“Justin!” Gilda called out without rising from her knees. Again, Mariel’s eyes opened, and this time she moved restlessly for a few seconds, then she was quiet again.
Justin found Gilda beside a young woman he assumed was Mariel. “What happened?” he asked as he dropped down beside her and felt for the woman’s pulse on her wrist.
“She seems to have taken a sleeping potion. It’s nothing that will harm her, but she’ll probably sleep through the night. Even when she tries to awaken, she is unable to do so. She should be all right in the morning.”
“Her pulse is slow. Are you sure there isn’t something we should do?”
“It’s probably best to let her rest. I doubt she meant to do herself harm.”
“Then why would she take the potion?”
“Mariel asked me a lot of questions when we were here the other day. I was a little suspicious at the time, so I didn’t give her much information. It’s a little unusual for someone to inquire about poisons. I had come to fetch a preparation for Sister Georgette, who has trouble sleeping. Mariel must have observed which container I took it from. I found it here beside her.”
“If she was afraid that I’d come to abduct her, why would she risk going to sleep? It doesn’t make sense. What good would that do?”
“I don’t know. It’s only an assumption by one of the sisters that it’s you she is afraid of. Perhaps she just wanted a good night’s sleep. I’ll try to find out more in the morning. Until then, I’ll stay here with her. I think it’s best not to move her until she is fully awake. You should go back. Inform the abbess that we found Mariel.”
“I’ll do that.” Justin was almost through the door when he added, “I’ll bring you something to eat when I return.”
“That’s not necessary,” Gilda said, but he didn’t bother to answer her. Before she could suggest that he send Sister Freda back instead of returning himself, he was gone.
An hour later Gilda’s stomach was groaning. She wondered if Justin had taken her at her word not to bring her something to eat. She cursed herself for saying such a thing, and him for taking her literally. Gilda had a healthy appetite, and religious fasts had always been a problem for her. She surveyed the pots of herbs on a shelf near the window and gathered a few mint leaves to chew on, but they only increased her hunger.
Returning to sit beside Mariel, she studied the young woman. Even under Mariel’s heavy gown, Gilda could see that her limbs were shapely. Her fair face, delicately formed with well-proportioned features, made her a most becoming woman.
When Gilda heard some rustling outside the shed, she ran to the door and flung it open. “Get back inside,” Justin whispered in an urgent tone of voice.
She quickly closed the door, before asking, “Did you bring some food?”
“Here.” He practically tossed her the bread. “Blow out all but one candle,” he said as he peered out the small window.
“Whatever for? We’re out in the woods.” Then she realized from his expression that something was wrong and did as he requested. “What happened?”
“I discovered that two of Cedric’s men had arrived at the convent while we were talking with the abbess. One of the nuns, when she learned that Lady Mariel was missing, told me she had seen Lady Mariel speaking to the men. We assumed she was frightened of me, but maybe it was the new arrivals she feared. I don’t think we should take any chances. Mariel believes her husband wishes her harm. No doubt it’s his men she is fleeing from.”
“Surely they won’t attempt to harm her here. The abbey is a sanctuary.” She bit into the hard bread and hoped her chewing didn’t sound as loud to Justin’s ears as it did to her own.
Justin sat beside her. “I thought you didn’t want anything to eat.”
“I just said it wasn’t necessary. Did you bring anything else besides bread?”
He grinned and pulled open a bag hanging from his belt. “Here’s some cheese and a skin of wine. It’s fortunate Freda told me you’re always hungry.”
Gilda bit into the soft, fragrant cheese. “I’m not always hungry,” she said with a satisfied smile.
“You could save some for me.”
“Shhhhhh.”
“I’m the one who brought it.”
“No. Not that. I hear something.”
Then he, too, heard the sound of a horse approaching the shed. “I’m going to hide Mariel behind these sacks,” he whispered. “Then you and I will distract our visitors.”
Justin spoke quickly while pulling the pallet on which Mariel was sleeping. As soon as Mariel was out of sight, he turned to Gilda. Before she could ask how they were going to cause a distraction, he embraced her. When the door opened, Justin’s arms were wrapped around Gilda. He had lifted her off the floor to make sure she had to cling to him.
Almost as fast as he grabbed her, he let her go, and she struggled to recover her footing as well as her dignity. Gilda saw two men crowding the doorway, and the light they were carrying illuminated the shocked expressions on their faces. They were both well dressed, and one was old enough to be the father of the second, much younger man.
“I trust you’ll be discreet about this,” Justin said in a low, forceful tone.
The older man was staring at Gilda as she adjusted her head covering. He answered Justin with a nod. The younger man had turned away to peer around the shed.
“Was there something you wanted?” Justin asked.
The older man was clearly at a loss for words, but the younger one spoke up. “We saw you leave the dining hall. I hoped for a word with you. One of the nuns told us you are Lord Justin.”
Although he wanted to question them, Justin felt he had to get rid of them in case Mariel woke up and called out. “I’ll be glad to oblige you. But not tonight. I’ll see you after mass in the morning.”
The men took one last look around and retreated quickly. As Justin watched their departure, he wondered at their lack of persistence. If they had indeed come to talk to him, at least one of them should have been reluctant to rush away.
Justin shut the door and watched Gilda sink to her knees. “Who were those men, and what did they want? Why didn’t you find out?”
“I was afraid they’d discover Mariel. She might have cried out, and I wanted to get rid of them as soon as possible. Perhaps they are the messengers from Count Cedric. What I can’t figure out is how they found this shed. I would have heard them if they had been following me, as they said. Perhaps one of the nuns told them where we were.”
“I doubt that. There must be another explanation.”
Justin saw that Gilda was absentmindedly rubbing her arms. “I had to do something to distract attention from Lady Mariel. Did I hurt you?”
“You compromised my reputation. Couldn’t you think of another way to distract them?”
“It’s not easy to come up with something quickly. What would you have suggested?” he asked.
“You could have pretended to have come here for a sleeping potion.”
“Yes, I could. But I didn’t think of it. I never have trouble sleeping, so it didn’t occur to me.”
“But hauling me up in your arms did occur to you.”