Isabella still hung from the chains in the dungeon, wincing at the pull on her shoulders and arms, frantically trying to find a way out of this mess she had gotten herself into.

The Count very obviously had not recognized her face, although she had seen him during one or two court festivities before. "Men", she thought, "they never pay attention to faces".

She had been caught by the Count during one of her walks she occasionally took in order to relax and put all her duties out of her mind for a little while. For those walks in the woods, she had the habit of disguising herself as a peasant woman, therefore needing no guards or other company which would be suitable for a woman of noble birth.

"It seems my disguise worked a little too well", Isabella thought, "but I still have to decide if I make my name and station known or not. As for this being BED - how DARE he!" A contemptuous snort escaped her mouth. "I think I will teach him a few things he very obviously has not learned about women yet."

She tried to circle her wrists inside the shackles a few times, then closed and opened her fists carefully. Circulation was getting slower, and she did not wish to lose feeling in her hands.