Dispensation of Death: (Knights Templar 23)

by Michael Jecks

  ‘I would see blood preserved and not shed needlessly,’ Orleton said, his own voice rising.

  ‘And I say, a pox on that!’ This was Earl Edmund. He had been standing at the side of the chamber out of Baldwin’s view, but now he crossed the hall to stand before the King. ‘The French have invaded our lands and say that they are forfeit because our King has not paid homage. Charles laid siege to Saint Sardos and then to Montpezat, because he said there was no one in Guyenne for him to treat with. He is false, I say, and we should not allow our King to be sent into a land where he may be in danger.’

  It was Sir Hugh le Despenser himself who finally opened the new line of discussion. ‘My Lords, there is one possible alternative to our King’s dilemma.’

  His intervention caused a certain surprise. The men all about turned to him.

  ‘My Lords, we know that here in the King’s household there is one who could be sent as an ambassador to the French King. Perhaps we should consider this as an alternative.’

  ‘You mean to send the Queen?’ Earl Thomas was disbelieving. ‘How would that help us?’

  ‘Queen Isabella is a skilful negotiator. She could perhaps find a way to her brother’s heart and appease him without costing us further hardship. If she were to go to France, I am convinced that the French King would permit the return of the King’s territories in France. And that has to be our aim.’

  Baldwin frowned with some surprise. He would have expected Sir Hugh to be less favourably disposed to such an idea. But when he looked at Bishop Stapledon, all he saw was dismay – and he realised that this had come as a complete shock to him too.

  It was a relief when a halt was called to the proceedings. Throughout the morning, arguments had flowed forwards and back, the protagonists bellowing at each other, then cooler voices taking up the gauntlet and putting forth new, calmer points of view until one of the hotheads again raised the temperature of the debates.

  Simon was surprised at the rowdiness. ‘Baldwin,’ he whispered as the two stood back and let the Lords and Bishops leave the room, ‘in my court at Lydford there are often blazing rows between different parties, but when that happens, I separate them myself, or have other men do it. It’s too dangerous to have tempers fray when everyone carries a knife or a sword – matters can so quickly escalate. Yet at no stage did the King even speak to stop the arguments from developing into a battle.’

  ‘He was listening and concentrating on the issue at hand, I suppose,’ Baldwin said.

  ‘Perhaps it is the upbringing of the men involved. Lords are simply better behaved than peasants.’

  Baldwin looked at him long and hard. ‘You really believe that?’

  ‘Ah, Sir Baldwin.’

  ‘Sir Hugh,’ Baldwin said, without bothering to fix a smile to his face. ‘I understand congratulations are deserved. Your attack last night – I trust you were not greatly discommoded?’

  ‘Not so much as the pile of cow dung who had the temerity to try to kill me.’ Once again, the memory of that hideous hissing as the bolt scorched past him and Ellis came to him, and Sir Hugh had to swallow the curse at all those whom he paid and who failed in their duties.

  Baldwin smiled wolfishly. ‘And how can I serve you today?’

  ‘Not you I, no. I can perhaps serve you. I heard of a dreadful attack last night – on an inn not far from here. The innkeeper was a known horse-thief, and do you know, one of my black stallions was there in his stables. A fortunate thing that one of my men happened by after the attack. He could report it and rescue my horse. But I understand you had some interest in the man. I am sorry if this is evil news for you.’

  Baldwin was so overwhelmed with fury, he scarcely trusted his voice. ‘How did he die?’ he demanded at last through clenched teeth.

  ‘The keeper? Badly, I expect. They told me that he had been … roughly treated before he died. A place so far from any town, it’s hardly surprising.’

  ‘Those responsible will suffer for this!’

  ‘Perhaps. And then again, maybe those who try to make life difficult for those who seek only the good of the kingdom will themselves find life short and painful. Beware dark alleys, Sir Baldwin.’ Despenser retreated a pace or two, then span on his heel and stalked off towards the entrance.

  ‘He threatens me,’ Baldwin said with a cold ferocity.

  ‘Let him. There is no point taking on the most powerful man in the kingdom,’ Simon said. He had a hand on his friend’s elbow to restrain him. ‘Baldwin, please. Do not think of assaulting him.’

  ‘And have him think me a coward?’ Baldwin hissed.

  ‘Better let him think that than know you’re dead.’

  A messenger appeared in the doorway and stood gazing about him at the hall. Seeing Simon and Baldwin, he made for them.

  ‘Sir Baldwin, I have been sent to ask you to join the King. He would know what you have learned about these unfortunate deaths.’

  ‘Wait for me here, Simon. I shall be as swift as I may be,’ Baldwin said coldly.

  ‘Baldwin! Be careful, old friend!’ Simon called after him.

  Coroner John was already exhausted when he reached the Great Hall, and the sight of all the people thronging the New Palace Yard made him pull a face and mutter a short curse about all the ‘horses’ arses’ milling about and slowing the King’s officers about their duties.

  He left his mount with a groom, and then made his way into the hall. Almost immediately, he saw Simon, and grinned broadly. ‘Aha, Bailiff! I have been wondering when I would see you again. I would like to talk a little more about your theories about the dead man and what the significance is of the way he was treated.’

  ‘I am waiting for my friend, I fear.’ Simon was disinclined to talk. ‘Perhaps another time would be better?’

  The Coroner drew down the corners of his mouth. ‘Perhaps so. I too have business to attend to. Have you seen the good Sir Hugh le Despenser?’

  ‘He was here a short while ago,’ Simon said, on his guard. ‘Why do you seek him?’

  ‘I have just returned from a rather hideous murder. An inn was fired, the keeper and his wife left inside. But they were not killed by the fire itself, Bailiff. I fear both were first stabbed,’ he said. ‘One of those pleasant affairs where the lady was entertained by her murderers first, and her man made to watch, I fancy. Their bodies were hardly scorched. It was clear enough what had happened to them.’

  Simon shook his head. ‘Henry and his wife? God’s balls!’

  ‘I had heard that a knight and a man clad in clothing much like yours visited the fellow only last night,’ the Coroner continued. There was an edge to his tone now, and he looked at Simon with his head set slightly to one side.

  ‘Yes, we were there,’ Simon said, but no more. He had no desire to give any more information than was necessary. This man gave the impression that he was a cheerful, amiable soul, but Simon was painfully certain that he was in fact very shrewd, and that he might well be an ally of Sir Hugh.

  ‘Why did you go there?’

  Simon smiled, but there was no humour in it. ‘We were seeking information about the dead man here, of course.’

  ‘Aha! And you learned something then, I can see it in your eyes.’

  ‘Yes – and my friend is telling the King even now, I expect.’

  The Coroner smiled. ‘Could you tell me, too?’

  ‘I think it is best that the King should be informed first.’

  ‘Bailiff, do you not trust me?’ the Coroner asked, a trace of hurt in his voice which was supremely irrelevant to Simon. ‘I have the impression that you prefer not to discuss any aspects of these deaths with me.’

  ‘Oh, Coroner, no. That is not true!’ Simon protested mildly.

  ‘Then answer me a few little questions, please. Was there any suggestion that the dead man from the Great Hall had stayed at that inn, for example?’

  ‘I think so,’ Simon agreed.

  ‘Was there anything still there which could have assisted us i
n investigating his death? Oh, come now, Bailiff, surely there can be no difficulty in telling me that much!’

  Simon hesitated, but in all fairness he could see no reason to conceal that matter. ‘Very well. Yes, there was proof that he had stayed there.’

  ‘And what was that proof?’

  Simon was relieved to see Baldwin return. ‘Our friend here wants to learn more about what we discovered last night.’

  ‘Really? Did you tell him that it is not safe to be seen with us? We are become leprous, Coroner,’ Baldwin said heavily. ‘Do not approach us unless you wish to become afflicted in the same manner.’

  Coroner John looked from one to the other with a perplexed expression on his face. ‘I do not understand you. All I wish is to discover the truth behind the death of this man, and you are both officers of the law. You ought to want to help me, but you’re obstructing me instead. Why is that?’

  ‘We have too many other matters to discuss. If you would excuse us, Sir John,’ Baldwin said firmly, and took Simon’s arm to lead him from the room.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  ‘Baldwin, what is the matter?’

  ‘You would hardly believe it, Simon,’ Baldwin said, his teeth gritted. ‘The King denies that there is anything to be discussed. He agrees that we have found where the man was staying, but apart from that says we have nothing. He said that the assassin, Jack, was a known felon, so whoever killed him was doing the King a service, especially as the man was obviously here to kill the Queen – and possibly Mabilla too. In God’s name! Have you ever heard such nonsense?’

  ‘What of Sir Hugh’s horse?’

  ‘Oh, he knew all about that! Sir Hugh had already told him that a known horse-thief had taken one of his mounts and it was found last night as people were trying to put out the flames at the inn where the man was staying. The King actually made it sound as though he was unimpressed with us, Simon, because Sir Hugh had learned of this place within a little while of us ourselves, and he more or less accused me of being dilatory and lazy. Me! Dear heaven, what can I do to escape this iniquitous den of malevolent, mendacious, manipulative, mean-minded …’

  ‘Don’t forget “mercenary”,’ Simon prompted.

  ‘Go fall from a horse,’ Baldwin growled. ‘Look about you, Simon. The King wished to be deluded about the true nature of his chief adviser and friend; here, all try to gallop to a better position compared with others by telling the King and his companion what they want to hear. There may be a short interval while a man seeks to do something for the common good, but that is over in the blink of an eye, because if it suits neither the King’s dreams nor his adviser’s ambitions, it will be forgotten. There is nothing that so embitters a man as to see his good intentions discarded by another for the simple reason that he can see personal advantage by so doing. Dear God in heaven! What must a man do?’

  Simon was frowning. ‘Has the King heard about the attempt on Despenser’s life?’

  Baldwin nodded. ‘Yes. He knows all about that – his guards kept him informed. He is furious about it. I think that was why he did not make his own speech today. Partly because his voice could have betrayed his rage, and partly because he wanted to demonstrate that his favourite still has his full trust and support.’

  Simon looked about him at the walls. ‘It didn’t occur to me before, but there are more men about here today.’

  ‘The King is treating it as a serious attempt. So is Despenser. The bolt flew very close, so I have heard. The King asked me to forget all about the attack on the Queen, and instead to seek the men who decided to pay an assassin to kill his friend.’

  ‘What did you say?’

  ‘I said I thought the Queen was more deserving of my protection. Despenser can go hang! He has his own men to guard him, and he is responsible for breaking apart the Queen’s household and imprisoning or sending abroad all her own guards. Why should I seek to help him compared to her?’

  ‘You said all that?’ Simon felt a leaden-like weight in his belly. In that case, the die was cast. If Baldwin had summarily rejected the King’s request for help, they would both have lost any patronage which might have been flowing their way.

  ‘No. Only the first, that the Queen was in more need of my help, and that as her husband he would naturally want me to bend all my efforts to her protection,’ Baldwin said. He turned away from Simon and put a hand to his temple. ‘In God’s name, I swear I wish I had never come here to this cursed isle! There is no good can come of it, not for you nor I. All we can do is hope to survive and not be consumed in this political morass.’

  ‘What’s a morass?’

  ‘A bog.’

  ‘Ah,’ Simon smiled brightly. ‘Yes. It is that.’

  He was inclined to fear for a while, but then he remembered the sight of the dead Mabilla, and was disgusted that any man could want to divert attention from her murder to an attempt on the life of Despenser. ‘Sir Hugh is a repellent character. The more I see of him, the more easily I can understand someone trying to kill the bastard.’

  ‘He is worse than you can imagine,’ Baldwin said.

  ‘What of the King, though? Would he punish you for refusing to seek the attacker of Despenser?’

  Baldwin shook his head. ‘He was very upset that someone could have attempted to hurt his … his friend.’

  He drew Simon away to a shadowy corner to speak his mind. ‘Look, Simon, if he were to punish me for simply seeking the person who tried to kill his wife, it would put him in bad odour with everyone else, even those in his own court. He cannot do that. What he can, and may do, is find some other pretext for harming or hurting me. At least at present you are secure. There is no one who can link you to my refusal. You have to keep yourself out of the way so far as is possible.’

  ‘I am not going to leave you to hunt this man on your own. I have my own pride, Sir Baldwin. I am keen to bring Mabilla’s murderer to justice if I may.’

  ‘I know, old friend.’ Baldwin gripped his shoulder. ‘We merely have to keep our heads on our shoulders long enough to make sure that we can.’

  Simon set his mind back to those earlier murders. ‘Do we agree that the man Jack was here to see the Queen killed?’

  ‘Of course he was! But someone was defending her.’

  ‘Then the best course for us would be to meet her again and warn her that another could be sent to achieve where he failed.’

  Baldwin looked at him. ‘You are right, but I do not take on that task with any great enthusiasm, Simon. If the Queen has a brain, she will be fully aware that her life is in danger. In her heart she must be praying to be sent to France to negotiate with her brother.’

  ‘Surely the danger to herself will only spur her on to demand that she be sent?’

  ‘Yes,’ Baldwin grunted, and then his brow furrowed.

  ‘What?’

  ‘I was thinking that if Despenser wished to be rid of her, the easiest option now would be to ensure that she was sent off to France, urgently. Having an assassin found making an attempt on her life would be no bad way to achieve it. If she could tell the King of France that her life was being threatened, he would send messengers demanding safe passage for her in an instant.’

  ‘Despenser is a devious, political man,’ Simon said.

  Baldwin shook his head. ‘But … although I would be happy to believe anything evil of him, and it is easy to imagine that he is ruthless enough to have a loyal servant destroyed to fulfil a desire, surely he would not have a man cut off his tarse and shove it in his mouth in sign of his sodomy with the King.’

  ‘Yes. It makes no sense,’ Simon agreed. ‘I’d more easily believe the Queen had arranged it herself.’

  ‘At least the foul symbolism would be more believable,’ Baldwin nodded.

  Sir Hugh le Despenser was still feeling that creeping sensation at his back as he walked past the Great Hall on his way to the King’s rooms. Ellis was not with him, and he felt uneasy.

  He was startled when a burly fig
ure appeared before him.

  His sudden panic was reflected in his speedy grabbing at his sword-hilt, and his hasty attempt to draw steel, but before he could do so, he suddenly recognised the man. ‘Oh, Coroner. I am glad you have deigned to visit me at last!’

  ‘I am a man with many calls on my time – rather like you. We both appear to be busy just now, do we not?’

  ‘I am always busy in the service of the King. You should be too. You heard about the man who tried to murder me last night? A crossbowman out there in the New Palace Yard.’

  ‘Yes, I heard a little about it. However, I was more interested in the matter I was shown this morning. There was a little inn over at Chelchede – the Swan. Did you know it? A nice little place, it was. It was taken by some men last night and fired.’

  ‘Yes, I heard about it. A thief there had stolen a horse of mine. My men found it as they tried to put out the fires. I hope you will have held an inquest on the dead and issued the usual fines. But more serious is an attempted assassination against the King’s own adviser. What are you to do about that?’

  ‘About the attempt on your life? What should I do?’

  ‘You are the Coroner! Do your job!’

  ‘My “job”, as you term it, is to record all cases of sudden death, to note the methods by which death occurred, and to hold those records until a man can be put on the county before the jury. I am no investigating angel.’

  ‘Then who is?’

  ‘If you want a man to seek out a killer, you should ask the good Keeper of the King’s Peace to do so. He has a good deal of investigative experience, and I am sure you know him well enough to engage his aid.’

  ‘What are you talking about!’ Despenser spat. ‘I hardly know the man!’

  Sir John smiled cynically. ‘Of course not. You are mere acquaintances. No matter – I need to speak to you about the death at the inn. Your men were seen there.’

  ‘I told you. A known horse-thief had taken one of my horses. My men went to retrieve it.’

  ‘I have been told that they were seen tormenting the innkeeper and then firing the place.’