Chapter 13 - 1299
Lois and Kontostephanos wished Widow Emilia, the cook in Provence’s manor, good morning, as she greeted them with a censer with burning blessed olive tree leaves. Emilia had been a beautiful woman once, but the deep lines on her prematurely wrinkled, weather-beaten face attested to the hardships of a life full of backbreaking work and sorrow.
They said a silent prayer, swinging their open hand over the censer three times, and made the sign of the cross dutifully. Every morning and every evening, Lois kept her promise to God and never once failed to say her prayers, serene in the conviction that the Lord would hold to their understanding, and Nicholas would return home safely.
They took the ration of bread, cheese, raisins, and walnuts that Emilia had prepared for them
