Free Lilies for Love by Felicity Pulman

the harvest.
    Agnes was working on her other side, and Janna took the first opportunity she could to draw her friend aside. Before she could say anything, Agnes dug her in the ribs and said, loud enough for Mus to hear, 'I see your new beau isn't wasting any time in getting to know you better, Janna.'
    Cursing inwardly, Janna gave a merry peal of laughter and tried to look coy. 'Don't leave me alone with him, not even for a moment,' she hissed out of the side of her mouth.
    'Do you think he means to seduce you?' Fortunately her years of training in how to speak unobserved prompted Agnes to discretion now. Janna could only just hear her words.
    'No, not that! I believe he means me harm. I'll tell you all about it later.' Janna gave another peal of girlish laughter and resumed her position next to Mus. If he was an emissary from Robert, he could only have her destruction in mind. It must happen soon, for Robert would be desperate to silence her and would have instructed Mus accordingly.
    Mus? Rat, more like! She glanced sideways, this time responding to his smile with a flirtatious fluttering of eyelashes and a quick toss of the head. Under no circumstances must he think her afraid of him, nor must she let down her guard. Her muscles tightened, her heart throbbed urgently in response to the threat he posed. She felt as if she was sitting on a pile of dry tinder just waiting for a spark, for the conflagration to begin. 'Let him do his worst,' she muttered under her breath. 'Just let him try !'
    As if he'd read her thoughts, or even heard what she'd said, although Janna didn't think it possible, Mus sidled even closer to her. Just as Janna braced herself to foil his next move, Agnes gave a sudden groan. She dropped the heavy bundle of cut sheaves she'd collected, and sat down abruptly. She bent over, clutching her stomach with one hand and massaging her sore shoulder with the other.
    'What's wrong?' Janna asked urgently, stepping out of Mus's reach as she bent to help her friend.
    'Nothing. Nothing.' Agnes tried to struggle to her feet. Before Janna could lift her, the bailiff was there with his hand outstretched and his face creased with concern.
    'You must rest a while in the shade, Sister Agnes,' he said firmly. Not giving Agnes any chance to disagree, he picked her up and carried her off.
    Startled, Janna watched them, smothering a grin as she noticed Sister Martha. The lay sister had straightened and was staring after the odd couple with an outraged expression. The gnat would have a wonderful time in chapter for certes, but Janna determined she would speak up for her friend and make it clear to the prioress that the bailiff's action had been kindly meant and that Agnes had had no choice in the matter.
    The bailiff had now settled Agnes under the shade of a tree. He handed her a leather bottle. Janna swallowed over a suddenly dry mouth as she watched Agnes take a long drink and hand the bottle back to the bailiff. She said something to him, and they both laughed. Janna hoped her friend would be all right, that she wouldn't be sent back to the abbey, but she didn't like to break her own labour to enquire. Besides, watching the bailiff hover solicitously, she felt sure Agnes was in good hands.
    She stooped over the fallen wheat dropped by Agnes, gathered the sheaf together, then deftly twisted several straws into a long tie to bind it up before hefting the heavy bundle to one side to be collected.
    Uneasily aware that she was vulnerable without her friend's protection, Janna moved forward to rejoin the group, taking care to ensure that she was as far from Mus as possible.
    As the morning wore on, Janna looked up periodically to check on Agnes's welfare. Once the lay sister seemed to be rising, ready to return to the fields. The bailiff stooped and spoke seriously to her, and she sank back onto her grassy cushion. He sat down beside her. Curious, Janna watched them and wondered what they were saying. Agnes looked solemn. She bent