Excerpt of The Nun’s Bethrothal
The Nun’s Betrothal
“It is refreshing to see a tale achieve such titillating, erotic heights without resorting to a more unabashed, not to say lurid, style, a sign of the author’s novelistic subtlety…..An engaging love story, historically captivating and romantically gripping.” –Kirkus Reviews
Set in ninth-century France, just before taking her vows, Sister Gilda, along with Lord Justin, King Louis’s counselor, is given a task: investigate grounds for the annulment of a marriage between Count Cedric and Lady Mariel. Together, they discover that Mariel believes she actually married Cedric’s younger half-brother Phillip―Cedric’s surrogate―at the marriage ceremony, and that Cedric plans to marry Lady Emma as soon as the annulment is granted. Emma and Phillip, meanwhile, have declared their love for each other.
Gilda and Justin must find a fair and just solution that will satisfy the principals, the archbishop, and the king―and at the same time deal with the distracting passion developing between the two of them. As they work together to unravel the mysterious circumstances of the count’s marriage, their attraction grows―threatening Gilda’s freedom and Justin’s reputation.
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Gilda didn’t move. “No, nothing happened. You don’t have to worry about my embarrassing you in the future.” Rushing ahead with her words before he moved away, she added, “I just wanted you to know that I intend to curb any desires I might feel.”
Her words made him sigh. Reluctantly sitting down beside her, Justin leaned his head against the wall behind them. “I’m sure you mean well, Gilda. But saying things like that just makes it worse. I realize you have no experience in these matters. I try to be patient, I do. But my patience is wearing thin.”
Gilda grinned. “I thought patience in difficult situations was supposed to be one of your strengths.”
His nod was weary. “Usually that’s true. For some reason, dealing with you seems to be an exception, Gilda.”
“I realize my ignorance in certain areas. I just wanted you to know that. It’s important that we keep our relationship on an impersonal level. Sister Freda is giving me guidance. I plan to do better.”
Startled, Justin turned to search her face. The woman was serious. “You discussed this with Sister Freda?”
Gilda nodded. She’d had the best intentions when she started to speak with him, but for some reason it was hard not to provoke him. Lord Justin took everything so seriously.
“I suppose Sister Freda has a vast knowledge in this area?” he asked.
“As a matter of fact, she does. A long time ago she had a lover. It’s a sad tale, but she shared it with me.”
Justin jumped to his feet, afraid she might give him details of the sad tale. Gilda’s ability to catch him off guard was exhausting. “It’s been a long day. Let’s join the others at supper,” he said.
When they arrived in the great hall, it was crowded, and the meal was already underway. Count Cedric spotted Justin and waved him to a place at the head table. Gilda was about to leave him to join Freda when she noticed the young man seated beside Cedric. She grabbed Justin’s arm before he could leave her side.
“You’re touching me,” he pointed out brusquely.
“Look there, Justin. The man beside Cedric. He’s one of the men who came to Saint Ives looking for Mariel.”
The young man she was nodding toward spotted Gilda. His expression was one of shock when he saw she was speaking to Justin. He leaned over and spoke to Count Cedric.
“You’re right. Is he the same one you saw on the stairs this afternoon?” When Gilda nodded, he added, “I’ll find out who he is and why he was at Saint Ives.”
From her seat beside Freda, Gilda kept her attention on Justin as he spoke with the count. For once she took little notice of the food being passed along the table. It appeared to Gilda that introductions were being made, and then an intense discussion ensued. She could imagine Justin enquiring as to why the young man had been at Saint Ives, and especially why he had disappeared the next morning without an explanation. The young man stood up; then Cedric spoke to him, and he sat down again. Even from a distance, Gilda could tell the young man was upset. A handsome youth, she judged him to be only a few years older than Mariel. His eyes appeared frantic as he looked toward Gilda again.
“You haven’t even touched your food,” Freda whispered. “Why are you staring at the high table?”
“The young man beside Count Cedric. He looks a bit like the count, don’t you think?”
As Gilda asked the question, both she and Freda saw the object of their study point his finger over to Gilda. Both Count Cedric and Justin glanced in her direction and then leaned their heads toward each other. Their intense discussion continued.
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Ida (Louks) Curtis was born in 1935 in New Haven, Connecticut. She grew up and went to school in Newington, Connecticut, where at age 18 she contracted polio. Two years rehabilitation in what was then called Newington Home and Hospital for Crippled Children, led to a return home, two years at St. Joseph’s College in West Hartford, and marriage to Jared. Following his academic career they lived in various places, spending four years at Indiana University, where Ida finished her B.A. degree in history. In 2002, after thirty years in Vancouver, British Columbia, Ida and her husband returned to the U.S. to live in Seattle, Washington. Ida has been writing fiction and memoir since she retired in 1996. A member of Pacific Northwest Writers Association, she won first prize for historical fiction at PNWA’s annual convention in 2009. Her novel, “Song of Isabel,” grew out of that experience. “My Polio Memoir: 1953-2016” was published by Lulu.com in 2016. Visit her web page at www.idacurtis.org.
Category: Contemporary Women Writers, On Writing
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