“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
“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
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