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sacristy to divest himself of his vestments, the nuns left the church to go along the cloister walk to the warming room for chapter meeting.
Frevisse walked in huddled haste with them, everyone with chins tucked into their wimples and their hands pushed up their opposite sleeves to hold on to what warmth they had left after the cold time in the church. Domina Alys had not yet given permission for the heavier woolen winter gowns to be put on, and though the day was shining with early light, the sky clear except for little feather wisps of sun-gilded cloud directly overhead—the only sky that could be seen from inside the cloister—the sun was still below the roof ridge and the cloister walk still shivering cold in shadow. Wealthier nunneries had a separate room for the daily chapter meetings, some of them most beautifully made, but at St. Frideswide’s the warming room sufficed, lacking elegance but with a fireplace that on cold mornings such as this one was much to be preferred over chill beauty.
So she was as bitterly disappointed, if not so loud about it as some, to find no fire there as they crowded through the door. Sister Amicia turned on Dame Juliana, who, as cellaress, would have to tell the servants of their failure. “Go tell them now!” she cried.
Dame Juliana shook her head miserably. “I can’t. I had to tell them not to light a fire here this morning. Domina Alys said so.”
“Why?” Sister Johane exclaimed. “It’s not fair!”
“Hush,” Dame Perpetua hissed from near the door. Domina Alys always came in to chapter meeting last and expected to find them standing silently, heads respectfully bowed, waiting for her. Dame Perpetua’s warning was that she was nearly there, and in quick silence they spread out among the low stools, to wait for leave to sit.
Sister Thomasine, as she did even when there was a fire, had already slipped to the farthest place and was standing with her head bowed, hands folded, no sign that her thin body felt the morning’s chill at all. Frevisse wondered if it were a sin to envy her that. For herself, wary of what Domina Alys’ humor might be today, not wanting to be noticed if she could help it, she tried for a place in the midst of the other women, neither too forward nor too back, but found Dame Claire, Dame Perpetua, and Dame Juliana all had the same desire. There was a momentary shifting of skirts and a scraping of stools, then sympathizing glances at each other as they realized they were at matched purposes and settled wherever they were.
The four younger nuns, lacking their wariness, were crowded to the stools nearest Domina Alys’ chair. Last night during recreation they had talked into the paving stones everything they knew or guessed about what had happened yesterday afternoon and been annoyed at Frevisse when she refused to embroider on the bare facts that she told them once and not again: a girl had been seized by Sir Reynold’s men in Banbury, had been rescued here by Domina Alys, and was now in Lady Eleanor’s keeping. Chapter meetings were for dealing with the nunnery’s daily business and they were looking forward to asking questions at length about this particular business.
Frevisse doubted it was going to be that easy. Domina Alys’ face was set this morning with a heavy-jawed stubbornness that did not bode well. Neither did her refusing them a fire. Admittedly, there were supposed to be no fires, except in the kitchen, from spring until Allhallows and they were barely to St. Crispin’s, so the warming-room fire had been an indulgence on Domina Alys’ part, one that she was within her rights to cancel if she chose. But shivering slightly, Frevisse thought that it was bitterly unfair they should lose it because Domina Alys was displeased over something that was none of their fault.
And, she promptly added with wry humor at herself, it was bitterly unfair for her to resent Domina Alys not keeping within the rules for some things and then
Frevisse walked in huddled haste with them, everyone with chins tucked into their wimples and their hands pushed up their opposite sleeves to hold on to what warmth they had left after the cold time in the church. Domina Alys had not yet given permission for the heavier woolen winter gowns to be put on, and though the day was shining with early light, the sky clear except for little feather wisps of sun-gilded cloud directly overhead—the only sky that could be seen from inside the cloister—the sun was still below the roof ridge and the cloister walk still shivering cold in shadow. Wealthier nunneries had a separate room for the daily chapter meetings, some of them most beautifully made, but at St. Frideswide’s the warming room sufficed, lacking elegance but with a fireplace that on cold mornings such as this one was much to be preferred over chill beauty.
So she was as bitterly disappointed, if not so loud about it as some, to find no fire there as they crowded through the door. Sister Amicia turned on Dame Juliana, who, as cellaress, would have to tell the servants of their failure. “Go tell them now!” she cried.
Dame Juliana shook her head miserably. “I can’t. I had to tell them not to light a fire here this morning. Domina Alys said so.”
“Why?” Sister Johane exclaimed. “It’s not fair!”
“Hush,” Dame Perpetua hissed from near the door. Domina Alys always came in to chapter meeting last and expected to find them standing silently, heads respectfully bowed, waiting for her. Dame Perpetua’s warning was that she was nearly there, and in quick silence they spread out among the low stools, to wait for leave to sit.
Sister Thomasine, as she did even when there was a fire, had already slipped to the farthest place and was standing with her head bowed, hands folded, no sign that her thin body felt the morning’s chill at all. Frevisse wondered if it were a sin to envy her that. For herself, wary of what Domina Alys’ humor might be today, not wanting to be noticed if she could help it, she tried for a place in the midst of the other women, neither too forward nor too back, but found Dame Claire, Dame Perpetua, and Dame Juliana all had the same desire. There was a momentary shifting of skirts and a scraping of stools, then sympathizing glances at each other as they realized they were at matched purposes and settled wherever they were.
The four younger nuns, lacking their wariness, were crowded to the stools nearest Domina Alys’ chair. Last night during recreation they had talked into the paving stones everything they knew or guessed about what had happened yesterday afternoon and been annoyed at Frevisse when she refused to embroider on the bare facts that she told them once and not again: a girl had been seized by Sir Reynold’s men in Banbury, had been rescued here by Domina Alys, and was now in Lady Eleanor’s keeping. Chapter meetings were for dealing with the nunnery’s daily business and they were looking forward to asking questions at length about this particular business.
Frevisse doubted it was going to be that easy. Domina Alys’ face was set this morning with a heavy-jawed stubbornness that did not bode well. Neither did her refusing them a fire. Admittedly, there were supposed to be no fires, except in the kitchen, from spring until Allhallows and they were barely to St. Crispin’s, so the warming-room fire had been an indulgence on Domina Alys’ part, one that she was within her rights to cancel if she chose. But shivering slightly, Frevisse thought that it was bitterly unfair they should lose it because Domina Alys was displeased over something that was none of their fault.
And, she promptly added with wry humor at herself, it was bitterly unfair for her to resent Domina Alys not keeping within the rules for some things and then
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