The Price of Justice by Tasmin Turner

Author:Tasmin Turner [Turner, Tasmin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-07-05T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seventeen

The group met about half an hour later outside the Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Church in Ljubljana. The men were looking respectable and soberly attired. Kit had dressed in an outfit she found in a package from Sergei. A silver peplum tunic fell in graceful folds to her hips, over a long matching skirt. She had tied the fine linen scarf around her shoulders, but Natalia started fussing and tied it over her head.

Kit felt a sense of suppressed excitement mixed with trepidation. She had always loved to dress up as a young girl, and this felt like another costume. Her curiosity about Father Peter was overwhelming. She couldn’t imagine Sergei deferring to anyone, and she wanted to get the measure of the Father. This eminence gris behind Sergei, the great manipulator, must be a fascinating person in his own right.

A young man dressed in clerical black greeted them at the entrance and invited them into the historic building that showcased the architectural style of the Russian Orthodox Church. The interior of the church was richly decorated with icons, frescoes, and other religious artwork. As they walked through the cloisters, she could smell the aroma of frankincense resin burning at the altar. The cloister seemed such an ordered, calm environment, far from the struggles of the secular world.

The young man, perhaps a seminarian, ushered them into a meeting room and indicated that they should wait. A few moments later, a tall, impressive man entered the room, clad in the garb of a Russian Orthodox priest. The others greeted him, saying, “Peace be with you, Father.” Kit murmured the same words after them, doing her best to fit in.

Father Peter had an imperious bearing. He held himself erect, and from his considerable height, well over six feet, he looked down on them. Garbed in a black cassock with a pectoral cross around his neck, he wore a stiff, cylindrical head covering, like a stovepipe hat but without the brim, that made his presence even more imposing by adding to his height. Under his arm, he held a large, ornate chessboard. Kit reflected that he emanated a sense of focused power that was different to the Church of England clergy she had met in New Zealand. The latter had seemed down-to-earth and approachable, whereas Father Peter, with his full beard, black robes, and impressive height, was charismatic, if intimidating. His striking blue eyes surveyed them, stopping to take in everything about each person before moving on to the next. When his gaze finally settled on Kit, she felt mesmerized. It was as if they were the only two people in the room. Even her awareness of Sergei receded into the background. She felt that he was assessing her to decide whether she could be a threat.

Sergei interrupted the moment when he stepped forward and presented a gift to Father Peter, who accepted it with a nod and handed it to his assistant. It was a beautifully wrapped parcel, and based on its size and shape, Kit guessed it could be an icon for the Father’s personal devotions.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.