Summary

Part V is titled “March 1346-December 1348.” In Chapter 43, Caris has been a nun for seven years; yet,she finds that she still lacks patience. Caris disapproves of many of the physician monks' treatments, especially bleeding patients and using dung in poultices. A young nun named Mair catches Caris off guard and kisses her. She encounters a man who identifies himself as Gilbert of Hereford urinating in an inappropriate place and chastises him for it. Later, Caris and Mair catch Gilbert stealing valuable items from their place in the library. Caris fights with Gilbert and Mair knocks him out with a wooden cross.

In Chapter 44, Godwyn sentences Gilbert to be flayed, meaning he will literally be skinned while he is still alive. Philemon tells Godwyn of an argument between peasants in a nearby village. Godwyn ignores tradition and right and finds in...