Rachel's eyes widened and filled with tears. "They are all dead, Your Signory. And if any of them were living, I would rather be dead myself than have them know what has happened to me."
"Then Sophia is the only friend you have in the world?" Simon waited a moment, then tried a blind guess. "Perhaps Sophia has gone back to the place where you first met her."
"No, no," said Rachel. Suddenly, she looked terrified. She shrank back from Simon.
She is dreadfully frightened, Simon thought.
Friar Mathieu was right. Sophia was hiding something. Anguish stabbed Simon again.
"What is it, Rachel?" said Friar Mathieu. He shook his head at Simon.
"If you want to help me, if you love her, just leave me alone. She was kind to me as no one else has ever been. She was my friend. Stop trying to find out about her."
What was this girl hiding? What was Sophia hiding? Simon felt as if he were surrounded by enemies, all of them plunging their daggers into him.
"Does a friend send a young girl like you to a brothel?" said Friar Mathieu softly.
This brought no reply from Rachel. She put her hands to her face and sobbed.