During the previous day I had hugged the news to myself. I had my meals in my own room because, although I wanted to flourish the letter under the noses of Ruth, Luke, Sir Matthew and Aunt Sarah, I had decided that for a while I was going to keep this news to myself.
Nothing could have strengthened me more. My fear had gone. I was certain that if I awakened to find the monk at the foot of my bed I should be quite calm. But I was determined to discover who the monk was, and I would do this because I was no longer hampered by terrible doubts.
Caution, I said to myself. For the time being no one must know.
Simon? I asked myself. Should I tell Simon and Hagar?
The wind was bitingly cold and I decided that if it snowed I might do myself some harm, so I stayed indoors. I did think’s of sending a letter to them. But how could I be sure, absolutely sure, that it would not be intercepted?
The news could wait. In the meantime I would plan what I was going to do next.
It was after luncheon when Mary-Jane came to me in a state of excitement.
” It’s our Etty, madam,” she said. ” Her time’s come…. Two days before Christmas. We hadn’t thought it would be till the New Year.”
” You want to go and see her, don’t you, Mary Jane
” Oh well, madam…. Me Dad’s just sent word. Me Mother’s gone over there.”
” Look, Mary-Jane, you go along and see how she’s getting on. You may be able to help.”
” Thank you, madam.”
“There’s a terrible wind blowing.”
” Oh, I won’t mind that, madam.” J ” Just a moment,” I said. And I went to my wardrobe and brought out my heaviest cloak. It was the blue one which had been hung across the parapet. I put it about Mary Jane and pulled the hood right over her head. ” This will keep out the wind.” I said. ” It buttons right up, you see … and the cold can’t penetrate.”
“That’s good of you, madam.”
” I don’t want you catching cold, Mary Jane
” Oh, madam … thank you.” Her gratitude was indeed sincere. She went on rather shyly: “I’m … so pleased, madam, because you’ve seemed so much better this last day or so.”
I laughed as I finished buttoning the cloak.
” I am better. So much better,” I told her. ” Go on now … and don’t worry about getting back. Stay for the night if you want to.”
It was about dusk when she returned. She came straight up to my room and I saw at once that she was deeply disturbed.
” Etty …” I began.
She shook her head.
“The baby was born before I got there, madam. A lovely girl. Our Etty’s all right.”
” What’s wrong, then?”
” It was when I was coming home. I came round by the Abbey. And I saw it, madam. It gave me a turn. You see. it was nearly dark …”
” You saw … what?” I cried.
” n, madam. The monk. It looked at me and it beckoned.”
“Oh, Mary-Jane, how wonderful I What did you do? What did you do?”
” I stood for a second or two staring. I didn’t seem as if I could move. I was struck all of a heap. Then … I ran. It didn’t follow me.
I thought it was going to. “
I put my arms about her and hugged her. ” Oh, Mary Jane I only needed this.”
She looked at me in some astonishment, and I stood back to gaze at her.
She was about my height and the cloak was all-enveloping. She had been mistaken for me, because she was wearing my cloak, the well-known cloak which had been put over the parapet.
She was loyal; there was a bond between us; I knew that she looked upon me as the kindest mistress she had ever had. Ruth was too cold to win affection; Aunt Sarah too strange. Mary-Jane had enjoyed working for me because the relationship between us was warmer than that which usually existed between a maid and her mistress. I decided that I would take Mary-Jane into my confidence to some extent.
” Mary-Jane,” I said, ” what did you think it was? A ghost?”
” Well, madam, I don’t rightly believe in such things.”
” Nor do I. I believe that what is inside that monk’s robe is no ghost.”
” But how did it get into your bedroom, madam?”
” That’s what I’m going to find out.”
“And did it pull the curtains and take the warming-pan away?”
” I believe it did. Mary-Jane, for the time being will you please say nothing to anyone of what you have seen. Our monk thinks that it was I who was hurrying home through the Abbey ruins at dusk. He has no idea that it was you. I want to keep him in ignorance … for a while.
Will you do this? “
” I always want to do as you say, madam.”
Christmas morning dawned bright and frosty. I lay in bed happily reading my letters and greetings. There was one from the man whom I still thought of as my father. He sent me, Christmas greetings and hoped that his previous letter had not upset me. A letter from my real father had arrived on the previous day and in tfais he told me that he hoped to be home in the spring.
That longed-for spring I Then I should have my child What else? But I did not want to look beyond that. Thai was enough.
As I lay in bed my thoughts went back indeed they were never far away to the desire to discover the identity of the person who was trying to harm my child, and I went over the various monk incidents in detail, for those were the ones in which I was sure I should find the clue to the identity of my persecutor.
The monk had appeared in my room, sped along the corridor when I hurried after him, and then disappeared. The more I thought of this, the more excited I became. Was there some secret hiding-place in the gallery? The monk had been seen not only in the house but in the Abbey ruins. What if there was some connecting passage between the Abbey and the house? What if two people played the role of monk? What if Luke and Damaris had both worn the robe Damaris, on the first night I had seen it, thus enabling Luke to appear in his dressing-gown on the second floor; Luke, when I was with Damaris in the ruins?
I remembered the old plan of the Abbey which I had seen when I first came to the Revels. It was somewhere in the library. If I could find some indication on that plan where a connecting passage could possibly be, I might have begun to solve the problem. I did possess two vital clues. There was the arcade in the ruins where the monk had been seen on two occasions by Damaris and me and by Mary-Jane. I would study the plan very closely at that spot. And there was the minstrels’ gallery in the house.
I was so excited, I could scarcely wait to dress.
Why should I?
I slipped on a robe and hurried down to the library. I had little difficulty in finding the plan. It was in a leather binding with a few details about the Abbey; the parchment roll on which these were written, was yellow with age.
As I took the roll and tucked it under my arm I heard a movement behind me and, turning sharply, I saw Luke standing in the doorway.
He was looking at me with that alertness which I had noticed m people’s faces recently and which had once filled me with alarm but now had no power to hurt me. “Why, if it isn’t Catherine! Happy Christmas, Catherine . and a fruitful New Year.”
“Thank you, Luke.”
He was standing in the doorway barring my way. I felt embarrassed, not only because of what I was carrying but because I had only a robe over my nightdress.
“What’s wrong, Catherine?” he asked.
” But nothing.”
” You look as though you’re afraid I’m going to gobble you right up.”
“Then my looks are deceptive.”
” So you really feel quite benevolent towards me on this Christmas morning?”
” Shouldn’t one feel so towards the whole world on this of all mornings?”