'Primroses and cowslips for you and your ladies.'
She placed some bunches before them.
'All picked with my own hands from God's own garden.'
Richard produced a silver coin.
She stared in amazement.
'Sorry, Reverence ... I don't have no change.'
Richard squeezed the coin into her hand. 'Keep it and God be with you.'
The old woman made the Sign of the Cross and shuffled backwards, touching her forehead and bowing.
'God bless you ... God bless Your Reverence.'
She reached the door and Richard called after her.
'Remember ... don't give it to any old friar who wants to sell you absolution. He'll only spend it on wine.'
'Yes ... I'll remember.'
She touched her forehead and vanished.
Richard handed round the flowers.
Betty put hers in a basket. 'I'll give them to Sister Alice when I go to the almshouse for our meeting.'
'What meeting?'
'It's for the midwives ... You're not invited.'
'I thought the almshouse was for old people.'
'It's for the poor and needy ... That's what Alice says.'
'Struth! Has she told Richie Rochell that?'
'Master Rochell approves and so does Master Baret.'
'Hmm …' Richard split the ends of the primroses and started to make a flower chain. 'What are you going to talk about at your meeting?'
'Babies and how they get born.'
'I thought a big bird brought them.'
'You're a man ... you would say that.'
Betty adjusted her girdle.
'You don't know anything about the suffering a mother has to go through. There was a young girl this morning. Her poor little child was delivered before time and she knew it wouldn't live. She was distraught. She thought its soul wouldn't be received into the Kingdom of Heaven because there was no priest there to baptise it. Alice said you didn't need a priest. She said anyone could do it if the child looked like it was going to die.'
Thomas Draper leant forward 'What happened then?'
'Alice did it. She didn't even immerse the infant ... just made the Holy Sign and spoke the Holy Words. She said them in English. You don't need Latin because God speaks all languages. He'll understand no matter what one you use ... That's what Alice says.'
'She's one of us,' Thomas was ecstatic. 'The Good Lord sent her to dwell amongst us.'
'The child was dead when she baptised it,' Betty added. 'The brothers say it has to be alive. Alice says you have to think about the mother. You can't just cast her baby aside like it's worth nothing. God wouldn't do that ... and He doesn't need no monk to tell Him what to do.'