The Miracle at St. Bruno's

It was the following morning when Rupert came.

As soon as he rode into the courtyard accompanied by his servant, I knew he had brought bad news. I ran out to him and embraced him.

He said: "Damask, oh, my dear Damask...”

"Father?" I asked. "Is it Father?”

He nodded and I saw that he was trying to control his features that he might hide his grief.

"Quickly," I cried. "Tell me quickly. What is it?”

"Yesterday your father was taken to the Tower.”

I stared at him in horror. I could not believe it.

"It's not true," I cried. "It can't be true. Why? What has he done?”

And even as I spoke our conversation of the last few days came back to my mind. How easy it was to be a traitor to the King. What could he have done to take him to the Tower, he who had never done anything to harm anyone in his life before?

"I must talk to you," said Rupert. "Where is Kate? Where is Lord Remus?”

Lord Remus was out with the hunt. Kate, having heard the sounds of arrival, joined us in the courtyard.

"Rupert," she cried. "Welcome, brother." Then she saw his face. "Any news?" she cried, looking from one of us to the other.

"Father has been taken to the Tower," I said.

The color left her face; her great eyes looked stony. I had rarely seen Kate so moved.

She turned to me, her lips quivering, and held out her hand. I grasped it and she pressed it firmly. She was reminding me then that she understood my suffering and that she was as my sister.

"Pray come in," said Kate. "Do not let us stand out here.”

She slipped her arm through mine and we went into the great hall.

Kate said: "We cannot talk here." And she led us to an anteroom. There she bade Rupert sit down and me too; and seating herself she said: "Pray tell us all.”

"It was yesterday while we were at dinner. The King's men came and arrested Uncle in the King's name.”

"On what charge?" I cried.

"Treason," said Rupert.

"It could not be true.”

Rupert looked at me sadly. "They took Amos Carmen too. They found his hiding place.

They went straight to it as though someone had betrayed the fact that he was there.”

"In our house?" I asked.

Rupert nodded. "After you left, Amos came back. He was being hunted. He had declared the Pope to be the true head of the Church and refused to sign the Act of Supremacy which as a priest he was required to do. He was going to escape to Spain because there was no hope for him here while the King lived; your father was helping him.”

I covered my face with my hand. How could he have been so foolish! He had walked straight into danger. It was what I had always feared. That which had threatened us had at last caught up with us.

It was Kate who spoke. "What can we do to save him?”

Rupert shook his head.

"There must be something," I cried. "What will they do to him? That... which they have done to others?”

"It would be the ax for him," said Rupert as though to comfort me. "He is of gentle birth.”

The ax! That greatly loved head to be severed by the executioner. That good life to be ended by a stroke! How could such things happen? Had these people never known what it was to love a father?

Kate said gently: "This is a terrible shock to Damask. We must take care of her, Rupert.”

Rupert said: "That is what I am here to do.”

"I must go to him," I said.

"You would not be allowed to see him," Rupert reminded me. "It is his wish that you should remain here with Kate.”

"Remain here... when he is there! I shall do no such thing. I am coming home at once. I will find some way to see him. I will do something. I will not stand by and allow them to murder him.”

"Damask... this is a great blow. I have broken it too roughly, too harshly. Here you are safe. You are away from the house. He did not wish you to come home while Amos was there. He would allow none of us to be involved. He declares again and again that he and he only is responsible for hiding Amos. He was not in the house, but you remember the little cottage in the nuttery. Uncle hid him there and himself took food to him. No one went to the loft above. Only garden tools were stored in the lower part, you remember. It seemed he was safe there. It would be folly to go back now. We do not know what will happen next.”

"So they came while you were at dinner.”

Rupert nodded.

"And he... how did he go?”

"Calmly, as you would expect. He said, 'No one here knows of this but myself.' And then they went out and took Amos. They have both been carried off to the Tower.”

"And what can we do, Rupert?”

Rupert shook his head blankly. What was there to do? What could anyone do? What the King willed was an article of Faithand Amos had broken the King's law and my father had helped him do this.

Kate, wondrously gentle for her, said: "I am going to take you to your room, Damask.

You are going to lie down. I will bring a posset which will soothe you. You will sleep and then you will be better able to suffer this blow.”

"Do you think I am going to sleep while he is in the Tower? Do you think I want possets?

I am going back at once. I am going to find out what I can do...”