The silence of the abbey closed around Madeline like a shroud.
Everything within the abbey was wrought in hues of white: the walls were white-washed and the nuns wore identical garb of undyed linen. Veils covered their hair and wimples covered their throats, only their hands and faces—which were all pale—were revealed even to each other. A faint melodic chant from the chapel carried through the tranquil corridors, the sound muted and bleak instead of celebratory. Even the sunlight that slanted through the high windows seemed as pale as milk.
The bells at the gate would seem to be out of character. Madeline wondered whether Thomas was responsible for their very presence.
As she followed a nun to a small chamber where she could refresh herself, Madeline had the eerie sense that she walked
