Impossible Saints by Clarissa Harwood

Author:Clarissa Harwood
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pegasus Books
Published: 2017-01-10T05:00:00+00:00

Just as Paul had predicted, cathedral gossip ran rampant in the aftermath of the Sunday service. Everyone was talking about Cross and his father. Although the cathedral clergy had tried to prevent the gossip from leaking into the world at large, the dramatic spectacle at the cathedral was indeed reported in the local newspapers. The incident wasn’t likely to create a full-scale public scandal, but Cross’s reputation was tainted. He had told everyone his father was dead and was now forced to admit that Mr. Hirst was his father. While some people were sympathetic—“If I had such a father, I wouldn’t admit it, either!”—most believed that, being a clergyman, he ought to have told the truth from the beginning.

The following week, the old dean died, and Paul was offered the deanship.

When he received the letter of appointment, Paul told no one. After two days, he went to see the bishop, a conversation he dreaded but which went surprisingly well. He confessed fully to his part in the disturbance at the cathedral and came away feeling both forgiven and understood.

Still, there was one more difficult conversation he needed to have before he could tell his family and friends about his decision.

He found Cross in the chapter house, sitting at the large table used for meetings and looking through some papers. The two canons hadn’t spoken more than a few words to each other since the day Cross’s father visited the cathedral. Indeed, since that day, Cross had gone about his work silently, speaking little to anyone. Now, he looked up at Paul’s entrance and said curtly, “What do you want?”

Cross’s greeting, if it could be called that, wasn’t unusual, but it didn’t make what Paul had to say any easier.

“I need to speak with you,” Paul said.

“What about?”

“It’s about what happened when your father—”

“Look, Harris, do you really think I want to listen to your sermon on the subject? Are you here just to gloat? I’ve said all I’m going to say about it, and you can read anything else you want to know in the papers.”

“That’s not what I’m here for.” Paul hesitated.

“What, then?”

Paul sat down at the table and stared at the wall opposite him. It was easier not to meet Cross’s eyes. “Your father came to see me the week before he came to the cathedral service,” he began.

“What are you talking about?”

“He found out I work with you and asked for my help arranging a reconciliation. He told me about the hardships he’d experienced in his past and about your ambitions being beyond his means. I felt sorry for him—”

“Why am I not surprised?” interposed Cross grimly.

“—and I suggested he attend the Sunday service. I had no idea he would arrive in a drunken state, nor did I expect him to create a disturbance. I was under the impression he wished so strongly to reconcile with you that he would do nothing untoward.”

“So you were merely acting out of kindness to reconcile me with my father.” Cross’s voice dripped with sarcasm.

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