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.”
“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.”
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