The Beautiful Thread by Penelope Wilcock

Author:Penelope Wilcock
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lion Hudson
Published: 2016-01-18T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter

Five

“My lord bishop has a particular request for dinner, since all these folk are gathering and this will be his last night here – it is a dish he relishes and it gives much amusement among the guests. He thought it might prove some pleasant entertainment and lift everyone’s spirits to a jocular mood – saintliness smiles, remember!”

“What does he want?” asked Cormac, his tone cautious and the smile LePrique was looking for entirely lacking.

“It’s an outdoor repast,” explained the equerry, “just right for a summer evening. It cannot be served indoors because of the ring of fire. Goose roast alive is the delicacy.”

“You’ve lost me.” Cormac gaped at him. “You can’t… how can you…?”

“Oh!” Brainard chuckled. “The dish is new to you? I’m sure your Brother Conradus will be familiar with it – his grandfather was the king’s pastry cook, you know! Brother Conradus will have all the little tricks and flourishes at his disposal. It’s quite simple. You pluck a goose while it yet lives, then you butter and lard it well. A duck will do, but there’s more meat on a goose. You set it within a ring of fires, supplied with a bowl of water with salt and spikenel in it. He should have plenty of space about him, or the smoke will asphyxiate him and he will roast too quick. Don’t be too hasty to get the fire ablaze, nor yet dally in kindling it – he mustn’t get away! As he starts to roast, he’ll walk about – seeking an escape you see, this is the merriment. Finding no refuge from the heat, he will drink the water to cool his inward parts, and the dose in it will cause his guts to loosen and void. The cook must watch over all, damping the bird’s head with a sponge from time to time. Eventually he will run mad as his body cooks and he finds no respite. You must look for the moment he stumbles, for this is a sign that his heart is failing – and haste is needed then to take him to the table before he dies, else he will not still live when you pull off his parts one by one, to eat him up before he is dead.”

In utter silence the two men in the checker heard this description. William, so white his skin seemed almost green, swallowed convulsively and pressed the back of his trembling hand firmly against his mouth. Cormac’s eyes swam with tears; then his horror crystallized into concentrated fury.

“Smile!” urged the equerry, looking from one to the other of them. “Trust me, it is the greatest delicacy – once you try it you’ll thank me!”

William tore his gaze from the smiling man and looked to St Alcuin’s new cellarer – then despite the waves of dizzy nausea threatening to engulf him, he lurched forward with alacrity, alarm writ large across his face, into the space between the two men.

“Oh, for mercy’s sake – he’s not

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.