Sebastian Gloom

The Cardinal

     Sister Julianna, one of the Sisters of Plenitude who lived in the Saint Margaret's nunnery, was one of the rare female members of Exercitus Dei. She was changing Father Anthony's bandages when Father Cleese entered the holding house to tell him that Cardinal Francis Bertone had arrived from Rome and was waiting for him in Manchester Cathedral. Father Anthony groaned as the nun, dressed in the clothes of an ordinary housewife in order to preserve the house's secrecy, helped him back into his clothes, also those of a common working man. The cardinal had come to accept delivery of Philip Cranston’s Solomon Bottle. It would be extremely embarrassing to have to tell him that they had lost it.

     “Well, best to get it over with,” he muttered as he eased himself into a scruffy coat, the stitches pulling painfully at the wound in his side. “Putting it off won’t make it any easier.” He looked at the manacles hanging from the bare, bloodstained wall. The manacles that had recently contained Gideon. The safecracker was now at the bottom of the river, courtesy of Father May, who had accomplished his execution with much less fuss and bother than Father Anthony had managed his.

     Why did I ever think it was a good idea to hire that man? he berated himself. That man and his infernal sister. It should have been such a simple task. Just sneak into the house, open the safe, grab the bottle and sneak out again. How could the damned man have made such an almighty pig’s ear of it? Father Anthony had enjoyed an excellent reputation until recently. Now, because of the Kettles, he would be the laughing stock of Exercitus Dei. He hoped that God had set aside an especially hot corner of Hell for the pair of them.

     The three of them left the house and walked half a mile until they reached a busier part of town, where they caught a cab to take them the rest of the way to St Bennett's Church on Market Street, where they changed back into their normal clerical vestments. Sister Julianna then left to return to the nunnery until Father Anthony's bandages needed changing again, a task that could not be entrusted to a common doctor because of the need for secrecy. As soon as she was out of sight the two priests took a cab to the cathedral.

     The Archbishop of Manchester, the Most Reverend Lewis Collins, came to greet them as they entered and led them through to the Russell Room, a room set aside from the rest of the cathedral where private meetings could be held, away from the wagging ears of worshippers of whom there were always at least a dozen even at the most unsocial hours of the night. The Cardinal was inside, silently contemplating the icon of the Virgin Mary that stood in an alcove in the far wall, and he didn't turn as the Archbishop announced them. The Archbishop then turned and left. He wasn't a member of Exercitus Dei and so couldn’t be privy to what was about to be discussed.

    The Cardinal, as expected, took the news with a frown of disappointment. “This is very unfortunate,” he said as the two priests hung their heads with shame. “His Holiness was hoping for some good news. This rebellious organisation needs to be destroyed, and the sooner the better.”

     Something in the tone of his voice caused a shiver of apprehension to run up Father Anthony's spine. Father Cleese evidently felt it too as he shared a worried glance with his companion. “Has something happened?” he asked apprehensively.

     The Cardinal hesitated before speaking, as if his message would carry so much weight and impact that he had to struggle to find the words to convey them. “His Holiness gathered all his cardinals together on Easter Sunday to make an announcement,” he finally said. “To answer some rumours that have been circulating for some years now. You may have heard these rumours yourselves.”

     “There are always rumours,” replied Father Anthony. “Wise men do not pay attention to them.”

     “Quite right,” replied the Cardinal, “except that these rumours have been steadily growing stronger and more pervasive. His Holiness decided that they could no longer be ignored, and so he prayed to God for enlightenment, for the truth to be revealed to him. The convocation of cardinals was so that he could pass on to them what God had revealed to him.”