A Lost Touch of Innocence
Chapter One
"Wicked girl," the Abbess of Kerwick hissed. "How dare you befoul the walls of
God's house with your unclean presence?"
"I did nothing wrong," Giselle insisted, her voice catching. She stood facing the
Abbess in the courtyard of Kerwick Abbey, a gray drizzle of rain dampening her
threadbare woolen bliaut, adding to her deepening misery. Though she knew it was
likely useless, she turned to the Bishop of Ravenswood, her gaze pleading. "I had naught
to do with Sister Anne choking. Please believe me."
The Bishop's gaze was empty of warmth, as it ever had been when he deigned to
look at her. "It was inevitable that your dam's tainted blood would reveal itself."
Giselle reared back, her hand pressed to her throat. "But-"
"Silence," the Abbess snarled, before she slapped Giselle's cheek. "Your place is
not to question."
Giselle instinctively moved her hand to cradle her burning cheek, though she
scarcely felt the pain. Behind the Abbess and the Bishop, a group of nuns stood
watching. As Giselle looked from one to another, each dropped her gaze. Sister Alice, ... read full excerpt from A Lost Touch of Innocence ebook
