Chapter SevenThe day dragged with an endless t*****e and Lara proved fragile, reluctant to venture even to the bathrooms downstairs. She wore cotton gloves, an apron and a facemask to protect the manuscripts as she performed her delicate work on them. The media reported the existence of the priest hole, but the books remained a well-kept secret. Once she’d stabilised and copied them, there might be something to show the world. They would only ever see the copies.
Lara used a fine brush and archival powder to dust the delicate pages of the manuscripts; each page dealt with painstaking care. The covers were filthy, sealed inside four centuries worth of dust and debris. Partially protected by a sackcloth bag, they’d remained hidden from the first visitors to the hiding place. But still open
