“I am disappointed that you have not returned Lady Mariel to Mainz, Lord Justin. She should be here. We need to settle this matter,” Cedric said.
Justin replied as he and Gilda had agreed. The count accepted the explanation that Mariel was on an extended retreat and made no further enquiry about her health.
“I have set aside an apartment of rooms for your party, Lord Justin. You will be shown where they are. Refresh yourselves. It is almost time for vespers and supper. We’ll delay our interview until tomorrow morning. I hope you’ll find your quarters satisfactory.”
When the count turned to ask a servant to direct them, Gilda whispered to Justin, “Ask him if he sent messengers to the abbey.”
“Not now,” Justin mouthed.
“Why not?” Gilda whispered.
“You heard him. He doesn’t want to talk until morning.”
Turning back to them, Cedric scowled as he asked, “What’s the nun whispering about?”
Justin answered before Gilda had a chance to say anything. “We were just wondering about the rest of our party. Could you have someone find them and direct them to our chambers, Lord Cedric?”
“Of course.” Cedric dismissed them by saying, “I will see you at supper, Lord Justin.”
To ensure that Gilda would follow him, Justin took her arm in a tight grasp. As the servant led them up a winding set of stairs, Gilda pulled her arm free and tried not to limp. She was about to complain about his treatment when she spotted a familiar-looking young man coming down the steps. When he caught her eye, he veered off to the right, following a corridor that led away from their path.
Gilda spoke to the servant who was leading them. “Who lives on this floor?” she asked, pointing to where the young man had disappeared.
“This is not your level,” he answered. “Your chambers are one floor up.”
Gilda was about to say that wasn’t what she asked when she caught Justin’s frown. Once in their own suite, she waited until the door closed behind them to turn on him.
“Are you going to ignore every suggestion or question I have? We are supposed to be working together.”
“You’re a nun. Nuns are expected to show some reticence. Especially in the company of men. You saw how the count reacted to your whispering.”
“So, we’re back to how a nun should act. What makes you think you’re an authority on nuns, Lord Justin?”
He knew he’d made a mistake and quickly changed the subject. “Why did you ask about the lad on the stairs?”
Remembering her excitement at seeing the young man, Gilda let her question go. “Didn’t you notice? The man on the steps was one of the messengers who came to Saint Ives. If you had asked Count Cedric about them as I suggested, we’d have some idea what he was doing in the private quarters.”
“Are you sure it was one of the messengers?”
“Yes, and he took off down the hall to avoid us. I’m sure of it. Did you see the look on his face? He was hoping we didn’t recognize him.”
“I didn’t see his face. Maybe he was being discreet because he remembered our embrace in the shed.”
Gilda sat down and put her head in her hands. “I forgot about that. Do you think he’ll tell anyone? My position here will be compromised if he does.”
Justin sat on the bench beside her. “You’re tired,” he said. He was tempted to put his arm around her to give comfort, but he thought better of it. “I said I’d take care of it, and I will.”
Glancing around, Justin observed the two rooms leading from the small main chamber. “Why didn’t the count arrange for you and Freda to stay with the priest? Isn’t that the usual arrangement?”
“Priests are reluctant to have their retreat invaded by women, even if they are nuns.” As she, too, noticed the intimacy of the apartment, Gilda hesitated. “Perhaps we should see if there is a convent nearby that will house Freda and me.”
“It will be harder and take more time to do our work if you are outside the city walls. You are observant, but you can’t see things from a distance.”
His words surprised her. “You gave me a compliment,” she said with a grin.
Instead of acknowledging her comment, Justin looked away. Gilda studied the way his shoulder-length hair curled on his neck. They were sitting close enough so that she could feel the heat of his body. Her fingers moved slightly as though responding to her desire to see whether his hair felt as soft as it appeared.
Finally, he spoke. “Just because I don’t think you should speak out in front of Count Cedric doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate your skills. We need to work together if we hope to find out what’s going on here.”
“Right, I knew that’s what you meant,” she said. Suddenly feeling uncomfortable at being so close to him, Gilda rose to her feet. “Let’s go see if we can find out where that young man slipped off to.”
He grabbed her arm and then let it go almost as quickly. “We aren’t going anywhere. The others will be here soon. At supper, see if you spot the man you saw on the stairs. Be discreet and point him out to me. Please leave it to me.”
Justin was still sitting, and she stared down at him. Even seated, his head was almost level with her shoulder, and without thinking she lifted her hand to touch his hair.
“It’s so soft,” she murmured as her fingers sunk into the curls at his neck.
“Gilda, don’t.” His voice sounded hoarse, but he didn’t move away from her hand. “You don’t realize what your touch does to me.”
She wondered if his reaction was the same as hers. “Does it make your stomach flutter in a strange way?”
Before Justin could reply, the door opened, and Gilda’s hand fell away. A servant, followed by Freda and Leonardo, entered the chamber.
“This should do nicely,” Freda said, ignoring the fact that Justin had sprung to his feet and Gilda was looking flushed.
“I’m going to the chapel,” Justin said. He was out the door before anyone else could say a word.
“My, the man seems very eager to say his prayers,” Freda remarked.
CHAPTER THREE
During vespers, Gilda glanced around the crowded chapel looking for Justin. She had told Freda what had happened just before her arrival in the chamber, and they’d had a long discussion about the incident. Gilda thought about Freda’s reaction and the story she’d told.
Freda had been amazed at Gilda’s ignorance. “It’s not appropriate to touch a man’s hair.”
“I know that, Freda. It just happened. We were alone in this lovely chamber, discussing things, and I became very aware of him. It was the first time we were together like that. Before I knew it, I had reached out.”
“Gilda, you are a practical, honest woman. But you have little experience with men. Justin is a worldly man. You’re fortunate he hasn’t taken advantage of your innocence.”
“I wonder why he hasn’t.”
Freda shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Just be happy that’s the case.”
“Maybe it’s because we’re related by marriage. His sister is married to my brother. Chetwynd and Justin trained as pages with Count Jonas and grew up like brothers.”