Page 38

M artin’s heart overflowed with pride as the outline of Saint Mary’s Abbey appeared on the horizon, marking the entrance to the harbor.

He rested his knee on a strategically placed barrel and leaned on the railing for support, as his foot was still healing.

Isabella stood beside him, holding his hand, his partner and equal in all things.

The sun was shining, and a brisk breeze blew that was invigorating rather than icy. It was good to be back in the south.

“Are you ready to see your new home, love?”

She squeezed his hand. “With you, I have to be ready for anything.”

“I could say the same of you.”

“Me?” She placed her free hand on her chest. “What have I ever done?” As she batted her eyelashes, her teasing gaze belied her protestation of innocence.

“You’re lucky I love you so very much.” He kissed her on the cheek. “And it’s a good thing you made amends with the crew. After what you put them through on the way to Yarmouth, I wasn’t sure you could win them back.”

“Nonsense. No one can resist me when I’m determined to win them over.”

It was true. She was a force of nature. “Then it’s a good thing I won you over.”

Her smile made his heart swell with joy. “A very good thing indeed.” She squeezed his hand, and he reveled in the warmth and awareness that crackled between them whenever they touched.

Though they had spent the better part of their days on the journey from Yarmouth in bed, exploring each other at length, he still craved more.

He quite looked forward to the delights of a featherbed and a bedchamber where she could make as much noise as she wished without being heard through the thick stone walls.

“I should go get my sister. She’s been looking forward to seeing her new home.” Isabella pecked him on the cheek and left his side.

He sighed as he watched her walk away, hips swinging in a mesmerizing rhythm.

Ulf broke away from the group of sailors he was speaking to and came over. “You are quite besotted, my lord, if you don’t mind my saying so.”

Martin laughed. “I have been from the first day we met. She’s magnificent, isn’t she?”

Chuckling, Ulf shook his head. “You never could resist a challenge. Are you ready to introduce her to the family?”

“I can hardly wait. Mama and Eglantine will love her.” Isabella was very much from the same mold—strong, intelligent, and full of an unquenchable inner fire. He very much looked forward to seeing the three of them get acquainted.

“What about Lance? Are you worried about him?”

“Not a bit.” Not since Yarmouth, at any rate. Isabella was his, heart and soul. He had no fear that his tall and handsome brother might draw her eye. “If anything, I look forward to making him jealous.”

Ulf guffawed at that. “Don’t rub it in too much. I know you two have never gotten along, but he looks up to you, believe it or not. You set an example that he has difficulty living up to. And you were always your father’s favorite.”

It wasn’t the first time Ulf had said such things. And Martin couldn’t deny that bringing Isabella home put an end to any hopes Lance might have had of someday becoming baron.

“I promise to keep my gloating to a minimum.” At least, his outward gloating. Inside, he was doing a victory dance.

Isabella reappeared through the hatch with Adelaide by her side.

“I’ll leave you be,” Ulf said with a wink. “Don’t worry about a thing. I’ll take care of bringing us into port.”

His wife and his sister-in-law joined him at the railing as they passed the abbey, the entrance to Rye Harbor. He wrapped an arm around Isabella’s waist, enjoying the way she melted against him. The two of them were a perfect fit. “You arrived just in time to get your first view of Winchelsea.”

He pointed across the water to the familiar silhouette of the church and the castle. The port teemed with ships of all shapes and sizes.

“It’s bigger than I thought,” Isabella said, shielding her eyes from the sun.

He grinned and murmured in her ear, “That’s what every man wants to hear.” Then he nipped at her earlobe. He couldn’t help himself.

She elbowed him in the side. “You’re incorrigible.”

“You bring it out in me. Every time you’re near, my thoughts turn wicked.”

“Well, try to drag your mind out of the bedchamber for a bit. I’m nervous enough about meeting your family without you distracting me with your nonsense.”

“You? Nervous? I don’t believe it for a moment.” Her poise was unbreakable.

“What are you two whispering about?” Adelaide asked, interrupting their little tête-à-tête .

“Your sister was just telling me she’s nervous about meeting my family.”

Adelaide raised her eyebrows. “Isabella? Nervous? She faces every challenge like an army general.”

“You see, my love? You can’t convince either of us.”

Isabella folded her arms. “Just because I don’t show it doesn’t mean I don’t feel it.”

There was a moment of vulnerability in her expression that made him wrap his arm around her and kiss her forehead. “They will adore you. I know they will.”

“I can’t wait to meet them,” said Adelaide, looking out over the water as they made their approach. “Did your sister Eglantine really win an archery competition against your men when she was my age?”

It was nothing short of a miracle what a change the last week had wrought on Adelaide.

Her color was back. She hardly coughed. The young lady looked healthier than he’d ever seen her.

And she seemed delighted by every outlandish tale he’d told about Eglantine.

He looked forward to seeing the two of them together.

“She did indeed. She’s an expert falconer as well. I’m certain she’ll introduce you to her goshawk, Horus, before the day is out. I swear she spends more time with that bird than with her own family. She even lets him sleep in her room, much to Mother’s annoyance.”

Adelaide’s eyes widened. “Heavens! I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

“It’s true! But you’ll see for yourself soon enough.”

As the ship made its final approach to the dock, the familiar sights and sounds of his hometown washed over him as he saw them fresh through Isabella’s and Adelaide’s eyes.

The port bustled with endless commotion.

It was the heart and soul of the town, a center of commerce and raucous activity.

The stench of fish and sea salt mixed with the enticing smells of meat roasting and bread baking at local taverns and inns.

All paths led to Castle Street, the main thoroughfare leading up to his home.

He was deeply proud of Winchelsea, and he hoped Isabella and her sister would come to love it as much as he did.

Horses awaited them when they disembarked, along with several carts for transporting their belongings up to Winchelsea Castle.

He was glad they wouldn’t be cooped up in a carriage.

He wanted to show Isabella and her sister all the town had to offer as they progressed up the street.

It would also provide him with an opportunity to show off his new wife, now Baroness of Winchelsea, so that the people could get their first view of her.

In fact, quite a crowd gathered around their ship as they disembarked. He paused on the gangplank, leaning on a wooden crutch with Isabella beside him, and waved to the onlookers.

“Welcome back, my lord,” one of them called out. “What happened to your leg?”

“It’s a long and thrilling tale, and I promise to come down to the docks and tell it. But at present, I must convey my wife and her sister up to the castle. May I present Lady Isabella, Baroness of Winchelsea, and her sister, Lady Adelaide?”

The two ladies in question waved and smiled as applause, huzzahs, and whistles sounded all around them.

“Welcome to Winchelsea, my ladies,” someone shouted above the din.

“I promise you will all have plenty of time to get to know them in the days to come, but at present, we must go to the castle to greet my mother. If you will all excuse us.”

With many calls of congratulations and felicitations, they mounted their horses and started up the cobblestones of Castle Street.

They made something of a parade as they rode toward the castle at a leisurely pace.

The crowd from the dock followed them, and people came out of their stone and half-timbered shops, inns, taverns, and houses to gawk at the new lady of Winchelsea.

He had intended to point things out along the way, but they were too busy smiling and waving for him to give a guided tour.

That would have to wait for another day.

As they rode through the castle gates, the boisterous crowd fell away. “That was quite a greeting you just received. The people of Winchelsea seem very excited to meet their new lady,” he told them.

Isabella smiled as she dismounted. “It’s heartening to see how beloved you are by your people. They wouldn’t be half as excited about me if they didn’t think the world of you.”

He handed a stable boy his crutch, then dismounted gingerly, being careful not to put any weight on his injured foot.

His brother Lance came striding out into the courtyard just as he found his footing, looking as tall, dark, and handsome as ever. “What in heaven’s name happened to you? No, don’t tell me. On your wedding night, your wife fended you off with a hot poker.”

Martin couldn’t help but laugh at how close that was to the truth.

And for once, Lance’s jibe didn’t bother him.

With Isabella by his side, his brother’s jests slid off him as if he was wearing invisible armor.

“I had a run-in with the Earl of Norfolk, if you must know. It’s a long and tangled tale.

Let’s go inside, and I’ll tell you all about it. ”

“Aren’t you going to make introductions first? Who is this vision in green? Don’t tell me she’s your wife. She’s far too pretty for you.” Lance bowed over Isabella’s hand, raising it to his lips.