There was a dubious sigh.The same sigh Carenza had made at the absurd thought of Sir Hew donning a monk’s robes.
“No one would believe that.”
“I can’t go on like this,” Peris complained.“’Tis too dangerous.”
“And ye think killin’ a man in cold blood isn’t?God’s eyes, have ye no thought for your soul?”
“My soul is already damned from this nasty business.”
The other man grumbled something under his breath that sounded like a curse.“Listen to me.I swear to ye, ’twill be done by Lent.If ye can just compose yourself for a few more months and keep from killin’ anyone…”
“Compose myself?How am I supposed to do that?”
“I don’t know.Maybe drink one o’ those concoctions ye tried to give the warrior.Just lay low, and ’twill be right in the end.”
There was a long silence before Peris replied with a despondent sigh.“Fine.”
“Because we dare not do anythin’ to rouse Father James’s suspicions.”
“I said ‘fine’,” Peris snapped.
“Good.Ye’ll see.Everythin’willbe fine.And in the end, if ye don’t want a share o’ the spoils, ye can stay here at Dunlop if ye like, with none the wiser.”
“I didn’t say I didn’t want a share o’ the spoils.”
What they said after that, she didn’t hear.They made their way along the passageway and up the stairs.
How long she’d been holding her breath, she couldn’t say.But once she could hear them no longer, she let it out on a shaky exhale.
Despite the chill of the pantry, she remained there for several moments, trying to make sense of what she’d heard.
Peris wanted to get rid of Hew because he was “meddlesome.”What did that mean?
Whatever they were up to, Peris believed his soul was damned.Enough so that killing a defenseless man would hardly tarnish it further.What “business” could the physician be up to?What “spoils” did he intend to share?
She took a thoughtful bite of buttered bread.
Hew had spoken about a secret investigation.The monastery thefts.Could that be the matter they were discussing?But what could the physician have to do with that?
She had to share what she’d heard.But she couldn’t go to her father.She didn’t want him to worry.Not before she got more details.
She needed to tell Hew.
With any luck, he’d forget all about her indiscretions of last night, especially after she gave him this startling news.
She stuffed the bread into her mouth with a haste that would have horrified her father.Then she snatched up a block of cheese, a crock of butter, and tucked the rest of the loaf under her arm.Praying the two conspirators had had time to return to their beds, she stole from the pantry, across the great hall, and up the stairs.
“Sir Hew!”
Carenza’s whisper was sharp and urgent enough to rouse him from a deep sleep.
“What is it?”
He pushed himself up, wincing as he forgot about his injured palm.
“I need to talk to ye.”
Dropping some sort of parcels on the bed, she moved to the hearth and stirred the coals to life so they could see each other.
