“He did not say, Mother Abbess.”
The Mother Abbess drew in a long, thoughtful breath. “I hope he will not,” she said. “If he does, you will send for me. I will tell him to stay away.”
Andressa nodded again, firmly. “I will, Gracious Mother,” she said. “Thank you for your protection.”
The Mother Abbess turned away from the window, giving Andressa her full attention. “I am here to protect you, child,” she said. “In fact, I wish for you to know that you are special to me. You work hard at your task and your work has fine results. I am pleased.”
Andressa smiled timidly. “Thank you, Gracious Mother.”
A flicker of a smile crossed the Mother Abbess’ lips. “You have proven yourself an intelligent, hard-working, and obedient girl, Andressa,” she said. “So much so, in fact, that I would very much like for you to truly become one of us at St. Blitha. I wish for you to become one of my personal attendants. Would you like that, child?”
Andressa was deeply surprised by her question. The Mother Abbess didn’t pay much attention to her other than her laundry duties, so she thought, so the woman’s desire that she should become a nun at St. Blitha was something of a great surprise. It had never even been discussed. But as she thought on it, she knew there was only one answer she could give. Refusal might find her in The Chaos because she was quite certain the Mother Abbess wouldn’t take kindly to it.
What the Mother Abbess wanted, the Mother Abbess received.
“I… I would, Gracious Mother,” she said. “I suppose I always thought I would take the veil at some point. My aunt has given me over to St. Blitha so I assume she wishes for me to remain here and serve God.”
The Mother Abbess came away from the window. “And you shall,” she said. “You shall serve him as I serve him. I shall not ask you to do anything I have not done or would not do when it comes to fulfilling God’s Will. That is what Sister Dymphna and Sister Agnes and Sister Petronilla and I have been doing, lo, these many years. We have dedicated our lives to serving the Will of God through our Holy Father. Our Holy Father has a very special need for St. Blitha.”
Andressa cocked her head curiously. “I did not realize that, Gracious Mother.”
The Mother Abbess came nearer, pulling out one of the elaborate chairs from the elaborate table she dined upon. It was a table bought with ill-gotten gains, with food and suppliesstolen from the nuns, but it was a source of pride for the Mother Abbess. She didn’t see the sorrow on that table, only the luxury of it. The woman sat down, wearily, but her focus remained on Andressa.
“There is more you may not realize,” she said. “My brother, Celestine, was the pope before our current Holy Father came into power. As I was the servant to my brother, I am also the servant toInnocente. His name, long ago, was Lothario, or Lothar. But now he is the Holy Father known asInnocente, a very great and powerful man. He is also a man that the King of England hates and disputes. Are you aware of this?”
Andressa nodded. “When I fostered at Okehampton Castle, Lady de Courtney, my patroness, demanded that her ladies kept up with current events,” she said. “As of four years ago, I know that King John had disputes with our Holy Father but, since then, I have not kept up with their relationship.”
The Mother Abbess nodded faintly. “It has not improved,” she said. “The king continues to mock and dispute a man who represents God upon this earth. I fear it is a travesty that the king continues to perpetuate. Surely his subjects see his lack of respect for our Holy Father and that diminishes their faith in him and in the church. That diminishes their respect and faith in us, here at St. Blitha. Mayhap, that was even why that man approached you today– because he has little respect for the church you represent.”
Andressa knew that wasn’t why Maxton had come to St. Blitha, but she didn’t want to explain that away, so she simply remained silent. Still, there was something to what the Mother Abbess was saying– there was great contention between the king and the Holy Father, though she really wasn’t sure why the woman was bringing it up. Almost as if she were confiding in her, which was starting to confuse Andressa even more than she already was. She thought she had been brought into theMother Abbess’ solar for punishment, but now it was turning into something else.
“I am sure anything is possible, Gracious Mother,” she said. “And it saddens me to think that our king’s behavior towards the Holy Father could turn his subjects against the church. Without the church, there is no civilization. We would all be animals. Lady de Courtney said so.”
The Mother Abbess smiled faintly. “It pleases me to hear you say that,” she said. “It warms my heart to know that I am making the right decision about you.”
“What decision is that, Gracious Mother?”
“The decision to bring you into my fold.”
There it was again; that declaration of possession. It wasn’t simply that Andressa was to become a nun at St. Blitha, but more than that– a personal attendant, as the Mother Abbess had phrased it. Frankly, Andressa was repulsed by the idea, terrified that this evil woman wanted to bring her closer but knowing there was no way for her to prevent it.
She had no choice.
The expression on her face must have been interpreted as confusion because the Mother Abbess continued quietly.
“For many years, I have served the Holy Father, as have the Sisters Dymphna, Agnes, and Petronilla,” she said. “We have all known each other since we were children. We are all orphans, like you, and we also have a strong desire to serve God, much as you do. But we are not getting any younger, Andressa. There are things we do for the Holy Father and those most loyal to him that we must pass to younger women. It is a great honor to become part of our sisterhood because we carry out work for God that no one knows of, nor will they ever. What we do is secretive and vital. You must become part of what we do and learn our ways, and how important our service to God is, so thatyou can assume our mantle when we have gone to our heavenly reward.”
It seemed to her that the Mother Abbess was talking in riddles. Andressa still wasn’t entirely clear on what was expected of her but she tried to sound cooperative. “I am willing to do whatever you wish for me to do, Gracious Mother,” she said. “Teach me and I shall learn.”
The Mother Abbess leaned forward, placing her elbows on the table and folding her hands, as one would while praying.
“I shall, child,” she said. “I shall teach you everything. From this moment onward, you are part of us. You will become one of us, meaning our secrets, our knowledge, will become yours. Do you agree to this?”
Andressa nodded. “I do, Gracious Mother.”
“You will vow before God that you shall never go back on your word to me, Andressa, and that you shall keep to yourself everything I teach you. Will you do this?”
“I swear it, Gracious Mother.”
