Song of Isabel

by Ida Curtis

  Chetwynd sat up beside her. “What is it?”

  “My leg. Oh, there’s a fearsome pain in my right calf.” Her agony banished all concern about disturbing him, and she clutched her leg. “It’s a big knot,” she cried out.

  He recognized the problem immediately. “Just lie back and try to relax,” he instructed, releasing her hands from her calf and pushing her gently but firmly back on the bed.

  Isabel did her best to follow his instruction, but she was anything but relaxed. He was kneeling over her. Even in her pain, she noticed he was wearing a short tunic and nothing more.

  “It’s a muscle cramp and won’t last long,” he said. “I’ll just try to ease it by massaging the knot. If you can relax, I promise it will disappear.”

  Chetwynd kneaded her leg as gently as possible, hoping his warm hands would soothe the knotted area. He could feel the muscle respond and relax. When he heard Isabel give a great shudder of relief, he knew the cramp was gone. But he kept massaging her shapely leg, telling himself it would help her stay relaxed. It had been a long time since he had been with a woman, and the one beneath him was exceedingly enticing.

  “That feels so much better,” she whispered thankfully. In fact, his rough but warm hands created a tingling which spread through her body. Isabel murmured her pleasure at the sensation.

  Chetwynd had pushed up the long shift she wore, and with the moonlight streaming through a high window, he could see her shapely legs. Encouraged by her murmurs, he continued kneading the silky leg, moving his skillful hands down to explore her high-arched foot, then back up to her calf. As his own body hardened in response to hers, he wanted more. Ignoring the warning bells in his head, his hands traveled to the tantalizingly soft area above her knee. Her skin was smooth and alluring.

  When Chetwynd heard Isabel’s sharp intake of breath, the warning bells began to clang louder. After a slight hesitation, he pulled down her shift. Carefully moving away from her body, he tried to calm his breathing. When he lay down on his back, he saw her turn on her side to face him.

  “I was just surprised, my lord.” She did not want him to think she had been repelled by his touch. Even now her inner thigh tingled where he had touched her.

  With her intriguing smell filling his head, Chetwynd gazed into the face so close to his own. The eyes looking at him were unusually large as they reflected the moonlight that came through the high window. Unable to resist touching her again, he placed his hand on the side of her face and stroked her cheek.

  “Your leg cramped because of the many hours you spent on your horse. It’s not unusual for even the most experienced riders to have cramps. It’s nothing to be concerned about.”

  While he was speaking, his hand moved to her ear, then into her hair and back to her ear, exploring its small, delicate shape. When he saw she was holding her breath, he leaned forward to kiss her lightly, just brushing her lips and withdrawing. He meant the kiss to break the spell, a way of saying goodnight.

  But Chetwynd had not counted on Isabel’s reaction. Gently she imitated his stroking, placing her small hand on his face, then into his hair, combing her fingers through his long locks.

  “Your hair shines like a halo when the sun hits it, but you aren’t an angel, are you?” Isabel whispered the question in her deep, throaty voice.

  Her warm breath caressed his lips. A moan escaped from his mouth as he moved forward, kissing her again with increasing urgency, opening her lips with his tongue, and tasting the sweetness of her mouth for the first time.

  When Isabel responded by welcoming his tongue and moving her body even closer to his, he knew he was on the brink of losing control. Pulling away, he clenched his teeth and moved back from her.

  Shocked by his sudden withdrawal, Isabel saw that his eyes were directed at the ceiling. Since he wasn’t looking at her, she was able to study him. His shirt was open at the neck, and she could make out the shape of his chest. Without thinking, she reached out her hand and placed it on the hard muscles, mesmerized by the warm skin. Isabel could feel his heart beating wildly. She was shocked out of her dreamlike state when Chetwynd roughly took hold of her hand and removed it from his chest.

  “We can’t do this,” he growled in a hoarse voice. “It was a mistake to try and sleep in the same bed.”

  Hurt and embarrassed, Isabel snatched her hand out of his grip and turned away. The thought that she might be doing what her grandmother had suggested made her feel ill. It was only that morning that they had exchanged wedding vows. What would he think of her?

  Chetwynd berated himself for his clumsiness. The first night of their journey, and he was doing what he had promised himself, and her, not to do.

  “I’m sorry, Isabel. I should have known better. It’s hard for a man and woman to sleep together without something happening. It’s a natural thing. I should never have entered your bed.”

  When Chetwynd started to get up, Isabel turned quickly toward him. “Are you going elsewhere to sleep?”

  Chetwynd heard the plea in her voice. It was her first night away from home, and he knew she didn’t want to be alone. He waited for her to ask him to stay, but she didn’t. Instead she moved even further to her side of the bed as though to prove she would keep her distance.

  If she had asked him to stay, he might have been able to refuse. But her silent plea was much more effective.

  “Go to sleep, Isabel,” he said, settling back on his side of the bed.

  Rolling away from him, she was comforted at hearing him address her informally. He was not going to leave her bed. Lulled by that thought, she relaxed and thought about what he had said. It was hard for a man and woman to sleep together without something happening. It wasn’t her fault, or his. Just something that was natural for any man and woman.

  Chetwynd could hear Isabel’s breathing relax as she drifted into sleep. He envied her, as he was still vividly aware of her body so close to his. He blamed his wakefulness on the long period he had been without a woman. But it wasn’t just any woman who occupied his thoughts and kept him hard. It was the nymph who moved erotically through the water, who slept on the ground with her hair spread around her, who had laid her hand on his bare chest.

  Chetwynd finally had to acknowledge that he wasn’t going to be able to sleep in Isabel’s bed, or even her room. After he was sure she was asleep, he quietly left the bedchamber.

  CHAPTER SIX

  WHEN ISABEL AWOKE, HER HANDS INstinctively reached to massage her stiff calf muscle. As she kneaded it, she remembered the gentleness of Lord Chetwynd’s hands, first on her calf and then on other parts of her leg. The thought of his touch on her inner thigh brought warmth to her cheeks and a flutter to her stomach. She turned her head cautiously, but the warmth disappeared when she found herself alone in bed.

  Thinking that Chetwynd had arisen early, she rolled to his side of the bed and found the smell of his hair still on the pillow. Even as she breathed in his scent, her sore back and thigh muscles were complaining at the movement. She wondered how she would face mounting a horse again. Although tempted to wait for Marianna to come help her get ready for the day, Isabel wasn’t sure how long it would be before her servant arrived.

  Cautiously she dropped her legs over the side of the bed and pushed herself into a standing position. It was an effort to straighten up, but she finally managed. Washing and dressing slowly to minimize motion, she felt better the longer she was upright. Hoping to find other members of her party on their way to worship, Isabel opened the door and squinted at the sunlight. She cautiously moved one leg in front of the other.

  As she rounded a corner, Isabel caught sight of Chetwynd emerging from another room. She was about to say something to him when he turned back to speak to a woman just inside the door. Chetwynd was pulling on his doublet as he walked away.

  Realizing what she was seeing, Isabel raised a clenched fist to her mouth to keep from shouting her anger. Instead of spending the night in her bed as he promised, Chetwynd had s
ought out another woman to be “natural” with. He must have left after she fell asleep.

  Unwilling to face Chetwynd until she had gotten her feelings under control, Isabel pulled back to wait until he disappeared. When she rounded the corner again, Ingram stood in her path as though waiting for her.

  “Good morning, my lady,” he said. “May I escort you to chapel?”

  Wondering if Chetwynd sent him to find her, she murmured, “I forgot something in my chamber. I’ll find my own way.”

  Ingram scowled, seemed about to say something, then changed his mind and departed.

  Although she hadn’t even been aware of his absence, Isabel felt betrayed that Chetwynd had left her bed in the middle of the night. He had promised to stay, but in fact the brute couldn’t constrain himself from seeking another’s bed on their wedding night.

  Instead of following the rest of the guests into the church, Isabel headed in the opposite direction. Desperate for a place to be alone, she kept walking until she found an orchard beyond the stables.

  It was a peaceful spot. There were a few late apples left on the dew-covered ground. Isabel picked out one that wasn’t too bruised. Sitting with her back against a tree, she bit into the apple and wondered how she was going to deal with Chetwynd.

  Isabel knew she was in trouble. She desired a man who was not available. Although he was not the fantasy champion she had dreamt about, in some ways he was much more. He was flesh and blood, and last night she had wanted nothing more than to have him continue to touch her and make her his wife. He must never know how she felt. Clearly, he had just wanted a woman, and since he didn’t want a wife, he had found someone else to fulfill his need.

  Throwing the apple core into the air as hard as she could, she watched with satisfaction as it flew off into a neighboring meadow. Chetwynd was not really her husband, and she would have to remember that fact in the future. No more wishing for something she couldn’t have.

  Using caution not to strain her aching body as she pushed herself to her feet, Isabel feared there would be questions about why she had missed morning worship. It couldn’t be helped. If she had confronted Chetwynd sooner, she wouldn’t have been able to hide her feelings.

  As she entered the dining hall, keeping her eyes away from the table where Chetwynd was likely to be, Isabel took a seat beside Marianna and the other servants.

  “How was your night?” Isabel asked Marianna.

  “I slept as though dead, my lady,” Marianna replied. Then she lowered her voice to a whisper. “Lord Chetwynd asked me to attend you this morning, but you weren’t in your bedchamber. When I didn’t see you at worship, I became worried. Where were you? And why aren’t you sitting with your husband?”

  In her head Isabel answered, Because he’s not really my husband, and he sought another’s bed. But out loud she said, “I went for a walk. I’m sorry I worried you, Marianna, but I wanted a stretch before the long ride. I had a cramp in my leg during the night, and I woke up very stiff. I thought some exercise might help. And the reason I’m sitting here is that I need to talk to you.”

  Isabel summoned enough nerve to glance over to where Chetwynd sat talking with Ingram. She couldn’t help but wonder if Ingram knew their marriage was not a real one. Chetwynd was staring at her. At the sight of his narrowed eyes, Isabel quickly looked away.

  Marianna watched the exchange. “Are you all right, my lady? If something happened last night to upset you, maybe I can help. Sometimes it takes a while for a married couple to . . .”

  Isabel interrupted her before she could go any further. “Come with me, Marianna, I need to talk to you and I can’t do it here.”

  “But you haven’t eaten, my lady.”

  Isabel picked up some bread and cheese from the table, knowing it would be madness to travel on an empty stomach.

  Marianna hesitated for a minute, and then followed her mistress out of the dining hall. They walked without speaking until they were out of hearing range of any of the other guests.

  Finally, Marianna broke the silence. “You are acting very strange, my lady. Lord Chetwynd was staring at you, waiting for you to come to his table. What has happened?”

  “Lord Chetwynd can just wait. I’m not going to worry about what he expects of me.”

  Isabel had spoken sharply, but when she saw the confused expression on Marianna’s face, she softened. They were in the covered walkway of the cloister, and Isabel pointed to a bench on the edge of the garden.

  “Sit down, Marianna. I should have talked to you about this before we left Narbonne, but there was so much to do, and I had my mind on other matters. Lord Chetwynd and I are married in name only, and we intend to live as brother and sister. He left our bedchamber last night to sleep with another woman. Under the circumstances, perhaps you can understand my reluctance to rush to his side and play the dutiful wife.”

  Marianna frowned and shook her head. “I don’t understand, my lady. Why would he do that? You exchanged marriage vows.”

  “The marriage will eventually be annulled. We planned it that way from the beginning.”

  Marianna was clearly shocked. “Why would you make such an arrangement, my lady?”

  Isabel sighed. She was beginning to wonder the same thing. “Lady Winifred suggested the marriage as a means of persuading my father to allow me to travel with the caravan. You know how much I wished to leave Narbonne. Lord Chetwynd has his own reasons for agreeing to the arrangement. I should have confided in you sooner, because I’m going to need your help. We have to make sure there is no repetition of last night’s sleeping arrangement.”

  Marianna was clearly struggling to absorb this news. “I know marriages are entered into for any number of reasons, my lady. But I understand that if the couple is lucky, there can be great satisfaction in the match. I think you and Lord Chetwynd are such a pair. I have seen the way you look at each other.”

  “You are imagining things, Marianna. There is nothing between us.” Isabel stood up to indicate the discussion was over, and Marianna followed her along the arcade.

  Despite her protest, Isabel began to wonder if she might be looking at Chetwynd in a way that revealed the desire she was beginning to feel in his presence. Last night his touch had excited her to the point where she wanted him to caress her the way Derek caressed Emma. The agreement to live as brother and sister had flown from her mind.

  Isabel vowed to be more careful in the future. The last thing she wanted was for Chetwynd to discover how she felt. She sighed at how complicated their marriage was turning out to be.

  When they had almost reached the guesthouse, Isabel paused, her hand on Marianna’s arm. “I hope you understand, Marianna. Whatever happens, make sure you stay with me at night.”

  “I will do as you ask, my lady. At least until you tell me otherwise.”

  Isabel narrowed her eyes at Marianna’s smile. “I’m not going to be telling you otherwise, Marianna, so don’t give me any of your knowing looks. Lord Chetwynd is in love with someone else. Now do you understand?” Before she had a chance to say more, they saw Lord Chetwynd striding toward them.

  “Are you all right, Lady Isabel?” Chetwynd asked solicitously, putting out his hand to take her arm.

  Isabel noted that he had returned to addressing her formally, and she couldn’t resist pulling her arm away from his hand. “Of course. I’m fine.”

  Isabel was used to being on her own and felt annoyed that she couldn’t disappear for a few minutes without people thinking there might be something wrong.

  Ignoring Isabel’s brusque reply, Chetwynd spoke directly to her maid. “Marianna, would you see that everything is ready for the journey?”

  Once Marianna left them, Chetwynd turned back to Isabel. He was feeling guilty that he had left her alone on her first night away from home. Ingram had told him that Isabel had seen him leaving the bedchamber where he slept. Ingram suspected Isabel thought he was with another woman. He could tell her the truth, that it was Ingram’s wife
she had seen, but perhaps it was better that she thought he had been with another woman.

  But even if she was angry with him, he couldn’t have her wandering off. “Why did you not attend worship or join me in the dining hall?”

  Isabel frowned. First Chetwynd was giving her servant orders; then he was demanding she explain her activities. Isabel’s intention to hide her feelings disappeared in a flash.

  “I do not have to account to you for my behavior, Lord Chetwynd. We are not really married, as you made very clear last night.” Even as she was saying the words, Isabel regretted her impulse. He was her husband, and she did have to account to him.

  “You are mistaken, Lady Isabel.” Her flash of temper made Chetwynd wonder why he had ever thought he would be able to control her. The woman was impossible. “You wanted to come on this journey, and I am in charge. It is my responsibility to keep track of everyone, including you. We are leaving immediately. Make sure you leave your childish behavior behind.”

  His angry speech concluded, Lord Chetwynd strode across the courtyard toward the stables. Isabel watched his receding figure and wished she had something to throw at him. It was not lost upon her that he did not make the argument that she should obey him because she was his wife.

  Later, as they were preparing to leave the monastery, Isabel mounted her horse, and this time she sat astride. Her determined look dared anyone to tell her she should ride otherwise. Since her gown had a wide skirt, and most of her legs were covered, she saw no reason for anyone to object.

  It was almost midday before Isabel calmed down. Marianna stayed close and glanced her way from time to time, waiting for some hint that she wished to talk. Lord Chetwynd, at the head of the caravan as he had been the first day, was out of her sight, but not out of her mind.