The Sempster's Tale Read Online Free PDF Page B

is somewhat what Lady Alice has in mind.“
     
    The top paper did indeed have the shapes of various priestly vestments sketched on it, and Master Grene shifted his chair around the table, putting him nearer to Frevisse as if the better to point out whatever was on the papers but also putting his back mostly toward the door and the nun beside it while he said, “I’m a mercer, you see. I’ve served her grace of Suffolk before this, and when she expressed her desire about these vestments in memory of her husband, God keep his soul, I could promise her not only a choice of fine cloths to her need, but recommend a woman for the work. One Mistress Anne Blakhall.” He dropped his voice a little, making it less easy for the other nun to hear him without seeming to be hiding his words. “A widow, she’s taken over her late husband’s craft of tailoring and is in her own right a skilled embroiderer. Thus, she can both make the actual vestments and embroider them as well.”
     
    While Master Grene provided the undoubtedly very expensive cloth. If that had been all there was to the business, Frevisse would have resolved to make very sure of this Mistress Blakhall’s skills and the quality of the cloth Master Grene offered. But the vestments were only a part of it, it seemed, and keeping her eyes to the paper, she asked in a voice too low to be heard by the nun, “And the other matter?”
     
    Equally low-voiced and without pause, Master Grene answered, “It has to do with a sum of gold that must be taken to her grace of Suffolk without anyone knows or even suspects it’s come into England at all.” He turned over the first paper in front of them to a second scrawled with vague drawings of figures probably meant for saints. Randomly pointing at them as if they were intended designs, he went on, “When you visit Mistress Blakhall about the outward business, she will give you this gold in coins. You will keep them concealed and take them with you when you leave London, returning up the Thames as you came. No one will think it odd if you pause on the way to visit your cousin at her manor of Ewelme, so near the Thames, to report about the vestments.”
     
    ‘Why?“
     
    Her question stopped Master Grene. “Why?” he echoed, as if he had expected no question from her, only acceptance.
     
    But simple acceptance had never come easily to her. That had made her early years as a nun difficult, and although she had bettered at it after all this while, she was by no means perfect at it and saw no reason to be so in such things as this, and she asked, “Why must it be done in secrecy? Isn’t it my cousin’s money?”
     
    ‘Of course it is,“ Master Grene said. In his surprise he was forgetful to be fully careful of his voice and added for the other nun to overhear, ”You’ll not find better samite for your purpose in London, I promise you.“ He dropped his voice again. ”Of course it’s hers, come to her from her husband. But there are those who were against him who might lay false claims if they knew of it.“
     
    Given what she knew of Suffolk, Frevisse had doubt about how false their claims might be. Those rights and wrongs were out of her knowing, though, and she only said, “I want to understand more about it.”
     
    She saw Master Grene want to say she only had to do what she was told, not understand it. She also saw him think better of it; but he gained time over his answer by taking a long drink from one of the goblets and setting it down before he answered, “Yes. Well. When the king exiled my lord of Suffolk, my lord of Suffolk saw fit to provide for his safety and comfort in exile by delivering a large sum of money here in London to the commissioner of a money-dealer in… of a city overseas. It doesn’t matter where.”
     
    Nor did Frevisse care and said, to show she was not completely ignorant in such matters, “Suffolk had to do that because he’d not have been allowed to take a great deal of gold