The maid was sniffing back her tears as she plaited Katherine's hair and coiled it around her head. Men were such animals. First Vasey getting hold of the key to Katherine's room … God knows what he'd done to her; then Gisborne had been seen leaving Katherine's room not fully dressed and now the poor lady was being forced to marry Gifford. The maid couldn't stop from grimacing. Who would choose to be a fine lady for all her silks and jewels?
The maid finished dressing Katherine's hair and went to get the necklace. It was a heavy, ugly thing. She stood in front of Katherine but the poor woman didn't appear to see her. The maid coughed lightly and Katherine finally looked at her and lowered her head wordlessly to allow the girl to put on the heavy chain. As she raised her head again there was a knock on the door and in walked Gisborne.
‘It is time?’ Katherine said in a soft voice, ‘I had thought I had a little more time.’
‘No,’ he said abruptly, ‘it's time.’
Katherine arose, smoothed her dress and made to move. To Guy, she did not look as if she was fully awake and he could not help notice how pale she was and how her eyes had dark smudges of tiredness beneath them. The jewels in the hideous necklace looked like globules of blood around her neck.
But she seemed in control of herself, he was thankful for that at least.
Katherine turned back to the maid, ‘You have been very kind, very gentle. Please take this with my thanks.’
She dropped a delicate necklace into the surprised girl's hand.
‘Oh my lady, thank you, thank you,’ she said, her eyes blazing with delight.
Katherine seemed unsure of what to do next.
‘Come,’ Guy said and took her by the arm. She walked beside him and they went out past the guards.
Soulsby grimaced as they walked by. ‘Poor s*d, ‘he thought,’ that's typical of Vasey's humour, making Gisborne collect her. No wonder he's come early, get it over with I suppose.’
Now they were at the top of the flight of steps.
‘Concentrate on the steps, ‘Katherine thought, ‘That is all you must do. Just keep walking to the Chapel, just say the words, just do whatever he wants. You can survive this. You may live to see better times. Just keep walking.’
Near the bottom of the flight of steps she stumbled and Guy put out his other arm to steady her, and then withdrew it again.
She cast a glance at him. He was not the kind man of yesterday, he looked stern and distant. She knew having to take her to the Chapel himself must be torture for him; a further twist of the knife. Still, in the end, he would do whatever Vasey had ordered him to do.
I should have told him how many things about him I liked. And that I had begun to see he could be a better man than he had been allowed to be. What is the use now though? It would only cause him more pain.
She tried once more to concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other.
They had arrived in the passageway leading to the Chapel and she knew Guy must have felt the way her hand was trembling against his arm. He would not look at her though, and he was not talking. They simply kept walking.
When they reached the Chapel door and Katherine stopped, Guy did not. He kept on moving, gently leading her. She turned her head to look at him.
‘You have to do something outside first,’ he said, gruffly and started to lead her in the direction of the main door.
