The Faithful Heart Read Online Free PDF Page A

boy!” Joanna shouted as she
rushed at the small, harried figure struggling to stand in the
midst of the mess. It was the filthy boy in the ripped, shapeless
sack she’d passed in the hall. His … or rather her cropped
strawberry-blond hair stuck out in spiky tufts and her large green
eyes were as round as apples.
    “Madeline!” Aubrey cried in disbelief. The
green eyes shot up to hers. Aubrey dropped her pile of letters and
ran towards her, ignoring the water and brooms, to crush her friend
in a furious embrace.
    “Aubrey, oh Aubrey!” Madeline squeezed her
back, shaking and bursting into tears.
    “My God, Madeline, what are you doing here?
And look at you!”
    “I ran away!” She clung to Aubrey’s kirtle,
half laughing, half crying. Tears had cleared two wet trails in the
grime on her face but her eyes were bright and happy. “In the
middle of the night with almost no money, no clothes, nothing!
Sister Bernadette helped me. Can you believe it?”
    Aubrey worked her jaw, speechless. “I guess I
can if you’re here, but how-”
    “Oh Aubrey, it was terrible.” Madeline
squeezed her eyes shut and swallowed, mastering herself and
breathing a few times before opening her eyes and continuing. “You
should have seen the row when Sister Bernadette and I returned to
the convent. Mother Superior was furious that we returned without
the statue.”
    “Even though you had the treasure?” Aubrey
had heard the whole story of the hoard of treasure hidden inside of
the statue that Buxton had stolen from the Abbey of St. Mary. Jack
had helped Madeline and Sister Bernadette retrieve it last summer,
but the statue itself had been destroyed.
    “Mother Superior said it was blatant
carelessness on our part to reveal the secrets of the Order. Sister
Bernadette was so ill and spent a month in the infirmary so I took
the brunt of the blame. Mother Superior ordered me into seclusion.”
She blanched and her fingers tightened around Aubrey’s kirtle
before she realized that she was clinging and let go. “Oh Aubrey, I
couldn’t bear it. They gave me nothing but bread and water all
winter and no blankets. I was kept in the kitchens like a common
maid and not allowed to go outside at all. And you know how I love
the outdoors. I just couldn’t take it anymore. I begged father to
let me come home but he refused. And mother was no help at all, of
course. A fortnight ago I picked the lock on my cell in the middle
of the night. Sister Bernadette unlocked the convent gate for me
and then I ran!”
    Aubrey threw her arms around her friend and
held her tight. “Well you made it here, that’s all that matters.
We’ll take care of you now.” She exchanged a firm nod with Joanna
who had picked up the letters and joined them. Aubrey let Madeline
go and held her at arm’s length. “Joanna will fetch you a bath and
some clean clothes. You can stay at the castle as long as you
like.”
    Madeline’s green eyes flew wide. “So it’s
true then? You really married Sir Crispin?”
    “Yes.”
    “And Buxton is dead? Sir Crispin is the new
Sheriff?”
    “Yes, he is.”
    Misery and pity crumpled Madeline’s freckled
face. “Oh Aubrey, I’m so sorry! Why didn’t you write to me? I could
have-”
    Aubrey shook with laughter and hugged her
friend again. “It’s okay, Madeline, believe me. More than okay.
Crispin is….” She sighed and rested a hand on her belly. Madeline
gasped and covered her mouth as though just noticing. “And I did
write to you. So much has happened in Derby since you were
here.”
    “I only received one letter and that was
almost a year ago.” Madeline sighed. “If I had only known I would
have written so much to console you.”
    Aubrey opened her mouth to set her friend
straight but stopped and closed it with a grin. “Never mind about
that. Let’s take care of you.” She hooked her arm in Madeline’s and
started for the stairs to the gallery. “I’m going to put you right
back in the North Room. They