The Deadliest Sin by Jeri Westerson
Author:Jeri Westerson [Jeri Westerson]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Severn House
Published: 2021-08-09T00:00:00+00:00
SEVENTEEN
âSomeone stole it?â cried Christopher before Jack shushed him.
âMaster Crispin means that there never was no corpse,â whispered Jack. âThatâs right, isnât it, Master Crispin?â
âYes, Jack, you are correct. I donât believe there was ever a corpse in the first place.â
âBut you thought she was murdered. Then ⦠where is she?â asked Christopher, still staring at the strange apparition. âDid they bury her somewhere else?â
âYou donât understand,â said Crispin. âDame Audrey ⦠is not dead.â
âBut ⦠Crispin â¦â said Christopher.
âIs Elena Forthey still in the infirmary?â
âAs far as I know,â said Jack.
âYou two bury this again. Iâm going to talk to her.â
Christopher jerked forward. âWait, Crispin! You canât leave us here with all this without explanation.â
âChristopher, thatâs exactly what I am after. An explanation. If I donât alarm Elena Forthey and awaken the whole priory, Iâll be back directly.â
Crispin hurried away, dusting his hands off on his cote-hardie, trying to relieve himself of grave dirt. His eyes traveled up that wall and he thanked God that heâd got his lockpicks back from Philippa.
He picked the lock even faster this time, and pushed the gate open slowly, wincing with its hingesâ soft whine. He closed it carefully so it wouldnât slam shut with a breeze, and crept back toward the dorter through the shadows.
Elena Forthey had been under the infirmaryâs window before. Might she still be there?
The night was mild. He reached the dorter and searched over its plastered surface at all the shutters above and below. Perhaps the window wasnât latched ⦠He pulled the shutter open and hauled himself up to the sill. His eyes adjusted and he saw that she was there below him. Grabbing hold of the sill, he pulled himself the rest of the way and climbed nimbly to the other side. Approaching her cot, he whispered to her, âDemoiselle. Demoiselle Forthey!â
She opened her eyes, focused them on Crispin, and opened her mouth to scream. He clamped a hand over her mouth. âItâs Crispin Guest. For Godâs sake, do not scream.â
Her breath gusted over his fingers. Her eyes calmed and Crispin slowly pulled his hand away. âForgive me.â
âMaster Guest,â she gasped. âWhat are you doing here?â She rose on her elbows, looking about. âAt this hour?â
âEr ⦠how are you faring? You seemed in great pain when you arrived yesterday.â
âI ⦠I was. But ⦠Dame Petronella ministered to me and I am much better. I will be leaving in the morn.â
âOh. Thatâs good. I am glad.â
âYes. So am I. Is ⦠that what you came in the dark of night to ask me?â
âWell ⦠no.â And now who was being hasty? He admonished Jack frequently that he jumped too quickly to act. âThe fact of the matter is I need to ask you a question.â
âIt couldnât wait till morning?â
Could it? He thought of the straw dummy packed into Dame Audreyâs coffin and shook his head. âNo, it cannot. Demoiselle, you told me when I first met you that Dame Audrey being dead wasnât possible. Why?â
She stared at him for several heartbeats.
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