‘Thank you. I appreciate it.’ She took a half step towards the doorway. ‘Is there somewhere I can bathe?’ she asked, directing her question towards Elden.
‘Outside,’ Jude replied.
‘For thelove—’ Elden groaned, surprising her with his comfortable familiarity with the saint. ‘I’ll take you, Maeve. There’s a bath near your room you’re welcome to use.’ He offered Jude an unimpressed glare as he moved towards the hall.
She met Jude’s steady gaze, ignoring how it burned to do so. ‘I’d like to begin your icon tomorrow. Does after lunch suit?’
‘Tomorrow?’ Jude tapped his chin. ‘No, I have plans.’
Maeve tried to keep her expression neutral. ‘The day after, then?’
‘Let’s make it the end of the week.’
She blew out a short breath from her nose. ‘Fine. Yes. Good.’
‘Wonderful.’ A sharp-edged smile played at the corner of his mouth. ‘I cannot wait.’
‘Thank you,’ she mumbled under her breath. The acerbity in his voice rankled.
To her surprise, Elden was grinning as he led her towards the front of the house. ‘Jude likes to joke, but he’s harmless.’
‘It can’t be easy having a stranger come into your home,’ she offered as they ascended the stairs.
‘No. Especially not for someone like him.’
‘How do you mean?’ Maeve asked, hoping her desperation for insights into Jude didn’t show in her voice. More bare floorboards, empty walls, and closed doors surrounded them. Elden pushed open one near the end to reveal a clawfoot bath. She’d never seen such a welcome sight in her life.
‘He’s been here a long time,’ Elden said, pulling open a cupboard and unearthing a towel. He paused, still facing the cupboard. His shoulder moved with a sigh. ‘Well. Jude likes his routine.’
‘Nothing wrong with a routine,’ Maeve replied lightly. She liked Elden so far, but something told her his openness might recede if she pried too far. But she had a job to do. She needed to push him as far as she could. ‘How long has he been here for?’ she asked.
Elden glanced towards the open doorway, taking a half step towards it. ‘Eight years, give or take.’
Eight years?
Did that mean he’d been, what… around fourteen when he’d been marked as a saint?
Veneration wasn’t unheard of at such a young age, but their ability to answer prayers typically surfaced a bit later, closer to twenty. Intense study and mental pressure sometimes made it appear earlier, however. She wondered if that was what had happened to Jude. What elder had been the one to see the first signs of sainthood in him? Who had pushed the tattoo into his skin?
She pictured the last time she had witnessed a saint’s veneration. A young woman. Her hair had been riotously curly, the light streaming in from the basilica’s rose window catching on strands of gold amongst the deep brown. It had fallen across the elder’s arm holding her down for the ritual tattooing. Her mouth had fallen open as the needle touched her skin, eyes closing. In bliss or agony, Maeve still wasn’t sure. Maybe both.
She blinked the memory away. She hadn’t seen the woman since. Hadn’t even learned her name.
Sometimes, the newly marked saints stayed at the Abbey for months after veneration, other times they left right away. If they stayed, they no longer attended meals, prayers, intercessions… anything that allowed them a modicum of normality orcommunity was stripped away. She always wondered what they were told to convince them to enter into such isolated lives, whether the exchange of community for sainthood was an easy one or simply a necessary sacrifice on their way to the Goddenwood where it would be repaid a hundredfold.
Maeve drew her attention back to Elden. ‘Jude’s been here the whole time?’ she asked. ‘Since his veneration?’
Elden fidgeted with the edge of the towel. ‘Yes, I believe so. Although I’ve only been here a few years. I don’t know what life was like for him before then.’
‘Was he alone before? Do you know?’
Elden’s face shuttered. ‘Can’t say I do.’ He set the towel on a low stool by the tub. ‘Need to get back to the stew before Jude ruins it.’
‘Of course,’ Maeve murmured, angry at herself for pushing too hard. She’d need to work more carefully next time. The last thing she wanted was for Elden to suspect anything. Jude’s watchful eye was trouble enough. ‘Thank you,’ she repeated. ‘For the bath. And the hospitality.’
Elden nodded, stepping into the hall. He held the door just before it closed. ‘Perhaps it’s best if you do your job and go home. Let Jude return to his routine. Yeah?’
Maeve flinched. ‘Of course.’
