Chapter 28
England 2010
Sister Bernice left her cell and made her way to the kitchens. The last few days had passed so quickly, she had hardly had time to think. The Senior Sisters had become sidetracked dealing with the Mother Superior’s death and she had found herself being relied upon to step up and help with the day to day business of the rest of the order. This morning she was overseeing the preparation of the midday meal and she made her way quickly to the kitchens. The eight kitchen staff were stood silently in line, patiently waiting to be told what to do.
Bernice walked in and smiled at the girls. All were shaven headed and were volunteers who lived at the convent. It was a five year apprenticeship, designed to test the devotion of all who wished to join the order. Bernice looked back at the time she had been in their shoes with fondness. The work had been hard but she found it cleansed her soul and prepared her for the life of devotion she had craved since childhood.
‘Good morning, ladies,’ said Bernice.
‘Good morning, Sister,’ they replied, in unison.
‘Right, shall we get started?’ asked Bernice with a nervous smile.
‘Please forgive me, Sister,’ said one stepping forward, ‘We didn’t expect to see you. Wednesday is usually Sister Agnes.’
‘She is busy today,’ said Bernice, ‘I will help and guide.’
‘Is everything okay, Miss?’ asked another.
‘Of course,’ said Bernice, ‘Why wouldn’t it be?’
‘We heard there is a madman stalking us,’ said the girl.
Bernice stared at the girls. Sister Agnes had given strict instructions not to discuss the threat with the staff, but they looked really scared and had obviously heard something. She smiled gently and perched on the edge of the table.
‘Come here,’ she said kindly, ‘Come on, gather around.’
The girls closed in to a semi circle, facing Bernice with concern on their faces.
‘Look,’ said Bernice, ‘I am not going to lie to you. There has been an incident but it is well under control and you are completely safe here.’
‘What happened?’ asked one of the girls.
‘Oh, let’s just say that there was a prowler,’ said Bernice, hoping that they hadn’t heard any of the gory details.
‘Has he been caught?’ asked one of the girls.
‘No, but the caretaker has checked the area and there is no sign of him. It seems he is long gone.’
‘Then why are we still locked down?’ asked another.
‘Better safe than sorry,’ said Bernice, ‘To be honest, there are so many unsavoury characters out in the big wide world, we should have taken these precautions long ago.’
‘But who would threaten a convent?’
‘Sadly, it is often the way of the world, Sharon,’ said Bernice, ‘All we can do is continue in the service of the Holy Mother and pray for the souls of those who know no better.’
‘But what if they come back?’
‘Well, I have talked to Sister Agnes, and she tells me that things have been put in place for our protection. Apparently, they have engaged a security company to look after us. Now, enough negativity, shall we get started on lunch?’
The group dispersed to their tasks while Bernice pulled down the recipe books from the shelves. Despite allaying the fears of the trainees, there were more questions than answers spinning around her mind. After a while the thoughts eased as she became involved in the lunch preparations and, for an hour or so, normality returned to the kitchen.
Suddenly, the relative calm was shattered as one of the girls screamed, dropping a pan clattering to the floor. Bernice span around.
‘What’s the matter?’ she shouted, running over.
‘There’s someone there,’ shouted the girl, pointing at the door, ‘They tried to get in!’
Bernice stared in horror at the locked door. Despite the solid Oak, the thought of less than two inches of wood between them and any potential attacker the other side filled her with dread. She walked slowly to the door, while the rest of the girls gathered behind her, talking in hushed tones. Suddenly there came a loud knock on the door, making them all jump and a voice called out from the other side.
‘Hello, anyone there? It’s Maximillian. The door’s locked, can you let me in?’
Bernice let out a sigh of relief as she recognised the old man’s voice. Since the day of the Mother Superior’s death, the convent was locked down as secure as any prison and Maximillian and his son patrolled the outer corridors as if their lives depended on it, taking it in turns to rest or eat.
Maximillian was the caretaker and was employed directly by the order. For the last few days, he and his family were the only ones allowed through the locked doors of the convent for security reasons. The caretaker and his family had served the convent all their lives, as had his grandfather and his predecessors as far back as records were kept. They were intrinsically linked to the convent and had unswerving loyalty to the order.
Maximillian, or Max, as he was known to the Sisters, kept the grounds in shape and tended the allotments while his son, Jacob saw to the minor maintenance around the buildings and maintained the cemetery. Maximillian’s ageing wife, Anna, carried out errands on behalf of the Sisters to the local village and liaised with the Mother Superior on all things to do with the outside world. In return, the family enjoyed rent free accommodation in a small cottage in the grounds and received a modest yet adequate income from the estate. The whole family had been deeply affected by the death of the Mother Superior and they had moved inside the walls of the convent to support and protect, not just the sisters.
Bernice opened the door and allowed Max into the kitchen, locking the door behind him.
‘Thank you, Sister,’ he said, stamping the snow off his feet, ‘Any chance of a cuppa? It’s brass monkeys out there.’
‘I think we can do better than that,’ answered Bernice, ‘How about a nice bacon butty with freshly baked bread and brown sauce?’
‘Thank you Sister,’ said Max, his face lighting up, ‘Don’t mind if I do.’
One of the girls brought the caretaker a cup of tea while another retrieved a pack of bacon from the fridge, dropping four slices into an enormous frying pan. Within seconds, the delicious smell of sizzling bacon wafted across the kitchen. A few minutes later, Bernice ushered the caretaker over to the other side of the kitchen, and waited patiently as he poured an unhealthy amount of brown sauce over the bacon, before replacing the top layer of bread.
‘Luverly!’ he said before stretching his jaws open to take a bite of his prize.
Bernice waited until the first sandwich had been demolished before speaking again.
‘Any news?’ she asked, quietly.
‘No sign at all,’ said Max, licking his fingers, ‘There were some footprints in the snow but they’ve mostly disappeared.’
‘Has there been any contact with the police?’ she asked hopefully.
‘I don’t think so,’ he said picking up the second sandwich, ‘But there’s no need to worry. This place is like Fort Knox. No one is getting in here and besides, even if they did, they’ve got to get past me and Jacob first.’ He bit into the sandwich again as Bernice looked on, handing him his cup of tea when he choked slightly.
‘Thanks, Sister,’ he coughed, taking the cup.
‘So what do you think, Max?’ asked Bernice eventually, ‘What do
‘Search me, Sister,’ he shrugged.
‘But you must have some idea,’ answered Bernice, ‘You know more about this place than anyone. Wasn’t you born here?’
‘I was,’ said Max, ‘But I keep myself to myself.’
‘Oh come on, Max,’ said Bernice, ‘You must know something?’
Max replaced the third sandwich back on the plate and stared at the Nun.
