Daughters of the Dagger 03 - Amber (9 page)

She had that feeling again and it was getting stronger. That
is, that tingling sensation flitting across her skin from his protective touch, and that uneasiness in her stomach.

She turned to reprimand him and their faces were so close that if he just leaned forward they’d share another kiss. He did naught to remove his arms from around her and for one second of her life she felt as if they were a couple. He was looking at her mouth and she couldn’t help but look at his too. Then she realized they were out in the open and she was a nun in the arms of a very persuasive, handsome man. She pushed away quickly and straightened her wimple.

“What’s the matter?” he asked. “Afraid I might bite you?”

“Afraid you’ll kiss me again,” she admitted.

“I wouldn’t object, if you wouldn’t.”

“Stop it.
This is very inappropriate. And if we are going to be traveling together you need to promise me right now that you won’t touch me again.

Lucas didn’t want to lie, as he planned on touching her alright on their little journey, but he also couldn’t alert her to it or she may try to come up with a reason not to go on the pilgrimage with him.

“Lucifer,
” came Father Armand’s voice from behind him.

Though he hated that name
, he was glad at the moment for the distraction.

“Lucifer, do you have the scroll that Sir
Romney has asked us to copy for him?”

Lucas
bent over and picked it up quickly, dusting it off and handing it to the priest. “Here are the Codes of Conduct of a knight, copied in the beautiful hand script of the very talented Sister Amber.” He flashed a smile at her when he said it, but she just rolled her eyes.

Sir
Romney was with Father Armand, as well as a lusty tart.

“Take a look, Sir
Romney,” said the priest handing him the scroll. “See if it is to your liking.”

Amber poked Lucas
in the back and he turned to her. She leaned over and whispered behind her hand.

“I told you I saw a man who reminded me of you, and that he was a knight. This is that man.”

“What?” He turned back to look at the knight, surveying his dark hair and dark eyes. Lucas was blond. He didn’t see a resemblance at all, though the man was the same height and build as him, though he looked to be a few years younger. “I see no resemblance at all,” he told her. “Other than we are both knights.”

“You are not a knight,” she said. “You told me so yourself.”

“That’s right,” said Father Armand, overhearing the conversation. “Lucifer is a knight errant. He will be knighted as soon as he finishes his pilgrimage to Canterbury.”

“Canterbury? That’s where we’re going
,” said the whore, looking up to Sir Romney and smiling. Lucas had seen this girl before at the Cardinal’s Hat, one of the whorehouses in Southwark. As a matter of fact, if he wasn’t mistaken he’d even had her once. Aye, he was sure of it.

“That’s right,” said Sir
Romney, rolling up the scroll and placing it under his arm. “When are you going? Mayhap we can travel with you along the way?”

“That would be wonderful,” piped in Amber. “I would love to have someone to talk to on the road.”

Lucas knew she was only saying that so she wouldn’t have to be alone with him on the journey. He couldn’t allow that. He had work to do with her and a third and fourth party would only make it harder for him when he tried to woo her.

“Nay, we won’t be leaving at the same time,” said Lucas quickly.

“Oh, that’s a shame,” said the whore, eyeing up Lucas. “I really want you to come.” She licked her lips in the process and he suddenly remembered exactly who she was. Mirabelle. And she was very good with her mouth. He also remembered having had no money at the time she’d serviced him, and so he’d left without paying her. He only hoped she didn’t recognize him as well.

“I bet you do
,” he said under his breath.

“We are leaving in the morning,” said the knight. “In case you change your mind and want the company.”

“That’s when we’re leaving,” said Amber, and Lucas just wished she’d shut up already.

“You are going to be late for prayers, Sister Amber,” he reminded her through gritted teeth.

“Oh, that’s right,” she said. “But first, my name is Sister Amber,” she told their guests, “just like you’ve heard Lucas call me. I know your name, Sir Romney, as I’ve heard Father Armand mention it, but I don’t know the lady’s name.”

“Her name
is Mirabelle, and she is not a lady. Now get going,” growled Lucas as he gave her a slight push in the right direction. She took a step forward and then turned around and was back again.

“How did you know that?” she asked.

“I … just know.”

“Mirabelle?
” she asked the girl. “Really! That was my mother’s name. Oh, I do wish you would come with us on the morrow. I would like that so much.”

“No
, you wouldn’t,” he said.

“Yes, I would.”

“Sister Amber, I don’t think it would be appropriate to be going on a pilgrimage with one of the Winchester Geese,” Lucas told her.

“Don’t call her a goose,” Amber said f
rom the side of her mouth. “’Tis not kind to compare her to a fowl.”

“You don’t understand.”

“I understand that you are being rude.”

“She’s not like you.”

“That’s fine,” she said. “As long as she is nothing like you.”

“God’s eyes, don’t you under
stand that the girl is nothing but a … she is … not a lady.” Lucas was trying to be subtle, as he didn’t really want to call the girl a whore in front of a priest and a novice nun. Besides, he didn’t know how Sir Romney would accept his words either. He didn’t need a fight when his side was still sore.

There was a gasp, but not fro
m any of them. It was Abbess Dulcina, coming to join them. She blessed herself and collected Amber into her arms. “Come, child, you are late for Sext and you cannot miss or be late for another prayer service again.”

“Late for sex?” Mirabelle laughed and so did the knight.

“Father Armand, what is this woman doing inside our holy walls?” asked the abbess, obviously appalled by the whore’s presence.

“Sister Dulcina, we have provided a service to Sir
Romney, and he is about to pay me for the copy of his document.” The priest’s hand shot out with palm upward.

“Oh, of course,” said Sir
Romney. “A shilling, was it?” He reached into his pouch and pulled out the coin and laid it in the priest’s hand.

“It was two
.” Father Armand still stood with his hand open and ready to collect more.

“Nay
, I remember exactly, it was one,” protested the knight.

“Well, since you’re memory is poor, Sir
Romney, perhaps you’ll consider the other coin a tithe to the church. And if you make it a full crown I’ll let you and the girl stay in the guest house tonight and give you a meal as well.”

“
The knight can stay, but
she
is not welcome here,” protested Sister Dulcina, looking at the whore. She then pulled Amber into such a protective hold that Lucas thought she’d choke her. “And that woman will not be accompanying one of the novices of the Sisters of St. Ermengild anywhere.”

“Now, now, Abbess,” the priest said in a controlled but firm tone. “Everyone is welcome in the house of God. If you don’t believe me, I am sure you could ask the archbishop of Winchester as he accepts women of her kind.”

Aye, he accepts them for the money their profession brings in, thought Lucas, but he dared not say it aloud.

Sister Dulcina just sniffed and turned up
her nose and whisked Amber away with her.

“Pay him,” the whore whined. “I want a real bed tonight.”

“Oh, all right.” Sir Romney placed a full crown in Father Armand’s hand and was about to take back the shilling, when the priest snapped his fist shut and pulled back his hand.

“May God bless you both and absolve you from your sins,” said the priest, waving the sign of the cross in the air.

“Did you hear that?” asked Mirabelle with a giggle. “I’m absolved from my sins.”

“That won’t last long,” Lucas said under his breath and the whore shot him a daggered look.

“At least some people pay for services rendered,” she said, obviously a subtle reminder that she remembered him after all.

“And some people charge for services that are normally free.” Lucas looked toward Father Armand when he said it, as travelers were usually welcome into the abbey with no charge. If they so chose to make a donation, that was their choice.

“Lucifer, I think it would be a grand idea if these two accompanied you and Sister Amber tomorrow on your journey,” said the priest.

“What are you saying? It would be a bad idea, I assure you.”

“Feel free to make your way to the refectory for a bite to eat,” the priest told them with a smile. “The meal will start at the end of the prayer service. And you’ll both stay tonight in the guest house as well.”

“Well thank you, Father Armand,” said the knight with a slight bow. Mirabelle grabbed onto his arm. “And I’ll have to be sure to tell Sister Amber personally of the superb job she did on my parchment.”
They headed away, and when they were out of earshot, the priest leaned over and spoke softly to Lucas.

“This is perfect,” he said.

“Nay, ’tis a horrid idea. I need to be alone with Amber and this is going to wreck the plans.”

“On the contrar
y, Lucifer, I believe having a
woman of profession
along may just help to change Amber’s mind of becoming a nun. With any luck, she’ll have a full turn around and never want to return to the abbey.”

“Or it may appall her and do just the opp
osite,” he pointed out. “I still don’t like the idea.”

“And s
ince you’re posing as a knight errant, you may want to learn as much as you can from Sir Romney,” the priest told him. “Take a good look at that knight’s Code of Conduct while you are at it. You’ll need to learn all you can by the time you reach Canterbury if you plan on being lord of the castle and being dubbed a knight.”

“I’m
really being dubbed a knight?” he asked in shock, but very pleased. “How could that be?”

“Don’t worry about it. I will take care of the details. All you’ll need to concentrate on is reversing Amber’s decision and securing that ruby. I’ll show u
p in Canterbury a day or two after you to collect the ruby, and at that time we’ll seal our deal. In the meantime, find a way to stay at Canterbury Castle and just wait for me.”

“And how am I going to do that?”

“Well, while talking with Sir Romney I discovered that his sister is the widow of the late Lord of Canterbury. Actually, he is on a journey to console her. Do what you have to, but get invited to stay and I’ll take care of the rest. And while you’re at it, try to sell some of our fake relics to Sir Romney. I saw the amount of coins in his pouch and he can afford it.”

Lucas didn’t like the idea of traveling with the two. Especially since Mirabelle obviously remembered him. He didn’t want Amber to know the girl had
at one time serviced him. The only good thing that could come of all this is if Mirabelle taught Amber how to use those luscious lips of hers in more ways than one.

’Twas just after Lauds, the five a.m. prayer service, and Amber walked next to Ursula as they made their way toward her room.

“Oh, Sister Ursula, I must admit I am excited to be going on a pilgrimage with Lucas today. I already have my bag packed as I was told we were going to get an early start.”

She didn’t have much in her bag, just a change of her long, black gown, her rosary, and a traveling cape in case the nights got chilly. She would add the prayer book she was clutching in her hand to the pack as soon as she got to her room. She owned nothing else, as it wasn’t allowed.

But still, she couldn’t stop thinking of her russet favorite gown and her mother’s jewels sitting in Father Armand’s chamber.
And that only brought to mind the jeweled amber dagger she’d had as a child. She wished she had it now, because she knew the journey would be long and dangerous. But then she reassured herself that no one would harm her if she were donned in her habit. And Lucas would be there to protect her too.

“Aren’t you afraid to be alone with him?” asked the nun.

“I was. That is why I made sure we would have other people along on the trip. We will be traveling with Sir Romney and his lady friend named Mirabelle.”

Sister Ursula giggled. “Lady friend?” she asked. “You mean the Winchester Goose.”

“Why is everyone referring to her as a goose?” Amber asked curiously. “I don’t understand.”

“Oh, Amber, you are so naïve. The Winchester Geese are whores!”

Amber’s mouth dropped open and Ursula covered her own mouth quickly and then blessed herself. The abbess was across the courtyard moving toward them and Sister Ursula gave Amber a quick hug.

“I’ll see you when you return,” she said. “
If
you return.” Then she winked.

“I will,” she said with conviction. “And now that I know Mirabelle is a whore, I’m not even sure I want to go.”

“Don’t be that way,” said Ursula. “It may be nice to have another woman along to talk to. In case you need advice with Lucas.”

“Nay! She is the last person I’d ask for advice.”

“You’d better keep his interest, Amber. Because if you don’t, she just may.”

With that, Ursula hurried away just as Sister Dulcina joined her. She had her rosary in her hand and a worried look upon her face. Amber was afraid she’d grab onto her again like yesterday, when she’d found it hard to breathe. So she hurried toward her room instead of standing still.

“Sister Amber, I need to talk to you,” said the abbess hurrying up behind her as she climbed the stairs leading to her room.

“I’m in a hurry, Sister Dulcina, as I am about to leave on my journey.”

The nun blessed herself and just shook her head. “That’s what I want to warn you about. I don’t think you should be going.”

“Don’t worry, Abbess, as I will not judge the woman even if she is a whore.”

Amber opened the door to her room and entered.

“Don’t say that word in the abbey,” warned the nun, her thick finger lashing out in a scolding wave in front of Amber’s face. “And that’s not who I was warning you about. I mean
t Lucifer.”

“He prefers to be called Lucas,” she said, picking up her traveling bag and shoving her prayer book into it quickly.

“Whatever name he goes by, he is still the devil.”

“He is not,” she proclaimed. “He is a man, that’s all.”

“You cannot trust him,” the nun warned her.

“Oh, I think you have him all wrong,” she laughed, stepping around the abbess
meaning to exit the room.

“You don’t know him the way I do.”

“Well, mayhap it is time I get to know him.” She opened the door wider and the abbess stopped it with her hand.

“Nay,
” she said. “I have known him since he was a child and I tell you he has a wild and defiant streak and a temper that can be ignited for no reason at all.”

“You knew him as a child?” she asked, her hand sliding down the door. “Ho
w can that be?”

“He was raised in the
double monastery by Father Armand,” she told her. “I thought everyone knew that.”

“He was raised here? I didn’t know that. He told me he never knew his parents.”

“That’s right. He was abandoned by his mother on the steps of the church, and if Father Armand hadn’t taken him in, he would have starved and froze to death as well.”

“He is an orphan?” Suddenly, all the ill thoughts she had of Lucas dissolved. Her heart went out to him
. She knew how hard it was to grow up with only one parent. But not having either parent must have been so sad and lonely. “Oh, Sister Dulcina, I feel so sorry for him.”

“Don’t.
” Her arms crossed over her ample bosom. “Father Armand spent the best years of his life raising Lucifer to be a monk and then just before his vows, the boy left the monastery to wander the world as nothing more than a murderer.”

“Do you mean a mercenary? He told me that. But are you saying he was supposed to be a … a monk?” Somehow she couldn’t picture Lucas with his head shaved in a tonsure nor attending prayer services eight times a day either. “What happened?” she asked. “Why did he leave?”

“I don’t know, but he was gone for years and then he returned about four months ago and punched the Father in the face. That’s why he was sent away in chains to repent for his sins.”

“Oh my,” was all that Amber could say, as she had wondered about Lucas’
s past, and he seemed to avoid answering her. Now she understood why he knew so much of a novice’s training and also why he knew how to make the paints for the scriptorium. He obviously wasn’t jesting with her like she’d thought. “Well, thank you for telling me,” she said in a half-daze, heading out the door.

“You can’t trust him,” the abbess said. “Father Armand has given everything to him and lived a hard life just to teach him to read and write and
be trained as a monk, and then he did this to the priest. Father Armand has suffered greatly and this is the thanks he gets in return.”

Amber thought of all the wealth she’d seen in the priest’s chamber. He was the one who couldn’t be trusted and though she wanted the abbess to know, she felt as if it wasn’t her position to intervene.

“Perhaps Lucas is not the one we need to be concerned with,” she said. “After all, even the holiest of people can be deceiving at times.”

“What are you trying to say, Sister Amber?”

“Nothing,” she answered. “Just that I am going on pilgrimage as it was my penance from Father Armand.”

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “I am sure he never would have given you that as a penance.”

“But he did,” she explained, “along with one Hail Mary and one Our Father.”

“One?” she asked shaking her head in disbelief. “You must be mistaken.”

“Oh, you are right,” she said with a smile. “It was two. And one last word of advice, Sister Dulcina, before I go … if you are missing anything, you may want to check behind doors that are off limits.”

With that, she hurried across the courtyard and away from the abbess. She stopped just outside the ch
apter house, seeing Brother Walter coming from within.

“Good morning, Brother Walter
, have you seen Lucas by any chance this morning?”

“I saw him a while ago heading for the stables,” he told her.

“Thank you,” she said and hurried off. She all but ran across the courtyard and to the stables, not wanting to be stopped by Sister Dulcina again if she should decide to follow. All she wanted was to be away from the abbey where she could think about everything the abbess had just told her. Why hadn’t Lucas told her he was once training to be a monk? Then, she thought it was probably because she wouldn’t have believed it anyway.

She walked into the stables, but saw no one
, as it was still early. Then she heard a slight thumping noise and thought one of the horses was getting frisky. She headed toward the noise, now able to hear what sounded like the heavy breathing of someone as well as the voice of a woman.

“Ohhh, give it to me, baby,” she heard. “Harder, faster,” and then the woman squealed out in delight. “Oh yes, oh yes, more, more, more.”

She rounded the corner to see Mirabelle bent over a pile of hay with her skirts thrown up over her head and Sir Romney’s naked backside. The knight pumped into her over and over again until he growled so loud she thought he’d scare the horses.

“Oh!” she cried, holding her hand up to her eyes and turning her head. She realized she had just walked into the midst of the act of coupling.

“Amber?” Lucas shot out from inside one of the stalls, and she saw that he’d been busy saddling a horse. “Bid the devil you two, stop that!” he shouted to the couple. “You are inside the walls of a monastery not in a brothel.” He put his arms around Amber and pulled her to his chest, cradling her head in his hand, not letting her turn to see as the couple finished up.

“I … I didn’t know,” she said, feeling her body trembling in his arms.

“Shhhh,” he said running his hand over her wimple. “There is nothing to be frightened about, so you needn’t tremble. I am just sorry you had to see that.” She felt him kiss her lightly atop her head.

She wasn’t trembling because she was frightened, but it was only because she found herself
curious and slightly aroused. And being pulled tight in his embrace only made her want to know what it felt like to be with a man. She had never coupled with a man, but she’d heard from both her married sisters how wonderful it was. Her sister, Sapphire had even been mistaken as a whore and taken to an upstairs room in a pub by her husband before they were married. She’d let him touch her and couple with her then though she was married to someone else – a very evil man. She’d had a weak moment, but didn’t regret it at all.

This was one of the reasons Amber had decided to be a
nun. To pray for Sapphire’s soul as well as her sister Ruby’s. Killing a man was a mortal sin as well, even if Ruby had done it in self-defense.

And now she’d seen wha
t her sisters were talking about. And it made her curious to know this feeling before she took her vows and never had the chance to experience it in her life. What was the matter with her? Why was she thinking this way? She was ashamed of herself and also shocked by her less than moral thoughts. She had always been the virtuous one out of all four of her blood sisters. Now, she was starting to seem no better than the rest of them. Now she needed to pray for her soul as well, as thinking of coupling was almost as bad as doing the act itself.

She pushed out of Lucas’s embrace and blessed herself, dropping to her knees right in the soiled straw on the floor and reciting
one prayer after another.

“Get up, Amber,” he growled pulling her to her feet. “This is no place for that.”

“And neither is this the place for that,” she said, turning around to see Sir Romney tying his hose and the whore just brushing the straw off her gown.

“All
right, I’m ready, let’s go,” Mirabelle said as if she’d done naught more than her morning business in the garderobe or perhaps a menial chore.

“Yes, I am ready as well,” said the knight, strapping on his sword and heading over.

She just stood there with her eyes fastened to them and her mouth opened wide, not knowing what to say or think.

“What the hell is the matter with you two?” Lucas ground out. “You just did that in front of a damned nun!”

“Sorry about that,” said Mirabelle with a giggle.

“Let’s get the hell out of here already,” said Lucas, bringing forth the horse he sa
ddled. She could see the travel bags were already full and tied to the horse’s saddle.

“I’ll get my horse and we’ll be on our way,” said Sir
Romney. He headed off and Mirabelle ran after him.

“We’re tak
ing horses and not walking?” asked Amber, as it was customary to walk on a pilgrimage.

“We are,” he said, handing her the reins. “
I’ve had enough walking to last me a lifetime on the last pilgrimage. Besides, my wound is still healing. So, this time will be different.” She saw him eyeing a horse at the other end of the stable and brought it over. It wasn’t saddled, and she figured it would take a few minutes to do it. But instead of a saddle, he put already-filled travel bags on the horse and secured them into place.

“Let’s go,” he
said, bringing the horses to the door of the stable.

“But aren’t you going to saddle the other horse?” she asked.

“No need,” he said, but nothing more.

“Where are you going with my horses?” asked Fath
er Armand hurrying into the stables.

Lucas just looked the man in the eye and smiled. “My share,” is all he said. Then he turned toward Amber. “Up you go.” He hoisted her atop the horse in one swift movement.

“Nay, what are you doing?” she cried, kicking her feet and struggling in his arms.

“Stop that and get in the saddle,” he instructed, moving his head as she almost kicked him in the eye.