conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Do you know a plot for a book about Elave, Fortunata, Jevan entitled The Heretic's Apprentice?
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: The Heretic's Apprentice: The story takes place from 19 to 27 June 1143.\nJust across the Channel, so close to home, William of Lythwood dies after a seven-year pilgrimage to the Holy Land.\nHis servant Elave carries his master's body back home to Shrewsbury, straight to the Abbey where the funeral will take place.\nElave shares the sad news with William's wool- and vellum-trading household in town, and delivers the dowry gift meant for Fortunata, his foster daughter.\nNot all the household is happy to see Elave return to town.\nHis insecure replacement for the clerking work charges Elave with heresy, charges taken all too seriously by a visiting Augustinian canon from the Archbishop of Canterbury.\nAbbot Radulfus handles this issue with due seriousness, but with a cooler head than the peremptory canon.\nOnce aware that his job is in no way threatened by Elave, Aldwin leaves to recant his charges at the Abbey.\nHis body is found in the river next morning by Cadfael.\nSheriff Hugh Beringar and Madoc of the Dead Boat join to hunt for the killer.\nElave is surprised by Fortunata, grown beautiful while he was away.\nOthers in the household are taken more by the new dowry unseen in a magnificent box.\nFortunata, drawn into the testimony about the supposed heresies, is drawn also to Elave.\nFor his safety from the canon, Elave is held in a solitary cell in the Abbey, now a suspect of both heresy and murder.\nGirard of Lythwood returns home, gone just a week to get the local wool clip ready to sell, to learn all the changes at once: his uncle home from his pilgrimage but dead and buried; his clerk murdered; his head shepherd Conan taken by the Sheriff; Elave home and suspected.\nHe opens the box with Fortunata's dowry, finding 570 silver pennies.\nFather Elias will not bury Aldwin until he knows he confessed and was absolved.\nAldwin confessed to Father Eadmer, replacing Father Boniface on the festival day; this settles his burial in blessed ground, and removes guilt of his murder from Elave due to the time of Aldwin's encounter with Father Eadmer, during Vespers.\nThe beautiful old box comes to the Abbey in a failed appeal to use its contents as bail for Elave.\nBrother Anselm examines the box, noting its likely use to hold a valuable book.\nElave and Brother Cadfael have their first chance to hear and hold it since Elave arrived five days earlier, both aware it has changed in sound and weight.\nCadfael and Hugh ask Conan more questions about the night before William's funeral before Hugh releases him, free of suspicion of Aldwin's murder.\nCadfael seeks a motive for the murder of Aldwin.\nFortunata gives her Uncle Jevan the box, in hopes she will learn the original contents.\nCadfael and Hugh seek Fortunata, fearing for her safety.\nJevan heads to his workshop near Frankwell when he notices the key to it is missing at home.\nFortunata is searching his workshop for the missing box, thoroughly but without success.\nJevan faces Fortunata, slowly confessing how he killed Aldwin, believing (wrongly) that Aldwin had seen the contents of the box, as Jevan had, before Girard returned.\nHe covets that ancient book.\nBut he loves his niece; he is frozen in indecision, while Fortunata believes he will not kill her.\nHugh and Cadfael arrive.\nHugh calls to Jevan, with his good news of Conan.\nJevon slips a knife up his sleeve as he grabs Fortunata close to him.\nHugh sees it, as does Elave, arriving by foot from the Abbey.\nWith tensions high, all in this scene act as normal, to part Jevan and his niece.\nUnseen by the others, Elave sets fire to the workshop to make Jevan free Fortunata.\nJevan runs into the blaze to fetch his prize from the thatched roof.\nOn fire himself, he runs to the river, but cannot swim, holding the box with both hands.\nBishop Roger de Clinton arrives at the Abbey to resolve Elave's case.\nIt is heard the next morning.\nThough not to Canon Gerbert's satisfaction, the Bishop calmly questions Elave, deciding that there is no heretic before him.\nThe canon proceeds on his errand to Earl Ranulf, now home again in Chester.\nHugh arrives to tell them Jevan's body was found, and lays the well-wrapped package on the table in front of Anselm.\nFortunata wishes it opened before witnesses.\nThe beautiful box and its contents are unharmed by fire or river.\nThe true dowry for Fortunata is a psalter, a gift from Otto I to his son's wife Theofanu in honour of their marriage in 972, nearly two centuries earlier, a magnificent melding of art styles from the East and the West.\nDiarmaid, an Irish monk of Saint Gall, inscribed it.\nIn awe of the beauty of its images of King David, illuminations, and colours, all declare it beyond price.\nFortunata considers her dowry gift carefully, choosing to give it to her Bishop, Roger de Clinton, for the diocesan library.\nHe says he cannot pay her near its value.\nShe has money for it already, and the best gift that William sent her was Elave.\nThe Bishop returns to Coventry with his gift.\nThe bereaved family of Girard of Lythwood begins to heal its wounds and start life anew.