Outline to The Heretics

Book 2 The Heretics



Life Changing Event: Teresa’s Mother is accused of being complicit in a plot to scandalize the King. She hides her mom on the Estate, making plans to get her out of the country. Angelina sees Teresa's mother and reports the intrigue to Frey Torquemada. The three are arrested.

Foreshadowing: The exchange of rings.

Dramatic Premise: Zealotry leads to Human Suffering

The three Crises:

The Kings Compromise
The Kings Anguish
The Conspirators


Prologue: Queen Isabella’s position on the Holy Office is put forth, the intimacy of her marriage is shown and the symbolism of the earring is introduced.

Chapter 1 Frey Thomas Torquemada and Reverend Mother Consuelo Sanchez inspect the tapestries. Angelina has a discussion with her solicitor and receives an invitation to Carlos Knighting. The family meets and Carlos explains his discovery of the key to decipher the volumes while Maria gets the family ready for the Knighting ceremony. Antonio reads Consuelo's letter. Louisa and Brother Juan discuss how the King's ring is to be stolen.

Chapter 2: Ricardo’s first order of business is to secure the legers, try and decode them and see if the Guest Roster can provide any clues to the full story of what is going on. It shows the names of many notable and power people have been entertained behind the walls of the convent. Ricardo provides the names to the King and Queen. Ferdinand puzzles over the significance of all these powerful personages making visits and tries to figure out what is going on. Carlos helps Ricardo decipher the documents. They make slow progress. Maria and Benvolio enjoy the good life. Consuelo sends a letter to Bernardo telling him to shut up and get some incriminating physical evidence. Louisa overhears Bernardo talking about a list of suspected Relapsos with Juan. She finds a copy and Jew's name is on it.

Chapter 3: Bernardo and Juan mees with Louisa to discuss the incriminating evidence. The RM continues to run The Fallen Angels from her cell and develop the plot to compromise the King. She discusses with Torquemade the seriousness of the encoded Volumes in Ricardo's possession. The King visits Cardinal Mendoza, sees Bernardo and has a torrid tryst with Louisa. Ricardo and Teresa enjoy the good life

Chapter 4: Consuelo and Torquemada talk more on the Plot. The tapestries are almost completed. Consuelo is hoping to be able to add the "Finishing Touch." It involves producing a tapestry in a secret workshop of the Order showing an unnamed “Jewish Girl” having various forms of intercourse with important members of the clergy and the court. Its alleged purpose is to show that the Zionsts are representing the Church and Nobility as decadent and perverse.archy. Carlos and Angelina get together to cement her interests. Louisa shows the earring to Brother Bernardo.

Chapter 5: Torquemada intends to make the claim to the King that the damning piece of evidence was discovered in a Jewish House of Worship and the panels are lies that show members of church and nobility acting in a lewd and lascivious manner. The king realizes suddenly that he and brother Bernardo are so depicted on one of the panels and the woman he shown raping is Louisa. He sees the earring he lost earlier. He panics, and then does what he can to accomplish some damage control. He searches his wife jewelry box to find the mate but it isn't there. from memory he has the Royal Jeweler make a copy. He sends his Marshal to try and find the ring. He discovers that Louisa has dropped out of sight. Carlos and Angelina have a love affair. Louisa returns to the Jew to find a place to hide.

Chapter 6: The king is frightened because the earring he had made to replace the one he though lost is a poor copy of the original given him by Isabella. Ferdinand believes that Torquemada is in the Dark as to who the “Noble” is and insists they destroy the tapestry and get to the bottom of the matter. Torquemada wants to keep it as evidence but promises to do his best but to get to the bottom of the finding. The king jumps to the conclusion that he is being set up for blackmail by a secret Zionist conspiracy, which is exactly what Torquemada wants him to believe. Ferdinand authorizes implementing the Bull on a test basis and the use of this case as a trial. Carlos and Angelina discuss their future. The Jew and Louisa flee to France.

Chapter 7: A rumor begins to circulate in the Court regarding the tapestry and it gets back to the Queen. Ferdinand says they should use power of the Inquisition on a test basis to ferret out the conspiracy. She wants to see the tapestry. He tells her it involves members of the clergy preforming obscene acts and the church is keeping it under wraps. That after the plot is exposed and put to rest she can see it if she still wants. He hopes to get the earring back and have the tapestry destroyed before she ever has the opportunity. Angelina needs a man to help her support her son’s claim to the title.

Chapter 8: Ferdinand is enraged by the rumor and tells Torquemada to get to the bottom of it. Torquemada does and implicates Teresa’s mother as the one who started it. The king orders her put to the test and she flees into hiding. Ricardo finds out Teresa is hiding her mother when they are all arrested. Carlos helps Angelina see to her family problem and protect the self-interests of herself and her children.

Chapter 9: Angelina finds out at the engagement reception held at the Hacienda that Teresa is hiding her mother. She sees this a chance to get her revenge on Don Ricardo, and insure the support of the church in her claim. She tells Torquemada and he tells the king. The Kings Marshall goes to the Hacienda and uncovers the plan as it is about to be put into execution. Ricardo, Teresa and her mother are arrested. Ricardo’s mother-in-law confesses to starting the rumor and implicates her husband. Teresa confesses to her part and helping implicates Don Ricardo. Don Ricardo admits acting to protect his wife and family but nothing else.

Chapter 10: Carlos decodes the first set of minutes. It shows a meeting being held by the Dominicans for the purposes of inciting the people against the Heretics. He sends a copy to the King just as Torquemada comes to search the house and carry off the documents. Carlos is "beneath the Radar," and hides them at Angelinas. Carlos meets with the the King and shows a copy of the meetings text. Ferdinand realizes the extent to which the church is involved and the lengths to which they are willing to go to achieve their purposes. He suddenly realizes that he has been set up for compromise, not by the Jews but by the Church. Still, until he gets that earring he feels powerless to act openly but quietly begins to support Don Ricardo behind the scenes. Carlos and Angelina wed.

Chapter 11: Carlos hears Angelina and Torquemada discussing her role in the arrests. He is conflicted and struggles to reconcile his wifes treachery with the woman he loves. They have an argument and reveals her hate for Ricardo and that he is the father of her two children. This is a shock to Carlos but something he suspected. He pretends to be angry with his old friend to find out everything Angelina knows. He discovers she is a "Fertile Myrtle" pregnant with his child and decides to let matters stand for the time being.

Chapter 13: The King finds out that Consuelo and Bernardo are the brains behind what is going on and are not being punished as he was told. He suspects that Louisa is squirreled away in some convent and despairs what to do. . Ferdinand is afraid that if Isabella sees the tapestry she will make the connection and want to closely examine his earring.. He contacts Maria in desperation, as a last resort to see if she can help getting a line on Louisa. She insists he tell her the whole story and when he does agrees to do what she can. She tells the king she intends to use Carlos and Benvolo in the intrigue. In return she asks a monetary reward for Carlos, that Benvolio be restored to his command and her brother released from the Inqusition and restored to his former position of responsibility. The King agrees.

Chapter 14: The Conspirators: The three begin to make plans to secure the tapestry and recover the earring. the three discuss the details. Benvolio is charged with finding the ring and Carlos with discovering the location of the tapestry.


Chapter 15: What Maria does/Carlos Does/ and Benvolio does. Maria knows a little about how the convent is being used to train girls for political purposes. She tells them that the ring must be found and the tapestry destroyed. First they must be located. Carlos has a chat with Antonio and points out how vulnerable his position is. That he represents those who can help with the issues that are forming around him and will germinate in the future. He want to know where the ring is. Antonio tells him that Louisa took it, dropped out of sight and knows the Kings agents are looking for her. He doesn't know where she is and didn't want to know. Asked where the tapestry is located he reveals that it is locked up in Torquemadas office.


Chapter 16: Division of Labor: Carlos goes to work on finding the tapestry. Benvolio begins the search for Louisa assuming that she has it. Carlos has turned Antonio and plans to use him in his plans. Maria and Benvolio will find Louisa and the earring. First they must learn more about what she has been involved in. Maria finds Juanita and pumps her for information. Juanita is scared and refuses to cooperate. Benvolio who saved her life in book 1 convinces her to cooperate. She reveals the nature of her training refreshes Marias memory on who louisa is and that Brother Juan would have intimate knowledge of Louisa's activities. Benvolio meets Brother Juan and persuades him to tell all he knows about Louisa. Benvolio visits the Jews home and discovers he has gone to Marsailles on business and taken a young girl with him. Benvolio and Maria go to Marsailles.

Chapter 17: Benvolio and Maria go to Marsailles and find Louisa and the Jew. Carlos turns Antonio. they plan to steal the tapestry.


Chapter: 18: Ricardo’s torture.


Chapter 19: Benvolio and maria have a confrontation with the two fugatives. They recover the earring. Isabella is shown the tapestry by Frey Torqumada. She sees the ring and makes a connection. She inquires about the ring. Torquemada shows her a fake made from Bernardo's drawing. She realizes it isn't genuine. She resolves to question her husband further and demand he show her the original. Carlos and Antonio steal the tapestry. Maria and Benvolio return from france and meet the King gettingout of his carriage. They give him the ring. Inside is confronted by an angry Isabella who demands to see the earring. Ferdinand takes it off and hands it to her. She tells him she has seen the tapestry and that she suspects torquemada and the Church explaining that he showed her a forgery.


Chapter 20: Carlos and Bernardo recovers the tapestry. Torquemada and Martinez are called to a private session with the King and Queen.


Chapter 21: Everything comes to a head, Maria confronts Angelina


Chapter 22: Ricardo is released.