“From here—from Kingsbridge Priory.”
“Kingsbridge! Did Prior Philip accuse him?”
“No, no, it was long before the time of Philip.” She looked at Jack through her tears. “Don’t start asking me who accused him and why. Don’t get caught in that trap. You could spend the rest of your life trying to put right a wrong done before you were born. I didn’t raise you so that you could take revenge. Don’t make that your life.”
Jack vowed he would learn more sometime, despite what she said; but right now he wanted her to stop crying. He sat beside her on the bench and put his arm around her. “Well, it looks as if the cathedral won’t be my life, now.”
Martha said: “What will you do, Jack?”
“I don’t know. I can’t live in Kingsbridge, can I?”
Martha was distraught. “But why not?”
“Alfred tried to kill me and Tom expelled me from the site. I’m not going to live with them. Anyway, I’m a man. I should leave my mother.”
“But what will you do?”
Jack shrugged. “The only thing I know about is building.”
“You could work on another church.”
“I might come to love another cathedral as much as I love this one, I suppose,” he said despondently. He was thinking: But I’ll never love another woman the way I love Aliena.
Mother said: “How could Tom do this to you?”
Jack sighed. “I don’t think he really wanted to. Prior Philip said he wouldn’t have me and Alfred both working on the site.”
“So that damned monk is at the bottom of this!” Mother said angrily. “I swear—”
“He was very upset about the damage we did.”
“I wonder if he could be made to see reason.”
“What do you mean?”
“God is supposed to be merciful—perhaps monks should be too.”
“You think I should plead with Philip?” Jack asked, somewhat surprised at the direction of Mother’s thinking.
“I was thinking I might talk to him,” she said.
“You!” That was even more uncharacteristic. Jack was quite shocked. For Mother to be willing to ask Philip for mercy, she must be badly upset.
“What do you think?” she asked him.
Tom had seemed to think Philip would not be merciful, Jack recalled. But then, Tom’s overriding concern had been that the lodge should take decisive action. Having promised Philip that they would be firm, Tom could not then plead for mercy. Mother was not in the same position. Jack began to feel a little more hopeful. Perhaps he would not have to leave after all. Perhaps he could stay in Kingsbridge, close to the cathedral and to Aliena. He no longer hoped that she would love him, but nevertheless he hated the thought of going away and never seeing her again.
“All right,” he said. “Let’s go and plead with Prior Philip. We’ve got nothing to lose but our pride.”
Mother put on her cloak and they went out together, leaving Martha sitting alone at the table, looking anxious.
Jack and his mother did not often walk side by side, and now he was struck by how short she was: he towered over her. He felt suddenly fond of her. She was always ready to fight like a cat for his sake. He put his arm around her and hugged her. She smiled at him as if she knew what he was thinking.
They entered the priory close and went to the prior’s house. Mother banged on the door and walked in. Tom was there with Prior Philip. Jack knew immediately, by their faces, that Tom hadnottold Philip about Jack setting fire to the old cathedral. That was a relief. Now he probably never would. That secret was safe.
Tom looked anxious, if not a little scared, when he saw Mother. Jack recalled that he had saidI did my best for you, I hope your mother will see that.Tom was remembering the last time Jack and Alfred had a fight: Mother had left Tom in consequence. Tom was afraid she would leave now.
Philip was no longer looking angry, Jack thought. Perhaps the lodge’s decision had mollified him. He might even be feeling a trifle guilty about his harshness.
