The Miracle at St. Bruno's

He took me then to the church. Although this had been robbed of its valuable ornaments and thieves had stolen the gold and silver thread from the vestments, little damage had been done to the church itself. I stared up at the high vaulted roof supported by the massive stone buttress. The stained-glass windows were intact. They represented the story of the Crucifixion. Now the shrouded moonlight reflecting the brilliant blues and reds cast an uncanny light on the scene.

Bruno drew me to a curtain which hung to the right of the altar and pulled this aside.

We were in a small chapel and I knew instinctively that this was the Lady Chapel in which eighteen years before Brother Thomas had placed the crib he had fashioned and on the following Christmas morning the Abbot had come and discovered a living child in it.

Holding my hand firmly in his, Bruno drew me into the Chapel.

"It was here they found me," he said, "and I have brought you here because there is something I wish to say to you and I wish to say it here. I have chosen you to share my life.”

"Bruno," I cried, "are you asking me to marry you?”

"That is so.”

"Then you love me! You truly love me?”

"As you love me," he answered.

"Oh, Bruno... I did not know. I never thought that you loved me enough for that.”

"What if I offered you a life of poverty?”

"Do you think I would care for that?”

"But you have been brought up in plenty. It is true now you have lost your inheritance but you could marry comfortably. Rupert will be able to offer you a good home.”

"Do you think I wish to marry for a good home?”

"You should consider well. Could you live a hermit's life in a cave, in a hut? Could you suffer cold in winter? Could you wander the countryside with sometimes no roof but the sky?”

"I would go anywhere with the one I loved.”

"And you love me, Damask. You always did.”

"Yes," I agreed, for it was true. I had always loved him, in a strange, compulsive way which was due to the fact that I had seen him always as different from other men.

"Then you would come with me... no matter what hardship you had to endure?”

"Yes " I said, "I would come with you." He embraced me then. His lips warm with passion were on my own.

"You would love me, obey me and bear me children?”

"Gladly," I cried.

"Did you not always know that I was the one for you?”

"Always, but I did not think you cared for me.”

"You thought it was Kate," he said. "Foolish Damask.”

"Yes, I thought it was Kate. She is so brilliant, so beautiful... and I...”

"You are my chosen one," he said.

"I feel as though I have stepped into a dream.”

"A happy dream, Damask?”

"Happy," I replied, "as I never thought to be again.”

"Then we will plight our troth here... in this chapel where years ago they found me. That is fitting. That is what I wish. Damask, consider. A life of hardship. Can you face it... for love?”

"Gladly," I replied earnestly. "And I rejoice that you have nothing to offer me.

I want to show you how much I love you.”

Again he touched my face gently. "You please me, Damask, he said. "Oh, how you please me. Here on this altar we will make our vows. Damask, swear to love me, and I will swear to cherish you.”

"I swear," I said.

We left the chapel and came out into the night air. We crossed the patch of grass where we were wont to sit when we were children.

"This is our wedding night," he said. 'But there has been no marriage ceremony.”

When you plighted your troth to me in the chapel we were as one.”

Bruno," I said, "you were always different from everyone else.

That is why I have always loved you, but if we are to be married I shall have to tell my mother. There will be a ceremony...”

"That will be for later. You belong to me now. You trust me.

You believe in me. It must be so or you would not be my chosen one or I yours. You have said you love me enough to give up everything-a life of easy comfort, yet you do not know what hardship is. Are you sure, Damask? It is not yet too late.”

"I am sure. I will cook for you, work for you...”

"And believe in me," he added.

"I will be everything you wish," I promised. "I shall be happier with you in a cottage than in a castle.”

"It must be so. You must trust me, believe in me, work with me and for me.”

"So shall I, with all my heart.”

"This is our wedding night," he said again.

I understood his meaning and drew back. I was a virgin. I had been brought up to believe that this was a state which should not be surrendered until marriage-but this was marriage, he had said, and I must not expect life with Bruno to be as it would with other men.

"You are thinking that I plan to seduce you and leave you?" he said sadly. "So you doubt me after all.”

"No.”

"But you do. You hesitate. I thought you were brave. I believed you when you said you trusted me. Perhaps I was mistaken. Perhaps you should go back to the house... Perhaps we should say good-bye.”

He kissed me then with a passion I had not dreamed of.

I said: "Bruno, you are different tonight. What has happened?”

"Tonight I am your lover," he replied.