A Brother's Love - Book 3 - The Frencolian Chronicles (complete)

Chapter Thirty-One

Louis breathed a sigh of relief one evening when, with Luke's help, the cavity was finished and made to appear that it never existed.

As soon as the snow melted, John would fetch the other three books. Meantime, all the copies were now complete. Soon, they would begin more.

During the smuggling operation of the last two copies, disaster struck. 

No one knew how the secret scheme had been detected, but the Doctor, Ivan, was caught with the books in his bag, after having visited the manor house. Three visitors who had been staying in Ivan's home, together with his wife, Nancy, and their young child, were transported that day, with Ivan, to the capital, with the Gospel volumes.

A house-to-house search was ordered in Chanoine. When no Gospel Books were reported discovered, Reeve Garrett became furious. He ordered for everyone in the manor house to be interrogated, one by one, from the smallest child to the oldest adult.

"We must find the originals! The king urgently requires every original Gospel Book. He'll have our heads if we don't send him the books from which the copies were made."

The extended manor house family were herded together and commanded to wait, in silence, in the great hall.

One by one, they were summoned back to the small hall.

The Chatelains were sure that it was little four-year-old Sam who inadvertently gave the clue to the Reeve, that there were books at the mountain cottage. In spite of the snow, a large company was sent up the mountainside with orders: 'Tear the place apart.'

They returned with the three originals that had been hidden in a chest, buried under the wood in the woodshed.

When the Reeve ordered that Shepherd John, his wife Jane with the small boy Sam, be sent to the capital with the Books, Louis protested.

Ignoring the knights, who had moved close to the Reeve, Chatelain pleaded, "I'm to blame, Garrett, take me! These people are innocent. Why send the pupils when you have their instructor?"

Chatelain's question and surrender confused the Reeve. After discussion with his knights, he sent a company to Frencberg, to inquire of the king as to what action should be taken; did the king want the shepherd, or Sir Louis, or both?

Four long days passed.

Chatelain was called to the front doors, right after breakfast. A small company stood before him.

"Felix!" Louis rushed to embrace his long-time friend.

Felix didn't recognize his master at first. The great loss of weight and removal of his beard, made him look a different man. However, they were soon talking together in the small hall like old friends, trying to catch up on time lost during their separation.

Felix exclaimed at the change in Luke and Jobyna; how much they'd grown; it was over eighteen months since he had seen them.

"You're still as skinny as a bean-pole, Miss Jobyna, though much taller; and Luke, you've filled out, you look more like your father, now."

Luke didn't believe he looked like his father at all. He looked like himself!

The children, bored with adult talk, moved off when the knight called Felix said he wished to be alone with their father and mother. Shepherd John was playing games with all the children in the great hall and that would be much more fun.

Felix told Chatelain and his wife about the dreadful state of affairs in Frencolia. "The king has an obsession with seizing all Gospel Books. Many of the partly finished ones have been burnt. I heard of a whole family in Mayhew who were put to the sword, including a baby..." Felix halted at Elissa's cry. He then continued, "I'm sorry to be the one to tell you, but your doctor, Ivan, was hanged yesterday."