“Good. Because if you do, you shall know the pain of The Chaos first-hand.”
Andressa’s belly lurched, sinking straight down into her ankles. She’d gone from frightened, to confused, and back to frightened again during the course of the conversation. A deadly threat had just been delivered in a kind voice, as kind as any tone she’d ever heard. Such vile words, so softly spoken– that were pure evil, and there was no doubt in her mind that the Mother Abbess meant them sincerely.
Her knees began to quiver again.
Oh, God…
“I will not go back on my word, Gracious Mother,” she said steadily. “I only wish to serve God and be obedient to you.”
The Mother Abbess’ smile turned into a grimace. In truth, it was still a polite smile. But to Andressa, it was a gesture ofwickedness and horror. “You are a good girl,” the Mother Abbess said. “Sit down and listen to me. We have much to discuss.”
Andressa quickly sat down in one of the fine chairs around the table. Across from her, Sisters Dymphna, Agnes, and Petronilla also sat, their collective focus solely on her. Andressa felt as if she were being scrutinized down to her very bones. She further wondered if those three nuns ever felt the same fear and horror of the Mother Abbess that she did.
She doubted it.
“It is important that you understand we have been given a great mission by the Holy Father,” the Mother Abbess said. “Do you recall two days ago when a man was in our chapel and he shouted at you? He wanted to know who I was. Do you recall this event?”
Andressa nodded unsteadily as she remembered that day and that moment. A dirty man had been standing before the Mother Abbess and he had screamed at her across the room, a Scottish accent demanding identification of the Mother Abbess. She recalled it clearly.
“I do, Gracious Mother.”
“He was a messenger from the Holy Father,” the Mother Abbess said seriously. “He had come to deliver a message to me personally. It is a message that will change the destiny of England, Andressa. Since you are to be part of us, you must know what has been asked of us.Godhas asked it of us, child. A directive from the Holy Fatherisa directive from God. Do you understand?”
Andressa bobbed her head. “I do.”
“And we are servants of God. We do what He asks us to do.”
“Aye, Gracious Mother. Always.”
That was the response that the Mother Abbess evidently wanted to hear. “As we carry out the Holy Father’s wishes, you will help us,” she said. “You will see what we do and how we do it,and we shall teach you what you need to know because you will carry on our work after we are gone. Do you understand?”
Andressa was afraid to say that she didn’t, but the truth was that shedidn’t. She was so terrified of the consequences of failure that she needed to be clear.
“I do not completely, Gracious Mother,” she said honestly. “What am I to learn?”
The Mother Abbess’ gaze was intense. “You are to learn true service to God,” she said. “You are to learn what it means to accomplish a great and important task.”
“Whatisthe task, Gracious Mother?”
“To kill the king.”
Andressa thought she hadn’t heard correctly. She sat there a moment and stared at the woman before her face flickered with confusion.
“To kill…?”
“John. Our directive from the Holy Father, and from God, is to kill King John.”
Andressa simply stared at her as the reality of what she was being told sank in. Much to her credit, she didn’t react outwardly. But inside, she was screaming. She wanted to run as far and as fast as she could, for now she understood why the Mother Abbess had sworn her to secrecy. A directive had come down from the Holy Father to murder a monarch and the nuns believed they were doing God’s work because of it.
She could see it in their faces.
Andressa was very bright; she understood what it would mean should she refuse to participate. Death awaited her, and God knew, she didn’t want to die. But she also didn’t want to be party to regicide, which was what these nuns were plotting. Andressa knew the Mother Abbess was capable of murder; God help her, she knew it. But to kill the king? Andressa knew herreaction to what she had been told would determine whether or not she lived or died.
She wanted to live.
Bracing herself, she spoke.
“If God has demanded it, then we must obey the holy command,” she said, praying she didn’t sound as shaken as she felt. “I am anxious to serve our Holy Father.”
