The Prioress’ Tale by Tale Prioress' Read Free Book Online

rest of the countryside will have it tomorrow this time.”
    “Then my father will come for me!” Joice said gladly. “He’ll ransom me if he has to. Or Sir Lewis, for honor’s sake, will force them to give me up. He has men enough to make them do it!”
    “Has your betrothal been made?” Lady Eleanor asked quickly.
    Betrothal vows were as binding as those of marriage. If Joice were actually betrothed to Sir Lewis, any marriage forced on her otherwise, to Benet or anyone else, would be worthless.
    Knowing that as well as Frevisse and Lady Eleanor did, Joice was abruptly close to tears again. “No. They’re still drawing up the agreement. It isn’t signed yet. He won’t come. What he wants is my dowry. If I look like being too much trouble—and this is very much trouble—he’ll simply drop it altogether. And it would have been a good marriage for me! He’s cousin to Lord Fenner and has lands in three counties!”
    “But if your dowry is very great,” Lady Eleanor said gently, “you may still be worth the trouble to him.”
    “So what it comes down to,” Joice said bitterly, “is whether my dowry makes me worth fighting over or not. Whether I’m worth what it might cost to have me out of here.”
    “Yes,” Lady Eleanor said simply.
    Joice’s eyes widened with another thought. “It might even come to Father agreeing I marry this Benet if everything else is too costly and the marriage is good enough. You said he had lands to inherit. If Sir Lewis fails me, this is something Father could agree to.”
    “Yes,” Lady Eleanor said again and left it at that, for Joice to think on. Joice did, staring at the wall in front of her in full-eyed shock.
    Frevisse finished her wine and handed the goblet aside to Margrete. Very regrettably, this was not a matter that would be sorted out in a day. For now it would have to be enough that Joice was under the nunnery’s protection—and perhaps more importantly, in Lady Eleanor’s. “I have to go,” she said. “It’s nearly time for Vespers.”
    Lady Eleanor nodded, understanding, and began a polite reply, but Joice rose quickly to her feet, recovered enough to hold out a hand that Frevisse, in surprise, took as the girl said in a rush, “Thank you for helping me there in the yard. I’m sorry for what I said about my never being a nun. It was rude of me. But,” she added firmly, “I never will be, come what may.”
    For which they could all very likely be much grateful, Frevisse did not say, and left.

    Chapter 4
    Vespers was a welter of inattention and whispering, betraying how many of the nuns knew at least something about what had happened this afternoon. With more on her own mind than prayers, Alys made no attempt to hold them. Arguing had given an edge to her appetite and the sooner they were to supper and done with it the better, not least because she was supposed to see Reynold afterward. The matter of this girl was not settled between them, not by a long way, but they had both judged it best to finish their arguing somewhere besides in the yard for everyone to hear. Her nuns seemed to have heard enough about it as it was. Their minds were no more on the office than hers was, and the final “amen” was as much a relief as a conclusion. Released by it, Alys surged to her feet and out of the choir, headed for the refectory with the others crowding at her heels, but she turned at the door into the cloister to glare over her shoulder, warning them back and to less talk. She did not mean to listen to their chatter all through supper, either. Magpies and crows, the lot of them. Sister Thomasine was the only holy one in the lot. And if Dame Frevisse and Dame Claire thought she had not noticed them back there behind the others, their heads together, talking her down, they were wrong.
    She knew what they were saying, too, and ill thanks to Reynold for it. What had he been thinking of, snatching mat girl and then bringing her here?
    For that matter, what had the