A Mortal Bane(22)

“Not I,” Sabina said. “I felt when you put it down on the bed that it was heavy. Coin is heavy.”

Letice grinned and shook her head. But then she frowned and touched the intricately tied cord that held the pouch closed. She made a gesture of cutting and shook her head.

“You know, that is a wise thought, Letice,” Magdalene said. “If we cut the cord and someone should somehow find the pouch before we can be rid of it, we have hung ourselves.” Then she smiled broadly. “No matter. I think I can undo that and even retie it, or make another similar knot. My naughty archdeacon—the one who taught me to read and write—showed me several church knots.”

She picked up the pouch, but Sabina said, “We had better dress first. If Brother Paulinus returns, he will want to know what we were doing all this time.”

“Clinging to each other and weeping with terror,” Magdalene said, her lips twisting.

Letice threw back her head and laughed, making no sound beyond a slight outrush of air; then she tugged at her nightrobe and went to her own chamber. Magdalene did the same, and as soon as she was dressed, went to the kitchen, where Ella was prattling away to Dulcie, who nodded and smiled, although she probably made out about one word in ten. Having sent Ella off to get dressed and told her to work on her embroidery when she was ready, Magdalene showed Dulcie the pouch, made clear that it was the dead man’s and that they must be rid of it as soon as she had seen what was inside.

[page]Dulcie nodded. “I be fillin’ it wit’ rocks and stickin’ it in wit’ the sheets that need washin’,” she said. “On me way to th’ laundress, it’ll fall in th’ river.”

“Are you sure, Dulcie? If you were caught—”

“Course I be sure. Who looks at ‘n old woman wit’ a basket ‘f laundry? If you ‘r one ‘f th’ others went out wit’ it, there’d be ten pairs eyes on y’ every minnit.”

When Magdalene came from the kitchen, Dulcie following, the others were waiting, worried frowns alternating with frankly greedy glances. Letice tapped her arm and pointed upward. Magdalene glanced up, too, but then shook her head.

“It is too dusty up in the loft and we have no time to clean. If we were up there when someone came, we would be sure to betray that fact somehow. If someone knocks, I will gather up the pouch and run to my room to tie it between my legs. No one can think it unnatural for me to be in my room. With the shutters still closed, I think we are safe enough here.”

She then laid out on the table one of the long, narrow cloths she stuffed with rags to absorb the blood of her flux. In the center, she placed the pouch. If there was any disturbance, she need only roll the cloth around the pouch and run into her room. Then she began to work on the knot. It was not difficult once she found the key loop, and the pouch was soon open. Holding the heavy, round shapes at the bottom, which she was sure were coins, Magdalene tipped it slowly, so it would disgorge the rest of its contents without scattering them all over the table and the floor.

The first thing to slide out was a heavy square packet of parchment, made heavier yet by the large lead seal fastened to the silken cords that bound the document. “Oh, no!” Magdalene started to say when another document, less elaborately sealed, with red wax but bearing the same design, slid out atop the first. Following that was a letter, then another, these also with seals but deliberately left open.

Hoping against hope, Magdalene bent closer to peer at the large lead seal. Around it were words in Latin. She could not read them, but from their position, she guessed they were a motto; within were two stylized faces and above them, the letters S.PE and S.PA. She could not understand the motto, but she knew well enough that S.PE meant Saint Peter and S.PA meant Saint Paul. Biting her lip, she turned the seal over and made out the name—Innocent II.