“And what did Catarine say to you?”
“I don’t remember clearly …”
“Because she never makes much sense,” Cristophe interrupted.
“Something about someone who knew me and would teach me. She acted like she already knew who I was. Marie Villiers said I was to pay no attention to her.”
“Marie is a good woman but she does not always give good advice. Tell me exactly what Catarine said, if you can remember it, even if it does not make sense to you.”
“She said I would learn things. And that someone was still here. At one point she seemed to wonder if I was the ‘right one.’ I had no idea what she meant.”
“Hunh.” Cristophe grunted. His eyes shifted to the side and fixed on a large vase of flowers on a shelf behind her.
“What do you make of it?” Sophie asked, bringing his attention back.
“I don’t know. Not yet. Perhaps nothing.”
“Why did Marie Villiers tell me not to pay any attention?”
“Because they are looking for two different things, those women. Or rather, they are looking for the same thing and they just don’t know it.”
“What do you mean?” In her mind Zélie saw Catarine stalking away down the street and Mlle Villiers talking, talking , talking.
“Marie is looking for things—stones, records, little churches …”
“She is also looking for a well,” Zélie suddenly remember Mlle Villiers talking almost to herself in the cloister.
“Is she now?” Cristophe was suddenly alert.
“Yes, she said, oh I wasn’t paying much attention. It was on my first day and she was showing me so many things …”
“Think back,” Christophe encouraged.
Zélie was silent, remembering the smells of the cloister and all the clutter they had had to climb over.
“She said something about a connection that no one else had made and she was sure she could find the well. I really did not pay much attention because everything was new. But you said both women were looking for something. Is Catarine looking for a well, too?”
“No. Catarine already knows about the well.”
“Well, then why …?”
“What she knows is not what Marie Villiers wants to learn.”
“What is Catarine looking for then?” This was all making about as much sense as anything else in the town.
“Catarine is looking for something that happened.”