Chapter Eight #2
“The Feast of St. Blitha is next week,” she said.
“The missive from the Holy Father was a great coincidence to this feast because the king has come every year for three years. I have been told that he will be in attendance this year again, eager to pray to the patron saint of hunters. He will take Communion and it will be a simple thing to poison the man’s wine. ”
Sister Petronilla stood up, making her way over to the windows where the Mother Abbess was. “But the king surely has tasters,” she said. “They will taste the wine before it goes to the king.”
The Mother Abbess looked at her. “Let them,” she said.
Then, she returned her focus to the garden, pointing to the tall, purple foxglove stalks.
“Some of those plants are just preparing to blossom. Cut the leaves from them, dry them, and crush them into fine powder. We shall mix the powder with the king’s wine.
Even if he has someone taste it first, there will be no evidence of the poison and the taster will not become ill right away.
It will take time and, by then, the king will have ingested enough to kill him. ”
It seemed like a logical enough plan. It was something they’d done once before with the Bishop of Leeds. The man had died in his sleep after a fine meal at the Mother Abbess’ table.
“I shall prepare the wine myself,” Sister Petronilla said quietly. “I will all ensure it is the only wine the king drinks.”
The Mother Abbess nodded but she seemed to be distracted by what she was seeing out the window, beyond the garden.
Sister Petronilla looked to see a few nuns milling about, including the nun who managed the kitchen and the pledge who tended to the laundry.
It was difficult manual labor, given to the young and the strong.
As Sister Petronilla tried to figure out what had the Mother Abbess’ attention, the older woman pointed from the window.
“The du Bose girl was there when Alasdair arrived, as I mentioned,” she said, gesturing to the woman who had just come in from the postern gate and seemed to be engaged in an animated conversation with the kitchen nun.
“I have been watching her, you know. She is an orphan and her aunt, the woman who gave her over to us, paid me a mighty sum to keep the girl here for always. She says that the woman is headstrong and rebellious, but I have never seen that in her. She is an excellent worker and she is obedient.”
By this time, Sister Dymphna and Sister Agnes were moving to the window, straining to see what the Mother Abbess was pointing to.
“I have been thinking, Sisters,” the Mother Abbess continued.
“The truth is that we are not growing any younger. If St. Blitha is to remain loyal to the Holy Father, then we must bring in new blood to serve him, as we do. We must bring in young women who understand the importance of fulfilling his wishes, in any circumstance. Women with no ties to family, no ties to the outside world. Women who could disappear from this earth and no one would mourn them. Women who have nothing else to live for.”
Now, all four nuns were looking from the windows at the laundry yard, where the tall and pale du Bose girl was in what seemed to be an increasingly heated conversation with the kitchen nun, Sister Blanche.
“I know Andressa,” Sister Agnes said, her gaze on the girl in the distance. “She is joyful and she never complains. She does as she is told.”
The Mother Abbess nodded. “She pleases me,” she said.
“Her wash commands a fine price and she is quite valuable to me. I have been thinking of rewarding her for her work by asking her to serve as one of us. She would never have to want, and never have to worry. She would know my care and protection. She is young and strong and bright, and she could carry on our work and traditions long after we are gone.”
Sister Dymphna looked at her. “Do you wish her to replace you when the time comes, then?”
“Mayhap.”
“But what if she refuses? What we do is only for the most faithful, Mother. What if her faith is not strong enough?”
The Mother Abbess’ dark eyes flickered, a ripple of evil in the black depths.
“Then she shall belong to The Chaos,” she said simply.
“No family will miss her when she disappears, and I’ll not have her out in the world where she can tell others of our business.
If she does not agree to my offer, she will die.
And I am sure she will choose life and dedication to the Holy Father over anything else.
As I said, she is a bright woman. She will understand and she will be grateful. ”
The woman said it without any remorse or grief whatsoever, as if discussing something as benign as the weather. She’d lived with her evil so long that, to her, it was normal. It was the way of things.
And they needed new blood to continue their way.
Before anyone could speak again, the object of their attention was slapped by a very angry kitchen nun and, as they watched in shock, Andressa struck back and sent the kitchen nun to her arse.
Then, she jumped on top of her and they lost sight of the fight behind the vast garden that was between them and the kitchen yard. The Mother Abbess snapped her fingers.
“Go,” she instructed her followers quickly. “See what has happened. Bring Andressa to me and confine Sister Blanche to her room. I will decide what is to be done with her.”
The three nuns scattered, fleeing the fine chamber, rushing out to do the Mother Abbess’ bidding.
As they fled, the Mother Abbess returned her attention to the yard where more nuns were now rushing to break up the fight.
She saw clearly when two of them pulled Andressa to her feet and began pulling her away while the kitchen nun, Sister Blanche, continued to scream angrily.
It was a chaotic scene, but one thing was for certain – Sister Blanche struck first. The Mother Abbess didn’t know why the woman had lashed out and it didn’t matter.
All that mattered was that the woman had struck out at someone the Mother Abbess had her eye on, and that kind of thing could not be tolerated.
There was no fighting or violence at a convent, as Sister Blanche was about to find out.
No matter the reasons, Andressa was about to discover that the Mother Abbess would protect her from a nun out to do her harm.
Perhaps, it would make the offer to join their exclusive little group that much sweeter, knowing the Mother Abbess would protect her and keep her in all things.
If not, then she, too, would eventually find herself buried deep in The Chaos along with Sister Blanche, never to see the light of day again.