Victoria Chase met the love of her life at church.
One of her few friends in the world, Nathan Prescott, was marrying Taylor Christensen, an old classmate of hers from finishing school. It was a fine affair of great mirth, even if the situation caused Victoria's mother to ask her more than a few times when she might find herself a man as charming as her childhood friend. But however badly this might have disagreed with her under different circumstances, today was different. Today, she had found her own personal answer to that question. And while she could never tell her mother, the important thing was that someone had taken her attention for the first time in ages.
The only problem being, she was a nun.
Or perhaps she was not a nun. Victoria knew little about how the Catholics operated. But she was dressed in a plain white robe with her head covered, surrounded by women in habits. But her eyes were so deep and expressive and when they looked at one another they both smiled warmly and it was perhaps the nicest experience that she had ever gone through in her entire short life.
After throwing rice on newlyweds and bidding Lord Prescott and his lady-love farewell, everyone went their separate ways. Victoria, unable to help herself, decided to at least dip her toe in the water for a moment. She found the nun girl (or whatever it was that she was supposed to call her), giving her a gentle tap on the shoulder. "Excuse me, I'm so terribly sorry if I'm being offensive but... are you a nun?"
The girl turned, her vestments swirling around her in a way that caught Victoria's eye so nicely. She giggled – were nuns allowed to giggle? was that not blasphemy for some reason? Clutching her hands together in front of her, she smiled warmly and shook her head. "Technically, I am not. In order to become a nun, one must undergo a great deal of self-examination, training, and penitence."
Victoria gave her most polite laugh, covering her mouth with her hand. "So much work? Perhaps I've simply been reading too much sensationalist literature, not to mention all the Shakespearean plays, but I thought becoming a nun was a kind of punishment."
"Ah! Goodness no," she said, taking her own turn to laugh politely. "No I am... very much a voluntary novice. I-" Before the girl could resume telling her anything, she was called on by one of her elders. "Well, so much for that conversation. Please, if you should happen to find yourself with a moment to spare, I would not mind receiving a visitor at the mission. Um, I am Sister Kate."
The two shared a brief curtsy. "Charmed. My name is Victoria Chase." Kate's eyes widened upon hearing that surname, but she was already behind and had to rush to catch up with her elders. Victoria allowed herself a private little laugh as she strolled away back toward her home. "Hmm... Sister Kate..."
The town of Arcadia was a modest little seaside destination in Britain, far enough from the center of industry to still be in possession of clear skies, though lacking in all the fantastic amenities Victoria had been spoiled by when she lived in London. So it was that book-reading was often the only entertainment one could depend on when their father wouldn't allow them to work and their mother only wanted them to marry. The thought of visiting a convent should probably have felt like uncharacteristic desperation. But the knowledge that there was a fascinating girl her own age – another thing in short supply these days – was enough of an excuse.
Approaching the heavy wooden doors, she gave a few rapid knocks, then stood back and waited for someone to open them. Eventually she was greeted by a nun in her mid-50s. The age showed on her face more plainly than it did on, for example, her mother. Yet she also seemed much... lighter, if such a term could apply literally, in that she was filled with a kind of glow. "Well hello there, young lady, what can I do for you?"
Victoria suddenly felt like something of a fool. Even if Kate had told her to come visit, surely that was mere politeness. What if she were in the middle of prayers or something important? Not that Victoria considered prayer important, necessarily, but surely these people did. "I was having a conversation with Sister Kate at my friend Nathan's wedding the other day? I had hoped I might come see her since we never got to properly conclude it."
"Ah, then that would make you Miss Victoria. She mentioned that you may be coming by someday. I must admit, when I was told a Chase would be visiting us, I had hoped it might be your father, come to make a donation."
Her father was a notorious penny-pincher, and the idea of him ever giving away his money was laughable. But somehow, she managed to keep herself from offending the nun actually laughing at her suggestion. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, Sister. I'm afraid that would be the biggest miracle of all."
The nun showed her through the mission to the back of the mission where the sisters kept a rather impressive garden. Several of them were outside, working in the hot sun but still wearing their heavy religious garbs. Victoria finally spied Kate, who was also sporting a simple hat to help protect herself. "Sister Kate~! You have a visitor."
"Oh! Thank you Sister Joyce!" She stood up and wiped the sweat from her forehead, cheerfully waving to her. For just a moment, Victoria was filled with an intense sense of joy and her chest somehow felt tight and free at the same time.
Victoria approached the other girl with oddly tentative steps. She was so used to gliding about everywhere she went as though she belonged there. But here, she felt like an intruder on holy ground, only allowed to tread because of this curious angel. "Are you trapped here in your manual labor? Or am I allowed to kidnap you for a time? I thought we might go for a walk and continue our conversation."
Kate giggled once more, and it yet again shattered any preconceived notions she had that religious types were boring or lacking in humor. "Normally it would be frowned upon. But given what I know about your family, I should think I can consider this a ministry for me." She led the way back around the front of the mission and down into the town proper. A marvelous breeze was coming in off the water and the girls decided to explore down near the docks.
"So... You were telling me that you joined voluntarily? I have to admit, I'm fascinated to hear more."
"My parents always believed in the biblical mandate to 'grow fruitful and multiply'. So despite making a less than modest salary, they had me and then two more girls after. While we were able to survive with help from the church, I always felt like it was my duty to find some way to make their lives easier. I love God, and joining the sisterhood meant one less mouth for my family to feed. It was an obvious choice, and I do feel very at-home in the mission." Victoria felt as though Kate's story was somehow... lacking. Were nuns allowed to lie by way of omission? Regardless, she hardly knew her enough to push the subject. So she just allowed herself to believe in that story unless or until it changed.
It also dawned on Victoria that this was perhaps the first time she had really struck up any sort of friendship with a poor person. Granted, Kate was with the church now, making her both more and less poor than she had been with her own family. But none of that mattered, because worrying about someone's financial state was the kind of thing her parents did, had tried to instill in her, and had failed.
"Why were you and the other sisters gardening? I can't say I ever imagined something like that before today."
Kate just smiled patiently, apparently not frustrated by her probing questions. "As a mission rather than a convent, we exist next to and even within society. It would be very easy for us to use the money we collect to buy our own food and supplies. But our vows of poverty include being as self-sufficient and clever with our funds as possible. Sister Joyce, whom you met before, is the one who does a majority of the cooking. She can make a great deal with a small amount."
Victoria fiddled with her hands a little as they continued past a group of fishermen. "For all the things I know, I feel so very ignorant of the affairs of the church. I had always assumed money was funneled back into paying the pastor and repairing the building. I guess I always assumed the worst..."
If Kate was offended, Victoria couldn't tell. "Well, given that rather nasty business with Indulgences and Martin Luther and Henry VIII and... Yes, we can't always be counted on to do the right thing. Which I suppose is why I like the mission so much. Much of our work is focused on helping the poor and feeding the hungry, those things which the Bible tells us we ought to do above all else."
"Lord help me, Sister Kate, you almost make me want to go to church."
Kate laughed again and quickly crossed herself, then lifted her crucifix and kissed it. "It would be an honor to see you around once in a while. Though you may want to be careful about taking the Lord's name in vain."
They continued their walk down and back up through the town until the mission was within view, always talking rather brightly and full of laughter, despite their differences. It sounded as though Kate lived a very busy life indeed. And while she wanted to continue interacting with her further, she knew she had to let her go. Besides, some of those other nuns looked quite sharp, and Victoria had a degree of paranoia at all times that someone would inevitably see through her ruse of normality, and view the real Victoria beneath it all. So she would say farewell to save face. "Well, I won't keep you any longer. There is God's work to be done, eh?"
"Well..." Kate began, pausing to idly fidget with the skirts of her rob and play with her crucifix. "It's true that if I slack off any further today I will have some very grumpy nuns staring me down. But if you should ever find yourself in need of company again, or would like more reasons to come to a service, I would be happy to see you again." She tugged at the brim of her hat, and Victoria had difficulty telling if she was seeing a blush or merely the effect of exposure to sunlight.
Her heart felt oddly tight knowing that she had to say goodbye. Even if they would no doubt interact before long, she had so enjoyed her afternoon that she didn't want it to end. Instead, she just curtsied to Kate with a bright smile. "Far be it from me to deny a lady of the cloth such a humble request. I live a quiet life with my parents until someone actually manages to trick me into marrying them, so finding free time is not an issue."
"Until next time, Miss Chase." Kate gave a bow before Victoria could remind her that using her first name was preferable. As she walked back to her home, she became lost in her head as she tried to decide whether this day had been a success or not. It certainly felt like one, but fancying a woman who was already engaged to God was several sins combined into one. And yet she just felt so filled with joy.
Admittedly, popular theory held that diving off a cliff could also fill one with joy, just before the abrupt landing.