Before Justin could give his opinion, Metcalf continued. “Perhaps you and Sister Gilda should be on your way, Lord Justin. I know you have a mission to finish. There is no need for you to be involved further in this matter.”
Listening to this exchange, Gilda was sure of how her husband would reply, and she smiled when she heard Justin’s words.
“There is no hurry, Lord Metcalf. Gilda and I will finish our meal and say a last goodbye to Count Cedric.”
Not fooled by the casual reply, Metcalf’s face softened, and he smiled. “Bring Lord Justin and Sister Gilda more food,” he instructed the servant nearest him.
When Count Cedric, a purposeful expression on his face, strode into the hall, he was obviously surprised to see a robust Metcalf seated at the high table. “Greetings, Lord Metcalf. I am pleased to see you are feeling better,” the count commented.
“Good morning, Cedric,” Metcalf replied. Bishop Gunthar wasn’t far behind, and Metcalf stood up and nodded to him. “Make room for the count and bishop,” he said to his chief steward, indicating a place at the head table.
Several guards crowded together at the door behind the bishop. “I’m afraid we have a full house this morning. Your men will have to wait outside,” Metcalf added. “I will send out some refreshment.”
Wrinkling his brow, Cedric looked around at the crowded tables. When he saw that even the space around the room was occupied, he nodded to a soldier who was apparently the leader of his men. As the guards withdrew, he asked, “Is this a special occasion for which your workers are gathered?”
“It is,” Metcalf answered, without explaining further.
This brief answer seemed to make Cedric wary, and his eyes traveled about the hall again. Seated at a table just below Metcalf’s, Justin and Gilda were busy eating. At the high table Sister Freda, seated beside Metcalf, kept her attention on Cedric, and he nodded to her. Finally, he asked, “Where is Lady Emma this morning?”
Ignoring his question, Metcalf waited until both Cedric and the bishop had taken their places. Then he addressed Cedric. “I have an apology to make to you, Count Cedric. As you know I wished to have my daughter married and settled before I passed from this world. In my hurry to accomplish this, I proposed a match with you, but at the time I did not realize you had recently wed.”
Cedric’s eyes narrowed. “It was a wise proposal, Lord Metcalf. Married to me, Emma will be a countess. You have already heard from Lord Justin that my marriage was a mistake and that I have requested an annulment that will soon be granted.”
Metcalf nodded. “Yes, I have considered that. But in proposing the match between you and Emma I did not pay attention to my daughter’s wishes. You will remember that you sent your stepbrother to me to be trained as a warrior. He spent a great deal of time with us, a fact which you approved at the time.”
Cedric interrupted Metcalf before he could say more. “I suspect where you are headed. I am aware that Philip has his own wish to marry Emma. But the boy has nothing to offer, and I must tell you that he is not a trustworthy person. I suspect that he made advances to Lady Mariel when he acted as my surrogate.”
Unable to ignore this unfair allegation, Gilda stunned everyone by speaking out in a voice loud enough to echo through the hall. “That is not true. Philip befriended Lady Mariel, but that is all that happened between them.”
Cedric’s red face gave evidence of the anger he felt at being interrupted by Gilda. Her words seemed to unleash his frustration, and he shouted at her. “You know not what you are talking about!”
Turning back to Lord Metcalf, Cedric struggled to control his rage and speak in a normal voice. “Sister Gilda has been interfering in this matter since she arrived at Mainz, my lord. I call her ‘sister’ as she dresses as a nun, but in fact she is a married woman,” he said, clearly attempting to excuse the fact that he shouted at her. “I can’t understand why the king chose her to represent him in this matter.”
Before Metcalf could react to this outburst, Lord Justin stood up and spoke in a reasonable tone of voice that contrasted with that of the count. “May I speak, Lord Metcalf?”
“Yes, of course.”
Determined to ignore the personal attack on Gilda as well as his desire to throttle the count, Justin called upon his experience as a diplomat to remain calm. “Gilda knows more about the marriage of the count and Lady Mariel than anyone. At the Convent of Saint Ives, she interviewed Lady Mariel and heard directly from her what passed between her and Philip. The only reason they were together was because Philip was a surrogate in the count’s marriage to Lady Mariel. On the long journey from Bordeaux to Mainz, Philip befriended a frightened young woman. There is no evidence to support Count Cedric’s accusation that Philip made advances toward Mariel and much evidence that he was being kind.”
Cedric shook his head violently. “When Mariel arrived at Mainz, she claimed to be married to Philip. I think that claim speaks for itself.” Then, before Justin or Gilda could speak again, he turned back to Metcalf. “In any case, I think you know I would be a better husband than Philip and that Emma would have a more secure life as my countess, Lord Metcalf.”
Growing annoyed by the personal attacks on Philip and Gilda, Metcalf waved his hand in the air as though to banish further words on the subject. “For a time, I did believe that. But Philip is a well-trained soldier and has the ability to make
