Chapter Sixteen
God’s wounds!Didthe earl have to be here? Martin wanted to punch something when he saw the man Isabella claimed to want to marry seated at the far end of the hall beside Lord Christopher.
He’d met Lord James on several occasions in the past, including twice at tourneys. Both times, the earl had knocked him off his horse far more easily than Martin would have liked. The man had an unfair advantage in bulk. He was a veritable mountain, crowned with sandy curls and a long beard that would not have looked amiss on a Viking. How was a man Martin’s size supposed to unseat that behemoth? At least Martin had managed to best him with a sword on one of those occasions. That was rather cold comfort, though, as he watched the earl’s lascivious grin at Isabella.
“Lord Martin,” Lord Christopher called out, pausing between petitioners. “What brings you to my hall, and how is it that Lady Isabella is traveling with you?”
Now, Lord Christopher was someone Martin liked. He was an affable family man, only a few years older than him, with auburn hair and friendly eyes the color of the sea. When there wasn’t a war on, Martin was a frequent visitor to Yarmouth. It was good to see a friendly face.
“Lady Isabella and I were recently married,” Martin explained, glancing at the earl to gauge his reaction. He waspleased to see the man’s smile sag. “We were headed back to Winchelsea when a storm hit and damaged my ship. I humbly ask that you let us stay with you while I make repairs.”
“Of course, old friend. You’re always welcome here,” Lord Christopher answered. “As you can see, I’m a bit busy at the moment. A servant will show you to your rooms, and you can settle in. We’ll catch up after I’m done here.” He beckoned over a servant and murmured something in the man’s ear.
The servant bowed to Martin, Isabella, and Adelaide, and gestured toward the door.
“Thank you, my lord. I shall see you anon,” Martin said with a friendly nod. “And you, Lord James.” He bowed, but kept it as shallow as possible, giving only the deference that was required of him.
Isabella and Adelaide curtsied, and they all followed the servant out of the hall. As they traversed the dimly lit, stone corridors, Martin brooded over how to navigate the current situation.
Undoubtedly, Isabella would try to reach out to Lord James. Everything in him wanted to try and stop her, but deep in his heart, he knew that it would be a mistake to try to keep them apart. He needed towinIsabella’s favor, not trap her into surrender, and that meant he had to risk her honest appraisal of how he stacked up against the earl.
But that didn’t mean he had to stand back and let the other man steal her away unchallenged. While they were at Burgh Castle, Martin would need to do everything he could to goad Lord James into showing his true colors so that he himself seemed like the more appealing option in Isabella’s eyes.
Most importantly, he needed to win Isabella’s trust. He sensed that there was something more holding her back than mere lack of interest. After that kiss, it was clear she wasattracted to him. He’d managed to make significant headway with her, but she still wanted to marry Lord James. Why?
She said she wanted all of Norfolk at her feet, but Martin didn’t believe for a moment that was the whole story. There had to be something more to it—something at stake that she couldn’t give way on. Somehow, he had to tease it out of her.
The servant tried to put Martin and Isabella together and send Adelaide to a spare bed in the nursery with Lord Christopher’s children. Isabella immediately balked.
“Adelaide is unwell. She cannot stay with Lord Christopher’s children. She must stay with me so that I can care for her,” she said, pulling Adelaide into the room she was supposed to share with Martin.
The servant’s brow furrowed. “But, my lady, this is the only room we have for Lord Martin. With the earl and his entourage visiting, we are short on space.”
“I will sleep in the great hall with my men,” Martin said immediately. There was no question that if Isabella had to choose between him and her sister, she would choose Adelaide every time. And he wasn’t entirely certain he could manage to behave if he shared a bed with her. He wanted her to choose him with a clear head and open eyes, not because she succumbed to the undeniable attraction between them. The last thing he wanted was for her to do something she would later regret.
“Are you certain, my lord?”
“Quite certain, thank you. See that Lady Isabella and Adelaide are comfortably settled here and send for a healer to see to Lady Adelaide. She looks feverish.” It wasn’t a subterfuge from Isabella. Adelaide truly did look unwell, and her cough was worrying. His heart ached to see such a sweet person suffering so.
“Isabella, might I speak with you a moment?” Martin dismissed the servant to go look for a healer and beckoned to hiswife, pulling her into the hallway, away from her sister’s hearing. “I am truly sorry that Adelaide is suffering. Is there anything I can do to help?”
Closing her eyes, Isabella replied, “She’s always struggled with ailments of the lungs. There’s nothing you can do. She needs a healer and rest. Everything else is in God’s hands.”
He nodded slowly. She was right. There was little he could do, much though it galled him. It was up to the healer and the Lord Above now. “And you? What do you need, Isabella?”
“I need—” She paused, biting her lip and looking at him with such sorrow it nearly broke him.
“Yes? Just say the word. I’ll do anything.” There was something specific she wanted him to say. He was certain of it. But he could not guess what it was.
She shook her head slowly. “Nothing. I need nothing.”
He took her hand and squeezed it. “That can’t be true.”
“It is,” she said, pulling away. “I have no heart. The sooner you realize that, the better off we’ll both be.” Squaring her shoulders and composing her face, she turned away from him. “I need to tend to Adelaide, if you’ll excuse me.”
“Of course,” he said, watching longingly as she returned to the room and closed the door.
Slowly, he made his way back to the great hall, pondering her words. She had a heart, whatever she might think. Her treatment of her sister proved that. If only he could find a way to make her trust him!
