Doomsday Book by Connie Willis

Author:Connie Willis [Willis, Connie]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, azw3, pdf
Tags: Science Fiction, Fiction
Published: 2011-01-12T06:00:00+00:00

TRANSCRIPT FROM THE DOOMSDAY BOOK (046381-054957)

22 December 1320 (Old Style.) Agnes's knee is worse. It's red and painful (an understatement -- she screams when I try to touch it) and she can scarcely walk. I don't know what to do -- if I tell Lady Imeyne, she'll put one of her poultices on it and make it worse, and Eliwys is distracted and obviously worried.

Gawyn still isn't back. He should have been home by noon yesterday, and when he hadn't shown up by vespers, Eliwys accused Imeyne of sending him to Oxford.

"I have sent him to Courcy, as I told you," Imeyne said defensively. "No doubt the rain keeps him."

"Only to Courcy?" Eliwys said angrily. "Or have you sent him otherwhere for a new chaplain?"

Imeyne drew herself up. "Father Roche is not fit to say the Christmas masses if Sir Bloet and his company come," she said. "Would you be shamed before Rosemund's fiance?"

Eliwys went absolutely white. "Where have you sent him?"

"I have sent him with a message to the bishop, saying that we are in sore need of a chaplain," she said.

"To Bath?!" Eliwys said, and raised her hand as if she would strike her.

"Nay. Only to Cirencestre. The archdeacon was to lie at the abbey for Yule. I bade Gawyn give him the message. One of his churchmen will bear it thence. Though, certes, things go not so ill in Bath that Gawyn could not go thence himself without harm, else my son would have quitted it."

"Your son will be ill-pleased to find we have disobeyed him. He bade us, and Gawyn, keep to the manor till he come."

She still sounded furious, and as she lowered her hand, she clenched it into a fist, as if she would have liked to box Imeyne's ears the way she does Maisry's. But the color had come back in her cheeks as soon as Imeyne said, "Cirencestre," and I think she was at least a little relieved.

"Certes, things go not so ill in Bath that Gawyn could not go thence without harm," Imeyne said, but it's obvious Eliwys doesn't think he can. Is she afraid he'd ride into a trap or that he might lead Lord Guillaume's enemies here? And are things going so "ill" that Guillaume can't quit Bath?

Perhaps all three. Eliwys has been to the door to look out into the rain at least a dozen times this morning, and she's in as bad a temper as Rosemund was in the woods. Just now she asked Imeyne if she was certain the archdeacon was at Cierncestre. She's obviously worried that if he wasn't, Gawyn will have taken the message into Bath himself.

Her fear has infected everyone. Lady Imeyne has slunk off into a corner with her reliquary to pray, Agnes whines, and Rosemund sits with her embroidery in her lap, staring blindly at it.

(Break)

I took Agnes to Father Roche this afternoon. Her knee was much worse. She couldn't walk at all, and there was what looked like the beginning of a red streak above it.

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