The Miracle at St. Bruno's

"Do parents have to give reasons to their children? We do not wish the marriage to take place. That will suffice.”

I hated him in that moment. I had never seen him quite so clearly. He was not so much moved by the predicament of his son and daughter as at the prospect of how this would affect him.

I said: "It will not suffice. You cannot break people's hearts and not tell them the reason because it would be inconvenient to do so.”

"You are hysterical, Damask.”

"I am deeply concerned for my daughter, whom I regret is yours also. Oh, Bruno, come down to earth. Who are you, do you think, to take up this role of saintliness?”

It was Kate who said: "You are getting excited, Damask." It was as though we had changed roles. I had always been the calm reasonable one and it had been I who had in the past warned her to be cautious.

"Excited!" I cried. "This is my daughter's life. She is going to know the truth.

She is going to know her father for what he is.”

"You must not be jealous because Kate and I have been lovers.”

"Jealous!" I said. "Not jealous. I think I always knew that I was the second choice... the one who had to come to you for yourself alone because Kate had refused to do so. It is all clear to me now. You had nothing to offer Kate except as a lover so, in her worldly fashion, she rejected you as a husband. Blithely she bore your son. Then, piqued, you went to London. There you either approached or were approached by foreign spies in this country who were interested in reviving what the King had destroyed.”

"You are wrong.”

"Indeed I am not. You... the god or whatever you think you are... are merely one of many little facets in the Spanish scheme. You went to the Continent on an embassy for the King, you tell us. You went to the Continent to take instructions from your masters. You were given money to acquire the Abbey and return it to what it was in the days before the dissolution. You were chosen because you were found in the Christmas crib in the Lady Chapel. Oh, it is all becoming very clear to me.”

"You are shouting," said Bruno.

"And you are afraid that I shall explode your myth. Is it not time that myth was exploded? Is it not time that you were known for what you are? An ambitious man… who is not without his moments of lust and ambition and would sacrifice his son and daughter if need be to keep his pride intact.”

Kate said: "What has come over you, Damask? This is not like you.”

"It has been coming over me for a long time. I have seen so much of late. I have seen this man for what he is.”

"But you love him. You always did. We are bound together. We three were as one.”

"Not anymore, Kate. I am no longer close to either of you. You have deceived me, both of you. You will never do it again.”

"You must not take this hard," said Kate. "It all happened so naturally.”

"Is it so natural," I asked, "that a man should be unfaithful to his wife, that he should have sons, and his own daughter should want to marry one of them?”

"That is the situation to which we must give some thought," said Bruno looking coldly at me. "When Damask has finished pitying herself perhaps we could discuss it.”

"Pitying myself! My pity is for those young people.”

"It must not be known," said Bruno. "Catherine can be married suitably or Kate can find a wife for Carey who will make him forget Catherine.”

"We are not all so fickle in our relationships as you are," I reminded him.

"They are young. They will recover. In a few months this will have been just an adventure to them," said Kate.

"How glibly you settle the lives of others! It is nothing to you to make a loveless marriage for the sake of expediency. Others do not feel the same. They must be told the truth.”

"I forbid it," said Bruno.

"You forbid it. You may have no say in the matter. This is my daughter. They shall be told, for in their present mood they could run away together and marry no matter what we say.”

"And if they did?”

"A brother and sister! What if there are children?”

Nobody spoke and I was horrified because I knew that Bruno was ready to let them marry and take the consequences rather than to tell them the truth.

 I looked at him standing there.

And I could bear no more. I turned and ran from the room.

Catherine caught me on the stairs.

"Oh, Mother, what is happening?”

"Come to your room, my darling. I must talk to you.”

I took her in my arms and held her against me.

"Oh, Catherine, my dearest child.”

"What is wrong, Mother? What is Aunt Kate trying to do? She hates me.”

"No, my dearest, she does not. But you cannot marry Carey.”

"Why? Why? I tell you I will. We have said we will not allow any of you to ruin our lives.”

"You cannot marry him because he is your brother.”

She stared at me and I led her to the window seat and sat there with my arm about her. It seemed such a sordid story told simply.