With each word she spoke, Lady Mariel became more agitated. Gilda and Ermguerrd watched helplessly as the young woman jumped to her feet and began beating her own stomach. “There is no baby. There is no baby!” she shouted between gasping sobs.
Gilda tried to hold her shoulders, but Mariel was strong enough to push her away. Her agitation seemed to increase as she pulled off her head covering and began to tear at her hair. It took both Gilda and Ermguerrd, one on either side, to capture her hands and subdue her.
To further calm Mariel, Ermguerrd cupped her face in her hands and forced her to listen. “You are safe here. I promise. No more questions. We’re not going to ask you any more questions.”
The abbess had clearly said the magic words because Mariel immediately relaxed her body and stopped sobbing. Gilda, surprised, looked at Ermguerrd with a questioning expression, but the abbess just shrugged her shoulders.
After one of the nuns had been asked to help Lady Mariel to her room, Justin was summoned. Gilda was still puzzling over their interview with Mariel when he arrived, but she couldn’t help but notice that Justin was once more neatly groomed. She, on the other hand, was still in her rumpled clothing. There seemed to be a pattern here, and she grimaced at the thought.
Ermguerrd explained what had happened in their interview with Lady Mariel. “She became hysterical, Lord Justin. There was no point in calling you to see her. Your presence wouldn’t have helped. I suspect she’ll sleep through the day. It seems she took a strong potion.”
He nodded, reluctantly accepting her explanation for not calling him. “Why the potion? Did she tell you that?”
“She claims she hasn’t been sleeping well. When we asked her why she didn’t speak to Gilda, she said she was unable to find her. What do you think of that, Gilda?” Ermguerrd asked.
“I doubt it’s the truth. No one mentioned her looking for me,” Gilda added. “She’s hiding something.”
Ermguerrd nodded. “Lady Mariel seemed extremely nervous right from the start of the interview, Lord Justin. She kept saying she’d been betrayed and was frightened. Could she have overheard you talking to the men who came to the shed?” Ermguerrd asked.
“I doubt that,” Gilda replied. “Even if she did hear them, I doubt she’d remember them being there when she finally awoke. I’m puzzled. It was clear she didn’t want to answer our questions.”
Justin paced the floor in front of the two nuns. “I learned something when I asked about the two men who came to the shed,” he said. “One of the sisters who gave me some ale this morning saw something. Lady Mariel was talking to the men. The sister, who was certain they were the ones who claimed to have been sent by Cedric, said that Mariel did not appear to be frightened.”
Gilda’s eyes widened. “I forgot about the two intruders. Perhaps we can learn something from them. Did you speak to them, Justin?” Gilda asked, remembering his promise to silence them about the fact that he had embraced her.
“No. I had planned to question them, but they had already disappeared. The porter tells me they rode away early this morning. No one even remembers them giving their names. Just that they said they were sent by Count Cedric.”
“That’s strange. Perhaps they arranged with Lady Mariel to meet them at the shed. Once they had her alone, they could murder her. When they couldn’t find her, they returned to Mainz,” Gilda suggested.
Justin stopped his pacing and glared at her. “That’s a rash assumption. We only have Lady Mariel’s word that her husband wishes her harm. It’s best not to leap to conclusions.”
“I’m not leaping to conclusions.” Gilda’s voice was sharp. “I’m just suggesting one possibility. You didn’t see how terribly upset and frightened Lady Mariel was this morning.”
“No, because I wasn’t here, was I?”
“Feel free to suggest your own explanation about why those men came to Saint Ives, Lord Justin.”
“I don’t make suggestions until I have all the facts, Sister Gilda.”
The abbess watched Justin cross his arms over his chest and Gilda place her hands on her hips as they engaged in this heated exchange. She shook her head and finally interrupted them. “Each of you has your own way of seeking answers. Gilda, you do sometimes jump to conclusions before all the facts are apparent. I don’t know you well, Lord Justin, but waiting for all the facts before making suggestions can sometimes slow progress. Perhaps you will find that your approaches complement each other,” she said, clearly hoping this was the case.
Justin was the first to reply. “I’ll try to remember your words, Reverend Mother.” His tone of voice suggested it was going to be a difficult task, and Gilda thought Ermguerrd looked doubtful of his sincerity. Afraid she might come to believe they couldn’t work together, Gilda remembered something they had agreed upon. “Lord Justin and I thought it would be best that Mariel be sheltered somewhere else for the time being for her own safety. But she may be reluctant to leave Saint Ives.”
Ermguerrd nodded her satisfaction at this suggestion. “Leave it to me to work out the details,” she answered. “There are a few hiding places nearby that we’ve used in the past. We have become adept at protecting those who seek sanctuary at our abbey. I don’t think there is much point in trying to question Mariel further. Perhaps when you reach Mainz, you will learn more about the two messengers—if that is what they were.”
At her words, Gilda remembered the scene the strangers had observed when they arrived at the garden shed. Justin had promised to silence them this morning, but he had found them gone. When she turned to him, he must have understood her anxiety.
“I’ll take care of it,” he promised.
“That’s what you said last night.”
“I didn’t know they’d be gone this morning, did I?”
At the same moment, they both became aware of Ermguerrd watching them. “I don’t think I want to know what this is about,” she said. “I’ll pray to God that your mission for the king will be successful.”
Later that morning the abbess blessed their journey more formally and waved them off. Gilda, mounted on a gentle horse she was familiar with, rode beside Freda. Their party also included Leonardo, a soldier from the palace guards who often acted as Justin’s assistant on his travels, and a servant named Matthew who led the packhorse. Both women had met Leonardo before, and although they weren’t introduced to Matthew, they had nodded a greeting.
The two men talked together as they rode, and Gilda couldn’t help but notice that they were a striking pair. Leonardo, fair of hair and skin, had the blue eyes of an angel and a smile full of mischief. In contrast, Justin was much more serious, but his dark, moody appearance had its own appeal.
Gilda smiled as she remembered Ermguerrd’s last words to her. “If you can manage to avoid coming to blows, I suspect you and Justin will work quite well together.”
Sister Freda must have noticed her expression. “You seem in good humor,” she commented in an accusing tone as she twisted in her saddle, hoping to find a more comfortable position. The nun was tall and strong but without much padding to help her sit comfortably in the small saddle she straddled.