Page 2 of The Herald's Heart
“Aye,” he finally muttered. “’Tis the right thing to do and pious too. I will pray for her soul when I return to Hawksedge Keep.”
“You are all that is gracious, my lord,” Sister Joan lied without qualm, just as she had lied about Larkin’s fever. Larkin heard their footsteps move off. She went to the window and peered out. The earl called to his men, climbed into a curtained chair, and was carried away.
At the sight, she knelt in silent prayer. She gave thanks that the earl was gone, then formed a plea that God would aid her in the days to come. Without the shelter of the abbey, she had nowhere to go and nothing to protect her. The world would think her a nameless peasant, and that she could not tolerate. She was Lady Larkin Rosham, legally Countess of Hawksedge, and she would prove it.
As Larkin rose from her knees, Mother Clement and Sister Joan entered the room. The abbess dismissed Joan and the nuns who worked there. “Now, child, what possessed you to make such a foolish claim?”
“Because it is true.”
Mother Clement cleared her throat. “The virtue of truth is not in the telling but in our actions, child. The Earl of Hawksedge is not a forgiving man, and your statements accuse him of more than failure to avenge the death of a bride and her family. By claiming to be Lady Larkin Rosham, you have placed yourself and the abbey in grave danger. I will do what I can to mitigate that risk, but since you will have to leave the abbey, any aid I may offer is limited.”
“But . . .”
The abbess raised a hand. “No, the time for naive foolishness is done. The world thinks Lady Larkin dead along with her parents and retinue. ’Tis best the world continues to think so. Now if I am to help you, you must tell me the whole story. Then, if you are wise, you will never again speak of this to anyone.”
