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I sabella awoke to her sister’s coughing just after dawn. The deep rasp of it washed away every shred of the delicious languor her dream had inspired. A dream of Martin and his wicked tongue. Had the events of last night been real, or had they been a dream as well?

Adelaide coughed again, and Isabella sprang out of bed and poured her a cup of water. Propping herself up, her sister took a sip. Isabella pressed a hand to Adelaide’s forehead, and her heart sank. It was still hot.

After finishing the water, Adelaide set the cup aside. “Where did you sneak off to last night?” Her shredded voice made Isabella wince.

“Don’t strain yourself by speaking, love,” Isabella brushed a strand of sweat-dampened hair from her sister’s face.

“Where?” Adelaide demanded, struggling to sit up straight. “Please tell me it wasn’t to Lord James.”

The very idea sent a sickening chill down Isabella’s spine. “ Shh . Sweetling, I needed a word with Martin, if you must know.”

Adelaide relaxed and managed a wan smile. “Good,” she croaked.

“We hatched a plan to escape.” Isabella explained what they were going to do. “Are you strong enough to travel? We’re aiming to get you out of here by nightfall, and by noon tomorrow, we should all be on our way to Winchelsea.”

“I’ll be fine,” Adelaide whispered, placing her hand on Isabella’s.

It never ceased to amaze Isabella how strong her sister was despite the frailty of her body. Somehow, she’d survived years alone in their parents’ household unscathed, and her bravery here and now, when everything hung in the balance, made Isabella’s heart swell with love and pride.

“I swear to you, this nightmare will soon be over, and I’ll get you the best care in Christendom.

We’ll be a proper family together, and live long, happy lives.

” Before Martin, she’d never let herself believe in the possibility of such a fairytale ending, but the wicked, silver-tongued baron from Winchelsea had changed everything.

A silver tongue… Forty lashes…

Shaking herself, Isabella forced her mind back to the present. There was too much to do to start daydreaming about the unspeakable things her husband had done in the night.

Adelaide started coughing again as she tried to reply.

“Don’t speak. Just rest. You’ll need your strength for the journey.” Isabella handed her the cup of water again.

Adelaide nodded and settled back down in the bed after taking a sip of water. Isabella hated to move her under such circumstances, but they had to escape. There was no choice. She was relieved to see Adelaide close her eyes and drift off to sleep once again.

With brisk efficiency, Isabella began preparing for the day.

She put on a woad-blue wool gown with delicate white embroidered trim and bell sleeves that dripped to her knees.

It was one of her favorite dresses—practical, but fine enough for a future countess.

And that was the part she must play today.

Lord James couldn’t suspect that she and Martin had been conspiring, or he would never let Adelaide go.

To all outward appearances, she needed to have surrendered.

There was a knock on the door, and a servant handed her a scroll, saying it was from Lord Martin. Good. Things are proceeding as planned.

Now, she had to prepare for her performance. Lord James needed to think that the contents of the letter had driven her to tears. It didn’t take much. One look at Adelaide, lying feverish in bed, her breathing ragged as she dozed, and the tears began to flow.

She’d failed her sister so many times and in so many ways.

How could she ever deserve happiness if she couldn’t even defend her little sister from harm?

Years of guilt made the tears fall fast and hot.

She should have found a way to get Adelaide away from her parents sooner.

And now, she’d put Adelaide in danger again, all because of her own wrongheadedness.

If only she had trusted Martin instead of speaking to Lord James, they wouldn’t be in this terrible mess.

Isabella rubbed her eyes to make them look as red and raw as she felt. The only way to make her mistakes right was to convince Lord James to let them go. If she failed, then she deserved whatever befell her. But she would not fail Adelaide or Martin. She couldn’t. They were too precious to her.

Standing and sniffing, she picked up the scroll written in Eleanor’s hand and hurried down to the great hall before she could lose her nerve.

She found Lord James at the high table, eating a hunk of bread and washing it down with ale.

His eyes sparked with lascivious intent upon seeing her until he took in her red, teary face.

“Good morrow, my lord,” she said with a curtsy.

“Good morrow to you too, my lady,” he answered, studying her coldly. “Come sit next to me. We have things to discuss. The tribunal will convene before the week is out to hear your case. I sent riders out to gather them here yesterday. We’ll wed before Easter.”

She squeezed her eyes shut, and an unfeigned tear dripped down her cheek. Thank God he couldn’t see inside her heart and know how deeply it pained her that she had ever contemplated marrying him.

“Compose yourself, woman,” he grumbled. “Need I remind you that this was all your idea in the first place?”

“My distress has nothing to do with you, my lord. I’m upset about this letter from Lady Eleanor.” She held up the scroll, praying that this ruse would work.

“Give it to me now.” He yanked it from her and read, his expression growing more thunderous by the moment as he took in its message. “Where did this come from?” he growled.

“Lord Martin had it. He had a servant bring it to me this morning. He hid this from me until this morning, no doubt trying to worm his way into my affections. But now he intends to carry out Lady Eleanor’s orders and take my sister from me.

Please stop him. If you have any kindness in your heart, please let Adelaide stay with me. ”

She prayed she was right, that the harder she begged to keep Adelaide, the more inclined he would be to send her off.

“If he thinks he’ll escape staying for the annulment tribunal—”

“He’s proposing to have his men take her today while he stays here.

I’m terrified of what might happen to her on the voyage.

She’s so ill already. But I hardly dare to defy Lady Eleanor.

She doesn’t take it kindly when someone crosses her.

If I don’t send Adelaide, I don’t know what she’ll do to us. ”

She was laying it on thick. Would he see through her ruse?

“I have no desire to anger Her Grace,” he said, studying the letter. “Adelaide leaves today, but not with Lord Martin or his men. I’ll send her myself with my own trusted men and a healer to see to it that she survives the journey.”

Oh no! That would never do. If Adelaide went with Lord James’s men, the plan unraveled completely.

“But she can’t,” Isabella said, attempting to improvise as quickly as she could manage.

She lowered her voice to a murmur only Lord James could hear.

“Lord Martin is carrying secret messages to Her Grace regarding King Stephen’s allies, their strength at arms, and where they are mustering.

If his men don’t come bearing those messages along with my sister, the duke and duchess will both be furious. ”

Lord James shrugged. “Then I’ll make him hand over the messages to me.”

“He and his men would die before telling you where to find them.”

“I have ways of making men talk,” he grumbled. “Have no fear. I’ll soon possess all of their secrets.”

This wasn’t going at all how she had hoped. “But you won’t possess them in time. The letters are in a hidden compartment on the ship. Only Lord Martin knows how to find it and open it, and he’ll never give you what you want.”

“That pathetic wretch? I’ll have him singing my tune before the midday meal.

Hezekiah,” he bellowed, and one of his men hurried over.

“Prepare Lady Adelaide to depart on The Falcon for Normandy before the day is out. Find a healer to accompany her. And get Lord Martin out of bed and dressed. We’re all going to take a little trip down to the docks. Prepare the carriage.”

He turned to Isabella as Hezekiah rushed off. “Go say your goodbyes to your sister. We leave for the docks within the hour.”

Isabella hurried back to her room to make sure all of Adelaide’s things got packed. Fortunately, she arrived before any of Lord James’s servants.

Adelaide blinked her eyes open as the door closed behind Isabella. “What is it? What’s gone wrong?”

Isabella wished she could shield her sister from everything that was happening, but under the circumstances, it wasn’t possible.

She was going to have to trust in her sister’s inner strength.

“Lord James is going to try to send you to Normandy on his own ship with his own men. I made up a story about secret documents on The Wind Song that Lady Eleanor required and that only Martin could find. He’s going to bring all three of us to the dock.

At least it gets us out of the castle, but I have no idea how we’ll escape from there. ”

“I’m sure you and Lord Martin will find a way,” Adelaide croaked. “I’ll help any way I can.”

Rummaging through Adelaide’s chest, Isabella pulled out a thick wool gown to keep her sister warm despite the wintry weather.

“Let’s get you dressed and packed. We need to get you out of here, no matter what.

I can’t let him use your health as leverage over me ever again.

If anything bad happens to you because of that coxcomb, I’ll strangle him myself. ”

There was a knock at the door. “Come in,” Isabella called out.

A young woman dressed in servant’s clothes entered along with an older woman with snowy hair who Isabella recognized as the healer. “I’ll just get Lady Adelaide packed up while you examine her,” said the servant.

“I don’t like that they are moving you,” said the healer, as she took Adelaide’s pulse.

“Your humors are still badly out of balance. I should bleed you, but I fear it would weaken you too much for the journey ahead. My apprentice, Lizbeth, will accompany you on your journey. She will meet you at the docks. The earl has arranged everything. Drink this,” she said, handing Adelaide a flask of some pungent concoction of herbs and spirits. The scent of it filled the room.

Adelaide choked and sputtered as she drank it down.

“You’re all packed, my lady,” said the servant, closing Adelaide’s trunk with a thunk. “The carriage is waiting below. Can you walk, Lady Adelaide, or do you need someone to carry you?”

Adelaide slowly, agonizingly, pushed herself to standing, letting Isabella wrap an arm around her to steady her. “I think I can make it to the carriage with my sister’s help.”

Together, their small party made their way down the stairs and out to the courtyard where an enormous carriage that looked like a house on wheels stood.

Isabella helped Adelaide climb in and settle on a leather-covered seat while the servant lashed her trunk to the back.

Moments after they settled on the bench, Martin came hobbling in with a cane to help him walk.

As soon as Martin was seated, Isabella whispered, “He’s going to try to send Adelaide away on his own ship instead of with yours.

I told him there was a box of secret messages aboard The Wind Song that Lady Eleanor is expecting and that only you knew where to find.

We have to find a way to make contact with your men and enlist their assistance to help us escape. ”

“I will—” Martin closed his lips abruptly as Lord James peered into the carriage.

“The healer will travel with you to the docks to keep an eye on Adelaide,” Lord James announced, making way for the flustered-looking older woman.

With the healer there, they wouldn’t be able to talk freely. At least Isabella had been able to explain her deception to Martin in time.

“How is your foot, Lord Martin?” the healer asked, taking a seat beside him. “I hope you’re staying off it.”

“I couldn’t step on it if I tried, good woman,” he said with a grimace. Clearly, he had tried and failed. Poor Martin! They all had to get away from this place before anything worse happened.

They rode in silence to the dock, as Isabella racked her brain for some plan for how to get them away from Lord James. From Martin’s furrowed brow, she could tell he was doing the same. Adelaide slumped against her as the carriage thumped and bumped over the stone-paved road.

As the carriage door opened, the cacophony and smells of the dock washed over them. All Isabella could do was pray that they found a way to end this nightmare before her sister was torn away.