Prior Thurgot gazed unseeingly as the messenger departed his residence since his mind was transporting him back to Melrose many years before. She had been known to him then as Edith but now was Queen of England and went by the name of Matilda. Many of her subjects labelled her Mathilda bona regina as she was a woman of exceptional holiness, fit to rival her mother in piety. Queen Matilda was renowned for her generosity towards the Church, founding and supporting cloisters and hospitals for lepers. At Lent, she attended services barefoot and people spoke fondly of how she washed the feet and kissed the hands of the sick.
Mathilda bona regina She had contacted him after many years, imploring him to write a biography of her mother, Margaret of Scotland. Of course, he had accepted the task la
