On Hoos’s return to Würzburg, a maidservant informed him that Theresa had gone out in the company of her stepmother, who wanted to pick up some clothes, and the young woman talked of taking a stroll in the fortress gardens. Hoos took off his weapons, washed his face, and went out to find her.
He discovered her sitting on a tree stump in one of the orchards. Coming up behind her, he gently stroked her hair. She turned in surprise, revealing a sad smile on her face. When she told him that she needed to find her father, he promised to help her.
They crossed the cloister under the arcades to protect themselves from the wind. Hoos picked some flowers and made a clumsy adornment for her hair. Theresa smelled of clean, damp grass. As they walked she huddled up to him, and he slid an arm around her waist and whispered that he loved her. Theresa closed her eyes so that she would never forget those words.
They ran to the bedroom that had been allotted to her, hoping that nobody would interrupt them, but they didn’t come across a soul. She went in first and he closed the door behind them.
Hoos kissed her passionately, exploring her throat, her neck, her chin. He held her in his arms as if he wanted to keep her there forever. Theresa felt the heat of his body, his excited breathing, his confident lips discovering another trembling place to kiss—and she liked all of it. Hoos caressed her brazenly, noticing the goose bumps on the girl’s skin, her desire growing with each of his kisses. He felt the firmness of her nipples, throbbing under her clothes. He slid his lips across her body, feeling her almost shameful softness.
She allowed him to undress her, to envelop her with his tongue, to warm her with his whispering. With each moment she wanted him more, and with each caress she longed for another, more forbidden touch.
She shuddered when his manhood brushed against her, feeling ashamed as she asked him, moaning, to penetrate her. He entered her slowly, pushing his way into her, overcome with lust. She held him tight, wrapping her legs about him, feeling his excitement, his movements, every pore of his skin. She rocked in time with his hips, wanting him inside her, faster and faster, harder and harder. She whispered for more, for it to never end, as her cheeks flushed, making her look like a harlot. Then, gradually, waves of pleasure radiated through her belly, time and time again, until she felt like she would lose her mind.
He loved her, and she loved him back. When Hoos pulled away, she stroked his shoulders, his strong arms, and the strange serpent tattooed on his wrist.
When Theresa woke, she saw that Hoos was already dressed and was smiling at her. She thought to herself that the leather jerkin and dyed woolen trousers made him look like a prince. The young man told her that he had to go to the royal storehouses to help share out the rations, but as soon as he finished, he would be back to kiss her again. She stretched and asked him to hold her. Hoos planted a kiss on her lips, then stroked her cheek before leaving the room.
A moment later someone knocked on the door. Theresa supposed it would be Hoos, so she ran to open it still half-naked, but before her appeared Alcuin’s face, with a grim expression on it. The monk asked to come in, and she assented as she covered herself. The willowy figure paced up and down the room before stopping to give her a slap.
“May I ask what you think you’re doing?” he blurted out in indignation. “Do you think anyone will believe the miracle if you go about merrymaking with the first person who crosses your path?”
Theresa reddened from shame, looking at him with trepidation. She had never seen him so worked up.
“What if somebody saw you? Or if that Hoos opens his big mouth?”
“I… I didn’t.”
“For goodness’ sake, Theresa! Your mother has just confessed to me that she saw him leaving your room, so don’t start acting all prudish now.”
“I’m sorry!” She burst into tears. “I love him.”
“Oh! You love him do you? So marry him and start having children! In fact, why not go the market first and announce to all and sundry that you have carnal knowledge of Hoos—that the revenant has found a more pleasurable angel, and they should devote the chapel they want to build in your honor to the Devil himself!”
Alcuin sat down, his nerves in shreds.
Theresa didn’t know what to say.
He drummed his fingers on the chair, looking her up and down. Finally, he stood. “You must stop seeing him. At least for a while. Until people have calmed down and forgotten about the fire.”
Theresa agreed, red-faced.
Alcuin nodded several times, then blessed her before leaving the room without another word.
Moments later her stepmother appeared. Rutgarda, who had stayed overnight at her sister’s house, had been waiting outside for Alcuin to leave. She walked in without a greeting, her eyes fixed on her stepdaughter. Though Rutgarda was much shorter than her, she took Theresa by the shoulders and shook her hard, telling her that she was a brainless little tart. With her behavior, Rutgarda assured her, she wasn’t only putting herself in danger, but also giving ammunition to those who were accusing Gorgias of murder. She gave her such a talking to that Theresa wished she were deaf. She loved her father, but the situation was becoming unbearable. She wanted Würzburg to disappear from the face of the earth, for every last inhabitant to vanish, so she could be alone with Hoos. She didn’t care what they would say, or what they thought would happen to them. She just wanted to be beside him. She would leave the fortress and ask Hoos to take her away from that awful place, to go with her to Fulda, where her lands and her slaves would give them a new life. There they could grow old together in peace, with no more fear or lies.
Without stopping to reflect, she left Rutgarda standing there and ran outside, covering herself with an old habit. As a group of servants were leaving the fortress, she mingled with them to pass through the gates and head to the granaries.
The royal storehouses stood on a hilltop in the northernmost part of the city, protected by a thick wall and connected to the fortress via an underground passage. Access was normally gained through that passage, and the gates that opened onto the streets of the citadel were only used when needed. When Theresa arrived in the area, a crowd had gathered at the entrance, waiting for the rations to be distributed.