Page 39 of Lion and the Lamb: Easter

“I’m coming with you,” she called out, wanting to be there so Lionel wouldn’t kill the boy . . . or kill his daughter.

* * *

“Men, spread out,”said Lionel once they arrived at the docks. “Keep your eyes open for Winifred, not to mention any smugglers taking my shipments.”

“Aye, my lord,” said two of his guards who had accompanied them.

“Raff, you’re with me. We’ll check out the taverns,” he told his squire.

“Aye, my lord,” answered the boy.

“Where will I be?” asked Rachael, having tagged along although he protested.

“You’ll be sitting safely inside the church waiting for me to return. And don’t go anywhere without me. It’s not safe. Rachael, you should have stayed back at the castle.”

“The church? Nay. I want to help look for Winifred and Gilly.”

“It’s either that, or I’ll have Raff take you back to the castle right now.”

“I don’t want to go back,” said Rachael. “Not before we find Winifred. She is my stepdaughter and I have a right to stay.”

“Rachael,” said Lionel, losing his patience. “In the church, you’ll have sanctuary. No one will bother you there. It is the only place I know you’ll be safe. I cannot afford any more distractions.”

“Fine! I’ll stay in the church, but I don’t like being called a distraction.”

“My lord,” called out his head dockworker running to join them.

“What is it?” asked Lionel.

“Another shipment has gone missing.”

“What? Nay! How?”

“I don’t know, my lord. We had it in the dockhouse, waiting to be shipped tomorrow morning. I wasn’t gone long, but when I returned the barrels of spices were missing.”

“Damn it! Those were exotic spices coming from the orient,” he told the man. “They cannot easily be replaced.”

“I understand, my lord.”

“Did anyone see anything at all suspicious?”

“I – I don’t think so.”

“Let’s go,” he commanded, starting to ride away. Then he stopped and turned back toward Rachael. “Raff will take you to the church and I want you to promise me you won’t leave.”

“But I –”

“Promise, or you’ll go back to the castle right now,” he warned her.

Rachael didn’t want to be sitting in an empty church. She wanted to look for Winifred before the girl got into trouble. Still, she needed to respect her husband’s wishes, and it would only slow down their search if Raff had to take her back to the castle now.

“I promise,” she mumbled, turning her horse and heading to the church with Raff.

Ten minutes later, Rachael found herself alone and sitting in the pews of St. Mary’s. The church was dark, only lit by a few candles that were meant for a vigil, staying lit all night long.

It was eerie in there when no people or mass was taking place. She thought she heard a noise and turned around to see a mouse scurrying under one of the pews. She hated mice, and wanted to be nowhere near it.

Deciding she’d be able to keep better watch for rodents up near the altar, she headed over to the stand of lit candles to say a quick prayer for Winifred’s safety. The sound of her heels echoed on the wooden floor as she made her way forward. Since it was Eastertime, all the holy statues were covered with purple cloths. They would be removed and the statues once again revealed on Easter Sunday.