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Authors: Margaret Frazer
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gratefully large gift— preferably in coin—from Lady Blaunche or her husband but she bit back on the words, bent her head in obedience, and said instead, trying to leave feeling out of her voice, “Sister Thomasine would do best as precentress while I’m gone, I think.”
Domina Elisabeth accepted both that and Frevisse’s obedience easily and went on to practicalities. “Dame Claire has gone to gather what she thinks she may need in way of medicines. Let you fetch what you’ll both need for travelling. A change of clothing. Cloaks. You know.”
Frevisse bent her head again, acknowledging that she did.
Domina Elisabeth hesitated, then added, “You might wear your cousin’s gift.”
Her cousin’s gift of a few years back was a fur-lined gown, properly Benedictine black and of wool but altogether too fine for the vow of poverty every nun took, however well or ill she kept it afterwards, and assuredly too fine to wear among the other nuns—or anywhere else, if Frevisse had choice in the matter. By Domina Elisabeth’s leave it was kept folded away with herbs in the storeroom, for use if ever Frevisse’s cousin was to be met with—or to impress a possible patron—but Frevisse said quickly, “It would look ill for me to wear such and Dame Claire not. Better that we go just as we are.”
‘I suppose,“ Domina Elisabeth agreed with a regretful sigh. On the priory’s behalf, Frevisse hoped; but the small thought arose, as it sometimes did, that Domina Elisabeth, despite she kept her nun’s vows well, had not only a useful understanding of the world’s ways but sometimes a longing for them, too. Such as for a rich gown to impress another lady, even if on the priory’s behalf, not her own. But if she did, she rarely gave way to them and was saying now, crisply, as she moved toward the warming room door, ”See to the other things, then. Father Henry and I will come give our blessings before you go.“
Gathering what she and Dame Claire needed and packing it into bags for travel took very little time but she had barely done before a servant was come to say Lady Blaunche was set to leave. Frevisse sent the woman to tell Domina Elisabeth and went herself to the infirmary for Dame Claire, finding her at the worktable there, strapping closed the box she carried medicines in when she had to go elsewhere.
Not bothering with the silence they would have to let go of anyway once they were outside of St. Frideswide’s, Frevisse said, “They’re ready to leave.”
Dame Claire gave the strap a final pull, secured the buckle, and said, “So am I. You’re in this with me, then?”
Frevisse granted that with a rueful nod.
‘Ah, well.“ Dame Claire took the box from the table and came toward the door. ”What can’t be cured must be eaten with a long-handled spoon, as Dame Emma might say.“
With a slightly further sinking of her spirits, Frevisse realized by Dame Claire’s cheerfulness that she had no regrets at all about this going out. With her, love of God came first, love of medicine next, and love of prayers only somewhere, though probably closely, after that. For Frevisse it was otherwise; for her, her love of God was so closely bound about by praying that she had no way to unbind one from the other. To have to leave behind the Offices, knowing how difficult it was to keep to them even a little while dealing in the world…
‘We’re ready, then?“ Dame Claire asked, picking up the box.
Frevisse held up her arms, a saddlebag and a cloak over each. “Change of clothing, change of shoes, night things, our breviaries and Psalters.”
Dame Claire set the box down. “Best I put the cloak on here. Has the rain stopped?”
‘For a little. It looks likely to start again, though.“
Going back through the cloister walk, they met Domina Elisabeth coming from chapter meeting to see them off and in the guesthall courtyard found Lady
Domina Elisabeth accepted both that and Frevisse’s obedience easily and went on to practicalities. “Dame Claire has gone to gather what she thinks she may need in way of medicines. Let you fetch what you’ll both need for travelling. A change of clothing. Cloaks. You know.”
Frevisse bent her head again, acknowledging that she did.
Domina Elisabeth hesitated, then added, “You might wear your cousin’s gift.”
Her cousin’s gift of a few years back was a fur-lined gown, properly Benedictine black and of wool but altogether too fine for the vow of poverty every nun took, however well or ill she kept it afterwards, and assuredly too fine to wear among the other nuns—or anywhere else, if Frevisse had choice in the matter. By Domina Elisabeth’s leave it was kept folded away with herbs in the storeroom, for use if ever Frevisse’s cousin was to be met with—or to impress a possible patron—but Frevisse said quickly, “It would look ill for me to wear such and Dame Claire not. Better that we go just as we are.”
‘I suppose,“ Domina Elisabeth agreed with a regretful sigh. On the priory’s behalf, Frevisse hoped; but the small thought arose, as it sometimes did, that Domina Elisabeth, despite she kept her nun’s vows well, had not only a useful understanding of the world’s ways but sometimes a longing for them, too. Such as for a rich gown to impress another lady, even if on the priory’s behalf, not her own. But if she did, she rarely gave way to them and was saying now, crisply, as she moved toward the warming room door, ”See to the other things, then. Father Henry and I will come give our blessings before you go.“
Gathering what she and Dame Claire needed and packing it into bags for travel took very little time but she had barely done before a servant was come to say Lady Blaunche was set to leave. Frevisse sent the woman to tell Domina Elisabeth and went herself to the infirmary for Dame Claire, finding her at the worktable there, strapping closed the box she carried medicines in when she had to go elsewhere.
Not bothering with the silence they would have to let go of anyway once they were outside of St. Frideswide’s, Frevisse said, “They’re ready to leave.”
Dame Claire gave the strap a final pull, secured the buckle, and said, “So am I. You’re in this with me, then?”
Frevisse granted that with a rueful nod.
‘Ah, well.“ Dame Claire took the box from the table and came toward the door. ”What can’t be cured must be eaten with a long-handled spoon, as Dame Emma might say.“
With a slightly further sinking of her spirits, Frevisse realized by Dame Claire’s cheerfulness that she had no regrets at all about this going out. With her, love of God came first, love of medicine next, and love of prayers only somewhere, though probably closely, after that. For Frevisse it was otherwise; for her, her love of God was so closely bound about by praying that she had no way to unbind one from the other. To have to leave behind the Offices, knowing how difficult it was to keep to them even a little while dealing in the world…
‘We’re ready, then?“ Dame Claire asked, picking up the box.
Frevisse held up her arms, a saddlebag and a cloak over each. “Change of clothing, change of shoes, night things, our breviaries and Psalters.”
Dame Claire set the box down. “Best I put the cloak on here. Has the rain stopped?”
‘For a little. It looks likely to start again, though.“
Going back through the cloister walk, they met Domina Elisabeth coming from chapter meeting to see them off and in the guesthall courtyard found Lady
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