plan?”
When neither Gilda nor Justin answered, Freda said, “You were supposed to be in here forming a plan.” Then she grinned at them, shaking her head. “Fix your headcover, Sister Gilda.”
While Gilda blushed and tugged at her headcover, Justin cleared his throat and spoke as though they had discussed a plan. “I’ll explain the results of our investigation. Hopefully, Lord Metcalf will be smart enough to evaluate Cedric’s past actions and change his mind about promoting a marriage between Cedric and Emma. I take it you have already planted a few seeds of doubt about Cedric’s vitality, Sister Freda.”
“I did what I could, but like most men Metcalf doesn’t like his authority challenged. I think you are on the right track. We do what we can and hope he’ll see the light.”
Justin led the way back to the main hall where Count Cedric, his eyes narrowed, was watching for him. It was clear from his wary expression that his humor had not improved. Lord Metcalf, on the other hand, was leaning back in his chair, his mouth slightly curled at the edges as though he was patiently waiting to see what would happen next.
When Justin indicated that Gilda and Freda should join them at the table, they took seats at the end farthest from Cedric and Gunthar.
Justin stood and spoke directly to their host. “As Count Cedric has told you, King Louis requested that Sister Gilda and I investigate whether there were grounds to annul the marriage between Count Cedric and Lady Mariel. Since the lady was very confused by the fact that Philip was a surrogate for the count during the marriage ceremony, it took a while to learn what had happened. She
