“Katharina assists with the church’s texts. With the Sisters of Mercy’s work, just as she has?—”
“Since her mother burned. Yes.” He stepped closer, and I could smell the hatred on his breath. “Curious, isn’t it? How she survived the pox? How you’ve taken such an interest in her education? When you first came here, I asked you to watch her, not become so…invested in her.”
My hands curled into fists at my sides. “What are you implying?”
“I imply nothing. I merely observe. As does the Bishop. As does God.” He leaned in conspiratorially. “She’s beautiful, isn’t she? That golden hair. Those intelligent eyes. Beauty and intelligence—dangerous combinations in a woman. The Devil loves to work through such vessels.”
“Katharina is a faithful Christian who serves?—”
“Is that so?” Förner interrupted. “I was young once too, Father. I remember how tempting the flesh could be.”
“I do not appreciate baseless accusations against my?—”
He cut me off me again, pulling a small leather journal from his cassock. “I am simply reflecting on my own misguided youth. Although she has spent a great deal of time with you since your arrival.”
“You’re watching her?” The words came out harsh.
“I’m watching everyone, Father Heinrich.”
“If you watch her so closely, you would see she?—”
“You know as well as I that, as the Vicar General, I cannot bring forth evidence against the accused.” He twisted his mouth in annoyance. “Not anymore, anyway. That is why I set you on this righteous path.”
“What righteousness is there in false accusations?”
“Careful, Father. Katharina is not the only one in your parish who has been marked.” His eyes glittered with something that might have been madness or faith—in Bamberg, they had become indistinguishable. “The Devil has his eye on that girl. Whether to use her or work through her remains to be seen.”
He snapped his journal shut before sweeping toward the door, then paused. “Oh, and Father Heinrich? I expect updates on her from now on.”
After he left, I stood alone in the empty church, my hands shaking with rage. They were circling her like wolves, waiting for any excuse to drag her to the Drudenhaus. I had seen the hunger in Förner’s eyes. He was beyond reason and had his sights set on Katharina. I saw now that he would stop at nothing to have her.
And I—sworn to God, bound by my vows—was powerless to stop him.
No, not powerless. I would protect her.
I would choose her over them.
The thought should have horrified me. Instead, it felt like freedom.
Let Förner watch. Let him make his notes. Let him think he was the hunter and Katharina the prey. He had no idea what I would do to keep her safe. How far I would fall to protect her.
The Devil walks amongst us.
Perhaps he was right.
But protecting Katharina from them didn’t feel like a sin. It felt righteous, like a divine light clearing away the smoke I’d been living in for the last two years.
Chapter 6
Katharina
Long shadows stretched over the cobblestone roads of Bamberg as I made my way back to the convent. Mother Agnes had sent me on an errand across the city, to pick up some wine from the vintner. He’d smiled too wide when I entered, given me too good a price. He always did when I was the one who came.
My soft shoes made little sound as I approached the convent, molded to my feet by years of use. They were barely better than walking barefoot, and often in the garden I preferred it. But you never knew what foulness you might find on the streets of Bamberg.
Today, it seemed the foulness had found me.
A lean figure rounded the corner ahead of me, and I would have known that ascetic face even in the pitch black. Vicar Förner. I tried to duck into an alley, but it was already too late.
