"I wil not al ow you to go into battle, should this attack occur. Isabel, please, I cannot even stomach the possibility. I love you. Do you not ken?"

"Oh, yes, I ken. How about if I promise that none of us, not a single woman, actual y enters any type of battlefield?"

He peered at her. "You have a sneaky plan, Isabel."

She offered him the falsest innocent face imaginable. "I swear, I truly swear, that we wil not enter the field of battle."

"You have another plan."

"I swear, I swear we wil not enter the field of battle."

"I do not know whether to laugh or shake with worry."

"I choose Laugh for one thousand, Alex."

"Isabel, I could not bear if anything happened to you. The love I have for you is ... just so ... I cannot even describe the feelings. I only know that should I lose you after I have just found you, I ... I cannot imagine going on."

She chuckled as she looked up into his hard, warm, worried face. "I am not the one readying herself for battle, Arthur. How do you think I feel, knowing you are?"

"'Tis what I do."

"Oh, yes, 'tis what you do. And I am supposed to smile, pack you a lunch, send you off and say, 'Hope you're stil alive by supper, Arthur. It would be such a shame to waste your favorite meal. However, Pix might enjoy it.'"

He glared at her for a moment, and then just laughed. He pul ed her close. "This has been the strangest conversation I have e'er had. I love you so much."

"As you should," she said, stil feeling grumpy and afraid. She'd had no idea that danger might be close at hand. He had managed to keep that little piece of information close to the vest. Or tunic. Or chain stuff. "We wil not sit by, Arthur. We have ways."

"Should it come to this, I wil not al ow women to rush in. And most definitely not my woman."

"Women wil not join in the stupid wars you men fight."

"Meaning what?"

"We are much more resourceful than you think."

"Betimes you worry me, Countess."

"I should worry you at al times."

"This is what concerns me."

"As wel it should."

"May I see you tonight?" he asked.

"What is, 'The woman who wants to be with Arthur tonight more than any other on this earth.' For a thousand, Alex."

He grinned down at her. "I have yet to figure a thousand what. However, I just won them."

"For a thousand. I real y, truly want to hear it from your lips."

"Who is the woman Arthur loves and desires beyond al others?"

"Oh, that is so correct. Double bonus for you."

"Tonight, then, Isabel?"

"Oh, yes, please."

As he left the room, she heard him say, "I do hope your toes have dried by now, Mary. And yours as wel , Gwen."

"WE must move up the date of your wedding, Mary," Isabel said, even as she was getting over total embarrassment. Good gods, they had been right outside of the door. Both, however returned as if they had heard nothing. And then the three of them looked at each other, and once again could not contain their humor. They laughed, but then sobered when she said, "The women of Camelot ... and guests such as myself," she added, nodding to Gwen, "need to prepare to protect the men. I have a plan. Or a partial one. We need to scheme, and we need to involve al of the servants to pul it off."

She held up her hand. "Are we in?"

"I am," Mary said, joining hands.

"As am I," said Gwen, clasping both of her hands around theirs.

"Good, because, Gwen, to pul this off, I need you to put on that crown and use it for al it's worth."

"Consider it donned."

"Good. Mary, how would you like to marry James day after tomorrow?"

Mary's eyes widened. "Are you jesting?"

"No. Your dress is ready, is it not?"

"It is."

"I can take care of the feast," Isabel said. "Gwen, you have such a touch with flowers and decoration. You can make the hal lovely, I trust."

"Oh, yes."

"Excel ent. Tomorrow, I fear, game time is going to be spent airing out those rushes and scrubbing the great hal . When Mary and James exchange vows, it is going to smel like spring, not like a sty."

They both nodded. "Mary, I fear you are going to have to work tomorrow. James needs a haircut, and so does Arthur."

"And Lance," Gwen said.

"And Lance. Although I must say he looks kind of cute shaggy," Isabel said.

Gwen smiled while stil admiring her toes. "Yes, he does. Yet a trim could not hurt."

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE.

"M'LADY," a man said as he passed Isabel in the great hal , where she was on her knees, scrubbing the floor.

She glanced up, down, up, down, then up again. "James?"

He stopped, his face, free of hair, went a little red. "Yes, Countess."

She jumped up, pul ing his burly self around to face her. "James! Oh, good gods, look at you!"

"I am not able to do that, Countess, as I am looking at you."

She laughed and wiped her brow. "Why in the world have you been hiding that handsome face behind so much ... fur?"

"I ... Countess, are you jesting? I feel almost disrobed."

"Holy smokes, James," Isabel said, truly shocked. Without al of that hair, he looked like a young Clooney, albeit beefier. About a foot tal er. And way better. "Why have you been hiding your good looks? I mean, truly."

She was sincerely almost at a loss for words.

"I did not know I was doing such. But I appreciate it, Countess. Yet right now I feel as a newborn babe," he said, rubbing his jaw.

"Mary takes no prisoners."

"Oh, she does indeed. Right now her prisoner is the king."

She smiled. "Now I see what Mary has always seen. What a lucky bride to have such a handsome groom."

"I am the lucky one, Countess." He glanced around. "And her toes are pretty," he whispered.

"As is she."

He got a moony look on his face. "She is. I cannot thank you enough for the kindness you have shown her. She is very excited about this gown."

"She is the best kind of friend, James. I am guessing she wil be that much of a friend to you, as wel as your life mate."

He rubbed at his eyes. "We cannot thank you enough for your generosity."

"Al I want is for the two of you to be happy. I would plant a kiss on your cheek, if I had a ladder that would help me get up there."

He surveyed the room again, and then said, "A kiss from a countess would be an honor."

He bent down and she kissed his cheek. "Al good wishes, James."

"Al good wishes to you and my king, Countess. I have feelings, and I know this feeling is right. You are meant for one another. As Mary and I are."

He strode away before she could utter a single word.

She shook her head and went back to scrubbing the floor. Gwen was out with several servants, al of them beating the rushes to, she hoped, a merciful death.

Although Gwen had sworn she had a formula to also relieve their miserable selves from stinking.

"Isabel!"

She nearly fel over from the shock. She looked up, and there was Arthur, clean-cut and gorgeous. "Wow," she said, standing up. "You, sir, are the most handsome king I have ever seen in my life."

"And how many kings have you seen exactly?" he asked.

None, other than Arthur of course. "Naked, you mean? That would be one."

He tried not to smile and failed miserably. "Isabel, why are you down on your hands and knees?"

"I'm cleaning. Trust me, this hal needs it badly."

"There are people to do this."

"Right. Like me. I am capable, Arthur. By the way, you look luscious."

"Do not try to distract me with words I do not ken," he said. "I want you not down on the floor."

"Too freakin' bad. I can help clean as wel as anyone."

"We have people who-"

"Arthur! If I am not wil ing to help, what does that say about me? Do not, and I mean real y, do not give me trouble for helping clean this hal ."

"But there are people-"

"Do not even go there. Do you stand around as your men work out?"

"No, but-"

"Do you stand by while your men fight your battles for you?"

"No, but-"

"Then please don't be upset when I do what needs to be done. I am no better than anyone because I happened to be born into royalty." She had no idea if that was true in this alter reality, but she was going with it. "Are you any better than others because you managed to pul a sword out of a stone?"

"No, but-"

"We al bleed red, Arthur. We are the same."

"Yes, but-"

She waited, but he seemed to be stumped. "Yes, but what?"

"You missed a spot over here, Isabel."