He reveals whats about

Luke opened his cassock and withdrew the letter. Handing it to his sister, he said. "Apparently some of Father's enemies seek to accuse him of being a warlock."

Quickly scanning the letter, Jessica handed it back to him. "So it's not just an excuse to sneak your mistress out of these walls."

"You wound me, sis..." Luke started.

"I know you, dear brother," Jessica interjected with laughter.

Turning, she looked at the stacked bags. "I've known for a month you were going to keep your Bella.

Surprised, Luke asked. "Really, you've known for a month something I just decided on today?"

Turning back to her brother, she said. "Lucas Johnathan Reginald De Sine, of all of us, you are the most like our lord father." Jessica then flashed her brother an impish smile, adding, "And Father has never been able to give up what he decided was his, hell or our heavenly Father be damned."

"It's true," Lucas thought to himself. The staggering numbers of mistresses their father had kept had been a point of great contention with their mother. God rest her soul.

Looking at her brother deep in thought, Jessica reached out and poked. "How much danger is there truly?"

Shaking himself, Luke answered, "Enough that my mentor thought I should know." He then thought about some more, adding. "But Father is a wily old fox, and it wouldn't be the first time he's been accused of consorting with the devil."

Luke sighed, ending, "Nnnoooooo, what I'm more worried about is someone using this as an excuse to put an army at our door."

"Then you need to go," Jessica concluded.

Before any more could be said, there was a knock at the door. "Reverend Mother..."

Jessica looked at the door. "Yes?"

The unseen nun cleared her throat, saying. "My apologies, Reverend Mother, but Sister Gladys says it's most important."

"Tell her I'll be along shortly," Jessica replied.

"Has Gladys forgiven you for being elected Reverend Mother instead of her?" Lucas questioned.

Shaking her head, she said, "No, that old battleaxe is convinced I was sent here to forever mock her."

Luke frowned, offering. "If she becomes too big a pain, I can have her dealt with."

"No brother dear," Jessica replied with a smile. "There's nothing about Sister Gladys I can't handle."

"One more thing," Lucas asked as Jessica turned to leave. "What does she look like under the robe?"

"Who...?" Jessica murmurs in surprise. Then her smile grows as she gets who he's talking about. "You mean Mary Denis?"

"Yes... does her body do justice to her face?" He asks eagerly.

Jessica creeps closer to her brother before salaciously whispering. "If you must know her breasts could tempt a saint into sin."

Turning, she strode out into the passageway, leaving her brother alone. Luke smiled as his imagination went to work on what breasts that would tempt a saint into sinning would look like.

Lucas amused himself with that for a good quarter hour when the storage room door opened. In walked Bella, clad in a burgundy riding habit.

Bella's eyes were still faintly red as she stared at the bishop. "There's nothing from this life I want to take with me." She quietly announced.

Luke held out his arm, which she took.

"Then let us leave this place, Mrs. Ramsay; our carriage awaits."