“I have completed my investigation at Mainz, Cedric. As soon as I see that Lord Metcalf is well, Sister Gilda and I plan to leave for Reims. I stayed with you last night, at your insistence, to come with you to disclose my findings to Metcalf. I have done that, and now it is time for me to complete my mission for King Louis.”
Although Justin had made it clear he was responsible to a higher authority than Count Cedric, there were a few tense minutes while the count considered whether it was worth trying to force Lord Justin to come with him. The matter was decided when Bishop Gunthar said, “You have done well in uncovering the facts of the matter and proving that Count Cedric is within his rights to seek an annulment, Lord Justin.”
“Sister Gilda and I worked together to discover the facts of the case, Bishop Gunthar.”
“Of course,” he answered, nodding to acknowledge Gilda.
“Thank you both,” Count Cedric finally said, although his dark expression did not match his polite words. Once the decision to leave was made, the farewells were quickly accomplished.
Sharing a feeling of relief, Gilda and Justin stood at the open door of the manor and watched the count’s party depart. Then Gilda turned to Emma. “Is Lord Metcalf seriously ill?” she asked.
“It’s hard to say. He has had these spells before.” Emma hesitated a minute, then continued. “I appreciate what you have tried to do for me, Sister Gilda. But this has been an upsetting experience for my father, and I fear it has made him even more frail.” Emma’s eyes filled with tears as she spoke of her father’s health. “He is a sick man, and I will not go against his wishes. If he is determined that I marry Count Cedric, I will do that.”
“I understand and respect your decision to honor the wishes of your father, Lady Emma,” Gilda replied. “I hope that our actions today did not worsen his health, but I still think we did the right thing by speaking to Lord Metcalf on your behalf.”
“I agree with Gilda,” Justin said. “It is your father’s decision, and he will make it with more knowledge than he had before. I will go back to the cottage and alert Philip as to what is happening and make sure he stays out of sight until things are settled.”
Sister Freda appeared as Justin was speaking. “Lord Metcalf is sleeping peacefully now. I’ll stay here with Emma. You go along with Justin, Gilda.”
Although she wanted nothing more, Gilda hesitated. “Are you sure you don’t need me?” she asked.
“Go with your husband,” Freda insisted.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
As soon as Gilda and Justin approached the cottage, Philip burst through the door to greet them. Leonardo was close behind, and his face lit up when he saw Justin.
“Thank the good lord you’re here,” Leonardo said to Justin, then rushed to explain why he hadn’t kept his promise. “I tried to stay with Gilda, but she and Freda insisted on seeing Metcalf alone. Then Emma insisted I seek out Philip.”
Remembering how many times he had been distracted from an objective by Gilda, Justin grinned at his worried friend. “I completely understand how that can happen.”
Relieved by Justin’s reply, Leonardo said, “I wasn’t idle. I had to keep Philip from storming the manor, a task that has tried my patience. What has happened?”
Philip echoed Leonardo’s question. “What happened? Did you see Emma?”
“Let’s move inside and I’ll tell you,” Justin answered. He and Gilda had discussed how to handle Philip on the way, and Justin was determined to wait until they were settled in the cottage before dealing with what he knew would be upsetting information.
The wait increased Philip’s anxiety as he began to suspect the news wasn’t going to be good. When he had finally settled nervously in his seat, Justin met his eyes and began to speak.
“Cedric came to the manor to discuss his betrothal to Lady Emma, and he brought me along to assure Metcalf that his annulment would be granted. Gilda and Freda had already talked with Emma’s father by the time we arrived, but Metcalf was not pleased to have them questioning his authority.
“After Cedric introduced me, Metcalf listened to my explanation of our mission to investigate whether there were grounds for an annulment and the conclusion we had reached. Although he may have some misgivings about Cedric, Metcalf did not comment on our findings. He is not a well man, as I’m sure you know, and the meeting came to an abrupt halt when he became ill. All Metcalf would say was that he would talk more about it later. Although Cedric was unhappy that he didn’t receive some commitment from Metcalf and tried to press for further discussion, he finally departed for Mainz.
“When Gilda and I left the manor to come here, Freda and Emma were attending Metcalf. But I have to tell you that Emma is not prepared to do anything to upset her father and has said she will accept his wishes. If you hope to have any chance with her, you must stay away until she summons you.”
Clearly this was not the news Philip had hoped to hear, and he put his face in his hands. “I know Emma loves her father. But she loves me too.”
Afraid to give Philip false hope, Justin didn’t mention that Gilda and Freda had pressed his case or that at least Freda had made some connection with the old warrior. “I’m sorry, Philip. I just can’t predict how things will turn out. We will return to the manor tomorrow morning. Until then you must stay here with us.”
When Philip raised his face from his hands, his eyes had lost their sparkle. “You have both done a great deal to help me. I promise I’ll stay away from Lord Metcalf and Emma until I hear I’m welcome. But I won’t stay here with you.”
In spite of
