by Mary Bale
‘You will look after me, won’t you, Sister?’ he asked, peeping out again.
‘Yes, of course,’ said Therese. Her heart sank with the burden of his little life.
Chapter 9
Abbess Eleanor left the refectory at St Augustine’s Abbey. She had eaten more than she had intended and she felt slightly uncomfortable. She decided to take a walk in the grounds and see if she could gain a casual audience with Abbot Scotland. She saw him walking with his head bowed, the sun shining on his tonsure. It made him look as if he might have a tight fitting halo, but she banished this thought from her mind. This was a practical man, not a saint. She approached cautiously, not wanting to disturb any private prayers he may be making, but as she got closer it was clear he was inspecting the plants.
After a few moments discussing the progress of the herbs growing in the border Eleanor tried to sound conversational as she broached the subject of the neighbouring abbey inside the city walls of Canterbury. ‘How do two such important abbeys cope running along beside each other as they do?’ she asked.
‘You know, Abbess, that we come under the rule of the Pope here?’ replied Scotland.
‘I do now,’ she said. The thought of Agid challenging her in the alley provoked her. She had to know what the conflict was between Bishop Odon and Archbishop Lanfranc. And if Abbot Scotland was neutral she may get her answer from him. ‘So you have very little to do with Christ Church Abbey?’
‘Very little directly,’ said Scotland. ‘I’m so busy with the rebuilding of this place. But I shall soon have it in good order.’ He sighed with satisfaction. ‘It was virtually falling down when I came. We have the very best builders here. Bishop Gundulf is organising much of it.’
‘I hear his name mentioned a lot,’ said Eleanor. She thought for a moment. The conversation had drifted from her original intention, but this seemed a suitable area to explore. Bishop Gundulf was involved with all this building – the whole country seemed to be a building site, perhaps there might be some falling out among them? ‘I wonder,’ she asked, ‘if there might be some jealousy between the builders, some competitiveness that might cause problems to develop? Not all the masons are from Normandy.’
Abbot Scotland rounded on her, his face red. ‘The masons are sworn to secrecy and allegiance. They have to behave with honour. I am offended on their behalf.’
‘I apologise for any offence, but none was intended,’ said Eleanor stiffly.
‘This amounts to gossip, Abbess, and I will not gossip.’
‘I do not intend to gossip. I see us as equals, exchanging views for the benefit of our respective communities.’
‘Then you will know, perhaps, that Bishop Odon has been making that priory, which is under your control, St Thomas the Apostle, a little safer.’
‘I have not heard, Abbot Scotland.’ Her blood ran cold and she bowed her head to hide her fear.
‘Bishop Odon has had people arrested. I hear that it was at the command of Prince Rufus.’
‘I thought you didn’t gossip?’ said Eleanor. She regretted annoying him over the masons especially as she couldn’t see that they were in any way relevant, but his reaction had brought a fire to her temper.
‘This is just a frank exchange,’ said Scotland sharply.
‘Who has been arrested?’ She tried to keep the tremble from her voice.
‘A Welsh merchant from Montgomery. I believe his name is Michael.’
Eleanor kept her sigh of relief hidden. Michael the merchant may have saved herself and Therese, but he was not important to her in the same way as Alfred and at least Scotland had not mentioned him. Hopefully he was still there for Therese. Eleanor went to take her leave – she wanted to check what had happened – but the Abbot continued,
‘So for now the balance of power between the King’s sons seems to be with Prince Rufus. So what do you think the elder brother, Robert, would think of that?’
Eleanor managed a Gallic shrug. She did not wish this conversation to continue any longer, yet he’d thrown up another possibility. Could the Princes be trying to destroy the embroidery in some kind of power game? She could not believe that they would destroy something that was intended to honour their father. Yet could that be any stranger than Ursula’s idea of warring bishops.
Abbot Scotland’s face softened. ‘You are concerned for your priory. I understand.’ He laid a hand over hers touching Odon’s ring. He looked into her eyes and said, ‘Take care, Abbess. I speak to you as equal to equal. Such things go on in Canterbury even I cannot keep a check on. I warn you, do not pry. It can be dangerous.’
Eleanor bowed and started to walk away.
‘Oh, Abbess,’ he called after her. ‘There was someone else arrested with the merchant’s group, an East Anglian man called Alfred. We had some dealings with him ourselves over wool, so my prior tells me.’
She bowed again and hurried away. Therese was without protection. She could not bear the thought of that child at risk. What had she been doing allowing Therese and Ursula to talk her into such nonsense?
She looked up. Her footsteps had brought her, without conscious thought to the kitchens. She would have to tell Ursula about her brother’s arrest. She opened the door. The kitchen was quiet. Clearing up after the meal was complete and the servants had taken themselves off for a break. Only one remained poking the hearth.
‘Ursula,’ said Eleanor. The ex-prioress looked up. Her broad face was pink and tearful. ‘You know about Alfred?’ she asked.
Ursula nodded. ‘And he was worried about what we were getting ourselves into!’
‘It means that Therese is at St Thomas’s on her own.’
‘Sister Agnes will help her.’
‘She can do little against someone prepared to murder.’
‘They will not try to murder her.’
‘Why not? They tried to murder you.’
‘I knew too much.’ Ursula was going to ask her a question, but Eleanor did not have time for it.
‘But Sister Therese might already know too much,’ said Eleanor. ‘We should get her out of St Thomas’s.’ Ursula turned away. There was such sadness in her movement Eleanor put her arm out and touched her hand, red raw with scrubbing and peeling. ‘What is it, Ursula?’
‘We need to act quickly. We must leave Sister Therese there. She is the one person who can find something out. Your knight, Sir Gilbert, must be able to replace my brother as her protector.’
‘I will check on his health.’
‘But I need to find a way of freeing Alfred. And the only way to do that is to resolve this issue at the Priory.’
‘What do you mean?
‘I hear Rufus has been to visit Lanfranc as well as your employer.’ Ursula’s tone had hardened. Eleanor winced at her leaving out the titles of these important people, but she forgave her – after all her bishop had just arrested her brother.
‘Look,’ said Eleanor, ‘I was at Christ Church when Prince Rufus was there with his guard. I was sent to the scriptorium out of the way. I am concerned about Archbishop Lanfranc. I find it hard, however, to believe that he would have the embroidery destroyed just to get at Bishop Odon, but right now I can’t be sure.’
‘Then I will go and get employment in the kitchen,’ said Ursula.
‘No, Ursula you’ve done enough. I have not been in any danger so far. I cannot leave it all to you and Sister Therese. I will go. But the kitchen is too far away, I will only hear gossip there. I need to be inside the monastery.’
Ursula dried her eyes on her sleeve. ‘I can get you a monk’s habit and as no new monks are let in without a letter of commendation I can get one of those too.’
‘You know a forger?’ Eleanor looked at her old friend aghast.
‘I know someone with the right skills. All letters are written by scribes. There is just the matter of the signature and seal.’
‘What of my voice?’ asked Eleanor.
‘There are many monks with high voices!’ Ursula smiled reas
suringly and Eleanor smiled back with dawning confidence.
* * *
As Eleanor walked down the corridor to her room, she could see a page waiting by her door. She stopped in front of him and he presented her with a note. She looked at the seal. It was from Bishop Odon.
‘I am to return with a reply, Abbess,’ said the lad, bowing.
‘Wait here and you shall have one,’ she replied. She entered her room and broke the seal. Her hands seemed chilled. She did not want any interference; she had too much to do. The words she read felt as if they were building a high wall around her. He was summoning her to meet him at Dover Castle. She could not refuse and yet she did not wish to find herself in the position of having to explain her actions since arriving in England.
She wrote her reply and returned it to the page in the corridor. She would follow him to Dover within the day. So before going to Christ Church infirmary she decided to call on Ursula to explain where and why she was going.
‘Instructions have already been received to put together a retinue for your journey,’ said Ursula as they stood in the kitchen yard. She rubbed her hands on her skirts. ‘Old friend, I must ask you…’ Her voice faltered.
‘What?’ asked Eleanor.
‘There is another way to get my brother released and that is for you to intercede on his behalf.’
Eleanor looked into Ursula’s eyes. The dark anguish that lurked there disturbed her. ‘I will try, but I cannot promise anything.’
‘But do not tell him about your investigations. Not yet. And don’t tell him about me. It could all look so wrong.’
‘What do you mean, Ursula?’
‘If he suspects Alfred then he could suspect me, and it could look as if we were tricking you into believing that we are innocent.’
‘But you are innocent, aren’t you?’
‘Yes, of course we are.’
‘You do not sound very sure,’ said Eleanor.
‘I am sure of my heart, Abbess Eleanor. I beseech you to intercede on his behalf.’
‘Then I shall try. Now I must see Sir Gilbert before I leave. Hopefully I will be able to return directly.’
‘Everything will be ready for you,’ said Ursula with a knowing grin.
* * *
Brother Matthew met Eleanor at the infirmary door. She introduced herself more formally this time and Brother Matthew bowed. As she lowered her head to go through a second doorway, he pulled his large knobbly sandaled feet away to allow her to pass first.
‘I wasn’t on duty in the infirmary when you came before,’ he said, showing her through to Sir Gilbert’s bed.
‘Thank you,’ she said, dismissing him politely. He nodded and left her with the knight who was sitting up. His skin was blotchy and pale, but he acknowledged her with a small bow. She quickly explained why she was there. And then a thought struck her. Perhaps he could answer the riddle set by Agid when he accosted her in the lanes outside Christ Church Abbey – the story of division between Bishop Odon and Archbishop Lanfranc. So she asked him outright about any incident since Archbishop Lanfranc came to England that would have set the two in opposition.
‘There was a matter some time ago and it was related to the Crown of England,’ said Sir Gilbert. ‘It goes back to 1066. On the death of Harold Godwinson at the battle of Hastings the Bishop of York crowned Edgar the Aethling the King of England. He had the power to do so as well as the Archbishop of Canterbury. I suspect this goes back to the time before England was one kingdom.’
‘But all that was sorted out,’ complained Eleanor. ‘Edgar the Aethling has come to terms with King William.’ She found it strange that she should be saying to Bishop Odon’s knight the same thing she’d said to the Welsh merchant so recently.
‘That may be so, but the Bishopric of York was given to Thomas. Before he went there he was Bishop Odon’s treasurer at Bayeux. You may remember him. Archbishop Lanfranc insisted that he swore fealty to him.’
‘Yes, I remember him, but that was more years ago than I care to remember. So why should Archbishop Lanfranc insist on this public display of loyalty?’ Eleanor frowned.
‘Because Bishop Thomas might be tempted, as other York Bishops had been, to enthrone a king and this time it might be on Bishop Odon’s say so.’
‘That sounds incredible,’ said Eleanor.
‘Why? Bishop Odon supports Robert, King William’s eldest son, while Archbishop Lanfranc supports the King’s choice, William Rufus, for the crown of England. Supposing Bishop Odon arranged for Robert to be sworn in at York while Rufus is sworn in by the Archbishop of Canterbury. There would be chaos.’
‘This surely is more a matter for a sensible solution to be worked out amicably between colleagues than some great intrigue.’
‘They went to the Pope for a resolution but the matter was eventually resolved in England and Bishop Thomas swore his fealty to Archbishop Lanfranc. But this will not necessarily stabilise matters when the King dies.’
Eleanor crossed herself. She felt almost tainted by just hearing the political manoeuvrings that the church involved itself in. Was this the seed of competition that had grown up between these two powerful men? Was this why there was trouble at her priory? And it was more trouble at the priory that she had to guard against. ‘I need you to guard Sister Therese as soon as possible,’ she said briskly. ‘Your position is to be on the rising ground beyond the small coppiced wood to the south of the priory.’ This was where Alfred had agreed to make his camp. She did not mention her involvement with Ursula, but she did inform him of the arrest of their saviour in the woods. And she did tell him that Michael’s whole group and Alfred had been arrested.
‘I will set out before the end of the day,’ said Bishop Odon’s knight. ‘My horse is rested and I’m sure I am up to the ride. I feel better now by the hour.’
Eleanor thanked him and rose. Brother Matthew was not about so she slipped through the door quietly. On leaving the infirmary she saw the stooped figure of Archbishop Lanfranc’s clerk, Brother David, coming towards her. She felt a tightness about her heart.
‘Abbess Eleanor,’ he hailed her, his right hand up and his palm facing her.
‘Brother David, has Archbishop Lanfranc found time to see me yet?’ she asked as he reached her.
‘No, I’m afraid not. That is not why I’ve come,’ replied Brother David.
‘So, Brother, what is the reason for your approach. I assume it is not to pass the time of day?’
‘You are quite right, Abbess. We have rested and restored your knight here to health at our expense, of course. However, what we spend on him and his horse we cannot spend on the poor. I’m sure you understand our predicament.’
She thought she saw David’s hands tremble slightly before he tucked them up opposite sleeves. ‘Indeed, I do understand.’ Eleanor sighed. ‘He will not be in need of your good offices any longer and I will ensure your funds are more than restored.'
Brother David took his leave and Eleanor started to walk back to St Augustine’s. With every step she doubted more her ability to spy within Christ Church Abbey. Even dressed as a monk, surely Brother David, if no one else, would recognise her?
Chapter 10
Therese sat opposite Sister Agnes. There were two ways she could get help from her for the boy. One was just to ask for it and hope she did not question her and the second was to tell her all and hope Sister Agnes was discreet and loyal and not part of the conspiracy to destroy the embroidery. Because, despite the fact that Eric was hidden in the tower, she had to continue to look into the details of what went on here at St Thomas’s the day the Impostor fell to her death and took Ursula with her. She did not want to be thrown out of St Thomas’s yet. A thought struck her. There might be another way to make the approach
Agnes nodded and smiled. The kitchen servants had gone home and Agnes passed her a bowl of porridge. ‘Please, what is the matter, Sister?’ asked the older nun.
Therese took a deep breath. ‘I know about Prioress
Ursula,’ she said testily.
‘What about the Prioress?’ asked Agnes, guardedly.
‘She’s not dead.’
‘Hush,’ said Agnes, going to the door and checking no one was behind it.
‘But there is a rumour that she was as guilty as the other one, the Impostor who fell from the tower.’
‘That’s not true!’ said Agnes. She covered her mouth briefly as if she wanted to catch the words but she was already too late. ‘I ask you again, what do you know?’
‘I know where Prioress Ursula is now.’
‘You must say nothing of this.’
‘I am not the one I do not trust here, Sister Agnes.’
‘In what way do you think me untrustworthy? I have been a nun for twenty years.’ Sister Agnes pulled her dignity about her.
Therese took a deep breath. ‘You are Anglo-Saxon.’
‘I am, so what?’ Agnes’s eyes narrowed.
‘You could be wishing to destroy the embroidery.’
‘Why should I want to do that?’
‘To discredit the King,’ said Therese.
‘I have been here since this place opened. I have had plenty of time to destroy each panel as it was made. Now they are on the last panel and the others have been taken away under guard, so all that can be destroyed here is the last panel. If I wanted to do such a thing I would have done it long ago.’
Therese looked at her long and hard in the firelight. Her eyes were shadowed by the flickering flame. Therese couldn’t read them. ‘So if Prioress Ursula and you are innocent, where has the rumour come from that Prioress Ursula is as guilty as the Impostor.’
Sister Agnes stirred the fire with a poker. ‘I don’t really know. I assumed it was Sister Ethelburga.’
‘Why would she do that?’ asked Therese.
‘I thought it was to discredit Prioress Ursula’s choice of successor.’