The Innocent (2 page)

"Men like naughty women," Isa responded.

"But not
wives,"
Matti said wisely. "Even I know that. When my father sought a match for my eldest brother, Simon was mad for the daughter of a neighbor, but father had heard she was a bit wild. He sought elsewhere for a more modest girl. The neighbor’s daughter was twenty before a husband was found to take her; and that bridegroom was mightily surprised to find the neighbor’s daughter a virgin, for all had believed her not. A reputation must be guarded as carefully as a maidenhood, my father always said."

"I was betrothed to Martin of Langley when I was five, and then immediately sent here to St. Frideswide's," Isa said. "I will go home some time after Lammastide, and be married immediately.
I have no reputation!"
she complained bitterly.

"What does he look like?" Matti asked curiously.

"As I remember, and I have not seen him since our betrothal," Isa replied, "he had brown eyes and brown hair. He was fifteen, and had just been knighted, but as I recall he had no pockmarks on his face. I can't remember his face except that it was pleasant. He shall be a complete surprise to me, and I hope a nice one. I shall be a total surprise to him from the runny-nosed little maid I was on our betrothal day. I had a cold, as I remember, and wanted to stay warm in my cot, but I was dragged up, and dressed in my finest, and taken to the church to stand by his side while the betrothal ceremony was performed. I don't think he ever even looked at me more than once, and I suppose then to ascertain that I didn't have a squint," Isa concluded.

The three girls giggled, but then they turned their heads at the sound of a voice calling them. It was the convent gatekeeper, Sister Perpetua, and she was waving her apron at them.

"Eleanore de Montfort, come down at once," she shouted up the hill at them. "Reverend Mother wants to see you."

Elf arose, and waved back. "I am coming, sister," she called. She put on her wimple, tucking her long braids beneath it, brushed the grass from her dove gray skirts, and looked to her two friends. "Am I all right?" They nodded, and Elf hurried off down the hill to the convent.

"You are to go right to the chapter house, my child," Sister Perpetua said. "You will find Reverend Mother in the hall with a guest."

"Who is it?" Elf asked curiously. "Is it the rider we saw coming through the gate a few minutes ago, sister?"

"Yes," the nun answered, "but I do not know who he is. Hurry, child! Do not keep Reverend Mother waiting now."

Elf walked quickly through the gates, and across the cloister courtyard to the stone chapter house. Entering it she went directly to the great hall. At one end of the chamber was the abbess’s chair of office, flanked by a row of stall seats where the nuns sat each morning. Mother Eunice sat in her place, a booted gentleman by her side. Elf came forward, and prostrated herself before the abbess.

"You may arise, my daughter" came the permission, and when Elf stood before Mother Eunice, head bowed respectfully, her gray-blue eyes modestly lowered, the abbess said quietly, "This is Sir Saer de Bude, Eleanore. He has come to escort you home to Ashlin."

Elf raised startled eyes to the abbess.

"Your brother, Richard, is ill, my daughter, and he wishes to see you" came the answer to Elf’s unspoken question. "Sir Saer is the cousin of your sister-in-law, the lady Isleen. It is not a very long journey, and if you leave within the hour, you will be home before twilight this very day. Sister Cuthbert will help you to pack what you must have. You are to remain as long as you are needed. When your brother releases you, you will return to us." Seeing that Elf was desperate to speak, the abbess said, "What is it, my daughter?"

"My vows, Reverend Mother. Matilda FitzWilliam and I are to take our vows together on the twenty-second day of June. That is less than three weeks away. What if I am not back by then?" Elf could feel tears pricking at her eyelids.

"Then, my child, you will take your vows at a later time. Remember, all of this is God’s will, not ours. You must obediently follow the path our gracious Lord Christ has set out for you."

"Yes, Reverend Mother," Elf replied, disheartened. If Richard had sent for her, then the matter was serious. She had seen him only once in the nine years she had been at St. Frideswide's. That had been six months after her arrival when he had come with his new bride, Isleen, who was the most beautiful creature Elf had ever seen, but did not seem particularly interested in the small child who was now her sister-in-law. And Dickon had changed. He was distracted, and had eyes only for his wife. They had not stayed long, and Elf had had no contact with them since but for a letter from her brother that came each year on her birthday. This year, however, there had been no letter.

The abbess’s voice cut into Elf’s thoughts. "Go now, my daughter, and prepare for your journey. Sir Saer will await you outside the gates of the convent. When you are ready, take yourself to Sister Joseph, who will see that you have a proper mount. Go with God, my daughter."

Elf bowed to Reverend Mother Eunice, turned, and hurried out.

"The demoiselle Eleanore is of good family," the abbess said to her guest, "and of gentle disposition. She came to us when she was five, and has not left the environs of St. Frideswide’s since. Be certain you treat her gently and with respect. Above all, do not speak harshly to her. She is not used to men as you will surely understand. Father Anselm is the only man she knows."

"Of course, Reverend Mother," Saer de Bude answered the abbess. "My cousin would be angered with me if I were thoughtless of the demoiselle." He bowed to the nun. " I shall take my leave of you, then, my lady abbess, and await the demoiselle outside your gates." He turned quickly to go.

"A moment, sir," Mother Eunice said sharply. "What is Richard de Montfort’s true condition? I shall not tell Eleanore."

"He is dying," Saer de Bude replied sanguinely.

The abbess merely nodded. Then, after a long pause, she said, "You may go." She had been certain that nothing short of impending death would have elicited a call for Eleanore de Montfort. She well remembered Isleen de Warenne. A proud, selfish girl with little care for anyone but herself.
And Isleen was childless after nine years of marriage.
Even here in her convent the abbess had heard the gossip about that. If Richard de Montfort did die, the manor of Ashlin would devolve upon Eleanore de Montfort. And that sweet child was shortly to take her vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. As a nun she could possess nothing, not even her immortal soul, which belonged to God. Therefore Ashlin would come to St. Frideswide's.

The abbess considered this conclusion. There was a piece of property that matched the convent’s lands, which she had coveted for some time now. If Ashlin were sold, this excellent grazing land could be purchased. The Reverend Mother Eunice smiled. God always answered her prayers, even if He sometimes took a bit longer than she thought was entirely necessary.

And while the abbess considered the rich grazing land soon to belong to the convent, Elf was standing in the center of her dormitory with Sister Cuthbert looking completely confused. "I don't know what to take with me," she wailed. "Do you know what I will need?"

"Take your other skirt, two tunics, all three of your camisas, your stockings not with the laundress, your hairbrush and comb. You will need a pair of gloves for riding. I will give you mine. Our hands are almost the same size. You will wear your cloak, of course." As she spoke, Sister Cuthbert gathered up Elf’s possessions and wrapped them neatly in a piece of dark cloth. When she had finished, she said, "Go and pee, child. You have eight miles to traverse today. Then wash your face and hands. You'll need a clean wimple. That one looks as if you had been sitting on it in the grass, which I suppose you were. I'll fetch you a new one."

Elf pulled off the offending headdress, and did as she had been bid. When she returned to the nun, there was a fresh wimple on her bed. She put it on and slipped her cloak about her shoulders, fastening it with a closure in the shape of the cross. The garment was a darker gray than her skirt. "Will you tell Matti and Isa where I have gone, Sister Cuthbert? And that I will be back as quickly as I can?"

Sister Cuthbert nodded, gently adjusting Elf’s wimple as she said, "It will be a grand adventure, little one, and you should have one small adventure before you pledge your life to our good Lord. We will pray for your brother, Elf. Do not fear for him, for he is in God’s hands. Come, I will take you to Sister Joseph, to make certain she mounts you decently. She always wants to give us that wretched mule who will only go where he is minded to go, and not necessarily where you need him to go. You are too young and innocent to defy Sister Joseph. I am not."

Together the two of them walked to the convent stable, a small building on the cloister’s west side. And indeed Sister Joseph was of a mind to mount Elf on her favorite mule, but Sister Cuthbert would not have it.

"She must have the white mare," the older nun said.

"That is reserved for Reverend Mother," Sister Joseph protested.

"Reverend Mother is not going anywhere, but Eleanore de Montfort is. That mule is impossible with everyone but you, and you know it."

"But we don't know how long the mare will be away, and if Reverend Mother needs her, what am I to say?" Sister Joseph persisted.

Sister Cuthbert turned to Elf. "Can you have your brother’s serfs return the mare in a day or two? I am sure he will mount you decently when you return. That way should Reverend Mother need her mare, the beast will be here in its stable."

Elf nodded.

"Oh, very well," Sister Joseph acquiesced, "but that mare had best be back in two days' time, Eleanore de Montfort."

"It will, sister, I promise," Elf said softly. "And hopefully I will be the one to ride her back." She stroked the mare’s soft nose.

The mare was saddled. The bundle with Elf’s possessions was strapped into place, and she was helped to mount. All the girls in the convent school were taught how to sit a mare in the event they had to do so. Elf had not expected she would ever ride outside of the convent courtyard, but as she gathered the reins in her gloved hands, she felt a little tremor of excitement. She was going back to Ashlin. She would see Dickon, and using her own skills she would make him well, she was quite certain. She would see old Ida, if indeed Ida was still alive. Then she would return to St. Frideswide's, take her vows, and spend the remainder of her life serving God. Still, she wished she could speak with Isa and Matti herself before her departure.

Sister Cuthbert led the mare and its rider from the stable. Sister Perpetua opened the gates of the convent, and Elf was led outside. Sister Cuthbert put the lead rein into Saer de Bude’s outstretched hand. "Go carefully," Sister Cuthbert told the young man sternly. "The lady is not used to being astride. Go with God, my child," she told Elf.

They set off at a staid pace. Elf could see Isa and Matti still upon the hillside with the sheep. She wanted to wave to them, but she was too shy to do so, and afraid of causing a scene. Saer de Bude kept the mare beside his own mount, and to his right. For a time the animals moved in silence, and then the young man spoke.

"Are you permitted to speak with me, lady?" he asked her.

"Aye," she replied. "We are not a cloistered order."

"You have not been home to Ashlin since you were brought to the convent," he said. It was not a question.

"No," Elf replied. "Tell me of my brother, sir. How ill is he, and what has been done for him?"

"Richard is dying" came the blunt answer.

"Mon Dieu!"
the girl exclaimed, and then blushed with the knowledge that she had sworn an oath.

"The lady Isleen cares for her husband with the devotion of an angel," Saer de Bude continued. "He is a fortunate man, your brother."

"Why is he dying?" Elf demanded of her companion. "What is the matter with him, good sir? Surely a physician was sent for and a diagnosis made."

"There has been no physician at Ashlin," Saer de Bude replied. "We would have had to send to Worcester for one. At first your brother’s illness was not thought to be serious."

"I assist the infirmarian at the convent," Elf told him. "I will want to examine my brother, although I am certainly no expert. Still, Sister Winifred says I am the best assistant she has ever had. I am certain there is something I can do to help my brother."

"The lady Isleen will be most grateful," Saer de Bude replied.

"How came you to Ashlin?" Elf asked him.

"My mother was a de Warenne" was the reply. "The lady Isleen is my cousin. Her family thought I could be of help to your brother."

"I am certain Richard is grateful," Elf answered him primly. Then she grew silent again. She had, of course, only met her sister-in-law once, and perhaps she had judged her through the eyes of a small child, ripped from her home, and put in a strange place. This was the person who had taken her beloved Dickon from her. That Isleen was extravagantly beautiful had not helped. Her hair had been like golden thistledown touched by the moonlight. Her eyes were a deep blue, and her skin was as pure as cream, her cheeks touched with just the faintest hint of rose. She had smelled of roses, too. A delicious, heady scent that bespoke elegance. It was difficult for a little girl just five and a half years of age, in a dull gray gown, to like such a woman. And Isleen had made no effort herself to draw her bridegroom’s little sister to her heart. That one visit had been brief, with Isleen staring out the window of the visitor’s chamber while Dickon spoke briefly, his eyes always going to his bride until he could seemingly not bear it any longer, and they had taken their leave of Elf.

But now her brother and his wife, childless after all their years of marriage, had sent for her.
I must not judge Isleen by that one visit,
Elf chided herself silently. Still, they could have surely afforded the expense of a physician.
Yet she loves my brother, and has taken good care of him. It must break her heart that God has not blessed them with sons and daughters. I must greet her as my sister, and as if it were the first time we met. I will love her because she loves Dickon. Has not our dear Lord said we must love one another as we love Him?