Chapter Fourteen St. George's Cathedral, Rhemuth
October 11, 1136 Father John Nivard sat nervously in an antechamber at the Archbishop's Palace, anxiously awaiting Archbishop Cardiel's messenger's return. He had been housed at one of the guest apartments at the Cathedral over the past week, ever since Bishop Duncan had informed him that he was being temporarily reassigned to assisting the episcopate's archivist at the Cathedral in his duties. Father John strongly suspected that there was more to the sudden reassignment than met the eye—he had caught a glimpse of the King's face after the Archbishop's brief conference with him earlier that same morning, and Thomas Cardiel's glance in his direction as he left had seemed unusually shuttered—but when he'd questioned his friend about the unexpected transfer, Duncan had remained abnormally tight shielded, and had simply answered that he was not at liberty to explain just yet, but that he would do so just as soon as he might be permitted. John had not seen Duncan since that day, though, and he was growing more unsettled with each passing day. He was not sure whether to be more encouraged or worried by the brief look of sympathy he'd glimpsed in his friend's expression during that last meeting.
And then the summons had arrived this morning, brought by Cardiel's messenger, who had escorted him here to this antechamber within Archbishop's Palace, even though the guest apartment where he had been staying was hardly more than fifty paces away from where he sat waiting now. He had the distinct impression that he was under some sort of discreet surveillance, although why Cardiel or anyone else might think he needed to be placed under guard, he had no idea. Surely they couldn't believe he would be a danger to anyone?! Or...perhaps he might be in danger from someone else? Was that it? But if so, why hadn't anyone simply told him?
He had no idea what all of this was about, but his gut told him it was somehow connected with the threat that young widow had made against him just over a week previously. Had she followed through on her words? Was that what all of this was about? John felt a sudden chill go down his spine. He hoped not. Not because he had done anything wrong that morning, but because his private conversation with that young lady had been protected by the seal of the confessional. There was no telling what she might have said or done to place his career in jeopardy, if indeed she'd said or done anything, but even if she had, he'd have to be careful not to say or do anything that would in any way betray the confidences she had shared with him. No matter how much every fiber of his being screamed to reveal her secrets, for he felt tainted just by the knowledge of the crime she had committed, it would be a sin just as great for him to violate his vows by disclosing her confession to others, or even by saying or doing anything that might lead to others guessing what her confession had been. That was for
her to disclose, not for him, which was why he had urged her to turn herself in to the authorities in the first place. He could not do so—not to secular authorities, and not even to priestly ones—or his own soul's salvation would be forfeit for violating one of the most sacrosanct of priestly vows.
#
Bishop Duncan stood as two nuns garbed in the habits of the Sisters of Saint Dymphna were escorted into the room. The elder of the two looked vaguely familiar, although Duncan could not figure out why at first.
Both nuns curtsied before Archbishop Cardiel in turn, kissing his ring, although neither woman dropped to one knee before him, for their convent was under Archbishop Bradene's jurisdiction rather than Cardiel's. As they straightened, the Archbishop introduced the new arrivals to his auxiliary bishop. "Duncan, I don't believe you've met our guests from Grecotha yet." Indicating the elder nun first, he added, "This is Sister Silke, and her traveling companion is Sister Lucy. Sisters, this is my auxiliary bishop, Duncan McLain." Turning back to Duncan, he explained, "Archbishop Bradene sent Sister Silke in response to my request for an impartial witness to today's proceedings."
The elder nun smiled at both men, a faint glint of amusement in her gray eyes. "Actually, if it please Your Excellency, I believe Archbishop Bradene meant for Sister Lucy to participate in the inquiry. I'm only along to serve as her chaperone, and also because it's been many a long year since I've had a chance to visit my former home." Her smile broadened. "I'm afraid I can't Truth-Read, even though I am a Haldane. My sister will serve your purposes far better than I could."
Duncan gave the nun who'd just spoken a closer study. This was the former Princess Silke, Prince Nigel's last remaining sister? No wonder she'd seemed so familiar! He murmured a polite greeting, then turned his attention to the other religious. The younger nun looked barely old enough to have taken final vows. She peered up at him, moss-green eyes assessing him over a faint sprinkling of freckles on an slightly upturned nose, her curious expression suddenly reminding him of his grandson. He stifled an unexpected urge to laugh.
"I see," Cardiel said, looking slightly nonplussed at the reversal of his assumption. "Well, in any case, welcome to Rhemuth, both of you. You've met Bishop Denis Arilan already; he's the one who brought you through our Portal from Grecotha this morning. He's just finishing up a quick matter of Royal business, but he should be returning here shortly, and we'll begin once he gets settled in. Sister Silke, you are welcome to remain as an additional witness to the inquiry, although of course any and all matters under discussion today are not to leave these chambers. Or if you'd prefer leave to visit your family instead while we conduct our investigation, I can arrange for an escort to the Castle for you. Sister Lucy will be free to join you once we are finished with the day's business. I believe Archbishop Bradene has given you both a week's dispensation to leave your cloister?"
"He has, Your Excellency. And thank you, I would very much appreciate the escort to the Castle. It has been many years since I've had the opportunity to visit my family. I trust someone will be available to escort Sister Lucy back to me later as well?"
"It would be my pleasure to do so," Duncan assured her. "I'll be heading back in that direction myself afterward, so I'll see her safely back through the City."
#
Father John thought he caught a glimpse of Bishop Arilan's brisk stride past the doorway of the antechamber where he waited, though he wasn't sure. Arilan was occasionally called to Rhemuth on Royal or Church business, so it would hardly be a great surprise to find him this far out from Dhassa. He felt somewhat reassured at the thought that his former mentor might be nearby.
After a short while, the Archbishop's messenger returned to escort Father John into the Archbishop's presence. He followed the man into a larger chamber, where he saw Thomas Cardiel standing at the other side of a table, flanked by Bishops Arilan and McLain on one side and by an unknown nun on his other side. Her habit didn't look like that of one of the local orders. John had only seen one of that particular style and color once before, although he couldn't place when or where at that moment. She wasn't from a convent in or near Dhassa either, then, he surmised, having lived there for a few years before his transfer to Rhemuth. Had she come from Valoret or perhaps Grecotha? Or maybe she was from one of the more isolated convents?
There was a lone seat on his side of the chamber, facing the others. He moved toward it uncertainly, remaining standing.
"Good afternoon, Father Nivard," the Archbishop said, his voice too neutral for John to detect any trace of either hidden approval or censure. "I apologize for keeping you waiting. I imagine you probably have some questions about my purpose in summoning you here today, or for that matter, about your sudden transfer from the Royal Chaplaincy?" Cardiel's tone made this more of a statement than a question.
"I do, Your Excellency," John replied, his anxiety beginning to rise again.
"Please have a seat," the Archbishop invited, settling into his own chair as he spoke. The others followed suit as well. John took his own seat, exerting control over his emotions and schooling himself to calmness.
"Have you any idea at all why you've been called here today?" the Archbishop asked.
The priest thought back on his speculations in the antechamber earlier in the day. "I'm...not sure, Your Excellency."
One of Cardiel's snowy white eyebrows rose. "Then you have at least some inkling?"
John bit his lip, giving the matter more careful consideration. At last, he shook his head. "No, not really. I'd really like to understand why, though."
Watching the young priest carefully, Cardiel clasped his hands, allowing them to rest gently atop a document on the table before him, and stated, voice still carefully neutral, "There has been a charge brought against you claiming that you have abused your priestly office. More specifically, the charge states that you violated the Sacrament of Reconciliation by attempting to coerce or solicit favors from a young woman who had sought you out to request absolution."
The blood drained from Father Nivard's face, and for a few moments he forgot to breathe. "No, that's not true!" he finally burst out. "At least...I wasn't seeking favors...." Sudden color rushed back into his cheeks, turning them scarlet. "Not in the way I
think you mean, certainly!" As he spoke, his mental shields detected the simultaneous touch of three other Deryni minds—two quite familiar, one not at all. He realized that they were Truth-Reading him, and he fought down the instinctive impulse to resist their mental probes, knowing it would be in his best interests to allow them to Read the truth of his innocence.
Cardiel gave a quick glance towards the bishops seated beside him. Arilan gave a slow nod, as if in affirmation of something. The archbishop then turned to the young nun, who frowned thoughtfully, looking less certain. "You appear to need more clarification, Sister Lucy," he observed. "Would you prefer to rephrase the question for Father Nivard?"
"I would, Your Excellency. Thank you." She turned her direct gaze onto John, her eyes seeming to stare directly into his soul. "Father Nivard, do you mean that you've never used your priestly office to solicit or coerce sexual favors from a confessant? Or simply that the favors you attempted to procure were of some sort other than of a carnal nature?"
He gaped at the nun. She seemed barely into young womanhood; of all the people gathered before him, he'd have least expected such directness from her! Not even a hint of maidenly discomfiture colored her cheeks as she asked the question, although the same couldn't be said for himself. Belatedly realizing she was still waiting for his answer, he regathered his wits enough to blurt out, "I'd never violate my vows in either of those ways; I'm a
priest!"
"I understand that, Father Nivard. And so was the man who sired me, for that matter." At his shocked look, she nodded. "Not all priests honor their vows; surely you're not such an innocent that you don't know
that much, even if, as you claim, you've never broken yours." She turned to Archbishop Cardiel. "My mother was Deryni. When her confessor learned her secret, he used that knowledge to force her into submitting to his advances by threatening to betray her secret to his friend the Primate of Valoret and All Gwynedd, who at that time was Edmund Loris. Archbishop Bradene thought my background might make me a good devil's advocate in this case, given that, unlike my episcopal brothers present, I not only have no prior friendship with the accused, I'm also less likely to be biased in favor of leniency should he prove guilty of the charges against him." Her lips turned up slightly at the corners. "Father Nivard
is telling the truth, though. So far, at least."
Duncan gave the accused priest an encouraging smile. "Father Nivard, can you shed any light on what might have led to such charges being brought against you?"
Hope flared briefly in John's soul, quickly extinguished as he considered the ramifications of answering the question honestly. "I...can't say, my lord."
The auxiliary bishop looked briefly confused, expecting a more straightforward answer, but before he could rephrase the question, Bishop Arilan nodded with a knowing look in his eyes. "You can't say because you have no idea why such charges might have been brought against you, or is just that you can't say because to explain in any more detail might violate the seal of the confessional?"
John gave the Archbishop a look of mute appeal, hoping for guidance. Cardiel gave him a faint smile. "You're allowed to answer
that much at least. I'm sure you can manage to find some way to tell us what we need to know without going into any details that would betray the confessional seal."
He responded with a relieved smile of his own. "It's the latter, Bishop Arilan." He considered his next words very carefully. "I
do have some idea why...why someone might have felt upset or angry enough with me to level such accusations, but...due to the circumstances, I'm not free to divulge exactly what might have set her off. I can assure you, though, that I asked for nothing from her that was in any way immoral or improper, nor did I in any way overstep the bounds of my priestly office. I simply made her absolution conditional on her demonstrating true repentance by making proper amends for her sin. " He stole a glance at the young nun, who gave him a wry smile in return before turning to Cardiel.
"His answer is true, or at least
he believes it to be true, which is probably the same thing unless you have any cause to believe him subject to delusions. I don't suppose it would be allowable to ask him who might have made the original accusation against him?"
Cardiel shook his head decisively. John stifled his surprise; he had assumed, since there'd been charges brought forward, that the Archbishop would certainly have known who his accuser was already, but apparently that wasn't the case. The Archbishop explained, "The protections of the confessional seal extend beyond merely keeping silent about what a confessant has shared in strict confidence. A priest is not permitted to reveal--whether by speech or even by his actions--anything that he's learned from a confession. To use an example that seminarians are often posed with when learning about ethics, let's imagine that a deacon has just confessed to his priest that he has been stealing money from the church's strongbox, to which only he and that priest have a key. Obviously the priest is not allowed to tell anyone about the deacon's sin; that much about the seal of the confessional is widely known to all. What is less known, however, is that the priest may not even act in such a way that might betray the confessant's actions to others. So in this particular example, the priest cannot simply take away the key, especially if others are aware that his deacon has been given such trust in the past, nor can he replace the strongbox with a different one, lest someone else wonder why and his speculation on the matter cast suspicion on the deacon. The reason for such stringency is that the Church—and its priests by extension—must create absolutely
no cause for any sinner, no matter how serious his sins might be, to fear seeking reconciliation with God because others might discover what he has done. Justice is God's province, should He choose to exact judgment, whether spiritual or temporal, for a person's sins, but as the sacramental means by which His gift of absolution may be administered to all who repent of their wrongdoing, a priest's words and actions
must be driven by grace and mercy.
"So, applying that reasoning to the matter before us today, we have to be careful about speculation in regards to either who Father Nivard's accuser might be, or why she might have raised such charges against him, lest we misjudge the confessant based on our own suppositions rather than on any proven facts. And of course Father Nivard can't disclose her identity; to do so would immediately let us know that, whatever she might have confessed to him, it was quite likely the sort of sin that carries a severe penance." Cardiel gave a wry smile. "After all, it's unlikely she'd have sought to damage his reputation over a few Paternosters or a brief fast and an admonition to go and sin no more." He glanced at John, adding, "But even
that much information is more than Father Nivard ought to reveal, so please don't confirm or deny if my speculation is correct." Turning back to Sister Lucy, the Archbishop concluded, "Suffice it to say, unless the confessant herself decides to come forward and reveal herself, or unless her friend who brought the matter to Bishop Duncan's attention has a change of heart and decides to reveal who confided in her, discovering the woman's identity, much less her motivation, would be difficult."
Duncan shook his head. "I doubt very much that her friend will choose to tell us. She was quite adamant about wanting to protect the confessant." He paused a moment, lost in thought. "Even though the accusations against Father Nivard aren't publicly known,
she would have noticed his absence from Court this week, and would likely have guessed the reason for it, and anyone else who might have been given cause to suspect why he's been called away from his regular duties might also surmise that resuming those duties means he's been formally cleared of the charges. So do we return him to the King's chaplaincy and acknowledge, however tacitly, that we've found him innocent? Or should we keep him away a bit longer, or even indefinitely, to preserve the ambiguity of the situation?"
Bishop Arilan pursed his lips in thought. "You're concerned the confessant—or perhaps her friend—might seek some more direct means of retaliation against Father Nivard, and that he ought to be kept from Court a bit longer for his own protection?"
Duncan shrugged. "I know that her friend has no personal animosity towards Father Nivard—it was her concern for the confessant which made her come forward with what
she believed to be a true account of Father Nivard's actions towards the confessant—but for that confessant to know what her friend's assumption was and not correct her misunderstanding, to my mind
that indicates intentional malice towards Father Nivard." He glanced at Cardiel. "Which, going back to the earlier discussion about priestly ethics, is also a speculative assumption on my part, though I hope you'll allow it's informed speculation based on evidence I've witnessed at least second-hand."
The Archbishop nodded in confirmation. "What Bishop McLain means," he explained for Sister Lucy's and Bishop Arilan's benefit, "is that the friend who informed him of the charges did so by means of...what's it called again? Mind-Sharing?"
"A filtered Sharing, leaving out all identifying details, yes, but I witnessed the memory of that conversation through the informant's eyes and ears, and it's my opinion that she was deliberately misled. Almost anyone seeing and hearing what she had would have come to the same erroneous conclusion. The confessant was aware her friend had reached this conclusion, but did not take the opportunity to set her straight."
"You raise a good point. If we return Father Nivard to his regular duties immediately, that might leave him open to some more direct assault on his character, or possibly even on his person." Cardiel considered the matter, looking lost in thought.
"I'd be glad to make a place for Father Nivard in Dhassa," Bishop Arilan said. "We've worked closely together before, after all, and he's already familiar with the Holy City."
"I'm half tempted to send him back to Dhassa with you, Bishop Arilan, especially if there's little chance of discovering some resolution to this problem soon, but on the other hand, I'm loathe to deprive the King of his chosen confessor on the basis of an angry confessant's spiteful innuendos, and I doubt King Kelson is going to want to have to go through a Portal to Dhassa every time he decides to avail himself of Father John's services." Cardiel pondered John over steepled fingers and sighed. "I suppose, since the charges aren't public knowledge and hopefully won't become so, I can find you a position here in some discreet corner of the Cathedral where you'll stay safely out of sight and hopefully out of mind for the time being, but where the King can call on you more conveniently if he has need."
#
Auxiliary Bishop's Tower, Saint George's Cathedral
City of Rhemuth
October 12, 1136 It was not the sort of ordination anniversary celebration that John Nivard might have hoped for, secreted away within the Archbishop's Palace as he was, but he was grateful nonetheless. Bishop Duncan had graciously allowed John the use of his apartments in the Auxiliary Bishop's tower of the Archbishop's Palace for the duration of his stay, as Duncan rarely spent the night there himself, preferring to spend his evenings on the Basilica grounds where he could keep a closer eye on what what happening at the Schola.
The guest list was quite limited, of course, as there was little sense in trying to hide John in the middle of Rhemuth if it were to become common knowledge that he was still there, but his closest friends had somehow managed to throw together a small party nonetheless. Denis Arilan had stopped by earlier in the evening with some libations—
not Dhassa wine, thank God!—in an effort to make the festivities a little more merry, and to John's surprise Sister Helena had been escorted up as well, accompanied by Lady Sophie and bringing up between them a large hamper that had turned out to contain an assortment of delicacies smuggled out of the Castle kitchens, supplied by Queen Araxie, who had sent her regrets along with the King's, as they would be unable to attend. The note brought a smile to John's face; no, he supposed any attempt by King Kelson to sneak out of his own Castle and attend an impromptu party at the Cathedral would be noted by curious eyes and turned into something resembling more of a state occasion than a mere outing. Poor Kelson; in some ways, he was just as much a captive of his position as John was of his at the moment!
The door opened again, and one of the Cathedral guards entered the chamber to announce the arrival of a "Sister Lucy." John didn't recognize the name, but evidently Denis did, as the bishop nodded his assent to allow the nun in. To his surprise, the woman who entered was the young religious who had been part of the tribunal of inquiry he'd faced the day before. She held out a small fabric-wrapped item, smiling shyly as she handed it to him. "I heard that today is your ordination anniversary. I'm very sorry to have met you under such unfortunate circumstances. I know the questions I put to you yesterday must have seemed harsh, but they were necessary, and I'm very glad you passed the Truth-Reading." She clasped her hands in front of her, looking more awkward and anxious than formidable now that she stood before him, her diminutive height only adding to her appearance of childlikeness.
"No offense taken, Sister Lucy. I understand that you were only doing the job Archbishop Bradene sent you to do." He gestured towards the table of food and wine and the small knot of friends gathered nearby. "Would you care to join us?"
She glanced a trifle wistfully at the gathering, but shook her head. "Thank you, but I can't. Sister Silke is waiting for me. We have a long list of items we've promised to shop for here in Rhemuth to take back to the Sisters of Saint Dymphna." She laughed, suddenly looking much more like one of the Schola's carefree young scholars than the stern-faced inquisitor he'd faced the afternoon before. "And it's been ever so long since I've been allowed out of the convent to enjoy a proper shopping spree, so I'd best enjoy it while I can!" Sister Lucy bowed her farewell and turned to leave. John watched as the guard ushered her back out, then turned his attention to the tiny bundle in his hand, his fingers tugging the cloth wrapping free of its ribbon. He smiled. Nestled within the soft folds was a small olivewood carving of a dove bearing an olive branch.
Chapter Fifteen: http://www.rhemuthcastle.com/index.php?topic=834.0 (http://www.rhemuthcastle.com/index.php?topic=834.0)
Well done. I'm so glad Father John's innocence is known, at least by those who matter most. :)
It would not surprise me if Bishop Duncan starts to worry a bit about Briony's safety around whatever friend is capable of such malicious intent.
Quote from: Jerusha on February 10, 2012, 09:43:33 AMIt would not surprise me if Bishop Duncan starts to worry a bit about Briony's safety around whatever friend is capable of such malicious intent.
Briony is capable, I am sure, of taking care of herself. I'm sure her father has taught--or had her taught--both mundane & arcane self-defense skills.
Little Miss Thing is going to slip up, though, and reveal herself.
You're right, Briony is a pretty well trained kid for her age, although Ædwige is further along in her training, so Duncan could have some cause for concern about her physical or psychic safety. However, like any 13 year old, she's also at a pretty emotionally vulnerable stage of life, and while Ædwige may or may not be a physical threat to her, I think it's a pretty safe bet to assume that Briony isn't going to come out of this relationship emotionally unscathed. Granted, she has enough of a loving support system to bounce back pretty quickly, but still, being thirteen is difficult enough without discovering one of your close friends happens to be a vengeful murderess who has been using you both to further her own personal ambitions and to try to camouflage her wrong actions.
If only there was some exception for cases like murder to make it OK to break the seal of the confessional. Oh well. Maybe someone could plant a rumor that Aedwige's husband's death is being investigated again. That would make Aedwige very nervous.
It was great to see to see Sister Silke. I bet Nigel was thrilled to see his sister again.
Glad to see that poor Father John has now passed the Truth-Reading test, and that Duncan and Cardiel now know 'something' is up and can start asking their own questions.
I doubt that Briony is in any physical danger - don't think even Aedwige is desperate/stupid enough to take direct action against Alaric Morgan's daughter, especially as she's also the king's god-daughter! Even though Briony hasn't told Duncan 'who' accused Fr John, Aedwige would know that a convenient 'accident' to Briony would certainly cause her dear Uncle Duncan to start asking a lot of questions :D
But Briony will certainly be very vulnerable emotionally. Alas though, for someone of her rank and status, it is the sort of painful Life Lesson she will need to learn sooner or later, as there will always be people who will seek to become her 'friends' or otherwise use her to advance themselves.
Quote from: Evie on February 10, 2012, 05:20:15 PM
You're right, Briony is a pretty well trained kid for her age, although Ædwige is further along in her training, so Duncan could have some cause for concern about her physical or psychic safety. However, like any 13 year old, she's also at a pretty emotionally vulnerable stage of life, and while Ædwige may or may not be a physical threat to her, I think it's a pretty safe bet to assume that Briony isn't going to come out of this relationship emotionally unscathed. Granted, she has enough of a loving support system to bounce back pretty quickly, but still, being thirteen is difficult enough without discovering one of your close friends happens to be a vengeful murderess who has been using you both to further her own personal ambitions and to try to camouflage her wrong actions.
If, given her status, she hasn't learned at her age that people would use her to get what they want because of her position, then her parents haven't done their job. Also, back then people didn't live much past 40, so 13 was a lot older than it is now.
Oh, I'm quite sure that her parents would have done their best to prepare her, but there is a huge difference between knowing about something in your head and actually experiencing it and having to deal with the emotions for the first time. Any parent can tell you that no matter how much you want to prepare your children for the struggles they will face in life as they grow up, those lessons don't fully hit home until the child is faced with those things personally.
QuoteIf, given her status, she hasn't learned at her age that people would use her to get what they want because of her position, then her parents haven't done their job.
Adding to Evie's comment - I am quite sure she does know about it, and would normally be alert to the possibility of people brown-nosing or seeking favours and advancement. But that in no way lessens the hurt of actually
experiencing it, and finding out the painful reality of being 'used' by someone, especially in a case such as this where Aedwige has (so far!) deceived people much older and wiser than Briony.
Briony has shown herself to be a loyal friend ready to stand up for someone whom she believed to have been wronged, which is an admirable quality - and one that would be expected of a child of Alaric and Richenda. But Aedwige really is a nasty piece of work, and has used Briony not just to advance her own interests, but also to hurt and take 'revenge' on John Nivard. I doubt that any parental lessons in 'being prepared' because of her rank and status would have canvassed the possibility of dealing with a vicious little revenge-seeking murderess!
You'd hope that Briony will always be loving and loyal, so perhaps the lesson she needs to take from this is that sometimes, it's a good idea to ask a few more questions and get a more facts before leaping straight in to defend someone, even a good friend.
Are we going to see a good, old-fashioned catfight?
Quote from: Elkhound on February 10, 2012, 10:12:31 PM
Are we going to see a good, old-fashioned catfight?
This is an EVIE fic - I am sure she has something "interesting" in store for dear Aedwige! :D
Who will be on the Jury of Matrons looking into the matter? Richenda is out, as mother of one of the chief witnesses. The highest ranking Deryni woman at court is Her Highness the Queen Mother Jehanna, but she has next to no training; however, if the other members of the panel are skilled enough, her rank may outweigh that factor. Who else?
I think Rothana would be a good choice. She has roomed with Aedwige, but is not a close personal friend.
And of course, there is always Cass... ;D
Quote from: Jerusha on February 11, 2012, 03:53:48 PM
I think Rothana would be a good choice. She has roomed with Aedwige, but is not a close personal friend.
And of course, there is always Cass... ;D
OK, Rothana and Jehanna--we need at least four more for a Jury of Six, or ten for a Jury of Twelve. Let's say four we know already and six OC's for makeweights. We have to be sure that when Aedwige sees them coming for her she's going to soil herself, and by the time they get finished with her she will be reduced to a sobbing lump of well-tenderized long pork, or even a red smear on the cobblestones.
Jehanna has had next to no training, but the few times she's actually used her powers it was because of an actual or percieved threat to Kelson. And even untrained, she was able to hold off Charissa--one of the most powerful Deryni sorceresses alive at the time--for several minutes with that sort of motivation. Pointing out to her that an attack on the Royal Confessor was, in effect, an attack on Kelson would give her more than enough motivation to lay aside whatever qualms she has about using her Deryni abilities; particularly if she doesn't have to do much, just feed power to the others.
A "jury of matrons"? Dream on, Elkhound! :D 1. Would any trial of Aedwige even have a jury (Tolliver's court in "Trial" where Ferris was accused of rape and murder did not have a jury) , and 2. I very much doubt that women would be able to sit on a jury at all in those days. Women didn't get an established right to sit on juries until the 20th century - first they had to get the right to vote, after which came the battle for jury service (Wyoming granted the right in 1870 but it was quickly taken away, and not fully established in all US states until the 1950's. First 'mixed' criminal jury in England was in 1921.)
Aedwige is a nasty little murderess of low rank, and I hardly think Kelson would need to get in any high ranking women such as Araxie, Rothana, Richenda, Meraude or Jehana to assist him in any way. It is his court chaplain and secretary who was wrongly accused, and one of his barons who has been murdered. If he wants to bother with a truly independent Deryni to Truth Read the little darling, I am quite sure he can find someone. Dhugal would probably do very nicely, as he's not been directly involved, and probably barely even knows Aedwige by sight. :)
Actually Sir Gilrae wasn't even a baron, he was one of the Earl of Danoc's landed knights. You'll be meeting Danoc a little later in the story.
Even more reason not to bother the high-ranking ladies. Hmm - in terms of jurisdiction, the murder of one of his landed knights on his own lands would normally be a matter for the Earl of Danoc to hear, wouldn't it, rather than the King? Though I'm sure the Earl wouldn't mind seeing sweet little Aedwige deal with Kelson himself, plus his Council :D Indeed, I'm sure the Earl would be more than happy to assist!
Quote from: Alkari on February 11, 2012, 10:21:42 PM
A "jury of matrons"? Dream on, Elkhound! :D
A Jury of Matrons was a real midaeval English legal custom--remember, I was a Law Librarian for nearly ten years, I didn't just pull this term out of my. . . ear. It wasn't empaneled to try cases, but to make enquiries of a delicate nature which male investigators could not without blushing, and report their findings of fact to the judge. For example, in cases where a woman was accused of a capital crime and she 'pled her belly'--that is, said that she could not be executed because she was pregnant; or if a marriage was to be annuled due to nonconsumation; or any instance, really, where delicacy required female investigators. The judge would choose between six and twelve 'honest, sober, respectable and godly matrons of the vicanage' to enquire on the matter and report to him.
You're right that a Jury of Matrons would have been called in to determine the facts of the matter in regards to Ædwige's claim of pregnancy, at least if Gwyneddan law follows English Common Law in that practice. Juries of Matrons tended to be called in to verify pregnancies under two situations--when the inheritance of an estate fell into question, and in a criminal trial when a woman might "plead her belly" in order to have a capital punishment deferred. The problem in terms of working a Jury of Matrons into the storyline, however, is that this would have already taken place before Ædwige ever arrived in Rhemuth. Remember, at this point in the story, the inheritance of Eddington has not already been conferred on Ædwige's brother-in-law Lord Robert, but it's on hold at the moment pending the birth of her child, since the child must both survive his birth and be a male child to inherit. As far as Ædwige is concerned, of course, she's already considering this a done deal, since she's been able to sense her child with her Deryni powers ever since just a week or two after conception, and it didn't take a lot longer than that for her to sense that he was male. But as far as the Earl of Danoc is concerned, this isn't a "given" yet, since even if she is pregnant with Eddington's heir, there's always the hazards of miscarriage, stillbirth, and newborn mortality to get through before he can securely confirm the child's inheritance.
Would Danoc have simply taken Ædwige's word for it that she was pregnant, given the inheritance of a manor was at stake? No, that's quite doubtful--if he was going to postpone confirmation of inheritance for another 8 to 9 months at the least, he'd need to have something more to go on than that--so that's when a Jury of Matrons would logically have been convened. But that would have been either before Helena's first visit to Eddington (before Ædwige was introduced in the story) or during that short period of time when Helena and Cass were visiting Llannedd. In either case, it would have already been a done deal by the time Ædwige was free to accompany both women back to Rhemuth.
Now, there is a scene in an upcoming chapter in which the Earl of Danoc is going into some of this at greater length in a conversation with another character, and it's possible (assuming that the mention will fit into the overall context of that conversation) that a sentence or two could be added to that scene which makes this verification of Ædwige's pregnancy by outside sources more explicit than implied. But because her pregnancy is no longer a matter of question, there would be no need for a Jury of Matrons to be called in to confirm it again later in the story when she is brought up on criminal charges. The "powers that be" would already be well aware that the widow is carrying the Eddington heir, or at least that she's carrying a child who might well turn out to inherit. She'd also be far enough along by that point in the story to have started showing the more obvious physical changes of pregnancy. But there's another reason why it wouldn't make sense to have one at that point, given the setting of the story and the characters involved. In a kingdom where Deryni are available and are directly involved in the events that are occurring, you wouldn't need an entire panel of matrons available to determine the truth of Ædwige's pregnancy, you'd only need one. Two at the most, if the judge would prefer to have a second opinion. And they'd not have to question her, they'd simply need to do a psychic probe of Ædwige to ensure the presence of two lives present--her own and her fetus's--rather than just one. An entire jury of Deryni matrons to do that would be overkill. For that matter, at Ædwige's stage of pregnancy, a Deryni man or an empowered Haldane could do the job just as well, although I can see them preferring to defer that task to a woman for modesty's sake. So at the very most, instead of a second Jury of Matrons being called, I can envision the judge asking some Deryni woman to confirm, "Is the Lady still pregnant, or has she miscarried recently and she's still carrying the excess weight? No, she's still bearing? All right then, on with the hearing...."
Now on the other hand, there is another aspect of English law that I've carried over into this story, yet had to change a little bit due to the differences between medieval England and medieval Gwynedd. You'll see more about the role of a coroner (sometimes called a Crowner) in later chapters, but as Gwynedd lacks the Norman/Saxon conflict that defined some of the roles of the position in our real life history, I've had to modify the role of a Gwyneddan coroner slightly. After all, a coroner of Gwynedd wouldn't need to ascertain the "Englishness" of the deceased, nor would a manor or village have to worry about paying fines to the Crown if the victim of a wrongful (or even accidental) death happened to be Norman. However, even before the Norman Conquest, there was a similar office in Anglo-Saxon times, and while little is known about what the exact role of "coroner" was in that period of history, my guess is that--then as now--there has always been a need for someone to determine if a death was natural, accidental, or deliberate and to make the decision of whether further inquiry and possibly justice needs to be pursued in the matter, and there probably always will be.
Maybe Aedwige talks in her sleep? =o) And if Rothana happens to be awake and overhears some "interesting" things, she might decide to take it up with Aedwige the next morning when they're both awake. ;D That should be nicely terrifying for Aedwige!
Melissa
I know a jury of matrons could be called in some limited RL situations, but I hardly thought it would be relevant to this case, especially not as a type of 'catfight' situation where the women would somehow take it out on Aedwige. Even if we assume general parallels between KK's world and English medieval laws (and you can already see various divergences in the books), English Law didn't have people who could Truth Read, or people who could 'heal', or indeed people who could 'sense' physical matters in someone.
As Evie has already pointed out, Aedwige's pregnancy will soon be obvious, and a single Deryni could easily confirm that if she tried to hide it under voluminous robes. Not to mention that she may well have told other people about it, before she knew the authorities were onto her, and those people can testify as to what she said.
In terms of inheriting Eddington, the Earl of Danoc may or may not have bothered with a jury of matrons - he could simply have accepted Aedwige's word, appointed temporary managers / trustees for the estate, and then waited a few more months. After all, Aedwige could miscarry, the child could be born dead, mother and/or child die in childbirth, the child might be a girl, etc. Given the fact that Aedwige is young and was only married a short time ;), it would make a lot of sense to appoint a couple of trustees/ managers to assist her until the situation was clearer. From what we know of Aedwige, she would be very glad not to have to worry her pretty little head about day to day administrative matters!
Quote from: Alkari on February 12, 2012, 04:44:23 PM
I know a jury of matrons could be called in some limited RL situations, but I hardly thought it would be relevant to this case, especially not as a type of 'catfight' situation where the women would somehow take it out on Aedwige. Even if we assume general parallels between KK's world and English medieval laws (and you can already see various divergences in the books), English Law didn't have people who could Truth Read, or people who could 'heal', or indeed people who could 'sense' physical matters in someone.
If it hadn't been for the fact that Ædwige's pregnancy has already been established to Danoc's satisfaction, a jury of matrons would have been entirely relevant (although only to ascertain the facts of her claim to pregnancy, not as a body of active opposition and attack) because Ædwige would definitely want to postpone any sentence of execution. Actually, she'd hope for a complete pardon, but barring the likelihood of that, she'd at least want to buy enough time for herself to come up with some sort of "Plan B" for getting out of her predicament. :D Unlike the Court of Rhemuth, I doubt that the Earl of Danoc's Court is likely to have a lot of Deryni hanging about, so had Ædwige's pregnancy not already been a known fact to him, he would have sought second-hand corroboration of it the regular, human way. If the timeline unfolds at the pace it is currently unfolding in the chapters already written, Ædwige's crimes (and by this time there will be more than one) will come to light at a time when she is visibly starting to show, yet not at the stage of pregnancy when it would be obvious at first glance that she's definitely pregnant and not just eating rather heartily, so while her weight-gain would add some substance to her claims, that in itself wouldn't be definitive proof.
But yes, since Danoc already knows about her pregnancy, a
second Jury of Matrons would be irrelevant at this point.
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As Evie has already pointed out, Aedwige's pregnancy will soon be obvious, and a single Deryni could easily confirm that if she tried to hide it under voluminous robes. Not to mention that she may well have told other people about it, before she knew the authorities were onto her, and those people can testify as to what she said.
She's already told Helena and Cass about it from the outset, and in an upcoming chapter (possibly the next one up, IIRC) she also starts to tell others. So yes, this will have become known among those who know her by the time she's brought up before authorities.
And given that she'll be trying to plead for leniency by "pleading her belly," why would she even try to hide her pregnancy under voluminous robes? A bit counterproductive, I'd think! ;D
Quote
In terms of inheriting Eddington, the Earl of Danoc may or may not have bothered with a jury of matrons - he could simply have accepted Aedwige's word, appointed temporary managers / trustees for the estate, and then waited a few more months. After all, Aedwige could miscarry, the child could be born dead, mother and/or child die in childbirth, the child might be a girl, etc. Given the fact that Aedwige is young and was only married a short time ;), it would make a lot of sense to appoint a couple of trustees/ managers to assist her until the situation was clearer. From what we know of Aedwige, she would be very glad not to have to worry her pretty little head about day to day administrative matters!
Except that, in my post that you already referenced in the paragraph above, I already said that the Earl
didn't take Ædwige's word for it, given what was at stake, and that he would have sought independent confirmation. That didn't make it into the story since it all would have happened during times when the focus of the storyline was not on Ædwige yet, but as Danoc hasn't mentioned anything to me about having Deryni at his county Court, I would imagine that either a jury of matrons, or at the very least a midwife, was called in to verify Ædwige's condition. He wouldn't have simply asked Lord Robert's wife's opinion either, of course, given that her husband would have been the heir presumptive if Ædwige wasn't pregnant, nor would he assume that an Eddington household servant would give an unbiased opinion. He'd definitely have wanted someone "on the outside" to weigh in on that.
As for a manager for the Eddington estate, that was and still is the Eddington stewart, who took on more of the manorial responsibilities in his lord's stead even while Sir Gilrae was alive but in failing health, and who continues with the day-to-day management of the manor during Lady Ædwige's absence while she finishes her studies. It's possible that Lord Robert has/still does have some role in the management of his late brother's manor as well, although the man hasn't spoken to me yet, so I can't say for certain. I suspect he's still a bit ticked at me for killing off her brother and giving him a pregnant harpy of a sister-in-law.... ;)
Well, I am not sure that any jury of matrons called by the Earl would have been able to reliably determine pregnancy quite so early, so how has the Earl of Danoc already satisfied himself as to her pregnancy? Quoting from Wikipedia (which is probably OK in this context!):-
QuoteIn the criminal context, women convicted of capital crimes were permitted to plead that they were 'quick with child' (that is, the motions of the foetus could be felt), and to have this claim tested by a group of six women. If the woman was found to be quick with child then she was reprieved until the next hanging time. Criminal juries of matrons were customarily drawn from the women observing the proceedings.
Given that Aedwige wasn't pregnant when she wrote to her Schola friends in late May (the letter they got on 1 June), she would only have been around 8 weeks pregnant when Gilrae died (assuming an early August death). As foetuses don't "quicken" at that stage, I doubt that any non-Deryni medieval women would have been able to make a
definitive determination at such an early date, so an 'inspection of the belly' would not be much use, and the Earl would probably be quite aware of that, or he would certainly be told.
Undoubtedly there are other signs of early pregnancy, but 'quickening' was the usual definitive determination. It would seem a little strange for the Earl to rush straight in and demand a determination so early in a pregnancy and so soon after hubby's death. Wouldn't normal propriety demand a certain period of respect and mourning before such a demand was placed on a very young widow?
The other aspect is that the inheritance of Eddington is a civil and not a criminal matter, so there would be no need for the Earl to get involved on his own initiative at this stage. He could simply accept Aedwige's word that she is pregnant, and make appropriate arrangements for administration pending the child's birth.
The inspections required the issue of a formal writ, to summon the local worthies, and were really only called for in cases of
disputed succession, where there were suspicions of fraud by the widow or even where the widow herself wanted to protect herself and her child from rival claimants. So unless Lord Robert suspected some sort of fraud by Aedwige (e.g. that the child was not and
could not be Gilrae's), there would be no reason for him to bring a claim and demand an inspection at an early date. However, if he did have any suspicions surrounding the paternity of the child or suspected Aedwige of possible fraud, RL cases show that once an inspection was made and pregnancy confirmed or at least strongly suspected, the woman herself was very often taken 'under close supervision' to ensure that she didn't 1. suddenly 'become' pregnant through a convenient lover :D, or 2. substitute another baby in the case of a stillbirth, etc.
Yet far from being taken under the supervision of local worthies, Aedwige has been allowed to go back to the Schola in Rhemuth. If I were Lord Robert and were worried about my possible inheritance, I would certainly have taken steps to ensure
that didn't happen, for both reasons 1 and 2 :D (Of course, Aedwige herself might have thought to take precautions and have several women examine her to confirm the likelihood of pregnancy, but would she have done that if it was just accepted, and if Lord robert wasn't disputing the fact?)
Of course, if Lord Robert
had been suspicious and Aedwige had been safely confined for the next 7-8 months near Eddington, we wouldn't have this story and the benefits of her, um, "machinations" ;)
PS: Given the RL issues surrounding early detection of pregnancy until recently in the 20th century, the potential role of a trained Deryni Healer as a medical witness in legal cases such as disputed succession is certainly an interesting one ...
Well, as it happens, I did compile a list of the various symptoms detectable by the 8th (or actually, by obstetrical counting, 10th week of pregnancy, since the official countdown starts with the last menstrual period, which is generally two weeks prior to actual conception...yeah, I realize that sounds strange and I had trouble getting it straight myself when I went through my pregnancies!), along with the reasons the Earl might want early confirmation and why Ædwige herself might wish for this also, and sent all of that back in reply to the first PM you sent me on the subject, before I noticed the post here and the subsequent two more PMs I got since then, so there seems little point in rehashing it all here, especially since it would be pointless and energy wasting for me to try to carry on a dialogue on two different fronts while I'm trying to finish a chapter of the actual story! :D Suffice it to say that it doesn't matter if there was a Jury of Matrons called in or not, because all of this speculation is about an event that may or may not have happened before a chapter that's already been posted weeks ago, and it's not as if I'm going to go back and write it into the story now! So I'm not sure what the point would be of even bringing the matter up again, not to mention so repeatedly, when it's not going to change anything that's already been posted and it's not going to affect anything in the future storyline. Why does it matter so much if there was ever a Jury of Matrons called in or not? ??? I'm utterly baffled as to why there's a sudden barrage of urgent interest in the question, much less in trying to disprove even the possibility of it having happened sometime in the unwritten backstory! Is there some bet riding on the question that I haven't heard about? ;D
LOL - no, Elkhound raised the possibility, and in the context of Aedwige's crime(s), I thought he was referring more to women sitting on juries. I couldn't see that was likely, nor the relevance of a real 'jury of matrons' given that her pregnancy has been barely mentioned as yet.
Actually, I think Elkhound secretly just wants to see someone write a scene with a good 'catfight' amongst all the women! I think he still has those yearnings about watching Deryni turn people into frogs ... :D
When I talked of a Jury of Matrons I wasn't thinking of investigating Aedwige specifically; I was thinking that, even though Fr. John himself was exhonerated, that it might occur to someone that "there's no smoke without fire" and that there might be some of that sort of thing going on, and there would be a call for an investigation.
Because of the delicate nature of the questions that would have to be asked, having women doing the investigation would make sense; the schola being a Royal Institution would mean that ladies of rank would have to be involved. That's a little outside of what a traditional Jury of Matrons did, but it comes within the general idea of bringing in a group of 'sober & descreet matrons of the vicanage' to inquire into matters that would make a male investigator blush to even formulate the questions in his mind, and if he has any sort of gentlemany feeling probably won't be able to utter the words.
Richenda having children enrolled at the schola and Rothana teaching there would be excluded. That leaves the Queen Mother Jehanna as the highest-ranking Deryni woman resident at Court, but she's had next to no training; however, she could be titular head of the body--call it a Jury of Matrons or a Special Investigatory Commission or Court of Inquiry or a Task Force or whatever--as long as we could find some other Deryni ladies who (a) are sufficiently trainined and who (b) are not intimately connected with the schola; and I fear that to find such, we'd probably have to go outside Gwynned, perhaps to the Forcinn or even to Torenth.
But, yes, a part of me has a vision of this group confronting Aedwidge saying, "Lady Aedwige, we'd like to talk to you." And she thinks, "Oh, cr@p, I've been found out!" Even if they wanted to ask her about something unrelated, her own guilt and fear might make her panic and do something foolish.
Ah, OK, that's a little clearer. The main problem with that line of investigation is that, if the question being investigated is "Are there any priests at the Schola (or in Rhemuth, for that matter) who are misusing their clerical authority in order to coerce sexual favors from women?" (which seems to be what you're getting at, so please feel free to correct me if I've misunderstood), then that would properly fall under the purview of the Church hierarchy to investigate. And I'm sure Archbishop Cardiel would be quite diligent in doing so whenever any suspicion happened to come up of any sort of abuses of priestly powers, whether this sort or some other sort. But I doubt he'd look outside the Church to do that, much less bring in outsiders from other Kingdoms to do so. If the Church of Medieval Gwynedd is anything at all like most ecclesiastical bodies in our real world, I think they'd prefer to take care of their own "dirty laundry" privately and discreetly rather than "outsourcing" the laundry, so to speak. :)
Yes, Ædwige would quite likely freak out if some respectable matron (or respectable priest, or pretty much anybody!) were to start asking her awkward questions, but don't worry. I do plan on eventually making the young widow's life very awkward indeed, even though the storyline is going in a different direction entirely. :)
QuoteRichenda having children enrolled at the schola and Rothana teaching there would be excluded.
Only if you apply our modern standards. If you look at the original role and functions of "juries", the fact that a person knew a party or a witness to a case was no bar to them being involved in a jury. Quite the contrary: juries were
expected to inform themselves and make inquiries, not just rely on 'evidence' presented to them in a court case. So if the members already knew the general situation, knew the people involved and their relationships, and so on, they would be in a much better position to ask appropriate questions and make the right decision. They were not expected to be 'independent' as we know their role today. Therefore, ladies such as Richenda and Rothana would not be excluded - with their 'local' knowledge and personal experience, they would be precisely the sort of people a medieval jury would want. (But of course, being women, they would not be allowed on a normal medieval jury at all, except for the jury of matrons!)
And if you were looking at the traditional 'jury of matrons' for a woman of reasonable rank, people like Richenda and Meraude would again be particularly well-suited. Not only are they high-ranking, but as they've each had five children (as at end of Codex2), they would therefore be 'reasonably familiar' with the early signs of pregnancy ;) and would be exactly the sort of 'matrons' you would call on, along with midwives. Rothana has had one child; we know she's not a Healer, but she might have had experience in midwifery during her time with the Servants, and even perhaps later in Rhemuth, assisting with various births. Again, even if they knew the woman concerned, it would not be relevant: the job of a jury of matrons was to provide an 'expert' factual report as to whether the woman was, or was not, pregnant. Or, IRL with no Deryni magic available, to say whether the woman showed the early signs of pregnancy. Note that there was a slightly more onerous standard in criminal cases - the woman had to be 'quick with child' in order to be able to have capital punishment deferred, so merely showing early signs of pregnancy would not necessarily be sufficient. But showing the early signs was generally sufficient in a civil case such as an inheritance claim.
ETA: Absolutely agree with Evie about the Gwynedd Church being likely to hide its dirty laundry! Most bishops of a diocese would be very adept at dealing efficiently with the occasional cases of a pregnant nun or a pregnant serving girl at a monastery ;)
Quote from: Evie on February 13, 2012, 04:53:24 PM
Ah, OK, that's a little clearer. The main problem with that line of investigation is that, if the question being investigated is "Are there any priests at the Schola (or in Rhemuth, for that matter) who are misusing their clerical authority in order to coerce sexual favors from women?" (which seems to be what you're getting at, so please feel free to correct me if I've misunderstood), then that would properly fall under the purview of the Church hierarchy to investigate.
Or more broadly have the teachers/staff at the
schola used their ordinary paedagogical influence and even more so their particular Deryni powers to impose upon their students? Hence that the Matrons' Jury/Investagatory Commission/Task Force/whatever you want to call it be composed entirely or mostly of Deryni; and, because of the nature of some of the questions that they have to ask, it should be entirely or mostly women; as I said, those questions a decent man would blush to formulate in his mind, and probably couldn't force his mouth to articulate them.
I have an image of a servant coming to Aedwige and saying, "Please, m'lady. The Dean of Women [or whatever the appropriate title; both my parents were college professors] sends her complements and asks you to come to the South Parlor." She comes there and sees Dowager Queen Jehanna, Princess Rothana, Dutchess Richenda, and three other high-ranking Deryni ladies. "Please have a seat, Lady Aedwige;. something has come to our attention about which we would like to ask you." Probably what they want to ask her about has NOTHING to do with ANYTHING, but she assumes that it does, and reacts accordingly
QuoteOr more broadly have the teachers/staff at the schola used their ordinary paedagogical influence and even more so their particular Deryni powers to impose upon their students?
But that of course is an entirely different matter to the situation in this fic. Alleged staff abuse of their position wouldn't give rise to circumstances where a 'jury of matrons' would be required. Aedwige may be able to "plead her belly" if she ever comes to trial, but by that stage, her pregnancy will be obvious and the expert matrons won't be needed.
As I noted earlier, women did not sit on juries and they simply played no part at all in the legal process, other than the very limited situations where a jury of matrons was required. Even allegations of rape were always investigated by men - you might call on appropriate women to examine the victim and assess any physical evidence of rape (if such was possible), but that examination could equally be carried out by a male physician if required (obviously with other women present).
Given that Araxie and Richenda are patrons of the Schola, I
could see Kelson asking one or two women to be involved in any inquiry about possible staff abuse of a female student, but the inquiry would certainly not be a women-only affair. And for justice to be 'seen to be done' where there were allegations of possible use / abuse of Deryni powers, he would also probably want a balance of humans and Deryni on the inquiry.
Quote from: Alkari on February 14, 2012, 01:58:45 AMAs I noted earlier, women did not sit on juries and they simply played no part at all in the legal process, other than the very limited situations where a jury of matrons was required.
King John appointed two women as Sheriffs; iirc, they were in one case the widow and the other the unmarried grown daughter of the former sheriff, and they had been essentially doing the job for some months while their husband/father was too ill. And--although this was much later--Margaret Brant acted as a judge and even served as acting governor of Maryland. I could probably come up with some other examples, except I'm posting from home and not the library, but it goes to show that while women doing such things may have been
unusual it wasn't
impossible.