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ONCE again, Gwen found herself outside of a door, ready to knock It simply baffled her, the sense of hu This day had been trying, fun, enlightening, heartbreaking, and it was not even half over
She heard laughter behind the door and hesitated
"He did not!" she heard a young female voice say "You jest"
"I kid you not And then he attempted a kiss"
That voice she easilya toad down your bodice?"
Gwen seriously doubted the tere discussing Arthur Though he loved a good jest, a toad in a woman&039;s bosom did not sound like his sense of fun
"It was his way of showing affection, I suppose," Isabel said "After all, ere eight at most"
"It sounds to uided"
"You think? I thought it such a loving gesture"
The tohter Gwen almost hated to ruin the mood But more, she had hopes she would be included in the enjoyment
She knocked
As she feared, the laughter ceased instantly
"Come in," Isabel called
Gwen opened the door and stepped through The tere seated on the floor and Isabel was doing a staining thing on Mary&039;s toes Half were painted a rose color
"I am sorry to interrupt," she said
Mary scrahness!"
"Please sit, Mary," Gwen said, "do not let "
Isabel s ays to ht of her vows ceremony"
"May I join you? And please, Mary, resu I am quite curious of this fun"
Isabel sht, Mary?"
Mary glanced nervously between the you would be here We have a wedding to plan And I a this practice"
Mary said, "I will sit when you do, Your Highness"
"Would you like to wager upon which of us iggled, and Isabel laughed, which for soood She had taken time to ponder all that had occurred this day, all that she had needed to face about herself, about all that she had to do to ht
Finally she thumped down onto the floor and waved Mary down
"Please, sit"
"May I get you anything, Your Highness?"
Gwen looked to Isabel "Is it just hness, &039; &039;your Countess,&039; &039;your whatever&039; tend to get old?"
Isabel looked at her, and the sets pretty tedious, indeed," Isabel agreed
"Just Gwen, okay? At least airls I understand the reluctance while others are around, but here, now, it is just Gwen"
Mary appeared horrified "Oh, I could never"
Isabel rolled her eyes at Gwen "It took ive in eventually"
Gwen sry at Isabel How could she be? Arthur had been right Her anger at his infidelity was hypocrisy at its h that after the hurt and anger caood man and deserved a woman worthy of him
Her question to herself had been, would she take back all that had happenedthat she had made happento save the life she lived? The ansas no She could no more take back her love and attraction to Lance as she could reach out and bring down the moon
"I would love soht here," Mary said
"No!" Gwen said, rising again "I shall pour for the two of you And for me, of course"
As she rose, Gitnessed the astonished glances exchanged between the to this i"
"It is si," Isabel said "It makes a woman&039;s toes prettier"
"Where did this co it from Dumont?"
"Actually, no, we had to experiht We colored water with flowers, then we added corn starch to h to adhere"
"Adhere?"
"Stick," Mary said "So that it will dry and remain upon the nails"
Gwen returned and handed Isabel a goblet, and then held out the other to Mary
Mary looked to Isabel who nodded "Just this once and just a little Just because this seeirls&039; day this afternoon"
Mary soblet "I thank you so much, Your - "
"Gwen And as I am your queen, you must needs listen to what I ask I ask that you call iven name As you do Countess Isabel"
Isabel stared at Gho smiled back at her
Oh boy She didn&039;t knoen had learned, but in her gut she was absolutely certain Gwen had learned
"You know," she whispered
Gwen sat down, a goblet in her own hand "I do"
"But how?"
Mary&039;s eyes darted back and forth between them, filled orry "I do not knohat you speak," she said, "but I swear, Isabel, that I have ne&039;er repeated a word of the talks between us to anyone Saveoh, no! James?"
"Settle, Mary &039;Twas Arthur himself who told me," Gwen said "He was, as always, honest to a fault"
Isabel nearly keeled over Arthur admittedshe did not knohat Perhaps that they were merely lovers? That he -
"That he is in love with you, Isabel"
Mary just stared, o check onso"
"Sit," Isabel and Gwen said in unison
Gwen laughed "Betimes honesty is overrated, do you not think so? Today it was not &039;That I needed to be told He understood that, as he seems always able to do"
"I aed to squeak out "I never meantit was neveryour heart? For ain, for the first time intihts?"
It occurred to Isabel that Gwen had just recently insisted on pouring the wine She looked down into her goblet
Gatched with a soblets, downing a good bit of liquid before trading back "No, Isabel, I a you Arthur made it clear that if he sees even a scratch upon your skin, he will make people pay And by people, he means me And by pay, he means with my life As I have no desire to incur his wrath, please trust that I will ne&039;er, e&039;er harm you"
"You will not," Mary said hotly "I will not allow it"
That was a boldin fact "Cal, is that not right, Gwen?"
"That is right However, I would veryafore we get to the specifics of the ht and would veryhilances Finally Mary said, "Then, Your Highness, I suggest you remove your slippers"
"If you are to paint my toes, Mary, I insist you call me Gwen"
"As I have also insisted to Isabel,others Please do not insist so when the three of us are not alone"
Gwen shot a questioning glance at Isabel
"Her friends, if you can actually call the her out of jealousy"
"Jealousy?"
"They believe she issoldier in Arthur&039;s arh Mary has never lorded it over them, they are still envious"
Mary took a sip of wine "Soned to look after the countess"
"Like that&039;s been a real plumb job, eh, Mary?" Isabel teased
"That is horrid!" Gwen said "Oh, Mary, is there naught that I can do?"
"I believe we can shove that envy down their throats by throwing Mary and Ja of vows"
"And that ill do Allow them to choke on their jealousy"
Isabel raised her brows at Gwen
"Hey!" Gwen said, holding her goblet in the air "Have I poisoned you as yet?"
"Good point," Isabel said, toasting and taking another sip of her wine
BY the ti their toenails, they had had interruptions from Jenny, James, Tom and Hester the Jester Why Hester felt the need to interrupt, Isabel had no idea They were all giggling, lying on their backs, flailing their legs in the air, trying to dry this homemade concoction
When there was yet another knock, Isabel had just about had it "What?" she yelled "Good gods, it&039;s like Grand Central Station around here"
"May I enter?"
The three looked at one another, obviously recognizing the voice They all sat up and rearranged their skirts
"Isabel, I need to see you, to talk to you," Arthur said "Please allow me entrance"
"Come on in, Arthur," she said "It is unlocked"
He opened the door and then nearly gaped as he took in at the sight of them all on the floor
"I am sorry," he said "I did not ht be I believe I do not even want to knohat this ht be"
"Girly stuff," Isabel said "We have been planning Mary&039;s wedding"
He looked as uncomfortable as a perfectly fat and healthy chicken inside a KFC
Gwen stood up, a little wobbly, perhaps "Mary and I were about to take a walk to finish drying our toes, e not, Mary?"
She held out her arrabbed hold "I believe ere, Your Highness"
Mary perfor"
"Oh, please, cut it out, Mary," he said "We are friends Stop the groveling"
She nodded "I apologize, King Arthur"
Arthur actually growled, but he held open the door as both Mary and Gwen ducked under his arm and, from the sound of it, ran down the hall And then he nearly sla, Isabel?"
"Mary and I were having a girlie moment, and Gwen asked to join Why do you look so upset? Nothing wrong happened here We were having fun"
"Gwen knows of us"
"And guess what, I know of that She told me"
"She did?"
"Indeed In fact, she was very accepting of the situation So why are you upset?"
"I fearedwell, was concerned "
"Hey, I&039; kind You must know that You would not have married a woman whose heart you believed to be cruel You never would"
"I would hope not But with you I cannot begin to take the chance"
"I love you, Arthur"
"And I, you, Isabel"
"Leg up?" Isabel asked, holding out her ar please help ht her up to him, he wrapped an arm around her and lifted her
Still inches froround, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him
"Oh, Isabel," he saidbreath, I will ne&039;er stop desiring your touch and your kisses" He lowered her slohich was his intent, as she slid down the front of his body in the most sensual way
"Why did you, Arthur?"
"Why did I what?"
"Why did you tell Gwen?"
He brushed hair from her cheek "She deserved the truth"
"You could have said nothing"
"That ht have been an option But what does that say about me, Isabel? Would you have me hide my love for you?"
She butted his chest with her head "If this gets out, she and Lance could be in trouble, as all of the truth will get out Don&039;t you think that James would spill the truth because of his loyalty to you? There is no way he would allow you to take the blame"
"He will if I command so"
"And will you? Will you, for lack of a better term, fall on the sword?"