Parthena's Promise Page 3

  “Sorry, sir, no woman is staying here by that name or any other. We have a couple of officers, a mill owner and a priest. They’re all waiting for the coach to York, but none have a single woman with them.”

  “When will that leave?” he asked.

  “Tomorrow, mid-day. But it’s fully booked so there will be no space for her on that. If she’s in town, she’ll be easily spotted.” His face must have showed his disappointment. “Mind, she may well have gone to the abbey for a bed. Depending on what sort of lady she is.” She winked. “The more virtuous kind don’t tend to stay on their ownsome in an inn. Is she virtuous?” she asked cheekily.

  Jerome thought of the thieving little minx that had caught his attention and also his coin, and decided the word may fit her demeanour, but not her actions. Still, desperate people did desperate things. Right now he desperately wanted warm food, a bath and to get his hands on the virtuous woman he was chasing.

  “Could you make enquiries for me?” he asked.

  “Don’t think I’d go near a place like that! I’d be struck down!” She laughed a raucous, coarse noise that made him smile to hide the cringe he felt grow inside his cold, and hungry gut.

  “I may well be a bit obvious myself.”

  “Well…” The woman glanced at the ceiling and sucked her browning teeth as she rubbed her thumb and forefinger together.

  He placed a further coin on the counter and kept a finger upon it before she could pick it up.

  “Are there any other inns in the town?” he asked.

  “Aye, one at the other end in the old part. I doubt she would go there, though. I mean, it’s positively ancient. Wooden floors warping, and the damn place falling apart around the guests’ ears, not like our establishment here. This one’s built to last.” She smiled at him.

  Jerome realised that her competitor must still do quite well or it would not have survived if it was of the old timbered buildings from Shakespeare’s time or before. She’s cunning, he thought.

  “You make a good point.” He released the coin. “Have someone make enquiries discreetly and let me know where she is if she has arrived in town and I will double it – if you locate her,” he said.

  “Good as done, mister.” She winked at him again.

  Jerome nodded and then took his weary body up the rickety stairs to his room.

  He would take his rest, warm up, eat, and, when the rain ceased, he would see if they had found where she was. If not, then before he left the place he would take a walk through the town, look out for her and ask if she had been seen anywhere – including in the old inn. His horse needed to rest and dry out as much as he did, but his determination to capture the wench had grown with every uncomfortable hour he had passed in the saddle, in driving rain. He was used to harsh conditions, but never had he been so easily duped in his life before. Jerome had been foolish, but he was no man’s or woman’s fool. She would pay dearly. Would she have the gall to go to an abbey for something? Would she go and repent of her sins? Would they take his money and lock the fool away until she was old, bent over and her life gone along with the beautiful looks? Why should he care what happened to her? He wanted his coin and that would be the end of it… but for those memorable eyes.

  *

  Thena awoke in a cold stone cell, huddled under two thick woollen blankets. The mattress she was lying on felt lumpy but warm, no doubt stuffed with remnants of wool, cotton and whatever other fabrics they could spare to shred. At least it was not stuffed with hay like the Abbey School ones had been in her time there. Girls slept two to a bed with one blanket between them in a dormitory for twenty. There was much she enjoyed about her time there, but not the nights in winter. She saw the chamber pot sticking out from under her bed as she sat up and was careful how she used it. Once satisfied, she cringed, remembering the communal buckets of the dormitory. Deciding she had had enough of nostalgia, she combed out her hair, swept it into a bun and placed her bonnet atop it, then made sure her possessions had not been tampered with. Her boots had been cleaned and left on the floor for her by a stool, atop which was her coat. She smiled even wider at the gesture of care. How lovely it was to see the sign of another person’s effort on her behalf. There was a time when she had a maid to come to her when called, who Thena realised she had viewed as one of her possessions, no life or will of her own, just paid to serve. What a price was paid for her comfort. Now Thena was a different person, she saw the value in every small aspect of life. In fact, Thena now saw the value of life itself. Never would she ever complain of being bored again. The poor, apparently, had no right to be bored, tired, ill or ambitious. She was not used to being poor and had no intention of being so again. Dismissing the source of her money, she pulled on her coat and boots and collected her bag. It was only when she tried to open the door that she found it to be locked. Thena felt the overwhelming sense of fear and panic fill her. Had she been found out already? Had the man come looking for his coin? In that moment she never valued anything more in her whole life, than that which had just been removed from her – her freedom. She hammered on the door. She knew how thick the walls were and how long the corridor was. Soon she heard feet running toward her cell and grabbed her bag. Knowing she had stolen guineas, she had every reason to doubt why she was locked in. If they knew! She swallowed and tried to think quickly of a plausible way to explain her actions. If the man Fender had found her, her life could be forfeit for her crime. She now wished upon wish she had just run to the sisters and begged their help, but how to undo an act of desperation? They may make her join the order. If she told them now she had no doubt they would put the money to good use and have her there repenting from now until her dotage. Thena was not prepared for that. She would have to find Mr Fender in time and repay it, but could not face the long trek back across the moor. Her head swam, she had not eaten, and her thirst was great also. She clung to her bag as the door opened; her mouth felt dry and the room moved around her. She was fortunate, that as two sisters entered the room they realised she was about to fall again and grabbed her quickly stopping her from crashing her head on the stone floor.

  “My dear!” one exclaimed as she was steadied. “Come with us, you have rested, but now need to eat.”

  Thena agreed; she felt light in head and heavy of heart. She was led to where the sisters were having their broth and bread in a neat row at a table in the centre of an old stone arched room. The vaulted ceiling seemed high and the air around her cold. No one spoke, but she was escorted to an empty space and a sister gestured that she should be seated. Still with her bag close by her feet, Thena climbed in as smoothly as she could. She took little persuasion to consume the warm food and, as it slipped down her throat, she felt her energy return as if it was the nectar of life that she had imbibed. Gratefully, without looking around or need of word, she finished her meal and, using the bread, left the bowl clean.

  “You must come with me now,” a nun said to her and stepped back ready for Thena to stand. No one else spoke. They silently stacked their plates as she left. Eyes watched her, but no one gestured or smiled. It was as if she was a foreigner who had invaded their space and they were wary of her. They did not know what to make of her. Perhaps that was what she seemed to them – a threat – someone who did not follow their rules – an outsider.

  Thena followed her escort around the stone corridor to the corner of a quadrangle, the middle of which was being used to grow small crops of herbs within the sheltered walls. An older nun hoed it lovingly, focused on her task. The place had a strange feeling of peace about it that stilled Thena’s anxious heart. They stopped where stairs spiralled up out of sight behind the ancient wall. Here the nun stepped aside again and allowed her to climb them first. She thought of refusing, feeling as if it could be a trap, but then she wanted to see if it was the same Mother Ursula, the mother superior from her childhood, who sat in the office above. How old would she now be? Thena wondered. She followed the curve of the stone wall, carefully placing her fe
et on the small worn steps that had many a foot fall upon them over the centuries. When she came to a wooden door she knocked and waited momentarily until a strong voice ordered, “Come in!”

  Thena placed her free hand on the large iron handle, as her other still clung to her bag with the stolen coin hidden inside it. She swallowed, almost feeling as if the sin of her crime could be read in her eyes as she entered. Peace had vanished again and guilt gnawed at her soul instead. The room was stark. A woman sat behind a desk on a simple chair. There was no fire in the hearth behind her and no hangings covered the bare stone walls. The wooden floor creaked as she crossed its uneven surface.

  The woman watched her, but did not speak until Thena stood before her.

  “Your name, girl,” she said.

  “I am sorry to have inconvenienced you and would like to offer you a…”

  “Do you have a problem hearing me or comprehending my questions? I asked you what your name is.”

  “Yes, I heard well enough. I was going to offer you a donation before I left.” Thena looked at the hard face of the lady opposite her. This was not the gentle old lady she had seen as a child. She did not care for the woman’s tone, her confident dominant manner or her assertion that Thena had to obey her like one of her order.

  “Who are you running from, girl?” she continued.

  “Would half a crown be sufficient for your kindness and hospitality?” Thena answered. She cared not for her attitude and decided the sooner she left the better it would be. She was beginning to feel trapped and had no wish to be incarcerated here or in a gaol.

  Thena put her hand inside her bag and as quickly as she could found the coin she sought and offered it up for the woman to take. Instead, the mother superior slowly sat back in the chair and stared at her.

  “We gave you the room and board free of any charge. We are not running a boarding house here or a shelter for waifs and strays as they pass by. I take it from this you have no wish to join our order as a novice.”

  Thena swallowed, she nearly dropped the bag at the thought and the desire to take to her heels and run was very strong. “I merely sought shelter. If it was freely given, then I thank you for your charity and ask that you accept this as a donation so that you can help a waif or stray who needs it and who is unable to offer payment of any kind.”

  “We thought we were,” she said. “So tell me who it is who turns up desperate at our door and then offers to pay handsomely for our hospitality.”

  The woman gestured that she should leave the coin on the desk.

  “I would bid you good day,” Thena answered and turned to leave, but her exit was blocked by a nun whose ample figure all but filled the width of the doorway. She made no attempt to move, but folded her arms and stared at Thena. One finger gestured that she should about turn and face the mother superior. Thena felt intimidated, she wanted to protest, but the last thing she needed was more trouble or suspicion thrown upon her. Although this interview was not going well, perhaps she had used the wrong tone.

  Thena turned around. “I merely wish to leave and not trouble you further,” she said and smiled. “You have not given me your name, either.” Thena stared back at the woman.

  “You never asked, but my name is Mother Marisa and I merely wish to know who it is that has slept under our roof in my care and who now wishes to leave in such a hurried fashion.” She leaned forward, her voice slightly gentler, but the look in her eyes as intense.

  “My name is Miss Parthena Munro, now may I leave?” Thena held the woman’s gaze, but cursed her own stupidity – she had given her real name, without thinking. But then this was a house of God; how could she lie and expect Him to protect her as she bumbled along on her present path of folly?

  “From where did you come and why did you not go to the inn for rooms with such coin in your purse?” The woman studied her with a set expression that revealed her curiosity.

  Thena realised that she had most likely rifled carefully through her bag so she knew if she told the truth or had the audacity to lie to her face. “I had an unfortunate experience. I was supposed to take a position of governess, but found that the family had moved on by the time I arrived. Messages and letters had apparently crossed. I was left with nowhere to stay and nowhere to find suitable alternative accommodation.” Thena thought she saw a flicker of amusement in the woman’s eyes, but she was unsure. If she had read the letter of introduction in her belongings then Mother Marisa knew she told the truth, at least about that.

  “This family were here in Gorebeck?” the sister behind her persisted.

  Thena did not bother to turn around so she answered the woman’s question directly to the mother superior.

  “No, it was a respectable household over in the village of Beckton, in Beckton Dale.”

  “You cannot have walked all this way by road – who helped you? A passing farmer?” The woman sat forward. “Have you any idea of the danger you put yourself in? Could you not use your money to catch a coach to wherever you originally hailed from?”

  Thena looked at her and decided she was in the best place to make a giant leap of faith – she would tell the truth – almost. “I walked over the old trods from Beckton to Gorebeck. I was at the Abbey School as a child and crossed the moors when the supplies were taken to market. I’d remembered it from then.” Thena watched as the lady stood to her full height, graceful and elegant in her pose. Although slight of build she gave off such inner peace and confidence that Thena could only admire her and wish she had such poise herself.

  “So you admit you were in Beckton, you did not find the employment you expected to and from there moved on.” She was staring out of the window, apparently deep in thought or mulling over the information she had just been given.

  “Yes, it is as I said.” Thena was beginning to feel quite anxious and slightly vexed. They had no right to keep her here.

  “No more?” The woman looked at her.

  “No more what?” Thena snapped and instantly regretted her haste.

  “You have nothing else to tell me, Miss Munro? Nothing else you would ask of me? Am I correct in assuming you have no intention of staying here?” She looked at Thena with a resigned expression that was in such a contrast to her original greeting, that Thena wondered why she should change so.

  “I wish to leave,” Thena stated emphatically.

  “Very well,” she said and nodded to the sister behind Thena who opened the door wide.

  “Thank you,” Thena said and took a step forward before taking two backwards. However, the nun stepped forward, stopping her from going around her, and Thena froze as a gentleman stepped into the room.

  “You know this man?” the mother superior asked, her voice almost suggesting she should think carefully before answering the question.

  Thena swallowed. She had been caught so easily in a God-made trap as punishment.

  “This is Mr Jerome Fender. I have met him once and indeed he has helped me from a fate worse than any I had previously encountered in my life. I owe the man thanks for my safety.” Thena stood straight and tried to keep the wobble from her voice as her body trembled from within.

  “You are indeed fortunate, for this gentleman has told me he has travelled all this way to come here seeking you out so that he is able to help you in your recent plight.” Mother Marisa looked sceptical, but stayed polite.

  Thena stared at him, not understanding if there was a game of words being played out around her or if he had really not told them that she had stolen the money from him. Perhaps, she thought, she should because if they would give her sanctuary then he couldn’t have her arrested. Perhaps his motive was different, more sinister.

  “Have you, Mr Fender?” she asked. “Is it your intention to help me and put right the grievous wrong that has befallen me and has seemingly drawn you into it as a result?”

  “I would be most interested to hear of your grievous wrongs, but perhaps we could leave the sisters in peace to their devotions, whil
st we ascertain the depth of your problems. I do not see any point in involving them further,” he replied, not taking his eyes from hers. “Do you?”

  “Is this your wish, Miss Munro?” the mother superior asked.

  “I should not bother you further,” Thena replied and swallowed because her head and her heart were giving her conflicting advice.

  “Once you leave here you are beyond the protection and sanctuary of the abbey and my power.” She then addressed Jerome. “Mr Fender, you swear to me that you will take care of this lady and see that she is safe from harm’s way. Whatever her circumstance, I believe it is not of her making and would ask that a secure place of employment or a safe home be found for her.”

  “I will see that she is well cared for and that all wrongs are righted.” He looked straight at Thena. “You have my oath on that, lady,” he added.

  “Then leave with my blessing.” Mother Marisa waved her hand and the nun opened the door wide. Time for talk had ended, now she had to step out into the world with a man whom she had previously robbed.

  Chapter 5

  The minute they stepped outside the abbey grounds he cupped her elbow with his hand and removed her bag from her other one. Thena snapped out, “Unhand me!” and began to protest, but her words were met with a sudden jolt.

  It almost made her cry out to be allowed back inside the abbey, but he spun her around to face him and one word stilled her. “Silence!”

  She glared at him and was about to rebuke him further for manhandling her, but he shook his head slowly at her.

  “Say one word, Miss Munro, and I will call in the local militia; their billet is not far away and you are a common thief! Or I could find out where the local magistrate resides and simply take you direct to him.” He glared down at her and she bit her lip, knowing he had right on his side.