Silas straightened his back. “I think not. I am here to see Sister Frances. We have an appointment.”
The man frowned. “She has sent no word of this.”
Silas inclined his head. “I suggest you do not detain me any longer. I suspect Sister Frances would be upset were I, the Duke of Highcliff, to leave without dropping off the substantial donation I am bringing to her.”
The man blanched. “Oh… uh, of course, sir.” He scrambled backward. “Let me open the gate for you.”
He proceeded to match action to word, and Silas spurred his horses, driving his phaeton through the gates and down the long driveway to the abbey.
On either side of him were fields planted with vegetables; a few cows grazed in the distance as the sun rose slowly in the west.
He came to a stop in front of the abbey house and stared up at the stone building. It seemed cold and forbidding. He could not imagine having to live in such a place.
He alighted from the phaeton and walked slowly towards the door, lifting his hand in a fist to knock. He waited for a few minutes and was just lifting his hand to knock again when he heard the sound of the deadbolt moving.
“Excuse me, can I help you?” a high voice said from behind him and he turned to see a nun approaching, a frown on her face.
“I am here to see Sister Frances. I am the Duke of Highcliff,” he said with a polite smile, the kind he offered to charm his targets. “Would she be available?”
The nun continued to stare suspiciously at him. He made sure to keep his face as unassuming as possible.
The woman smiled in return. “Pardon me, Your Grace. I am Sister Philomena. I am afraid Sister Frances is at matins at the moment. Perhaps I can help you with whatever it is you need?”
Silas cleared his throat. “Well, I was hoping for a tour, Sister Philomena. I have it on good authority that St. Margaret’s does good work, and I had it in mind to support you monetarily. I came to see if what I’d heard was true.”
The nun stared at him a bit more before gesturing for him to join her. “I’d be glad to give you a tour of our facilities, Your Grace. Though not all of them, of course, for the sake of propriety.”
“I understand. Please, lead on.” He fell in step beside her and they began to walk down the corridor, footsteps echoing on the cold floor.
“How many girls are you currently harboring?” he asked.
She flicked a glance at him then away. “The number varies; some girls might be here for a season, others are here for the duration.”
“How many are they currently?”
Sister Philomena cleared her throat. “Well…around a dozen. The hope is that they will eventually join the order, but that does not always happen. Some of the girls are not in their right mind, but we try to take care of them as much as we can.”
Silas stopped himself from narrowing his eyes and instead raised an eyebrow to show he was believing her.
“I see,” he said softly. “That must be quite difficult.”
“Yes, well, with God’s help, we are able to prevail,” the woman said after a sigh.
He nodded. “Of course. Where do the girls sleep? Are they housed separately or with you and the other nuns?”
“Why do you ask, my lord?” the nun arched an eyebrow.
A suspicious one. I can handle her.
He plastered another polite grin on his face. “Pardon me. I meant to offer a donation so you can build a separate wing for the more…unstable girls. For your safety and the other nuns,” he responded smoothly, keeping a steady tone.
Sister Philomena’s face lit up instantly. “Oh no, no, there is no need to worry, Your Grace,” she replied. “For security reasons, the unstable girls are locked in their cells at night. But your generosity is noted, of course. Perhaps your donation could be utilized for something more practical.”
“You said they are locked in?” he asked, trying to school his features into innocent curiosity once more.
“Yes. Well, some of the more wicked ones might find a way to open their doors, but really, even if they tried to run, they would not get far enough to endanger anyone,” she answered in an assuring tone.
Silas kept himself from frowning. From the nun’s description, one would think this was a prison.
