Read Online Murder in the Monastery (Libby Sarjeant Murder Mystery series) by Lesley Cookman - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Lesley Cookman
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they arrived at the Abbey, Peter parked on the gravel sweep in front of the modern building as Sister Catherine and a woman in a blue pinafore dress came out on to the steps.
Sister Catherine seemed delighted to see them, and very excited about both the play and the reliquary.
‘Oh you must come and see where we’ve put it,’ she enthused, ‘but I forget myself! This is Martha, our resident alongsider.’
The woman in the pinafore dress stepped forward and held out her hand.
‘I’m so pleased to meet you,’ she said with a smile. ‘Of course, I’ve already met Mr Parker.
‘Peter, please,’ said Peter. ‘And this is Libby and Ben.’
‘Hello,’ said Libby taking the outstretched hand. ‘Lovely to meet you. I must say, I’m curious.’
Martha’s dark eyes twinkled. ‘Most people are.’
‘Come on then,’ urged Sister Catherine. ‘I want you to see the reliquary at last.’
She led the way through the Abbey, from a wide entrance hall along a corridor to a modern glass-enclosed cloister. Double doors at the end of this opened into an atrium which, in turn, looked out on the ruins of the monastery, and in the centre of which stood a glass case on a high wooden plinth.
‘Not too close,’ said Martha, ‘as we’ve got the lasers switched on.’
‘Lasers?’ Libby stopped short.
‘If no one’s around we switch them on. The security patrol checks it at night. They have access through the monastery grounds, not through the Abbey of course,’ said Sister Catherine.
‘And it’s not lit at night, of course,’ added Martha, her head on one side appreciatively. ‘It looks wonderful there, doesn’t it? As though it belongs.’
And it did. The reliquary itself was worked gold, set with coloured stones which Libby assumed were real emeralds, rubies and sapphires. It was small, only about six inches long by about two inches deep, and mounted on what looked like a battered piece of wood.
‘I’ll turn off the lasers, shall I, Sister?’ asked Martha. ‘After all, I shall be here with the actors.’
‘Thank you, Martha.’ Sister Catherine smiled gratefully. ‘I don’t know what we’d do without Martha, really I don’t. She’s volunteered to give up Compline every night you’re here to act as – well, as hostess, I suppose.’
‘The other oblates will help,’ said Martha. ‘We have two living here at the moment and three who are part of the family but live in their own homes. We aren’t constrained to the life of daily prayers as the sisters are.’
‘I must go to prepare for Compline now, so I’ll leave you in Martha’s hands,’ said Sister Catherine. ‘Good night and God bless.’
They all watched her go back through to the cloister, a tall, gliding black figure suddenly lit by a shaft of late sun through the cloister glass.
‘I don’t know how they do it,’ murmured Libby.
‘To tell you the truth,’ said Martha, coming back from where she’d deactivated a concealed switch, ‘neither do I.’
‘But you live with them, you share in their daily life,’ said Ben.
‘But only as much as I want to,’ said Martha. ‘Yes, I’m devout, but I need a certain amount of freedom.’ She smiled round at them. ‘I’m so looking forward to this play. It’ll be exciting to meet so many different people.’
‘I just hope you don’t regret it,’ said Peter.
Libby looked at him sharply, but didn’t say anything.
‘So where do we go?’ asked Ben. ‘We’d better start setting up shop.’
‘I know the way,’ said Peter. ‘I’ve got it all mapped out.’
‘Our garden store has been cleared for you,’ said Martha. ‘There won’t be much privacy, but it’s the best we could do. We do have another building a bit further away which we use – or rather – is used – for weddings.’
‘Oh, yes, I heard you had weddings here,’ said Libby.
‘We don’t, exactly, they are civil ceremonies because the monastery is actually owned by a Heritage Trust, not the
Sister Catherine seemed delighted to see them, and very excited about both the play and the reliquary.
‘Oh you must come and see where we’ve put it,’ she enthused, ‘but I forget myself! This is Martha, our resident alongsider.’
The woman in the pinafore dress stepped forward and held out her hand.
‘I’m so pleased to meet you,’ she said with a smile. ‘Of course, I’ve already met Mr Parker.
‘Peter, please,’ said Peter. ‘And this is Libby and Ben.’
‘Hello,’ said Libby taking the outstretched hand. ‘Lovely to meet you. I must say, I’m curious.’
Martha’s dark eyes twinkled. ‘Most people are.’
‘Come on then,’ urged Sister Catherine. ‘I want you to see the reliquary at last.’
She led the way through the Abbey, from a wide entrance hall along a corridor to a modern glass-enclosed cloister. Double doors at the end of this opened into an atrium which, in turn, looked out on the ruins of the monastery, and in the centre of which stood a glass case on a high wooden plinth.
‘Not too close,’ said Martha, ‘as we’ve got the lasers switched on.’
‘Lasers?’ Libby stopped short.
‘If no one’s around we switch them on. The security patrol checks it at night. They have access through the monastery grounds, not through the Abbey of course,’ said Sister Catherine.
‘And it’s not lit at night, of course,’ added Martha, her head on one side appreciatively. ‘It looks wonderful there, doesn’t it? As though it belongs.’
And it did. The reliquary itself was worked gold, set with coloured stones which Libby assumed were real emeralds, rubies and sapphires. It was small, only about six inches long by about two inches deep, and mounted on what looked like a battered piece of wood.
‘I’ll turn off the lasers, shall I, Sister?’ asked Martha. ‘After all, I shall be here with the actors.’
‘Thank you, Martha.’ Sister Catherine smiled gratefully. ‘I don’t know what we’d do without Martha, really I don’t. She’s volunteered to give up Compline every night you’re here to act as – well, as hostess, I suppose.’
‘The other oblates will help,’ said Martha. ‘We have two living here at the moment and three who are part of the family but live in their own homes. We aren’t constrained to the life of daily prayers as the sisters are.’
‘I must go to prepare for Compline now, so I’ll leave you in Martha’s hands,’ said Sister Catherine. ‘Good night and God bless.’
They all watched her go back through to the cloister, a tall, gliding black figure suddenly lit by a shaft of late sun through the cloister glass.
‘I don’t know how they do it,’ murmured Libby.
‘To tell you the truth,’ said Martha, coming back from where she’d deactivated a concealed switch, ‘neither do I.’
‘But you live with them, you share in their daily life,’ said Ben.
‘But only as much as I want to,’ said Martha. ‘Yes, I’m devout, but I need a certain amount of freedom.’ She smiled round at them. ‘I’m so looking forward to this play. It’ll be exciting to meet so many different people.’
‘I just hope you don’t regret it,’ said Peter.
Libby looked at him sharply, but didn’t say anything.
‘So where do we go?’ asked Ben. ‘We’d better start setting up shop.’
‘I know the way,’ said Peter. ‘I’ve got it all mapped out.’
‘Our garden store has been cleared for you,’ said Martha. ‘There won’t be much privacy, but it’s the best we could do. We do have another building a bit further away which we use – or rather – is used – for weddings.’
‘Oh, yes, I heard you had weddings here,’ said Libby.
‘We don’t, exactly, they are civil ceremonies because the monastery is actually owned by a Heritage Trust, not the
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