Chapter Twenty-Two #2
That seemed to give her the strength to continue.
“You are a strong man, Douglas,” she said.
“I know you are the fifth son of the Earl of Hereford, but surely you are the strongest son. You are wise beyond your years, but more than that, you are a man of noble character. I admire that about you greatly.”
“Thank you, my lady.”
Isabel’s eyes closed for a moment before reopening. When she spoke again, her voice was weaker. “Eric,” she said. “He died trying to save me.”
“I know.”
“His family is in the north, but he is not close to any of them,” she said. “Will you make sure he is buried near me?”
“I thought you would want him buried with you.”
She nodded her head slightly. “He is not my husband, so that may be frowned upon,” she said. “But if you can bury him within sight of me, I would be grateful. So would he. He was a good man, Douglas. I hope you came to realize that.”
Douglas nodded. “I did, my lady,” he said. “He has my respect.”
Isabel smiled faintly. “He would have liked to have heard that,” she said. “He was a great knight, once, but his wounding in battle… He was never the same. Men called him a coward for it, but he was not.”
“I know.”
Isabel took another breath, her smile fading. “I will be buried at St. Mary’s in the village,” she said. “That is where my brother and my mother and father are buried.”
“It will be done, my lady.”
Before Isabel could continue, there was a knock on the door. Douglas opened it to see Mira standing there, tears in her eyes that she quickly wiped away when he saw her. Reaching out, he took her hand and gently pulled her into the chamber, directing her sit on the stool that he’d been seated on.
Isabel smiled at her.
“Mira,” she murmured. “The daughter I never had. How I will miss you.”
Mira was trying desperately not to weep. Seeing Isabel fall off the wall had been bad enough, but to hear that she hadn’t died right away and was suffering was worse than Mira could have possibly imagined. Isabel meant so much to her and she was trying very hard to be brave in this last meeting.
These last few precious moments.
“And I will miss you, my lady,” she whispered tightly. “Are you in any pain? May I help you with anything?”
Isabel’s gaze was soft on her, probably the softest it had ever been. “What have you been told about my condition, Mira?”
Mira swallowed hard. “That you were badly injured.”
“I am dying, lass.”
So much for being brave. Mira’s face crumpled and she lowered her gaze, looking at her lap and sobbing softly. Douglas put his hand on her shoulder, rubbing gently, trying to give her some comfort.
Isabel was watching the both of them.
“I am glad you have come, Mira, because I have something to say to both of you,” she said. “I must have your permission.”
Mira’s head came up. “Permission for what?” she asked, puzzled.
Isabel didn’t answer for a moment. She was growing progressively weaker and was struggling to remain conscious.
“I have told Douglas that I was lying here, thinking,” she finally said. “My greatest regret is not marrying and having children. I hoped to, someday, but with Eric… I was cruel to the man. I should have married him. Now that my time is limited, I would like to ask your permission to marry, Mira.”
Mira wiped the tears on her cheeks, bewildered by the request. “Marry?” she said. “Why do you need my permission?”
“Because I want to marry Douglas.”
Mira’s eyes opened wide with shock and she looked at Douglas, who had the same startled expression.
“My lady?” he said, perplexed. “What do you mean?”
Isabel’s gaze moved to him. “Listen to me, Douglas,” she said.
“I have no children. No one to carry on the Axminster title. No one to leave anything to. I want to marry you, and through me, you shall obtain the Axminster title. Once I am gone, you are free to marry Mira and she shall become the new Countess of Axminster. She will carry on my work here with the young wards. She will train them well. And you… you will be the greatest earl Axminster has yet to see. A de Lohr at the helm of our ancient title. I can die peacefully knowing Axminster shall survive… through the two of you. Will you grant me this honor, Douglas?”
Mira was nearly beside herself with shock, but that wasn’t half of what Douglas was feeling. He looked at Isabel, his jaw hanging open.
“I… I cannot,” he finally said.
“Why not?”
He looked at Mira, seeing her confusion, before looking to Isabel again. “Because men will think I am an opportunist,” he said. “Marrying you for your title on your deathbed. They will believe I’ve stolen Axminster from you.”
“Not if it is my wish,” Isabel insisted. “Mira, find the physic. Bring him here right away. And grab any servant you can find. Send them to me. Hurry!”
Mira stumbled up from the stool and fled the chamber, leaving Douglas standing there, torn as he’d never been torn in his life.
“Do you truly think to do this to me?” he hissed. “I cannot do it!”
“Douglas,” Isabel said in a voice that sounded more like herself.
“Look at me—I am dying. I want to know that Axminster shall go on after my death. I want to know that the young ladies known as Axminster’s Angels will continue through Mira.
And I want to know that the next Earl of Axminster is a worthy man.
You deserve this. You have been a good friend and advisor. I want to do this. Please.”
“I will not.”
“You promised me that you would do anything I asked. Will you now refuse to honor your word?”
He looked at her as if he wanted to wring her neck because they both knew, as an honorable knight, he was bound to follow through. Still, he protested.
“I promised you I would do anything you asked before you asked me this… this terrible thing,” he said. “You knew you were going to do this all along.”
“I did.”
“You knew I could not refuse you!”
“I knew.”
Douglas was so angry that he had to turn away from her. He was ready to kick her bed and yell at her, but he couldn’t bring himself do to that to a dying woman. Even if she had manipulated him. He struggled to calm himself before turning to her once more.
“I appreciate that you want to know Axminster will continue in good hands,” he said. “I am honored that you would entrust it to me. But can you not see the burden you are placing on me by asking this?”
Isabel had started to open her mouth when Jonathan suddenly appeared. He looked between Isabel and Douglas.
“What is amiss?” he asked, moving toward Douglas. “Mira told me to come here right away.”
Douglas sighed heavily and gestured toward Isabel, who turned her attention to Jonathan.
“I want to marry Douglas and pass the Axminster title to him, and he is refusing,” she said. “What kind of man refuses someone on their deathbed? He promised he would do as I asked and now he is trying to go back on his word.”
Jonathan’s eyes bugged. “What’s this?” he said, shocked. “You… you want to marry Douglas?”
“I have no heirs,” Isabel said. “I want to die with the peace of knowing Axminster will continue with Douglas as the earl. The only way to do that is to marry him, but he seems to think that men will believe him an opportunist for this, so I will tell you, Jonathan, that I make this request with a clear mind. I make it selfishly, because I do not want Axminster reverting to the Crown. I want Axminster’s legacy to continue, from de Kerrington to de Lohr, where I know life at Axminster shall go on as usual.
You are my witness, Jonathan. Douglas has not asked for it.
He does not want it. But I want him to have it.
When I am gone, he may marry Mira and Axminster shall become theirs, remaining strong for years to come. ”
Jonathan understood a little more now. As he pondered the situation, Mira returned with the physic. Two servants wandered in after them, wide-eyed, going to stand in the corner. There were six people in the room as Isabel coughed again, struggling more to breathe as the moments ticked away.
As her life ticked away.
Time was of the essence.
“Jonathan,” she said, weaker now. “Tell them what I told you.”
Jonathan did. He explained Isabel’s wish without mentioning Douglas’ reluctance.
When he was finished, no one seemed particularly moved or surprised except for Mira.
Hearing it again, as explained to her by Jonathan, made her realize she’d heard it correctly the first time.
But it also made her realize why Isabel had made the request—not on a whim, not foolishly, and not because she was in love with Douglas.
She did it selfishly, as she had said. Much as she had negotiated a betrothal with Jerome to save Axminster, she was trying to force Douglas into a marriage for exactly the same reason.
She wanted to save her home.
As Douglas stood in the corner and fumed, Mira knelt down beside Isabel.
“Is this truly what you want, my lady?” she asked, putting a gentle hand on Isabel’s forehead. “Of course we want to carry out your wishes, but this… this is something quite serious. Are you certain this is what you want?”
Isabel looked up at Mira. “Of course it is,” she said softly. “You should have been my daughter, Mira. It is only right that you succeed me as the Countess of Axminster. How proud I am of you already. I know that you shall do great and wonderful things.”
Tears formed in Mira’s eyes. “Because of what you have taught me,” she murmured.
“You saved my life, my lady. You taught me everything I know, of course, but when my mother rejected me, you took me back to Axminster with open arms. You sheltered me and fed me and treated me as if… as if I was wanted. I can never thank you enough for that.”
“Your mother does not deserve you,” Isabel muttered. “Promise me that when I am gone and you are the countess, you will send your mother a missive announcing this so she will know the value I placed on her daughter. Her daughter, whom I love.”