by E R Dillon
Neyll inspected his manicured fingernails, pointedly ignoring the intrusion.
“It has to do with the marshal,” Kyle said.
The statement commanded Neyll’s attention, despite his effort to appear disinterested.
“I’m afraid he has come under scrutiny of late,” Kyle said.
“Why?” Neyll said. “What has he done?”
“It’s what he’s doing that’s the problem.”
“And that is?”
“Engaging in conduct unbecoming an English officer in the king’s army.”
Neyll blinked. “What sort of conduct?”
“He keeps the company of another man,” Kyle said.
“So does every other soldier in the garrison,” Neyll said with a shrug.
“There is more to it than that.”
“How so?”
“Let me put it like this: if Edward of England were to discover what they do in bed together, he would order that the two of them be roasted alive.”
Neyll’s face took on a grayish cast. “Is the identity of the marshal’s companion known?” he said in a voice a notch higher than before.
“That depends,” Kyle said, regarding Neyll steadily. “How is your sister?”
“My sister?” Neyll said, puzzled. “She’s fine.”
“She’s in love with John Logan,” Kyle said. “But you know that already.” His stare impaled Neyll like a leveled lance. “I am sure you will do nothing to stand in her way if she wishes to marry him.”
Color burned high on Neyll’s cheeks. Then, a flash of enlightenment flickered across his angry countenance, and the blood drained from his face. His brows drew together in the set whiteness of his features, his dark eyes now bright with understanding. He appeared to consider Kyle’s words in frowning silence for a moment, until he said with cold deliberation: “I would not think of denying Colina her heart’s desire.”
“There is also the matter of Colina’s dowry,” Kyle said.
The muscles tightened along Neyll’s jaw. “Of course, she shall have a dowry.”
“And a generous annual endowment for her to spend as she pleases,” Kyle said.
“That, too,” Neyll said, glowering at Kyle.
“I shall expect you to keep your word,” Kyle said. “Otherwise,” he added, his tone potent with threat, “you may find it difficult to write without a thumb.”
Neyll licked his lips, as though his mouth suddenly went dry. “And the other matter?”
“Forgotten,” Kyle said, rising from the bench. “Unless I have cause to call it to mind.”
Neyll drew in a ragged breath and let it out slowly.
“A word of advice,” Kyle said before he departed. “The only way two people can keep a secret is if one of them is dead.”
****
Neyll left the tavern and hurried home to shut himself in his room. He sat at his desk in frowning silence, staring sightlessly into space as he gnawed on every one of his manicured nails.
****
July 1, 1297
Kyle was drinking the last of his breakfast ale when a soldier burst through the door of the main hall and hastened over to the head table.
“Begging your pardon, Sir Percy,” the soldier said, his manner anxious and fretful. “There is something on the wall you must see.”
“What now?” Sir Percy said. He threw down the crust of bread in his hand and rose with an exasperated sigh. He set out at a smart pace behind the soldier who had carried the message to him.
Curiosity brought Kyle to his feet. He went after them, as did the soldiers at the tables around him, to find out what would warrant the interruption of Sir Percy’s morning meal.
He crossed the courtyard and was walking under the raised portcullis when he saw a dozen or so townsfolk gathered outside the garrison gates. Everyone there was looking up at the outer wall.
Sir Percy stood apart from the crowd, his upturned face as red as a beet, his fists clenched at his sides.
Kyle followed the direction of Sir Percy’s gaze to a severed head skewered on a pike, the long handle of which was lodged in a crack between the massive stones. Bloody sockets where the eyes had been pecked out looked bright red against the pasty white skin of the fleshy face, which bore no resemblance to anyone he knew. “Who is that?” he said, genuinely stumped.
“That, Master Shaw,” Sir Percy ground out between his teeth, “is Sir Fenwick, lately in the service of Edward of England. I want to know who put his head up there.”
Kyle received the news about Fenwick with a straight face, but beneath his sober exterior, he was thrilled that the last man involved in his father’s murder was dead, even if he had no hand in bringing it about.
“Well?” Sir Percy demanded.
“How should I know?” Kyle said. “I’ve been away for the past four weeks.”
“A likely tale,” Sir Percy said, his disbelief evident in his voice.
“You may confirm my tale,” Kyle said, emphasizing the word Sir Percy had used, “with certain men from this garrison who accompanied me to and from Aberdeen.”
The purpose of the journey was to escort Joneta, her baby, and Gram safely to that city on the eastern coast, where Gram’s family lived. As they traveled together, it seemed to him that the summer sun was brighter and the birdsong sweeter, because Joneta was there to share it with him. On departing from her, he felt as if his heart was being drawn out of him. All the way back to the garrison, his mind spun with thoughts of returning to Aberdeen, just to see her face once again. She made it clear that she cared for him, but he knew she must first grieve for her dead husband before she could let him fully into her heart. He was willing to give her all the time she needed, for to him, she was worth the wait.
“Oh,” Sir Percy conceded with reluctance. “Well, then, take him down.”
“Would not my time be better spent hunting for the rest of him?” Kyle said.
“Perhaps you are right,” Sir Percy said. “The prior will need it to give him a decent burial.”
Kyle went to look for Vinewood and another man to drive a couple of wagons. If asked how he knew where to search for Fenwick’s body, he would say that he merely retraced the most likely route Fenwick would have taken to reach Ayr Garrison.
****
July 2, 1297
Kyle returned to the garrison with Fenwick’s remains and that of his entire troop piled onto the beds of the two wagons. The carcasses of the slain horses were left where they had fallen in the narrow pass at Loudoun Hill.
Historical Notes
Sheriff Reginald de Crawford (Crauford) of Loudoun, Sheriff of Ayrshire (died 1297)—Uncle of William Wallace (Scottish patriot). During the reign of Scottish King William the Lion, the hereditary title of Sheriff of Ayr was bestowed upon the Crawfords.
~
Sir Fenwick, English knight (died 1297)—In 1291, Sir Fenwick ambushed Scottish rebels in the pass at Loudoun Hill, located at the head of the Irvine Valley. Among the rebels killed was Malcolm Wallace (William Wallace’s father). Sir Fenwick died at that same location in 1297 in an ambush led by Scottish rebel William Wallace.
~
Edward I, King of England (1239-1307) a/k/a Edward Longshanks (meaning “long legs”) and Hammer of the Scots—Edward spent much of his reign reforming royal administration and common law. After brutally subjugating Wales, Edward turned his attention to the north to claim feudal suzerainty over Scotland. He met with both lay and ecclesiastical opposition during his military campaigns there. His deliberate destruction of Berwick, which was meant to terrorize the Scottish people into subjection, was the worst atrocity ever to stain the pages of English history. Shortly after the Berwick incident, Edward confiscated the Stone of Destiny, which was the Scottish coronation stone, and brought it to Westminster. Edward died in 1307, before the issue of overlordship of Scotland was settled.
~
Sir Andrew de Moray (died 1297)—Sir Moray raised his standard in 1297 in northeastern Scotlan
d against Edward I, who considered him a menace. While his father languished in an English prison and his uncle was held hostage on English lands, Sir Moray harried English garrisons in the vicinity of Perth and Banff, causing many to fall into his hands. Sir Moray fought at the battle of Stirling Bridge in 1297 and died of his wounds several weeks later.
~
Sir Henry de Percy, 8th Baron Percy (1273-1314)—Sir Percy fought under King Edward I of England in Wales and Scotland and was granted extensive estates in Scotland, which were later retaken by the Scots under Robert Bruce. Edward I appointed Sir Percy as Castellan of Ayr and Warden of Galloway, circa 1296. Sir Percy died at the age of forty-one, of unknown causes.
~
Philip IV, King of France (1268-1314) a/k/a Philip the Fair—Philip’s policies during his reign strengthened the French monarchy. On occasion, Philip exercised his right as overlord to exact punitive damages from his vassal Edward I by confiscating the English king’s fiefdoms in France. Philip’s alliance with the Scots rarely amounted to actual support in men and material for them, especially during Edward’s military campaigns against Scotland.
~
Sir Nicholas de Segrave of Leicestershire (1238-1295)—Sir Segrave was appointed Castellan of Ayr while in the service of Edward I of England. Sir Segrave championed Edward’s cause in Scotland until his death in 1295 at the age of fifty-seven.
~
Robert Wishart, Bishop of Glasgow from 1271 to 1316—One of the six Guardians of Scotland and a leading supporter of William Wallace and Robert Bruce during the Wars of Scottish Independence. Bishop Wishart was foremost among those who opposed the English occupation of Scotland, and he was closely involved in all of the diplomatic negotiations with Edward I. After years of opposing the English, Bishop Wishart was captured in 1306 and incarcerated in an English dungeon. He remained in captivity for the next eight years, during which time he went blind. He was released after Robert Bruce’s triumph at the Battle of Bannockburn and lived out the rest of his life in relative peace in Scotland. He died in 1316, at which time his body was entombed in a crypt in Glasgow Cathedral.
~
All other characters in this novel are fictitious, as is the village of Harefoot Law. Any similarity to actual persons or locations is entirely coincidental.
Scottish Words, Terms, and Customs
BLOODWITE: penalty or fine under law for committing bloodshed
BREACH OF ARRESTMENT: disregard by a debtor of an order to pay a debt or deliver promised goods
BURN: river
BYRE: barn
DEFORCEMENT: resisting arrest or obstruction of justice
KIRK: church
LAW (in conjunction with a location): hill
LAWBURROWS: a fine to anyone who threatens the safety of another
MARRIAGE: it was customary for a married woman in medieval Scotland to retain her maiden name after wedlock
WOOLFELL: the skin of a wool-bearing animal with the fleece still on it
A word about the author…
E. R. Dillon was born in New Orleans and still lives in Louisiana. Her acquaintance with certain aspects of the law comes from working for civil and criminal attorneys for many years. As a medieval history buff and a fan of mysteries, she incorporates both elements into her stories.
For author’s website, visit:
http://www.erdillon.com
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