He watched the woman on the floor as the blood poured from her.
He knew he had to get rid of her. He had to place her where no one would ever find her.
***
The Mother Superior was busy with her books when a knock came on the door.
"Mother Superior. Please come quickly. We need you!" cried the voice of a novice.
Abigail finished the last column of numbers and shook her head. The butcher was over-charging them. She must speak to him about that.
She rose slowly. Her bones ached; she was not as young as she once was. When she had first come to the Abbey, she had been young, idealistic, and full of hope. Now she was just an old woman.
The young novice directed her to the front gates of the Abbey where the novice, Abigail, opened the door.
"Oh, Lord in Heaven," she gasped as she saw the young woman wrapped in a rough blanket with blood between her legs.
"Quick! Quick! Bring here in," she told the two young novices.
Chapter 16
"Lord Fairfax, I have come here to settle a matter of the utmost importance," Mohammed spoke honestly as he followed Edward into the sitting room.
The sitting room was decorated in pastel blue and silver and was elegant, yet understated.
"Sir, this is a most regrettable time.” Edward replied. “Can we speak of the matter at another time?"
Edward seemed pale and shaken; he had not even made eye contact.
In all of Mohammed’s dealings with Edward, he had been cordial and agreeable. There had been a mutual understanding of business and friendship when they met, which was when Mohammed delivered the Arabian stallion. Although Mohammed knew it would be an uphill battle to ask for his daughter’s hand in marriage, because she was with child, the time for arguments was over.
"Lord Fairfax. It is I who should beg your forgiveness. I should have approached you man to man and asked for Katharine’s hand in marriage. I have loved her for too long and had I done the right thing, it would have saved us all some heartache."
Edward looked startled as the man spoke and settled himself onto a small chair.
"I have wondered,” Edward mused. “She has been so distant of late, and I suspected the marriage between her and Jamie was one of convenience.”
He sighed. He only wanted his spirited daughter’s happiness, and knew this strong man would be a good match, despite their different backgrounds.
“But now that James is dead and she is…“
"She is what?" Mohammed asked, standing before the older man.
Edward shook his head.
"Well that's just it, dear boy. She…she has disappeared. My darling girl has vanished.”
"Vanished? Tell me. What has happened?" Mohammed asked. He was visibly shaken.
"I know very little. She was last seen walking the grounds. One stable boy swears he saw a man with a horse and cart leaving the grounds. We had no goods dropped off that day so he must have taken her off. Why would someone want to harm her?" he asked Mohammed, his eyes filling with tears. "She has no enemies."
No, Mohammed thought. There he is wrong. Katharine made quite a few enemies in Arabia. And they must have followed her here to finish what Yasmeen started.
***
Mohammed and Edward remained on their horses as they examined the young stable boy named Jeremy who stood below them. He was 16 years old, with a mop of red hair and blue eyes. The young boy swallowed nervously as he stared at the Arab and Lord Edward.
"I seen 'im comin' down the path late," the young stable boy claimed.