Elizabeth Gilligan - Silken Magic 02 by The Silken Shroud

Author:The Silken Shroud
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

XXII

“ ‘Tis my vocation, Hal; ’Tis no sin for a man to labor in his vocation.”

—William Shakespeare

16 d’Septembre, 1684

Mandero nodded to Dego Giordano as his second lieutenant pulled wide the chapel door. The lieutenant was dressed smartly this morning and only the most discerning eye would note the residue of boot polish imprinted upon the fingers of both men’s hands. Like Mandero’s new soprabita, Dego’s coat was also bright blue now that it no longer bore a coating of dust from the road.

They waited briefly in the narthex for a priest or some other functionary to greet them and, when none came, passed from the entry hall into the nave itself. With the high arching ceilings, their footsteps echoed on the heavily polished and well-worn gray marble floor. The relative silence within the church only served to amplify the sound of their entrance—their firm booted step, the faint kaching of their spurs.

Mandero paused, acknowledging those going about their silent Wednesday worship with a nod. Aware of the eyes of several old grandmothers watching him through the folds of the lace mantillas that covered their hair, he bowed to the crucifix, the accepted nominal acknowledgment of a nonbeliever in another’s house of worship.

With equal clarity of sound, a scraping latch, the slight banging of the cupboard-thin door of the confessional heralded the appearance of a middle-aged priest from one of the booths. He came swiftly to them. His footsteps created only the faintest whisper of soft-soled shoes and the flap and snap of fabric from his vestments caused by his sharp, curt movements.

“Gentlemen of the Escalade,” the priest’s face looked pinched with irritation. “As we told your brethren yesterday, we have given sanctuary to Gab-era—”

Mandero remembered the padre’s name from his dinner with the colonello the night before. It seemed that the senior officer had omitted to express the urgency of his appeals to the Church for the custody of this so-called “renegade priest.” Curiosity and speculation at once warred with his own obligations and the original reason for his visit. To forestall further well-rehearsed protests, Mandero held up his hand. “Ex-cusi, Father, but you misunderstand the reason for our visit—”

“He will not be forced to speak with you either,” the priest insisted.

Ever more curious about the man availing himself of Sanctuary in the largest of the Catholic cathedrals in Girgenti and being pursued often, perhaps daily, by the local authorities even while in the religious stronghold, Mandero could not help but wonder what the priest had done. Was he a witch-hunter? If this was so, then, at the very least, he must write to the queen for guidance. But if he wasn’t? That brought a whole new meaning to every encounter he had had since arriving in Girgenti. In the meantime, however, he concentrated on the matter at hand, all trails that lead to the Cardinal of Tyrrhia and Citteauroea and, thereby, to his captive, Lady Alessandra Davizzi y Patrini. This, too, was as the queen commanded. “Again, Father, I must interrupt.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.