The Order of the Angels

Chapter 5 Politics in Tuscany.

     Brother Bernardo and the Doctor were cleaning the kitchen while the Doctor told brother Bernardo about his home in Canterbury,  a place he had visited many times, and his favorite kind of cheese, cheddar, when there was a great tumult from the courtyard. There was a sound of many horses' hooves and men shouting. 

     Brother Bernardo left the kitchen and walked out the door of the monks living quarters followed by the Doctor. The two men walked around the side of the building to the front of the church and were met by a group of no less than ten soldiers on horseback followed by a carriage. The carriage door opened and a man wearing black church robes exited. The man stretched and yawned and when he saw the Doctor and brother Bernardo he called, "You two, fetch the head of this church." 

     "Right away." brother Bernardo called out and turned to get brother Alonzo. 

     The Doctor followed him and asked. "Do you know who that man is?"

     "He is a representative of the bishop of Tuscany." brother Bernardo said.  The two men walked back to the living quarters and when they got to the door of the kitchen brother Bernardo told the Doctor, "Wait here I will go speak with brother Alonzo.

     The Doctor asked Brother Bernardo, "May I use your kitchen and ingredients?" 

     Brother Bernardo responded, "Of course." He pointed at a door next to the kitchen and said, That is the larder. I will be back as quickly as I can."

     The Doctor took a good look in the kitchen and found a large basket of lemons, he found a jar of honey, He went to the door of the larder opened it, and went down five stairs into the small room that was the larder. The Doctor was able to see as there was a window at ground level. The window had no glass but a fine mesh instead that allowed the cool night air in to settle in the larder. There were buckets of milk covered with a thin cloth, wheels of cheese, sausages hung from the ceiling, eggs, butter, as well as dried fish hung on a line. The Doctor grabbed four large eggs a small amount of butter and went back up the stairs to the kitchen. The Doctor found a wooden whisk, a saucepan, and a ceramic pot that would hold about two cups of liquid. He took a knife and peeled the lemons and cut the zest very fine, and juiced the lemons into the saucepan. He added just under a cup of honey and the eggs he would have liked to have left the whites of two of the eggs out but he didn't want to waste food. He placed the saucepan over a small section of coals in the fire and started whisking briskly. After five minutes he added the butter that he had cut up into small cubes and began stirring briskly again. The Doctor added a pinch of flour to act as a thickener and he began whisking vigorously until the mix began to bubble so the Doctor removed the saucepan from the heat added a pinch of salt and mixed it for another few minutes. He took the warm curd and put it into the ceramic pot he found and placed it down in the larder. He went back to the kitchen to clean the saucepan when he heard voices in the hallway.  He opened the door to find Brother Bernardo who was coming into the kitchen to grab a picture of water and a towel. He followed brother Bernardo and brother Alonzo back outside where brother Bernardo began pouring water over brother Alonzo's hands. Brother Alonzo rubbed his hands vigorously and then dried his hands with the towel brother Bernardo provided.  The two men headed for the front of the church and The Doctor followed them as they went to address the stranger. 

     Brother Alonzo walked to the stranger and said, "Greetings, welcome to Chiesa de Carrara. So good to see you again capellanus Albizzi."

     The capellanus bowed slightly and said,  "Good to see you again as well brother Alonzo, I am here on an official visit as the representative of the bishop." 

     Brother Alonzo bowed again, and said, "Of course our humble home is at the disposal of the capellanus. Might I inquire to the nature of this visit to better serve your needs?"