Precious Bones Read Free Page B

over from Rome, and secretly financed plots against the Queen, hoping to put Mary, Queen of Scots, on the throne of England instead of Elizabeth; whom they believed to be a bastard and a heretic.  These plots were numerous and potentially lethal to the Queen and the perpetrators had to be rooted out and eliminated.
    As Richard looked in Constance’s guileless green eyes, he couldn’t believe someone as young and lovely as her would be capable of plotting anything, but he had to do his duty.  Helping Mistress Thorne was an opportunity to get closer to the family and see what was afoot.  Richard resolved to go visit her tomorrow under the guise of concern for her well-being.  He felt like a total cad by the time he stepped out of the carriage and went to report to his superior.
     

 
    Chapter 7
     
    Connie blew out the candle and climbed into bed , snuggling next to Pippa who was already snoring softly.  The room was cold and Connie thought it might snow again tomorrow.  Moonlight streamed through the casement window, painting their small bedchamber in shades of blue and silver.  Constance was wakeful, and her thoughts kept turning to Richard Carlisle.  His hands had been warm and gentle as he held her injured one, and his smile left her feeling vulnerable and confused.  I shouldn’t be having these thoughts , Connie thought miserably .  I should be married, with at least one child by now . 
    Constance was weeks away from her wedding to Henry when their mother fell seriously ill.  Katherine Thorne never complained, but this time there was no doubt she needed care.  Connie begged Henry to understand, and postponed their nuptials until her mother’s recovery.  Pippa was only thirteen, and her father and brother were away from the house working all day.  Her father was a master mason and Tom was still working as an apprentice on the same building site.  Her family needed her.  As the winter snows came, Katherine got worse and Connie hardly left the house, spoon-feeding her mother, reading her passages from the Bible and wiping her brow.  She hardly noticed when Henry’s visits became less frequent, and she heard news of his marriage to Betty Marlowe the same week she prepared her mother’s body for burial.   
    The loss of Katherine had been devastating for the family, and Thomas Sr. did his best to care for his children and nurture their Catholic faith in accordance with his late wife’s wishes.  He liked to remind them that their mother chose names for them that held special meaning for her, and they owed it to her to make her proud.  Constance had been named for her mother’s constant faith in Jesus Christ, the Savior, and his mother, Virgin Mary.  Tom was named for Thomas Aquinas whom Katherine greatly admired, and Pippa was named Phillipa after the King of Spain, who would invade England and save her people from the blasphemous beliefs of its heretic Queen.
    It wasn’t long until Thomas Sr. joined his wife in the little cemetery behind their parish church.  A large block of stone tumbled down from one of the walls of the house they were building for an important nobleman and crushed his chest.  Mercifully, death came quickly, and the Thorne children were left on their own.  Not only did they lose both parents within a few months of each other, but they also lost their main source of income, leaving them struggling to make ends meet.  Tom informed them over supper that a position had been found for Pippa.  She would work as a governess in the household of Hugh Milton, a prominent Catholic, and teach reading and writing to his two daughters, Mary and Anne.  Pippa would reside with the Miltons during the week, and come home on Saturday nights in order to spend Sundays with her family.  Pippa wasn’t happy with the idea of having to work for a living, but residing in a big house with lots of lovely furnishings and priceless works of art softened the blow just a little.  Phillipa was fond