‘You would dare …?’ Sister Lerben began uncertainly. ‘You would dare accuse us of that?’ But already she was losing support for the argument.
‘Sisters,’ Fidelma now addressed those crowding uncertainly behind Lerben. Since she now held their attention, there was little point in appealing to the inexperienced and arrogant novice. ‘Sisters, I have examined Sister Berrach and I believe that she is innocent of killing Síomha. She stumbled on the corpse just as, a moment later, Abbess Draigen did. She is no more guilty of the crime than Draigen. Do not let fear guide your logic. It is so easy to turn destructively on that which you fear. Disperse to your dormitories and let us forget this as a moment’s madness.’
The sisters looked at each other, perhaps somewhat sheepishly in the gloom, and some began to disperse.
Sister Lerben took a step forward, her mouth thin and set firm, but Fidelma quickly decided to maintain her advantage. She caught sight of the anxious Sister Brónach newly arrived, at the rear of the group.
‘Sister Brónach, I want you to escort Sister Lerben to her chamber while I go to see the abbess. That is an order by virtue of my rank,’ she added when Brónach hesitated. Then she deliberately turned her back and re-entered Berrach’s chamber. She stood just inside the door, her eyes closed, her heart beating fast, wondering whether she had completely defused the situation. Would Lerben make a further attempt to rally her supporters again and seize Berrach? There was a murmuring and shuffling in the corridor and then silence. Fidelma opened her eyes.
The girl was sitting on the bed shivering uncontrollably.
Fidelma glanced quickly into the corridor. It was empty. She exhaled long and deeply.
‘It’s all right,’ she said, turning back into the chamber andseating herself on the bed next to Berrach. ‘They have dispersed.’
‘How can they be so evil?’ shuddered the girl. ‘They were going to take me out and kill me.’
Fidelma laid a hand on the girl’s arm in comfort.
‘They are not really evil. They are merely fearful. Of all the passions, fear weakens the judgment, especially when one is so young and inexperienced as Lerben.’
The girl was silent for a while.
‘Sister Lerben has never liked me. I cannot stay here now. You heard what she said? Abbess Draigen has made her the steward of the abbey now Sister Síomha is dead.’
‘An unwise, indeed, foolish choice,’ conceded Fidelma. ‘And I will talk about this matter with the abbess. Lerben is too young to be rechtaire. Wait a while, Berrach. The sisters will come to their senses and then they will feel remorse.’
‘If they fear me so much then that fear will never be diminished but grow into hate. I will never be safe here.’
‘Give them a chance. At least, allow me to speak with Abbess Draigen.’
Sister Berrach said nothing. Fidelma decided to take it as a sign of acceptance of her suggestion.
She rose and went to the door, glancing back briefly.
‘Will you be all right here for a short while?’ she asked.
Sister Berrach looked gloomy.
‘Deo favente,’ she replied. ‘With God’s favour.’
Fidelma left the cell and walked grimly towards the Abbess Draigen’s chamber. Now that she thought about the matter, hot blood poured into her brain. She felt a rage at the conduct of the abbess. How could she have given such power to Lerben? How could she have induced the novice into encouraging her sisters to attempt nothing less than an act of murder? What hatred did the abbess feel for Berrach? Everywhere Fidelma looked a cloak of hatred hung about this place. She felt furious and then a thought came into hermind. It was easy to fly into a temper but didn’t Publilius Syrus argue that one should always shun anger? Anger made people blind and foolish. She recalled the words of her mentor, the Brehon Morann of Tara: whoever experiences the white heat of anger will then experience the ice cold of regret. Better to be calm.
She had no sooner made the resolution than she found herself outside the door of Abbess Draigen’s chamber.
She thrust it open and marched in without knocking.
Abbess Draigen was sitting at her chamber, upright and stiff-backed, her mouth set determinedly. Sister Lerben was standing by the fire, evidently having eluded the escort of Sister Brónach. She stared with dislike as Fidelma entered and strode firmly into the room.
‘I will speak with you alone, mother abbess.’
‘I am …’ began Sister Lerben.
‘You are dismissed,’ snapped Fidelma.
Abbess Draigen let her eyes flicker towards the young novice and then made a dismissive motion with her hand. The young woman bit her tongue, almost bringing her teeth down painfully on her lower lip. She went, head high, from the room.
Before Fidelma could speak, Abbess Draigen’s face dissolved in wrath.
‘This is the second time you have interfered with the orders of someone appointed by me. Sister Lerben was appointed acting rechtaire in place of Sister Síomha.’
Fidelma smiled thinly against her anger.
‘Fear betrays unworthy souls,’ she replied as she seated herself.
Abbess Draigen grimaced.
‘This is also the second time that you have quoted your Latin philosophers at me.’
‘You did not allow me time to report on my interrogation of Sister Berrach before you allowed Lerben to whip up the fears of your community,’ Fidelma ignored her riposte.‘What did you think she could achieve by inciting such a killing? Did you think that you, responsible for such an action as abbess, could do this without punishment?’
Abbess Draigen met her eye firmly.
‘I was aware that Lerben and her fellow sisters had condemned Berrach. They acted in accordance to the law of God. I would stand by their decisions. I believe that Berrach was guilty of killing Sister Síomha. The pagan signs spoke of evil. The book of Deuteronomy says that those that practise such evil are guilty of an abomination to the Lord and must be driven out. Sister Lerben was acting in accord with the teaching of the Archbishop Ultan. I approved of her actions. My authority is Armagh.’
Fidelma decided that there was wisdom in Aristotle when he said that anyone could give way to anger but the secret was knowing when to be angry with the right person to the right extent and in the right way. It was really Abbess Draigen whom she had to deal with. Young Sister Lerben was only her voice. Clearly, Abbess Draigen had told Lerben what to do. Yet this was not the time to be angry with Abbess Draigen either for her anger would merely meet with a brick wall.
‘Let us be clear that there is as much evidence to convict Berrach of the killing of Sister Síomha, at this time, as to convict you or Sister Brónach Your incitement of Lerben to violence is based on the hidden fears that others have because of poor Berrach’s deformity. It is not the way a member of the Faith should act. So I want you to guarantee that no harm will come to Berrach until I have finished my investigation.’
Abbess Draigen pursed her lips.
‘I shall not swear for it is against the Scriptures.’
Fidelma smiled cynically.
‘I know the passage to which you refer, mother abbess. It is the fifth chapter of Matthew. But while Christ said one should not swear by any sacred object he exhorted people tosay “yes” or “no”. Therefore, I shall exhort you to say “yes”, that you will guarantee the safety of Berrach. The other answer is “no” and, if this is so, then I shall have to refer the matter to Abbot Brocc at Ros Ailithir and safeguard Sister Berrach myself.’
Abbess Draigen sniffed angrily.
‘Then you have your “yes”. I shall say no more than that I will also refer this matter, not to Brocc, but to Ultan of Armagh himself.’