Goddess of Legend (Goddess Summoning #7)(22)

"I will end this all. This I promise."

He shook his head. "The heart cannot stop what it wants. You can no more end this than you can trample on your adored peonies."

"I do love you, Arthur," she said, wringing her nightgown.

"And I love you, Gwen. But please do not pretend to want me when you want another. I will protect you with my life. But I will not pretend in our bed. And I cannot abide that you keep up the pretense. 'Tis not fair to me, nor to Lance." He sighed. "I do, indeed, want a bath. But not one we share. Before I arrived here, I made preparations. My bath is being filled across the hall. Where I shall also be sleeping."

"Arthur!"

"You, my darling wife, have made the bed you will now lie in. My only request, nay, demand, is absolute discretion. I cannot protect you if you do not protect yourself."

"And . . . and, what of Lancelot?"

Even his trusted knight's name from her lips was a dagger to his heart. Gwen's infidelity had been nigh to unbearable. But learning with whom she was sharing a bed had nearly killed him. "I brought Lance here, Gwen. I took him under my wing, made him one of my most treasured soldiers. He was as a son to me. His betrayal is as hard to bear."

"You will be banishing him, then?" There was nary a hint of pleading in her eyes, just a sad awareness that this would be the obvious solution, the obvious conclusion.

"Nay."

Her head jerked back in surprise. "I am sorry? Do I hear you correctly?"

"You have heard correctly. I have need of him, for the continued prosperity and safety of Camelot. I cannot yet bring myself to forgive, but I do understand. Do not forget that I was also once where he is. I would have done anything for you."

"It cuts deeply that you speak in the past tense, although I realize that it is my own wrongdoing that has brought this on."

"I make this demand of him as well as you, Guinevere. Complete discretion, for both your sakes. For if you are caught, I can no longer protect either of you. Is this clear?"

She laid a hand on his chest. "This promise I make you, in full faith. We will stop this . . . thing between us. Lancelot loves you as much as I. We, neither of us, would ever want to bring shame or dishonor upon you."

His bark of laughter startled her. "I am afraid, sweet Gwen, that the bailey's gate is wide open and the steeds have long past left the castle."

"I'm sorry?"

"Too late."

Chapter Ten

ISABEL couldn't sleep. The bed was more than comfortable, although she had a feeling PETA would not approve of the fur blanketing it. She'd flopped from one side to the other, from her back to her tummy, but no position seemed to allow her mind to stop whirling and fall into slumber, peaceful or not. Oh, for some sleep meds right about now.

Her door opened silently, only the light from the hallway lanterns slicing across the room alerting her. She sat up, alarmed, but then recognized Mary, the young girl's arms filled with a couple of new logs for the fire.

"Oh, you startled me!"

Mary froze. "Countess, my apologies," she said with a small curtsy. "I thought you would be deeply asleep by this hour."

"The question is, why aren't you?" Isabel asked. "You are way too young to be working such long hours."

As Mary carefully laid the logs on the dying embers and waved to flame the fire, she said, "'Tis my pleasure to serve you, Countess." She stood and turned, an impish smile on her face. "And truth be told, when you have no need of me, I slip in a nap or two during the day. I receive plenty of sleep."

"I'm glad to hear that, but answer me this, Mary. What do you really do for pleasure?"

"M'lady? I'm not sure I understand your question."

"You and your friends. What do you do? Do you play games? Play sports?"

"There's not much time for such things."

"So many chores, so little time, eh?"

"Something like that, yes, mum."

"We'll see about that," Isabel murmured.

"Pardon?"

"Nothing, nothing, Mary." Isabel threw her covers aside and stood. "Listen, I just cannot sleep. Maybe a short walk would do me good. Is there a way to the south gardens without going down and through the great hall?"

"Yes, there be, Countess, but the back staircase is for servants, not for the likes of royalty."

"Tonight, I am a servant, then. Please help me find my long cloak, and show me the way."

MARY led Isabel to the gardens she had shared with Arthur several hours earlier. Luckily, they encountered no one along the way. The castle seemed to be sound asleep.

Isabel thanked Mary profusely and tried to tip her with one of the hundreds of coins she'd discovered in a pouch in one of her trunks. Mary stared at it in horror and backed away. "No, Countess, I cannot. If this be found, I may be accused of theft."

"How, when I will readily tell one and all that it was a gift from me for your excellent service?"

"I am not permitted to accept such gifts."

Wow, tell that to the service personnel on cruise ships. They whistled in the air while holding their palms out at every opportunity. Isabel vowed to herself that she'd find a way to repay Mary for her help and kindness in ways that would not get the girl in trouble.