Raoul to see. ‘I must have dropped it in the scuffle. Thank you for returning it to me - aha.’
A weak excuse that fooled no-one, least of all Raoul. He gave a drunken lopsided smile and put his hand on the girl’s elbow. She flinched at his touch and I knew then as I knew nothing else that he would beat the girl as soon as they were behind closed doors again.
‘Effie,’ I begged, ‘if there’s something you want to tell me, say it now,’ but, terrified, she just shook her head. She had clammed up tight again just as she had in the bedchamber.
‘Very well,’ I said through gritted teeth, ‘but I will be looking out for you. Mark me well, I am a doctor and know my art. I will know if you are…harmed in any way.’ This last I said looking directly at Raoul.
‘Harmed?’ he sneered. ‘Why should she be harmed? Come along, Effie,’ he took her by the elbow. ‘Your mistress awaits you.’
He started to pull her gently but firmly towards him and she went, albeit unwillingly, with him. I could do nothing to help her. I had to step aside and watch them slowly ascend the stairs.
But before she finally went up Effie turned and mouthed something at me. She did it quickly and only the once before disappearing from view, but the memory of it was seared into my brain. I caught my breath and watched them slowly ascend the stairs away from me as I tried to force the girl’s mime into recognisable words. But they made no sense. What I thought she said…that is to say, what it looked like she said was…
Ee-ma-mum-ma.
I mouthed the phrase several times to myself:
‘Ee-ma-mum-ma, Ee-ma-mum-ma.’
No, I could make nothing intelligent of it. I wanted to run up the stairs and ask her to repeat it out loud but I knew that would probably end with her getting an even more severe beating from her bullying master than I was sure she was about to get. But I could tell from the look of urgency on her face it meant something to her, and whatever that something was, she desperately wanted me to know it.
Chapter 4
A NOSEBLEED
Ee-ma-mum-ma.
What did it mean? I found myself muttering the phrase over and over to myself. It clearly meant something to Effie, something important enough to risk her master’s displeasure in order to tell me. But for the life of me I could not make out what it meant.
Ee-ma-mum-ma.
Maybe I was saying it wrong. Maybe if I tried a different emphasis the meaning would leap out at me. I tried again out loud:
‘ EE -ma-mum-ma. Ee-ma- MUM -ma. Ee- MA -mum-ma. Ee-ma-mum- MA …’
‘Are you all right, brother?’
‘Ma…ha…Eh? What?’
I spun round to find Prior Herbert standing behind me with a curious look on his face.
‘Herbert. You frightened me near to death,’ I said holding my hand over my heart.
‘Well, we certainly wouldn’t want that, would we? ’ he smirked. ‘I was merely asking if you were well. You seem a little…distracted.’
‘Thinking, brother, that’s all - I was thinking.’
He shook his head. ‘No brother, you were talking - to yourself this time.’ He sighed. ‘It seems you cannot hold your tongue even when alone. Well I’m glad to have caught you. I wanted to make sure you’ll be at Chapter this morning.’
‘Is there any reason why I should not be?’ I said recovering myself.
‘No no,’ he smiled. ‘I just wanted to be sure, that’s all. Until later then.’ And with that he was gone again.
I didn’t like that smile. Whenever Herbert was pleased with himself it usually meant bad tidings for someone else. What was he up to? And why did he want to know if I’d be in Chapter today? I was always there unless I had a pressing need to be somewhere else - a patien t requiring my urgent attention. Besides, Chapter was something most monks would wish to attend since it is the one time of the day when we all come together to discuss the important business of the abbey. The rest of the time we are dispersed about our duties. Chapter is also the time
A weak excuse that fooled no-one, least of all Raoul. He gave a drunken lopsided smile and put his hand on the girl’s elbow. She flinched at his touch and I knew then as I knew nothing else that he would beat the girl as soon as they were behind closed doors again.
‘Effie,’ I begged, ‘if there’s something you want to tell me, say it now,’ but, terrified, she just shook her head. She had clammed up tight again just as she had in the bedchamber.
‘Very well,’ I said through gritted teeth, ‘but I will be looking out for you. Mark me well, I am a doctor and know my art. I will know if you are…harmed in any way.’ This last I said looking directly at Raoul.
‘Harmed?’ he sneered. ‘Why should she be harmed? Come along, Effie,’ he took her by the elbow. ‘Your mistress awaits you.’
He started to pull her gently but firmly towards him and she went, albeit unwillingly, with him. I could do nothing to help her. I had to step aside and watch them slowly ascend the stairs.
But before she finally went up Effie turned and mouthed something at me. She did it quickly and only the once before disappearing from view, but the memory of it was seared into my brain. I caught my breath and watched them slowly ascend the stairs away from me as I tried to force the girl’s mime into recognisable words. But they made no sense. What I thought she said…that is to say, what it looked like she said was…
Ee-ma-mum-ma.
I mouthed the phrase several times to myself:
‘Ee-ma-mum-ma, Ee-ma-mum-ma.’
No, I could make nothing intelligent of it. I wanted to run up the stairs and ask her to repeat it out loud but I knew that would probably end with her getting an even more severe beating from her bullying master than I was sure she was about to get. But I could tell from the look of urgency on her face it meant something to her, and whatever that something was, she desperately wanted me to know it.
Chapter 4
A NOSEBLEED
Ee-ma-mum-ma.
What did it mean? I found myself muttering the phrase over and over to myself. It clearly meant something to Effie, something important enough to risk her master’s displeasure in order to tell me. But for the life of me I could not make out what it meant.
Ee-ma-mum-ma.
Maybe I was saying it wrong. Maybe if I tried a different emphasis the meaning would leap out at me. I tried again out loud:
‘ EE -ma-mum-ma. Ee-ma- MUM -ma. Ee- MA -mum-ma. Ee-ma-mum- MA …’
‘Are you all right, brother?’
‘Ma…ha…Eh? What?’
I spun round to find Prior Herbert standing behind me with a curious look on his face.
‘Herbert. You frightened me near to death,’ I said holding my hand over my heart.
‘Well, we certainly wouldn’t want that, would we? ’ he smirked. ‘I was merely asking if you were well. You seem a little…distracted.’
‘Thinking, brother, that’s all - I was thinking.’
He shook his head. ‘No brother, you were talking - to yourself this time.’ He sighed. ‘It seems you cannot hold your tongue even when alone. Well I’m glad to have caught you. I wanted to make sure you’ll be at Chapter this morning.’
‘Is there any reason why I should not be?’ I said recovering myself.
‘No no,’ he smiled. ‘I just wanted to be sure, that’s all. Until later then.’ And with that he was gone again.
I didn’t like that smile. Whenever Herbert was pleased with himself it usually meant bad tidings for someone else. What was he up to? And why did he want to know if I’d be in Chapter today? I was always there unless I had a pressing need to be somewhere else - a patien t requiring my urgent attention. Besides, Chapter was something most monks would wish to attend since it is the one time of the day when we all come together to discuss the important business of the abbey. The rest of the time we are dispersed about our duties. Chapter is also the time
Similar Books
Return to Paradise
Pittacus Lore
Blood Of Fire (The Blood Burden Series)
Wenona Hulsey
Under The Mistletoe
Mary Balogh
Pursued
Patricia H. Rushford
Vatican Ambassador
Mike Luoma
Blowing Up Russia
Alexander Litvinenko
You've Got Tail
Renee George
The Rhythm of Rain
C. L. Scholey
Georgia On My Mind
Marie Force