“So this is the chamber,” he muttered. “Where are the entry points of this complex?”
Andressa pointed. “The main entry to the cloister, the postern gate, and then two doors leading from the church into the dormitories and cloister,” she said. “Once Communion is completed, they will move from the church through one of the two doors into the cloister. My guess is that it will be the door that leads out to the gardens. The Mother Abbess is very proud of her garden and she will want to show it to the king.”
“The garden where the plants grow that will kill him,” William muttered. “She will be parading him past his fate.”
It was the truth. Maxton continued to focus on her map. “Christopher,” he said, indicating all of the external access points. “We must have men on these entry points. I would suggest putting MacRohan on one of them. The man shouldn’t be in a position where he has to speak with anyone, but we may very well need his sword. I fear that if they hear his Irish accent, they might be suspicious. John wouldn’t have any Irish soldiers.”
Christopher nodded, looking over at Bric, who understood that logic. “Come and look at this map,” he said, having the man move up beside him. “See the main entry? You and du Reims take it. That way, you’re both guarding the main entry and Dash can do any speaking if need be. If there is trouble, the entry has direct access to the Mother Abbess’ solar– and you can come running.”
Both Bric and Dashiell were looking at the map, nodding as they understood their positions.
“Someone will have to unlock the entry door from the inside,” Bric said. “I can only imagine it is heavily barred.”
Christopher nodded. “I will make sure someone unlocks it,” he said. “You and Dash make sure itremainsunlocked.”
The two young knights nodded, eager and ready to participate in this great plan. They were hungry and talented, eager to gain the experience, eager to serve their king. Once those two were set, Christopher looked at Maxton.
“You realize that David and I cannot join the ranks of John’s men,” he said. “John and I have a long history. The man knows me on sight. Forbes, too– he has seen Gart. We cannot pretend to be part of his guard. We can, however, show up for Communion, as worshippers.”
Maxton saw his point. “Then you should,” he said. “That will put you three inside with the king and fully prepared to defend and protect the man.”
At that point, Sean moved up between Christopher and David. “I will be with the king and his personal guard,” he said, pointing to the layout of the church. “I will take my brother, Cullen, and Alexander with me in the personal guard. We shall stay close to John.”
Maxton nodded. “And that leaves me, Kress, and Achilles to dress as royal men-at-arms,” he said. “We’ll have more freedom to move about if we’re part of the lesser contingent.”
“My thoughts exactly.”
There was some satisfaction to those plans, now knowing what their roles were and what the general plan was. But Maxton wasn’t finished yet. He looked at Andressa.
“You mentioned that the Mother Abbess will have assistance with this assassination,” he said.
She nodded. “Sister Dymphna, Sister Agnes, and Sister Petronilla.”
Maxton sighed. “We will need help identifying them, Andressa. As much as I do not like the thought of you returning to St. Blitha to be part of this operation, the truth is that we need you. You will have to point the assassin nuns out to us so we can watch out for them and arrest them.”
She looked a bit frightened by that, fearful that such an action might give her away to those deadly nuns, but she didn’t say so. She knew that Maxton realized the danger and would not have asked her to do such a thing if it wasn’t absolutely necessary; he’d said himself that he didn’t like the thought of her returning to St. Blitha yet again, and she’d known his reluctance to let her return all along. From the beginning, he’d been trying to keep her from returning, as if she meant something to him. More and more, she was wondering…
… was it possible that the man really did care about her?
“I will do what you need me to do,” she said after a pause. “I will be in the kitchens and also bringing the Communion wine, so I will be moving about with some freedom.”
Maxton could see her nervousness. “We will have men posted all around the complex, as you heard,” he said. “Look at these faces; know them well. You can tell any one of them who the sisters are and they will spread the word. We are all there to help you, Andressa. And we will not let anything happen to you, I swear it.”
That was something of a relief to hear him say that, even though she had already known it. They’d proven it. This task, which could have been so utterly terrifying, was made far easier knowing that these men would protect her at all costs.
“I know,” she said, smiling timidly. “It is just that this… I have never been involved in anything like this. It is quite frightening. How do you do this on a regular basis? You must have nerves of steel.”
That brought laughter from the group. With a grin on his face and a twinkle in his eye, Maxton reached out and clasped her hand.
“It takes practice, believe me,” he said. “You will do fine. Know that we are all there to help you and protect you, so simply complete your duties as normal and everything will work out asit should. In fact, we must discuss what will take place at the feast so we know when to act. What can you tell us about the schedule for the day?”
Andressa knew this; she’d been part of the feast day for the past four years. “In the past, the king has arrived later in the morning and the mass begins. The bells will call the faithful toSext, the midday prayers, and the bishop will perform mass. At the conclusion, he will perform the act of Communion for the worshippers.”
“And the king is to have his own special wine,” Maxton clarified.
She nodded. “Aye,” she said. “Of course, the king would demand his own wine as it is, so this is nothing new. It will be my task to ensure the king receives the poisoned wine, only I will make sure he doesnot. But the sisters will think otherwise.”
Maxton was still holding on to her hand; he squeezed it. “Good girl,” he murmured. “Then what?”
