Death in Holy Orders Read Free Page A

for him
.
    I felt embarrassed to be discovered sitting. I got up, and Father Sebastian said, “Are you all right, Margaret?
”
    I said, “Yes, Father,” and then stood aside as the three of them walked up to the body
.
    Father Sebastian made the sign of the cross, then said, “This is a disaster.
”
    Even at the time I thought it was a strange word to use and I knew that he wasn’t just thinking at that moment of Ronald Treeves; he was thinking of the college
.
    He bent down and put his hand against the back of Ronald’s neck and Mr. Gregory said, quite sharply, “He’s dead of course. Better not disturb the body any further.
”
    Father Martin was standing a little apart. I saw his lips moving and I think he was praying
.
    Father Sebastian said, “If you, Gregory, will go back to the college and watch for the police, Father Martin and I will stay here. Margaret had better go with you. This has been a shock for her. Take her to Mrs. Pilbeam, if you will, and explain what’s happened. Mrs. Pilbeam will make her some hot tea and look after her. Neither of them are to say anything until I inform the college. If the police want to talk to Margaret they can do so later.
”
    It’s funny, but I remember feeling a slight sense of resentment that he had spoken to Mr. Gregory almost as if I wasn’t there. And I didn’t really want to be taken to Ruby Pilbeam’s cottage. I like Ruby, who has always managed to be kind without being interfering, but all I wanted was to go home
.
    Father Sebastian came up and laid a hand on my shoulder. He said, “You’ve been very brave, Margaret, thank you. Go with Mr. Gregory now and I’ll come to see you later. Father Martin and I will sit here with Ronald.
”
    It was the first time he had spoken the boy’s name
.
    In the car Mr. Gregory drove for a few minutes in silence, then said, “That’s a curious death. I wonder what the Coroner—or, come to that, the police—will make of it.
”
    I said, “Surely it was an accident.
”
    “
A curious accident, wouldn’t you say?” I didn’t reply, then he said, “This isn’t the first dead body you’ve seen, of course. You’ll be accustomed to death.
”
    “
I’m a nurse, Mr. Gregory.
”
    I thought of the first body I’d seen, all those years ago, as an eighteen-year-old probationer, the first body I’d laid out. Nursing was different in those days. We used to lay out the dead ourselves and it was done with great reverence and in silence behind the screens. My first ward sister used to join us to say a prayer before we began. She told us that this was the last service we could render our patients. But I wasn’t going to talk to Mr. Gregory about that
.
    He said, “Seeing a dead body, any body, is a comforting reassurance that we may live as men but we die as animals. Personally I find that a relief. I can’t imagine any greater horror than eternal life.
”
    I still didn’t reply. It’s not that I dislike him: we hardly ever meet. Ruby Pilbeam cleans his cottage once a week and does his washing. It’s a private arrangement they have. But he and I have never been on chatting terms and I wasn’t in the mood to begin now
.
    The car turned westward between the twin towers and into the courtyard. Releasing his seat belt and helping me with mine, he said, “I’ll walk with you to Mrs. Pilbeam’s.She may not be in. If not, you had better come to my cottage. What we both need is a drink.
”
    But she was in and I was glad of it after all. Mr. Gregory reported the facts very briefly and said, “Father Sebastian and Father Martin are with the body now and the police will arrive very soon. Please don’t mention this to anyone else until Father Sebastian returns. He’ll then speak to the whole college.
”
    After he had gone Ruby did indeed make tea, hot and strong and very comforting. She fussed over me but I can’t remember the words or the gestures. I didn’t say much but she didn’t expect me to. She treated me as