Read Online The Witch & the Cathedral - Wizard of Yurt - 4 by C. Dale Brittain - Free Book Online
Authors: C. Dale Brittain
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believe me" —I didn't— "but it was not I who originally pointed out to her the growing role that wizards are taking in all noble courts. While naturally I have stressed the position of the Church in my little chats with her, it was someone else who planted the first seed of the idea that wizards are manipulating the secular rulers of society."
'Then who was it?"
"Christian charity forbids me from speaking his name."*
Prince Vincent, I thought with sudden conviction. He must be behind the rumors the Master of the school had heard.
"But I will try to make amends," continued the chaplain, "by asking you to join us in a conspiracy!"
I barely avoided choking on my wine. "What sort of conspiracy?"
"We want to make sure the queen does not make the error of marrying Prince Vincent."
Immediately I liked the young chaplain much better. I could sort out all these strange rumors later. "And who is we?" I asked with an accommodating smile.
He looked down for a moment as though embarrassed, then smiled again. "Well, I sounded pretty self-important there for a moment, didn't I! So far, the conspiracy is mostly myself. The Lady Maria is of course in agreement with my purposes."
"I would have thought she'd adore the romance of a love match."
"In a way she does, but there is a core of wisdom in what you might think is just a silly head. I did not point out that I had probably known the Lady Maria since he was a child begging his mother for extra snacks. "How about other members of the court?"
"No," he said, shaking his head regretfully. "When I tried to broach the topic to one of the knights, he said something—I know you'll find this hard to credit—about the Church needing to stay out of the affairs of the aristocracy!" So if members of the court were being taught to distrust wizards, I noted with interest, they also distrusted the chaplain. "I would like to bring Prince Paul into our plans," he added, "though at his age it is hard to trust his judgment."
I thought uncharitably that the chaplain was not very much older. "I can understand why Paul doesn't like the thought of his mother's remarriage," I said. "He's had her all to himself, and he doesn't want any disservice to his late father's memory. But I don't understand your own objections."
He leaned forward and spoke gravely. The candlelight made flickering points of light in his eyes. "A woman, once widowed, does better to devote herself to God than to another temporal spouse."
"So you think widows should never remarry?"
The Apostle tells us it is best that they do not. I can see that she felt she had a moral obligation to raise her son to manhood before retiring, but a woman of true religious sensibilities would now be planning her retreat to a nunnery. The Nunnery of Yurt has an excellent reputation for holiness and was in the past, I understand, supported by generous and pious gifts from the royal family of Yurt."
I was unable to answer at once. The queen had in fact, when very young, contemplated entering a nunnery rather than marry someone she detested, but she had instead married the king, whom she loved. I could not see her in a nunnery, then or now.
"Have you mentioned this to the queen?"
"I tried to suggest to her delicately that perhaps remarriage would distract her from the higher affairs of the soul, but she just laughed."
I gave him my wizardly look. "Surely I do not need to tell you that to force a soul into suitable religious behavior will not help that soul's salvation." I rose to my feet without waiting for an answer. "Thank you for the wine. It is good if representatives of wizardry and the Church can agree on issues of mutual importance."
As I strode with self-conscious gravity from his chambers and crossed the courtyard toward my own, I found myself wondering if a belief that the queen's soul would be improved by a nunnery was his only consideration. Might he have some ulterior motive for wanting her out of the castle?
I awoke to the chapel
'Then who was it?"
"Christian charity forbids me from speaking his name."*
Prince Vincent, I thought with sudden conviction. He must be behind the rumors the Master of the school had heard.
"But I will try to make amends," continued the chaplain, "by asking you to join us in a conspiracy!"
I barely avoided choking on my wine. "What sort of conspiracy?"
"We want to make sure the queen does not make the error of marrying Prince Vincent."
Immediately I liked the young chaplain much better. I could sort out all these strange rumors later. "And who is we?" I asked with an accommodating smile.
He looked down for a moment as though embarrassed, then smiled again. "Well, I sounded pretty self-important there for a moment, didn't I! So far, the conspiracy is mostly myself. The Lady Maria is of course in agreement with my purposes."
"I would have thought she'd adore the romance of a love match."
"In a way she does, but there is a core of wisdom in what you might think is just a silly head. I did not point out that I had probably known the Lady Maria since he was a child begging his mother for extra snacks. "How about other members of the court?"
"No," he said, shaking his head regretfully. "When I tried to broach the topic to one of the knights, he said something—I know you'll find this hard to credit—about the Church needing to stay out of the affairs of the aristocracy!" So if members of the court were being taught to distrust wizards, I noted with interest, they also distrusted the chaplain. "I would like to bring Prince Paul into our plans," he added, "though at his age it is hard to trust his judgment."
I thought uncharitably that the chaplain was not very much older. "I can understand why Paul doesn't like the thought of his mother's remarriage," I said. "He's had her all to himself, and he doesn't want any disservice to his late father's memory. But I don't understand your own objections."
He leaned forward and spoke gravely. The candlelight made flickering points of light in his eyes. "A woman, once widowed, does better to devote herself to God than to another temporal spouse."
"So you think widows should never remarry?"
The Apostle tells us it is best that they do not. I can see that she felt she had a moral obligation to raise her son to manhood before retiring, but a woman of true religious sensibilities would now be planning her retreat to a nunnery. The Nunnery of Yurt has an excellent reputation for holiness and was in the past, I understand, supported by generous and pious gifts from the royal family of Yurt."
I was unable to answer at once. The queen had in fact, when very young, contemplated entering a nunnery rather than marry someone she detested, but she had instead married the king, whom she loved. I could not see her in a nunnery, then or now.
"Have you mentioned this to the queen?"
"I tried to suggest to her delicately that perhaps remarriage would distract her from the higher affairs of the soul, but she just laughed."
I gave him my wizardly look. "Surely I do not need to tell you that to force a soul into suitable religious behavior will not help that soul's salvation." I rose to my feet without waiting for an answer. "Thank you for the wine. It is good if representatives of wizardry and the Church can agree on issues of mutual importance."
As I strode with self-conscious gravity from his chambers and crossed the courtyard toward my own, I found myself wondering if a belief that the queen's soul would be improved by a nunnery was his only consideration. Might he have some ulterior motive for wanting her out of the castle?
I awoke to the chapel
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