Lord of the Abbey (50 page)

“It’s empty!” Wyldhurst frowned in disappointment.

“Give me a lamp.” Harry instructed. “There has to be
something
in here!” Surely, the ghost of William Dulac would be aware if the letters he placed there in life were now gone. William was an intelligent spectre, after all the ghost knew he and Rowena were married. Even offered them congratulations. He would not point out the location of the chamber if nothing remained to be found. Harry knew this.

Harry held up the lamp to illuminate the small stone chamber. “There has to be a loose stone somewhere. I see no evidence of an opening to another secret chamber leading off this little priest hole.”

“I’ll hold the lamp,” Wyldhurst stated. “You and Trevan look for loose stones.”

Many quiet minutes passed.

“I’ve got a loose one,” Trevan announced. He lifted the stone away, revealing a small rectangular opening.

Wyldhurst moved closer with the lamp, while Harry removed a faded brocade bag. When he pulled it out a letter wafted to the stone floor. Trevan picked up the letter.

Rowena peeked in from the chamber opening. “I thought the Abbot’s letters were sewn into the bag.”

“It feels as if there is something still in the lining.” Harry opened the bag and produced a gold, pearl and garnet brooch from within. He offered it to Rowena. He felt the bag again. “There is definitely something sewn into the lining of this bag.”

“Let’s get to the library, gentlemen, and see what we have,” Rowena said with a pleased smile.

The loose letter was sealed with the Glastonbury Abbey coat of arms. “This has to be a letter written by William,” she deduced as she broke the seal and opened the velum. She looked hurriedly to find the signature. “It is!”

Micah was carefully ripping the stitches of the brocade bag with the knife from his boot. He produced two pieces of parchment folded over from inside. Trevan and Harry peered over his shoulder as he opened the folded pages. “This is from the Holy Abbot of Glastonbury, the Honorable, Richard Whiting.” Micah smiled triumphantly.

Wyldhurst was studying the garnet and pearl brooch with the magnifying glass. “Aha! I found an inscription, M. Dulac!”

“According to
The History of the Dulacs of Glastonbury
, William’s grandmother’s given name was Mary,” Rowena informed him, then asked curiously, “How old do you suppose the brooch is, Luc?”

Harry earlier explained to her that one of Wyldhurst’s specialities was antique and ancient jewelry.

“Late fifteenth, early sixteenth century, I’d say. I will have to research to pinpoint the decade directly.”

“A wonderful family heirloom for you, Lady Rowena!” Trevan remarked.

“Oh, indeed it is!”

“Rowena, how long will it take you to decipher William’s letter?” Harry inquired.

“It’s one and a half pages, so maybe a couple hours.”

“Micah, how long on the Abbot’s list?”

“About the same,” Micah answered. “The Abbot’s hand was very shaky.”

“I offer my services to help them both,” Trevan spoke up.

“I’ll help too.” Lyon nodded. He was barely able to walk, even with his cane, so it made perfect sense for him to remain in the library.

“Good. The rest of us will get busy with our duties for the upcoming festivities. We’ll all gather in the library after dinner tonight for the reading of them both.” Harry bent to kiss Rowena’s cheek before he and the other gentlemen left them to decipher the old letters.

It was a formal dinner served in the gallery with all of Stonedown’s long tables in use. There were thirty five in attendance. Lady Sperring insisted upon a celebration marking the end of their troubles with Viscount Dalworth and Percy Davitt. As the Faire and Ball were merely days away, the remainder of the meals before that day would all be informal cold meals served on sideboards for the members of the household would be far too busy to take time for a formal meal.

The evening was full of gaiety and laughter now that the threat of danger no longer hung over their heads. The ladies retired to the drawing room, while the men enjoyed cigars and port in the library. Those of Trevan’s relatives staying at the Grange left. Some men remained on guard, for Stonedown was still full of priceless relics. And there was the matter of the missing Percy Davitt and Amelia Whitely.

They were down to a party of seventeen when they went in to the library to hear the letter of William Dulac, and the list of Abbey treasures written by Abbot Whiting.

Micah went first. “As you are all aware, we found most of the treasure listed in this letter. This letter will help us identify much of what we found in the Tor tunnel. We already concluded that the chamber in the tunnel near the George and Pilgrim was discovered before 1607. Any mentioned treasures hidden in the Abbey walls are long since found or destroyed.”

He continued, “There is a possibility of one or two items still being within the walls of the basements of what is left of the Abbey. But, they are merely chalices or plate, even if they are gold.”

“
The tunnel on the abbey grounds is safe enough to be searched tomorrow. What might we expect to find there?” Trevan asked.

Micah answered, “According to the Abbot, that chamber is identified from within the tunnel by a Celtic Cross symbol. The chamber contains mostly bones of the famous occupants buried at the Abbey, the most notable being, King Arthur and Guinevere, St. Joseph, St. Patrick, St. Dunstan and Jesus the Younger, the son of Christ. There are also at least fifty relics of saints named, the finger bone of one, bone fragments, pieces of hair and garments of others, as well as St. Bridget’s bell, spindle and wallet. The piece of wattle from the original
Vetusta Ecclesia
built by St. Joseph of Arimathea and Jesus Christ. That is what we shall find there.”

Micah took a deep breath and went on, “One of the scrolls we found in the Tor tunnel is referred to by the Abbot as the
Secretum Domini.
I am assuming that is the one Davitt was looking for. And some of the other scrolls are very important, as well. One is supposed to be proof that Jesus Christ was here in Glastonbury to study in the Druidic colleges during the lost years. In addition, the letter mentions that in one scroll, it reveals the location of some relics of Jesus, hidden somewhere in the Lady Chapel. Whether they still remain, I cannot say until the scrolls are deciphered. The list does not say exactly where the Jesus relics are located, and I shall remind everyone, the Abbot wrote this list before the Abbey was destroyed.”

There were many pleased and surprised comments.

“
William Dulac’s letter is equally as exciting,” Rowena flashed a delighted smile. “I shall read it to you.”

Dulac Manor, September 28, 1601

I fear the end of my life is near. So, with the help of my old friend Esau Davitt’s son, John, I entered the secret chamber in my room for the first time in many decades to leave this last letter to, I am hoping, my descendants.

I did not comprehend the significance nor the importance of the Abbey of Glaston in the year of our Lord, fifteen hundred and thirty-nine. But I remained a scholar for all of my life, and now at my death I think I fully understand the secrets of this sacred and holy place. I spent the past ten years recording my findings and understanding of the Secretum Domini. These I compiled into a book.

I am also proud that I continued a line descended from the Desposyni. Though I am not one of that line but merely bear the honored name, I did my part to continue the bloodline. My lovely wife, mother of my children, was indeed a Dulac. It was an honor to propogate that line so there are still descendants of Christ and St. Joseph in this land. And I pray the Dulacs continue to flourish throughout time.

Just as the Lady Chapel rested atop the original church, the Vetusta Ecclesia, this very manor rests atop its own secret. For the physical house of Avallach, the home of other descendants of my family, the Del Acqs, was here on this very spot. It is just as sacred and holy as the abbey grounds. For it was here, on Torr Hill, and at Beckery that a young Jesus came to learn Math, Science, Philosophy, and Astronomy among many other important things. I found evidence that he stayed in a house standing long ago on this very spot.

This and much more is contained in the book which explains the secret of our Lord. It was handwritten, hand-bound, a trade I learned as a young lad at the Abbey in the scriptorium. I’ll leave you with a clue, for the Blessed Angel from the tower on the hill awaits me to take me home. I will once again see my parents, my wife, my Grandmother and the Abbot.

I will take the secrets with me to the grave. They are protected by the same symbol which has protected the Abbey since the days of Arthur, the renowned King.

I loved the Abbey. I loved my life there. But had things not happened the way they did that September day in fifteen hundred and thirty-nine, I would not have such a wonderful family, nor lived in such love and happiness all the days since. I would not have my children and grandchildren nor the opportunity to learn of the Secretum Domini. The protection of the secrets were passed to me by the Abbot. Now I pass them to you and bid you to protect them well. They are now your legacy.

William Fotherby Dulac.”

Rowena wiped a tear from her cheek as she finished. She looked to Harry and smiled.

“
May I see the letter, Lady Rowena?” Micah asked.

“
Yes, of course.” Rowena handed William Dulac’s letter to him.

“
Desposyni. The blood relatives of Jesus, the Messiah, through his mother, Mary, who was of the Davidic Line. And Joseph was of the Davidic line as well. The Desposyni had a large part in the leadership of the early Christian church, until the fourth century.” Trevan rose. “As William believed he further propagated his line of the Desposyni, it seems you both are of Jesus’ line, Lady Glaston. Lady Sperring.”

Rowena smiled, as did her aunt. “Yes, Micah already helped us see the possibility of such.”

“
I cannot help but feel that this strengthens the entire Holy Grail concept, which in turn solidifies the Arthurian ties to Glastonbury. We’ll keep all this in mind going forward as we continue our research into these Holy Relics we’ve found. There is much more story here to unravel, I’m thinking.” Trevan beetled his brows as he paused deep in thought. “The only thing missing is a Templar connection. Glastonbury is so
Holy
. Truly sacred ground. Why was there not a Templar Church here, I wonder?”

“
There is one near. At Templecombe,” Micah mentioned matter-of-factly.

Trevan nodded. “Yes, near the hill fort at Cadbury. Hmm.” He shrugged. “I’ll think on all this. Surely something will come to me. In the meantime, we must be aware these secrets we are unfolding and studying are significant. We cannot speak of anything that we’ve discovered here. It can endanger us all. For I cannot believe Percy Davitt is the only other person aside from us in all of England who stumbled onto the secrets here at Glastonbury.”

The room remained quiet. Until a shuffling of papers and an exclamation from Micah broke the silence.

“
Rowena, where are the first and second letters you found?”

Rowena handed the letters to Micah. They were in a pile near her. She quirked a finely etched brow at Micah. He was definitely on to something. “What did you find, Micah?”

Micah held up a hand. “Give me a moment, please, Rowena, and I shall tell you.” He read over both letters, a small expectant smile turning into a larger more confident one.

“
What is it, Micah?” Rowena questioned impatiently.

“Take the secrets to the grave.” Micah repeated aloud, with a chuckle. “He mentions this in all his letters. You don’t suppose-“

“That the
Secretum Domini
is buried with him!” Harry interrupted. Rose to his feet.

“Lady Sperring, Lady Glaston,” Trevan asked, “exactly where is William Dulac buried. Do you know?”

“In the crypt, which is below the chapel, here at Stonedown,” Rowena informed them excitedly. “William is buried in a fine sarcophagus. He is between the sarcophagi of his wife and his grandmother. We should visit the crypt first thing in the morning.”