"Do you really think that Lady Ashlynn is up to handling such a large group right now?" 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Marcel stilled at Isabell’s question, and the entire room collectively held their breath. People like Samira and Diarmuid knew just how ragged Ashlynn was after the events of this morning, on top of the past few days, and even those who had just arrived had seen just how hard Sir Ollie’s near-death experience had hit her.

If she were any normal lady, no one would have been surprised if she retired early for the evening, or even if she took the next several days to rest and recover with Sir Ollie... But Ashlynn was no ordinary lady, and she didn’t have the luxury of time.

"There’s a reason Lady Ashlynn asked me to do what is necessary," Marcel countered, his tone remaining light but his eyes growing more serious. "She knows that some things need doing, whether the time is ripe or not. If the Dunns are willing to play their roles, her plans have a much greater chance of succeeding, but we need to bring them into those plans before I leave."

"She knows this," Marcel said. "Just like she knew that the day she gained by sending Ollie and Liam to secure this alliance was more valuable to her than the chance of obtaining a better outcome from them by going herself. Now it’s the same. She’s the only one who can help Ollie, but she needs us to pull together the rest of the threads for her, or nothing will be ready in time."

"Fine," Isabell said, taking a moment to retreat in order to advance. "You can bring the baron and his knights over, along with the rest of their court, but if Lady Ashlynn isn’t recovered enough from healing Ollie to meet with them, then I’ll speak on her behalf," Isabell said, meeting the youthful-looking vampire’s eyes with a steely gaze.

"Of course," Marcel said with a wide smile, as Isabell hadn’t asked for anything difficult. "But if I know Lady Ashlynn, she’ll push herself through the meeting and sleep the day away once we’re on the river. But if it puts your mind at ease, then I have no objections to you appointing yourself as her proxy," he said, waving his hand in a gesture that implied it wasn’t anything important.

"Good," Isabell said sternly. "Then, as her proxy, I’m forbidding you from bringing Lady Cerys here. Ashlynn can discuss her plans with the Baron and his knights without dragging a poor, injured woman before her to be judged.

"Just like Ashlynn told Ollie," the engineer continued firmly. "Some things can wait, and dealing with her is one of them. Whether she deals with the woman now or tomorrow won’t change much, and it will save an injured woman a trip across the river and back in the dark of night. Ashlynn would have that much compassion, even for someone who betrayed their lord to flee from this alliance."

"No," Marcel said flatly, losing all of his remaining playfulness as he focused fully on Isabell. "Other things, you may represent Lady Ashlynn in, but not this," he insisted before turning to the young lord he still had one arm draped around. "Liam, how bad are Lady Cerys’ injuries right now? Did Sir Ollie heal her completely, or is she still hurt?"

"Sir Ollie was able to heal the life-threatening wounds," Liam said carefully as his eyes flicked between the silver-eyed witch and the youthful vampire. "Her arm is still broken and will be in a brace for some time, as will her ankle."

"Do you... Do you mean that Lady Ashlynn will want to finish the healing that Sir Ollie couldn’t?" Eira asked hesitantly. Lady Ashlynn appeared so kind when she cared for Sir Ollie. If Marcel wanted to bring Lady Cerys here to be healed, surely that would satisfy Isabell’s concerns, wouldn’t it?

But when she looked at the vampire’s smile with the light from the hearths casting shadows that made his fangs look even longer than they really were, she feared she’d misunderstood.

"Lady Ashlynn isn’t foolish enough to throw away the gift that Lady Cerys has given her," Marcel said, shaking his head. "Injured, she’s useful. A completely unexpected boon that opens up a new opportunity. Healed, she’s a liability who might do something foolish like trying to flee again. But in order to know whether she can be used or not, I need to bring her here."

"That’s cold, Marcel," Isabell said, frowning at the vampire. "Ashlynn wouldn’t..."

"Master Isabell," Ignatious interrupted from further down the table. "Marcel isn’t wrong to bring Cerys here. If he were here, Aspakos would say that this is the shape of her destiny. She might not have understood the path she was choosing when she tried to flee, but the first choice she made won’t be her last. Her destination isn’t yet fixed."

"If Marcel sees a way that she can be useful to Lady Ashlynn," Ignatious concluded. "Then I believe that there is an opportunity for her to make amends for her mistake and to reach a brighter future. We shouldn’t take that away from her, no matter how kind our intentions are. The brightest futures require greater struggles," he quoted with a reassuring smile. "Don’t deny her the chance to struggle for this one."

"At least tell me what ’use’ you have for her," Isabell said, drumming her fingers on the table in irritation as the vampires ganged up on her. No, that wasn’t right, she scolded herself, and it was childish to frame it that way.

They weren’t ganging up on her, but they were speaking their minds, each from their own perspective. But that didn’t mean that she was going to roll over and accept their arguments without understanding Marcel’s intentions.

"If your plan is something that Ashlynn would find objectionable," Isabell started to warn, only for Marcel to cut her off.

"An injured noblewoman is an excuse for her husband to abstain from events he would otherwise be expected to attend," Marcel said simply, as though it should be obvious. "Lady Cerys doesn’t need to do anything but stay in bed, resting her arm and leg, while we position other people around her."

"I’m sure that Lady Ashlynn could brew a concoction to render someone else sick," Marcel mused. "Or I could break someone else’s arm to manufacture a similar excuse. But the Dunn servants are already aware of Lady Cerys’ fall from her horse. The story already has legitimacy that’s hard to manufacture on short notice. That’s why I said she’d given us a gift," Marcel said with a calculating gleam in his dark eyes.

"As Lady Ashlynn’s vassals," Marcel said. "We just have to collect the gift that’s been prepared for her and make sure that she’s able to make good use of it."