Page 78 of The Wager and the Wedding

He glanced as Isabella, but she wasn’t focused on the surroundings. All of her attention went to the two ladies who rose to greet them—his mother, on Eglantine’s arm. Despite her lack of vision, his mother moved with stately confidence, trusting her daughter not to lead her astray. His sister’s eyes sparkled with amusement and delight at the sight of him with his new bride.

“Welcome to Winchelsea, Lady Isabella,” her mother said with a curtsy. Her head was streaked with more gray than it had been when he left. She always worried for him when he took to sea, no matter how many times he had come back safely. “It is my pleasure to welcome a new baroness to take my place. I’ve been at this too long and am more than happy to pass the mantle. If there is anything I can do to make you at home here, don’t hesitate to mention it.”

Relief washed through Martin at having finally fulfilled his duty to his mother by relieving her of the heavy burden of being the lady of the castle. She had done all she could to support him after Father passed, but her grief and loss of sight weighed heavily on her. He was glad she was free of her obligations now so that she could relax and slow down.

“Indeed, welcome,” Eglantine echoed as she also curtsied, her chestnut curls cascading over her shoulder. Her eyes twinkled with undisguised curiosity. “We are so excited to meet you. And who is this lovely young lady you’ve brought with you?”

Isabella bowed her head, acknowledging each of them in turn. “It is a pleasure to meet you both. Martin has told me so much about you on our journey that I feel like I practically know you already. Please allow me to introduce my sister, Lady Adelaide.”

“I’m delighted to meet you both.” Adelaide curtsied. “Thank you for the warm welcome to Winchelsea.”

“Lady Adelaide plays the lute most beautifully,” Martin said, knowing his sister would be delighted at the news.

As expected, she responded with enthusiasm. “Do you indeed? Why, that’s wonderful! I play the lyre. As you know, Martin plays the citole, and on occasion, we’ve been successful wheedling Lance into playing the drum. What music we shall make together!”

Isabella laughed beside him, and his heart warmed at the sound. “Perhaps I shall take up the flute so that I may join you.”

As the conversation meandered across every possible topic, Martin kept unusually quiet, not quite trusting himself to speak. The sight of his newly expanded family getting along so well moved him deeply. He never thought he lacked for anything growing up, but with Isabella by his side and his family surrounding him, he felt complete and contented as never before. The future unfurled before him, full of possibility, despite the war. For the rest of his life, Isabella would be his partner and companion in all things. Whatever life held for them, he knew it would never be dull.

Epilogue

Five years later

Isabella sat ona cushioned bench in a wide field with her daughter, Alais, asleep on her shoulder. A passel of flower-crowned children capered in and around a circle of dancers from the village. The scents of new flowers and fresh grass wafted over the field, making Isabella’s heart sing. Bright afternoon sun warmed the spring-crisp air as the sounds of music and revelry filled her with a sense that all was right with the world.

Her beloved brother, Crispin, sat beside her, decked out in finery befitting the new Earl of Bamburgh. It was so strange to see him in such formal attire and was completely at odds with his unruly chestnut hair and warm brown eyes. But even as her thoughts were with her brother, her eyes were on her rambunctious children.

“Charles, no pulling your sister’s hair,” she called out, interrupting her son as he chased little Carenza at high speed between dancers, cackling with glee.

Carenza, gripping her flower crown in one hand, darted in and out of the circle of dancing children with all the speed her four-year-old feet could summon to escape her brother.

Martin grinned and winked at her from where he sat on a raised dais with a group of musicians from the town, playing merry tunes with a galloping beat that seemed to egg thechildren on to even greater heights of wild revelry. She smiled back and blew him a kiss. The smoldering look he gave her in return made her squeeze her knees together, even though she was round with their fourth child.

“It’s good to see you so happy,” Crispin said beside her. “I don’t think I’ve seen you this content and relaxed since we were children in Bordeaux.”

She chuckled ruefully. “Even in Bordeaux we still had to deal with Mother. Are you sure she’s dead? I was convinced she would live to be as old as Methuselah just to spite us.”

“She’s gone. I buried her myself a month and a half ago. After Father passed, she seemed to make it her life’s sole purpose to make me miserable. But then she was done in by her own horse. You know how she treated all of God’s creatures. I suppose the poor palfrey decided she’d been whipped one too many times and took revenge.”

Isabella took a deep breath, or as deep a breath as she could take with the infant in her womb dancing a jig on her ribs. News of her mother’s death, when she had received Crispin’s letter earlier in the month, had brought up a complicated mix of emotions. Living a happy life in Winchelsea, far from her mother’s poisonous influence, Isabella could almost pity the woman. What must her mother have gone through to have such a twisted and vindictive soul? In the end, all she could concede was that Mother didn’t live a happy life.

Alais stirred against her, and she rocked her sweet baby back into a doze. Isabella intended to be a very different kind of mother to her daughters. She couldn’t entirely shake off the influence of how she was raised, but she would do her very best. “I won’t speak ill of the dead. May she rest in peace and leave us alone is all I’ll say. I was so sorry to hear about you and Eilidh.”

Crispin hung his head. “She’s married to someone else now and far beyond my reach. But I don’t want to spend such aglorious day speaking of such depressing subjects. Tell me about Adelaide.”

Isabella smiled at the thought of her sister. After all she had been through in her youth, she’d somehow managed to grow into a healthy and strong young woman with a mind and will entirely her own.

“She’s in London right now, visiting my sister-in-law at court. To say she’s thriving would be an understatement. She’s blossomed into a beautiful, talented young lady. Her health improved dramatically when we came to Winchelsea. The milder weather and freedom from our parents did wonders for her. You’d hardly recognize her if you saw her.”

Crispin’s eyebrows rose. “You let her go to court? After all you went through trying to keep her away?”

She certainly had her misgivings, but Adelaide was her own person now. She could make up her mind about these things. “I could hardly keep her away from Eglantine, and I’ve long since forgiven the queen for marrying me off to Martin. I’ve visited with her a few times since my marriage.”

And fortunately, those visits had gone far better than she expected.

“Have you now?” Crispin shifted to look her in the eyes.

“I never would have suspected it, but I do believe she has a soft spot underneath all her prickliness. The first time I met with her after my marriage, I was prepared to do battle on Adelaide’s behalf, but the queen said she only asked for Adelaide for my sake. She never liked my mother and thought Adelaide would be better off away from her. And she truly did marry me to Martin because she thought we would make a good match. Much as I resisted, I can hardly argue with her wisdom now.”

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