to Katherine’s throat as she wished that her father might have lived to stand by her side and see this wonderful vista. How she missed him, and how alone she felt!
‘Do not cry, sweet Kate,’ Celestine said and reached out to take her into her arms. ‘You have friends. You are not alone.’
‘Thank you, but I was not going to cry,’ Katherine said and avoided her embrace. ‘Excuse me, the evening grows chilly. I think a storm is brewing. I shall return to my room and find a mantle to wear for supper.’
‘No—’ Celestine stopped, her cheeks flushing as Katherine looked at her. ‘I mean, let me come with you.’
‘Thank you, I shall go alone.’
Katherine turned and ran from her, feeling close to the tears that might shame her. She did not know why she should feel so distressed. After all, she had always known that she would have to return to Grunwald one day, and it had not upset her before. Perhaps it was this beautiful place, making her aware of the changes in her life? The years of travelling had been hard in many ways, but they had also been glorious.
Her feet carried her swiftly towards her room, but as she approached she heard a cry of surprise and anger, swiftly followed by a scream and then the sight of two men running away. They saw her, but turned aside and sped through the garden, obviously in a hurry to escape. As she entered the room that had been loaned to her and Maria for the next few days, she saw that her baggage had been opened and her things strewn all over the floor. Maria was lying on the floor, and Sir Alain was kneeling beside her, helping her to rise.
‘What has happened here?’ Katherine asked. ‘Maria—are you hurt?’
‘No, I am not harmed, though those rogues did their best to render me an injury,’ Maria muttered. ‘I discovered them ransacking your things, my lady, and they attacked me. Had this knight not come to my rescue, I might have been murdered.’
‘You were taken by surprise, Maria,’ Alain told her. Having ascertained that she was no more than bruised and shocked, he had a merry twinkle in his eyes. ‘I dare say your trusty weapon was not to hand.’
‘You should not mock her, sir,’ Katherine said as Maria scowled at him. ‘She has had a fright.’
‘I do not think they took anything, my lady—nothing important,’ Maria said as she sat up and was helped to her feet by Sir Alain. ‘I disturbed them before they had time to do more than begin their search.’
‘Do not fret, dearest,’ Katherine told her. ‘You are more important to me than anything they might have taken here.’
‘But your father…’ Maria began and was quelled by a warning look from her mistress. ‘Forgive me…’
‘May I ask what they were looking for?’ Alain asked, glancing from one to the other. ‘It is clear they think you have something important, Katherine. They took a risk in coming here—this place belongs to one of Rome’s foremost citizens and they could face execution for what they have done this evening.’
‘My—my father gave me something to look after the morning he died,’ Katherine said. ‘Until that time he had carried it within his own baggage, but because he suspected that he might be robbed, he gave the trust to me.’
‘My lady… Katherine,’ Maria warned, ‘be careful of whom you trust…’ This knight seemed to be all that he should, and she was grateful for his help, but, when it came to her darling’s safety, she trusted no one!
‘I think we have no choice,’ Katherine said. ‘My father discovered something, sir—something that hath no intrinsic value of its own, but which is valuable because it was once used by our Lord himself. It is something that is important to Christendom and ought to be placed in the care of the church.’
‘So that is why you sought an audience with his Holiness?’ Alain frowned as Katherine nodded. ‘And you are not willing to entrust it to any other than the Pope himself?’
‘I— I do not know,’ Katherine admitted. ‘My father believed there was much corruption in high places, amongst both kings and churchmen. He wanted it to be placed where all can see and perhaps be healed by the experience of having seen such a relic.’
‘What exactly is it that he discovered?’ Alain saw her quick frown and shook his head. ‘Nay, do not tell me if you prefer to keep your secret, though I vow it would be safe with me. Like your father, I would never seek to gain personal gain from something so valuable to Christendom.’
‘Then you are rare amongst men,’ Maria muttered and glared at him. ‘Not all Christian knights have your scruples, sir. I vow there are those only too keen to steal it for themselves.’
‘What mean you?’ Alain’s eyes narrowed as he looked from her to Katherine. ‘Has this something to do with the Lord Hubert of Ravenshurst? Was it his men who came here? I recall that you spoke of him when the Lady Celestine joined us.’
‘Yes, I spoke of him,’ Katherine said as she realised that she could no longer hold back such important information. ‘Somehow he learned of my father’s discovery. You must know that my father wrote down the provenance of…his discovery, for without it he could not prove that the treasure is what he believes it to be. There are many holy relics for sale in Palestine, and indeed in Rome itself, but my father’s discovery was made by painstaking research over many months and years.’
‘There are always holy relics wherever you travel,’ Alain agreed, ‘and many of them are false. I dare say that some, which have been made into shrines, have no true provenance, but something of the importance that your sacred trust entails would need proof if it were to be accepted as the true—’ He broke off and looked at her, and she saw a gleam of excitement begin in his eyes. ‘If it is what I think…men have been searching for it from the time of the crucifixion.’
Katherine felt a quiver of alarm. She had known that even the most trustworthy of men might be tempted by her treasure, perhaps not for greed, but for the glory that such a find could bring them.
‘I have not told you what it is, sir,’ she reminded him. ‘It may be that my father was mistaken…’
‘Would you let me read his writings?’ Alain asked. His eyes were steady on her face but held warmth, a concern that made her heart race. For a moment she thought that his feelings towards her were more than mere courtesy. ‘If I gave you my solemn word that I will return them to you when we reach England, would you trust me?’
Katherine hesitated, and then nodded. Instinct told her that if she could not trust this man, then she could trust no one. She crossed the room to where a plant in a great earthenware pot stood in an alcove and lifted it, revealing a flat leather pouch. Hesitating but a moment, she picked up the pouch and handed it to Alain.
‘You will find my father’s writing hard to decipher, sir, for he had a small neat hand, and in places he has used his own code. From these you will not learn the nature of his treasure, only the details of his research. There were fuller descriptions of his work, but they were lost with his baggage. I believe there is enough left to give credence to his discovery, but you may study these and give me your opinion.’
‘I thank you for your trust in me, Katherine,’ Alain said and hesitated, then reached out to touch her cheek. It was the merest graze of his fingers, but it sent tremors running through her, and his smile made her blush. ‘You may be certain that I shall keep the nature of your secret
