‘You don’t know exactly where we are?’
‘The villa of Lady Beretrude in the city of Autun.’
Fidelma now turned her head slightly and saw there were about thirty or more women sitting around the room, and several children. They sat on piles of straw, or spoke together in whispers. Now and then one of the children demanded the attention of one or another of the women. There was no furniture, only a few jugs and cups in one corner, and a pile of blankets and straw. She realised that most of the women were dressed soberly in the manner of religieuse. Clarity of thought slowly returned to Fidelma.
‘You are dressed in local costume but you are a stranger to this place, aren’t you?’ said the young woman.
‘I am from the land you call Hibernia. I am Sister Fidelma.’
‘A religieuse from beyond the edge of the world.’ The woman who had nursed her held out the cup of water again. ‘What did you say your name was?’
‘I am Sister Fidelma. It is a name of my country.’
‘And why are you clad in those clothes of the local country folk?’ She stared curiously at Fidelma’s clothing.
‘A long story,’ she replied. ‘Who are you?’
‘I am Valretrade,’ answered the young girl.
Fidelma’s eyes widened in surprise. ‘Sister Valretrade…of the Domus Femini? The friend of Sigeric?’
It was now the girl’s turn to stare in surprise. ‘What do you know about me?’
‘I know Brother Sigeric,’ Fidelma said. ‘I was helping him try to find out what had happened to you.’
The girl breathed out sharply. ‘Sigeric? Is he well?’ Her voice was anxious.
‘He was well last time I saw him. He was frantic with anxiety though. What happened to you? The story that Abbess Audofleda put out was that you had decided to leave the abbey a week ago. You were supposed to have departed because you disagreed with the Rule and left a note to that effect.’
‘Audofleda? God’s perpetual curse on that one!’ Valretrade replaced the cup and examined Fidelma critically. ‘But you were not in the Domus Femini when I was there. Have you but recently come to Autun? Oh, you must have come for the Council.’
Fidelma moved herself into a more comfortable position. As briefly as possible, she told the girl the circumstances that had brought her to Autun and what she had found, how she had become involved with Brother Sigeric and his search for her. Valretrade said nothing until Fidelma came to the end of her narrative.
‘I fear the worst,’ the girl said at last.
‘Then perhaps you will explain what the worst is,’ replied Fidelma. The throb in her head was ebbing and her concentration on telling her story had gone some way to curing her headache.
‘We are all related to religieux and priests, and those are our children. In my case, I think I stumbled on something that I was not meant to see. We have all been forcibly removed from the Domus Femini, brought as captives and blindfold to this place.’
‘What did you see and how were you brought here?’
‘In recent weeks, I began to notice that some of the women of the community were disappearing.’
‘Did you enquire why?’
‘It was natural to ask why. I was told that they had decided to leave the abbey because they did not agree with the Rule.’
‘Who told you this? Abbess Audofleda?’
The girl shook her head. ‘Abbess Audofleda was too unapproachable. She would not directly address members of the community. It was Sister Radegund-she was the one who told us.’
‘And did you accept her explanation?’
‘Had it been one or two women leaving, then it would have been a feasible explanation. But then all the married women were leaving us and all in the same sudden manner, without warning. They were women whose husbands were still in the abbey. Then we heard from a visiting Sister that other married women, in other local communities, were also disappearing.’
‘So what did you do? You didn’t mention this to Sigeric at your secret meetings?’
‘What could I say to him?’ Valretrade shrugged. ‘I had no facts. No, I thought it better to see if I could obtain advice. I did not trust any of the local prelates, and wasn’t sure who to speak to-but then I met a woman from your country who was the wife of one of the delegates. I asked what person should I seek advice from. She was sympathetic even though I did not tell her all that I knew. She suggested I speak to an abbot from the north of your country.’
‘Abbot Dabhóc?’ Fidelma asked immediately.
‘The name sounds right. I am uncertain with these foreign names-your pardon, Fidelma.’
‘That’s all right,’ conceded Fidelma. ‘So when and how did you meet him?’
‘I was one of the few asked to look after the foreign women.’
Fidelma nodded. It confirmed what the abbess had said.
‘Go on.’
‘He was pointed out to me from a distance at the old amphitheatre. I had been told to show some of the foreign women around it-those women who had come with the delegates to the council. He had been speaking to another foreign man who was dressed in the robes of high office of the Church.’
‘Nuntius Peregrinus?’
‘I did not know his name. He had turned away from this abbot…’
‘So you spoke with him?’
‘I wondered afterwards if he really believed it when I said that women were disappearing from the abbey. To be honest, he was patronising and told me to go away and speak to my abbess about what he called “my fears”. It was then that I decided to talk it through with Sigeric.’
‘Go on.’
‘It was that evening that I arranged to see Sigeric. I signalled my intention by…’
‘Sigeric told me your method of contact. Had you told anyone else about this meeting?’
Valretrade shook her head.
‘Not even Sister Inginde, who shares your chamber with you?’
‘I made my signal to Sigeric by candlelight and, as she shared my chamber, she would have known that I was going to see him. But I told her nothing about the reason why I was going to see Sigeric that night. I told no one. Sigeric was late in acknowledging my signal. Thankfully, Sister Inginde was not in the chamber as I sat waiting for his answering signal. But then I saw his candle, we exchanged our signals, and I went to our meeting place at the prearranged time. Sigeric was not there, but a man and a woman were in his place. I came on them unexpectedly as they appeared to be hiding something in the sepulchre where we were to meet. They threatened me and I was gagged and bound. They brought me back through the Domus Femini to a side entrance where I was blindfolded and carried by the man, who was very strong, and conveyed here. As I say, I have been here about a week.’
Fidelma was grave.
‘At the very time that you went to keep your appointment, the Abbot Dabhóc was murdered. Sigeric was on his way to meet you when he saw the body and raised the alarm. By the time he was able to come to your meeting place, you had been taken away and perhaps that delay in his arrival might have saved his life. Who were the man and woman that you saw in the vault?’
‘They wore cowls over their heads but I could tell their sexes easily enough. At least I recognised one of them.’
‘Who was it?’ demanded Fidelma eagerly.
‘The stonemason, Brother Andica. He was the one who carried me here.’
Fidelma was slightly disappointed. ‘I am afraid he is dead.’
Sister Valretrade was shocked for a moment, and then she went on. ‘I did not recognise the woman. Perhaps it was Radegund. After all, she is Beretrude’s niece. And she is the only married one in the community who has complete freedom.’
It was a moment or two later when there came the sound of the scraping of bolts at the door. Everyone turned expectantly as it swung open. A thickset warrior entered and paused on the steps. He surveyed them all for a moment with a smirk on his bearded features. Then he spoke first in the local language and then in bad Latin.