A bony elbow dug Gwenn in the ribs. A pair of unfriendly black eyes leered out of an unshaven face, and a pungent, sweaty odour wrinkled her nostrils. There were some rough characters in the church today, with cold, hard faces. Belatedly remembering her modesty, Gwenn pulled her veil close about her as her grandmother had taught her, and shuffled towards Irene Brasher. She shivered. If only she had been more sensible about her choice of clothing. She should have worn a woollen dress instead of the flimsy blue silk. A series of frosts and thaws during the winter had caused the wooden walls of the ancient church to warp; draughts whipped through the cracks and whistled over the heads of the townsfolk.

High in the shadows of the roof, sparrows hopped along crossbeams with twigs and straw fast in their beaks, like tiny tumblers carrying balancing poles. The sparrows’ nests were clustered among cobwebs that hung thick and black with the dust of ages. The sparrows, like the martins, were rebuilding for spring with a single-minded determination that no Lady Day sermon would stop. A spatter of bird dropping plummeted earthwards and landed slap in the centre of a merchant’s cap.

Gwenn nudged Irene’s foot. ‘A hit,’ she hissed. Irene giggled. Giggles in church were invariably infectious, and Gwenn felt laughter rise within her for all that she bit her lips to contain it.

‘Hush!’ Jammed next to Gwenn was an elderly woman swathed in widow’s garb from head to toe. She lived near the Close, but was not on speaking terms with Gwenn’s family. The woman was wagging a censorious finger under Gwenn’s nose, and it seemed to Gwenn that the woman recognised her, for all at once she looked startled. The widow’s words confirmed this, ‘I didn’t expect to see you here today, girl. Get out, if you’ve sense.’

‘Shhh! Shhh!’ Someone quieted the woman and a coarse, male voice barked out a word Gwenn had never encountered before, not even from her brother Raymond, but instinctively she knew it was more suited to a tavern than a holy place. The widow went the colour of ripe strawberries and her snowy wimple shook with fury. She gave Gwenn one final warning look and sealed her lips.

Gwenn was wondering if the woman’s agitation at her presence was due to her being out without Izabel, when a movement in the choir caught her attention. ‘Look, Irene.’ She pointed, and Father Jerome, it could be no other, stalked through the vestry door and into the transept. His dome of a head was held high, his eyes shone with conviction and his countenance alone was fierce enough to put the fear of God into all who looked upon him. Gwenn exchanged glances with Irene, and the woman’s strange warning went right out of her head. She was used to the comfortable friendliness of Father Mark, the local priest. Father Jerome did not look comfortable, nor did he look friendly. He exuded power. He looked more powerful even than the bishop, and he was not at all what Gwenn had been expecting. The Black Monk looked – she searched for the word – warlike.

Like most of those in the nave, Gwenn had been drawn to the church because the monk’s reputation had preceded him. A member of the Benedictine Order, and addressed as Father rather than Brother because of his position as a consecrated priest, Father Jerome was famed for his powers of oratory. Today, as part of the Lady Day celebrations, Father Jerome was condescending to speak in the Breton tongue, so all would be able to understand him. It was a rare privilege to be permitted to understand a man of the Church. Most services were held in Latin, God’s special language. Churchmen spoke and wrote in that exclusive tongue, and the simple folk were not expected to understand it. Gwenn was reasonably familiar with Latin, because she had sat in on Raymond’s lessons, but Gwenn’s knowledge was exceptional. Normally, understanding was reserved for the higher orders. People attended church for fear of God, or because it was expected of them, or because it was a good place to meet their friends. In Vannes the townsfolk were drawn to the cathedral because they loved Father Mark.

When it became known that Father Jerome was prepared to spread God’s word in the language of the people, the townsfolk had been intrigued. It did not matter that he was reputed to be uncompromising and hard on sinners. He was going to speak in Breton – in their own dialect. Gwenn had been looking forward to hearing what the Benedictine had to say, but now that she had seen him, and noticed the unfriendly looks on the faces of some of the congregation, doubt stirred within her.

Tall and stately as a king’s champion, Father Jerome gathered his habit into his hand and strode onto the platform. It was odd seeing him in Father Mark’s place, odd seeing his fierce eyes glare at the assembly when Father Mark and their own bishop usually smiled gentle blessings on everyone. Father Jerome did not look like a man who would understand the common failings of the congregation. He did not look like a man who would understand the meaning of the word mercy, or, for that matter, like a man who would forgive people their sins. Gwenn felt depressed, and though it was ridiculous, she felt as though Father Jerome had stolen the joy out of the day. He looked like a man who would steal the joy from everything.

No one in the crowd was moving. Would they dare? No one so much as coughed. Father Jerome’s eyes shone like lamps over the people of Vannes. A sparrow chirped from its vantage point on a crossbeam, and a spasm crossed the monk’s severe features. Despite Gwenn’s growing sense of unease, an irreverent thought bubbled up. Rather than blessing the birds of the air, Father Jerome would have that sparrow in a pot, for daring to spoil his performance.

‘Brothers and sisters,’ he began, ‘we are gathered here on the day that Our Lady received the glad tidings from the Angel of the Lord...’

Gwenn did not like the monk’s voice any more than his face. It was high for a man of his build and stature, high and scratchy; but she had to acknowledge it was penetrating, which for a preacher was no doubt a good thing. And with those beacons instead of eyes... Doubtless Father Jerome had chosen the right vocation, but she did not want to waste a promising spring morning listening to him. And the air, there not enough air in the nave for all these people.

Gwenn looked at Irene, who ignored her. Her friend was already in the monk’s thrall.

‘Blessed art thou among women,’ Father Jerome intoned.

Craning her neck, Gwenn tried to see how far it was to the door. There was nothing new in what the monk was saying. She’d known the Hail Mary by heart since she was small; her pious grandmother insisted she recite it several times a day.

The door was wedged open, and bright, spring sunshine was lighting up the disgruntled expressions of several latecomers who were pressing into the nave. Why was everyone looking so dour this morning? It was almost as though they were frowning at her, so many of them seemed to be looking in her direction. With a sinking feeling, Gwenn scrutinised her neighbours’ faces. With the exception of Irene and the wimpled widow who was studiously ignoring her, they were frowning at her. Feeling stifled, Gwenn took a deep gulp of the rank, sweat-laden air. She caught sight of the same cold, dark eyes she had seen when she had first entered the nave, and a wave of nausea swept through her. She would have to get out into the fresh air of the Close.

The strident tones resounded from the pulpit, ‘I have come to you today, brothers and sisters, because it has come to my attention that here, in your town, there are residing women whose presence brings shame on you all. Women whose very existence is an insult to that most blessed of women, Our Saviour’s Lady Mother, whom it is our duty to honour on this her Feast – Lady Day.’ Father Jerome leaned on the lectern and paused, for effect.