In a Blink of an Eye…a Child is Grown…and the Season has Passed…

"W hat will you do now?" Norla asked.

Rhona looked over at her friend. Norla had blue eyes which reminded her of a summer sky.

Brighten your day with cheerful thoughts…

Rhona knew the words for she lived by them, even if some days tested her more than others.

But Norla was waiting for a response to her question. Rhona pulled her gaze away from the newly disturbed earth where her mother had been laid to rest. The men who had come up from the village to help dig the grave had pulled their hats back on now that the prayers were finished. It was hard work, so Rhona filled a small basket with some of the food that the villagers had brought with them and offered it to the men in exchange for their efforts.

"You really don't have to worry," Norla said. "You have a fine house which will make a good dowry."

Norla looked up the way to where Samuel Birkins was standing in front of the house. He was rubbing his hands together like a child anticipating a treat. Rhona wanted to feel something kind toward him, but the truth was, she didn't want to wed him.

And Samuel appeared more enamored with the house than her.

"I don't have to get married," Rhona muttered.

Norla shrugged. "Everyone gets married." She thought for a moment. "I don't know anyone who didn't get married at least one time."

"Rhona has been promised to the Church."

Both girls turned to see the priest. He stood near them, his hands tucked beneath his chasuble. There was a satisfied smile on his lips, and he looked at Rhona very much in the same way that Samuel looked at the house.

"Your mother refused to honor your father's wish that you take the veil." He glanced over at the new grave, his insinuation clear.

There was a hint of tightness in her throat, but Rhona swallowed it.

"It was Lady Wilmiton who wanted me to take the veil," Rhona recalled the day they'd been put out of her father's house.

"I am pleased you remember," the priest said. "It is time for you to take your place."

Samuel Birkins had walked toward them. "What's this?"

The priest turned to look at him. "Rhona has been promised to the Church. This house will pass—along with her—into service of the Church."

Rhona felt as though she was being strangled. Drawing breath felt nearly impossible. But she had to protest. She had only herself now.

"I am sorry Father, but I have no calling to take the holy veil." The words came out in a tone that was far from confident. She gulped down some more air in an attempt to steady herself.

The priest still had a smile on his lips but the look in his eyes was cold. "To serve the Church is your path to redemption. Your parents' sins must be accounted for."

"Those aren't her sins," Norla argued. "Rhona is a kind, good soul."

"Right," Samuel added his opinion to the debate. "Rhona can marry me. Become a wife and mother. We will take the Sacrament of Marriage and raise our family with respect for the holy scriptures."

"Without a dowry or the house and land?" the priest asked Samuel pointedly.

Samuel's complexion darkened. "The house was her mother's. I saw the deed myself. It had the seal on it. Right and proper."

The priest withdrew another document, and he opened it to show another seal. Samuel leaned forward to inspect it. A few other men had joined him.

"The young Lord Wilmiton has reached his maturity. He has decided to honor his mother's wish to see Rhona take the holy veil as a Bride of Christ."

"You mean he's decided to save himself from having to give up any portion of his estate to a half-sister," Samuel argued.

"He would not be the first to take that path," Clement, the assistant to the mayor, mumbled. He was a literate man of learning. He leaned to look at the document once more, pursing his lips together while he scrutinized it.

"Come now." Samuel's tone changed in an effort to persuade the priest. "This house is all the way up here in the marshes. It was for sale for a decade before Rhona and her mother came. It's only useful to those of us who live here."

"Its placement will help the Church to establish a presence here…" The priest looked at the hills behind the stone house. "The bonfires and witchery will at last be tamed with a holy presence, like a beacon of light."

The priest's tone was full of zeal. Rhona lost the battle to maintain her composure. Suddenly she was once more a half- grown child being put out into the cold. Only this time, it was far worse, for she was going to be stuffed into a cold cell at a convent.

Samuel gave her a last look before he turned and walked away, his feet clearly heavy. Clement reached to pat him on the shoulder as he followed.

Neither of them looked back at her.

"You will be joined by the other sisters soon," the priest informed her. "I will return to hear your vows and see you cut your hair."