Redemption Penalties

Chapter Nine

Knowing he was right, Isabella looked down, chastened.

"Remove the shackles." Guy said to one of the guards, who stepped forward and undid her wrist and ankle cuffs.

"Meg has purchased a number of outfits for you which are on board the ship, along with any personal items you might need."

He walked away and gestured for her to follow, the guards trailed after them. They made their way through the castle to the port on the other side where a sailing ship was docked. The crew were readying the ship to set sail.

"I don't want to go," Isabella said softly as she looked out over the sea to where she knew France lay.

"You have no choice."

"This is your fault."

"Perhaps," he conceded since he really didn't want to argue. "But this is the best I can offer you now. You can come back and try to kill me if you want to, or you can take the money that's waiting for you in your cabin and use it to build a new life, with no brothers or husbands to screw it up for you. You are truly free, at last."

Isabella blinked back tears as she realised what that meant, and what it meant losing.

"You'd better get on board if you want to get cleaned up before you sail," he suggested.

Isabella nodded and turned to Guy. So much had passed between them over the years and now that this was probably the last time she would ever see him, she had no idea what she wanted to say.

"Thank you."

It was strange; she had hated him for so long but now that she was losing him, she felt great sorrow. She put her arms around him and hugged him tightly, much as she used to when they were children.

Guy closed his eyes and remembered the days when he and Isabella had been inseparable. That was how he wanted to remember her.

"Take care," he said, kissing the top of her head, then he turned and walked away before he became too emotional. He headed into the castle and watched silently from a window in the dining hall until the ship had sailed out of sight. He was still standing there when Meg came in. He didn't turn to look at her.

"How are you?" she asked.

"I'm fine."

Meg walked up to him and ducked under his arm so it draped around her shoulders, as she wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Has she gone?" she asked.

"They sailed a while ago."

"Then let's go home."

Guy looked down at her and kissed her softly before nodding.

III

Guy was subdued and spoke little on the journey back to Nottingham. Meg knew him well enough by now to leave him be for a while. Guy and Isabella's relationship was a tangled web of emotions at the best of times and since he had just said goodbye to her, probably forever, Meg didn't begrudge him some time to come to terms with things.

By the third day however, she knew that they would be home by nightfall and there was still one thing that Guy was avoiding like the plague. They had privacy to talk in the carriage and he was a captive audience so now seemed as good a time as any.

"You did a good thing," Meg told him.

Guy looked up, so lost in his own thoughts that he needed a second to comprehend her words.

"Did I?"

"Yes!"

"Perhaps if it wasn't for me, I wouldn't have needed to do this good thing and I have simply mended a problem I caused."