When Metcalf spoke, his words were strong, and if he had any regrets about saying them, they were well under control. “I will apologize to you once again, Count Cedric. I admit I made a mistake.” The words must have been difficult to say, as he lifted his goblet and took a long drink. “Now I propose we drink to stronger ties between my manor and Mainz.”
Without saying a word, Count Cedric raised his goblet. Neither Metcalf nor Cedric was overjoyed by the compromise, and the mood in the hall was more an easing of tension than a celebration. Still, confrontation had been avoided.
It wasn’t long before Count Cedric and Bishop Gunthar said polite, if stilted, farewells. Once they had left the hall, the mood became joyous and several toasts were proposed to the absent newlywed couple. When the peasants left to return to their fields, Metcalf finally spoke directly to Justin and Gilda.
“Charlemagne granted this manor to me. My men and I could have defended it,” he said. “But I have to say I admired the way you handled the situation, Lord Justin. The way you managed Bishop Gunthar was truly inspiring.”
“Thank you, Lord Metcalf. But we prefer to think of ourselves as nudging parties toward a compromise,” Justin replied.
“You do it well and seem to have found the perfect helpmate,” Metcalf said, glancing toward Gilda and thus acknowledging her contribution. “Sister Freda tells me that you are wed.”
Gilda came to stand close to Justin. Hidden by the folds of her skirt, he took her hand. “Our marriage is still new to us,” Justin explained.
“Is that why Gilda continues to wear her habit? Perhaps you’d like to have some of Lady Emma’s clothes. I insisted she have some new garments made for her wedding to the count.” He paused. “Every time I think of the mistake I was so close to making, I have to shudder. Emma rejected those gowns, and I’m sure she left them here.”
Sister Freda spoke up. “I can show you the gowns, and you can make up your mind if you wish to take any of them for your journey to Reims.”
Looking down at Gilda, Justin remembered how her habit had mystified him the day before, and then Gilda had undone some fastening and it pooled around her feet. She must have known what he was thinking about, as her face turned the becoming shade of pink that he liked so much. “I rather like the habit,” he whispered softly so that only Gilda could hear.
She smiled at him. “But it might be interesting to try something different,” she whispered back.
Thinking of the many different things he wished to try with Gilda, Justin’s voice was hoarse with emotion when he spoke to Freda. “I’d like to look at the gowns with Gilda.” Realizing this was an unusual request, he added, “I wish to help her decide if they are suitable for her introduction at court.”
There was friendly laughter in the hall, and Justin suspected that at least some of it was directed at the two of them as they followed Freda to Emma’s room.
Once the door was closed behind them, Freda turned to the couple. “I wished to say a few words to you in private before you leave for Reims. When the king chose to pair you for the assignment of investigating Count Cedric’s request for an annulment, I’m sure he had no idea how well you would work together. You complemented each other perfectly as you defused the situation out there. I imagine you’ll go on to serve the king and do great things together.”
Tears flowed down Gilda’s cheeks as she listened to her friend’s words. “I’m going to miss you so much, Freda,” she whispered.
Freda seemed a little startled at Gilda’s display of emotion and blinked her eyes several times as she struggled to hold back her own tears. Unable to speak, she patted Gilda’s shoulder, then turned and rushed from the room.
As she wiped her tears, Gilda asked, “Do you think she’ll be all right here?”
“I do. Sister Freda is a strong woman who knows her own mind, not unlike you, Sister Gilda. Will you miss being a nun?” he asked, a little afraid to hear her answer.
“I’ll miss the sisters and Abbess Ermguerrd, but I have discovered that life with you is what I desire, Justin. There is so much for us to do together. I think we have a responsibility to make sure that Philip and Emma are safe. Perhaps I can ask Chetwynd to help Philip form his own army. We should also keep an eye on Freda and Metcalf to see that they hold their own with Count Cedric. And maybe the king will give us more assignments.”
Smiling from ear to ear, Justin listened to his wife talk excitedly about their future. “Don’t forget having babies so that you’ll have children of your own to teach.”
“Oh, yes, we can’t forget that.”
“Since Emma’s discarded gowns await your attention, perhaps you’d like to remove your habit?”
They could hear the joyful sounds of celebration from the great hall. “Is the door bolted?” Gilda asked.
Justin moved quickly to push the bolt in place, then he turned back to watch Gilda’s habit once again pool around her feet. “I love the way that happens. In the future you can wear the fanciest gowns in the empire, but I’ll always have fond memories of your plain black habit.”
Gilda rushed into his arms. “Perhaps we could start right away on making those babies,” she suggested.
The only bed in the room was piled high with the gowns Emma had left behind. Keeping one arm around Gilda, he leaned down and swept them onto the floor. “You have the best ideas.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ida Curtis was born in 1935 in New Haven, Connecticut. She grew up and went to school in Newington, Connecticut, where at age eighteen she contracted polio. After two years of rehabilitation, she spent two years at St. Joseph’s
