Addie stood by the door of Sunset Cottage, growling and snarling. Christine rushed to the door. It was early in the morning about a week after James returned to the farm. In the distance and in the fog, Christine could make out several men out in the barnyard. One was Jay and one was Sam, but the others were strangers.
Christine could not hear any of the conversation, but the tones sounded argumentative. She quickly dressed and ran, with Addie, to the Big House. The rest of the men were putting on their boots in the mud-room.
"Stay away, Christine, this is nasty business." Christine waited for more explanation but got none. Marcus grabbed a rifle he had previously laid against the mud-room wall. Christine noticed that Tom had his gun as well. While Christine and Addie stood by the Big House door, the two men raced over to the barnyard. Tom's two dogs, Chase and Black, ran after the big man. Christine could hear angry voices.
She went into the kitchen and saw James sitting at the table. "Coffee? I am restricted to quarters," he said lamely.
"What is going on out there?" Christine put her sweater around her and sat down. Addie laid down under the table. "Is it Carl?"
"No, this is not cattle business. This is Catholic business. Someone got word that Bishop Seamus has been seen around here and three men from Omaha came up this morning and demanded to see him. Uncle Jay denied any knowledge of the priest, while Marcus took him out back to the cavern and raced back. Bishop Seamus has keys. Then, the men insisted on searching the house and the barn. Uncle Jay demanded a search warrant and the fight began. I was told to stay in here, after I came downstairs, when Uncle Jay and the men moved to the barnyard."
"Is the Bishop under arrest? I mean, what is the big deal?"
Christine drank the hot coffee too fast and burned her tongue. She grabbed a bun and ate a quick breakfast.
But, she was scared, more for Uncle Jay and James than for the others. And, why the guns?
"Don't you think the guns are a bit threatening?" She asked the soldier.
"Nah, a little bit of weaponry is a good thing. Causes caution."
Christine wondered if the old priest had time to eat before going underground. She would bring him hot food later.
"Hey, they are breaking up. Get in the pantry, James." Christine stood up and started to make more coffee. Addie walked over to the door and growled. "Easy, boy," Christine said quietly.
The men got into an SUV and drove away. Uncle Jay, Marcus and Tom walked back to the Big House.
"Are you making coffee, Christine?" Uncle Jay seemed calm.
"Yes, and there are the buns you made, Uncle Jay." She poured coffee while the men changed their shoes.
All three came in and James walked out of the pantry. They sat down and ate in silence. Christine cooked some eggs and friend some potatoes. She served them, but none of them said a word.
Uncle Jay finally spoke. "Well, I wonder who spilled the beans? I wonder who talked? Maybe we should not have had the Mass open to all those people last Sunday."
Christine spoke first. "Mass needs to be for whoever wants to come. I mean, we can't stop people from coming and there were only sixteen people there."
Tom slammed his fork on the table. "It's got to be Carl and his folk. They have been envious of this farm for years after his dad sold up to the corporations. He came to Mass with his wife, and daughter, Kitty, but he has a mean spirit."
"Now, Tom, don't go judging anyone. Carl and I have had words for years but that is different than purposefully getting someone in trouble with the law."
Tom said nothing. Yes, there were strangers at the Mass, but no one minded then. This confrontation would make them all more cautious. Thankfully, Mass was being held in the Big House and not in the cave.
"Christine, wait two hours and then take hot food to the Bishop. James, go with her and stay clear of the farm. We shall go about our work as usual today." Uncle Jay got up and whispered something to Marcus. He smiled a big toothy smile. The two men left and Tom put the guns away in the locked cabinet. "Weren't loaded, anyway," he muttered.
Christine made a large pot pie, a smaller fruit pie and two large thermoses of tea. The Bishop did not drink coffee. Then, she and James waited for the alloted time. They did not talk. James suggested a rosary. So, in the orange dawn, the two prayed to Mary, the Mother of all, and then took the food to the cavern.
The farm lands seemed extraordinarily beautiful this morning. The fog lifted and left silver drops on the grass and bare trees. No snow had yet fallen, but the air was cold and the fog freezing. Christine knew that snow would come soon. Addie bounded away before them, chasing a male pheasant. James knew how to be "on patrol" and looked about himself carefully. He softly called to Addie and told the dog to go home. Addie obeyed. The dog at the door of the cave would be a give-away sign.
Addie ran back the way they came as the two lowered themselves into the darkness. Christine's wrist, completely healed, without bandage or brace, proved a useful aid to her scrambling down the path and rough stairs. The two had decided not to use flashlights until absolutely necessary. Finally, as the first white iron door, they unlocked the tracery and went into the large room. The Bishop was not there, so the brother and sister went into the chapel. There, in the front of the small pews, knelt the old priest. He was hunched over and breathing with difficulty. James went up to him. "Your excellency, are you alright?"
Bishop Seamus turned to the younger man. The Bishop's face was white and pained. "My heart, James. Tomorrow, I shall ordain you. There is not much time."
"But, I am not ready," replied James. "You are more ready than most, James and I may not have much time. We can talk about it now." Christine indicated that she had brought food and the three went back to the large room. There, in comfort and in style, she laid a table fit for a Bishop. As she did this, she smiled to herself, thinking of Lady Elizabeth Christine Magdalen Thatcham. Whether the Lady had a cave or not, Christine imagined she laid a table now and then for a hiding bishop.
After dinner, the two men talked of the necessary details of the Ordination. Then, they went back to the chapel for a while. Christine sat down and picked up a book which was on one of the end tables. It was Edmund Campion: A Life, by Evelyn Waugh. Not being a romantic, Christine shivered at the reality of martyrdom. What would have happened to Bishop Seamus is the men would have found him and taken him away? What would have happened to Uncle Jay, and Tom, and Marcus? What would happen to James and herself?
As she was thinking, the two men came out into the large room. After a cup of tea, the two siblings said goodbye Bishop Seamus. Tomorrow, at dawn, James was summoned for ordination. All the household was invited. It would be the first Mass in sixty years in the cavern chapel.
to be continued...