The Last Templar aktm-1
Page 33
Baldwin did not look at the bailiff as he spoke quietly, but stayed staring at the horse. “I do not know how to thank you, my friend.”
Simon shrugged, embarrassed. “Then don’t. I don’t believe you are evil, even if you did kill the abbot. That was an act of revenge, no more, and I think any man would find it hard to condemn you for ending a life so steeped in crime. In any case, what good would your death serve? There are enough men who would be prepared to see you hang for killing the abbot, but what good would it do? As you said, it seems a remarkable coincidence that the abbot appeared here when you had just given up your quest. I don’t know, maybe it’s that that stopped me – the thought that it could be God’s will. Maybe it’s because I don’t know whether I would have been able to stop myself doing the same. Whatever the reason, I can live with my conscience.”
“Even so, you would be right to send me for judgement.” The bailiff shifted uneasily. “Yes, I know. And maybe I should. But I cannot see what good that would do. Oh, the court would have the man who wanted to see the abbot dead, it is true, but would that bring him back? And even if you were sent to court, would it help anyone to have you convicted? I do not think so.”
“But I am a Templar. I should be in prison for that alone.”
“Well, I have looked into that. Very few Templars were ever arrested in this country, and all were allowed to disappear. Why should you be any different? I believe you when you describe how the Templars used to be. I can remember how my father used to talk about them, which was always with respect as an honourable Order, as honourable as any other monks.”
“But what if the trail bastons are found guilty of the murder of the abbot?”
“They won’t be. Godwen’s evidence shows that there was only one man with the grey and that was Rodney, some days before he met the trail bastons. I have made sure that the main crimes they will be tried for were those they committed at Oakhampton, which means the ones before Rodney joined them. They don’t even deny them, so they will only be tried for those. It will make the hearing a lot faster. Of course, some people may wish to believe that Rodney of Hungerford was guilty of the killing of the abbot, but it’s hardly my fault if they want to, is it? I have done and said nothing that would confirm that they had anything to do with de Penne’s death.”
The knight stopped staring at his mare and turned to him. “You must be glad that the madness of the last weeks is over at last – Brewer’s murder discovered and his killer caught, the abbot’s death explained, the outlaws caught. Now you can go to your new home in peace and matters here can return to normal.”
“Yes. It would have been impossible for me to go without settling things here. Did you know that they have found Brewer’s son?”
“No, I had not heard.”
“Yes, Morgan Brewer was found in Exeter. He’s a merchant now, and apparently wealthy. That was where his father used to get his money from. His son sent money home now and then to help keep him.”
“Ah, I see. Is he coming back?”
“No. It seems he hated his father as much as everyone else. He has said he will remain in Exeter and continue as a merchant. The only reason he sent money back was to stop his father following him, to keep him here.”
“I don’t understand – why send money to his father if he hated him so much?”
“It’s simple, apparently. Morgan Brewer has a good living in the city, he’s well known and liked. He didn’t want an old and dirty farmer arriving and disrupting his life. He agreed to send money when his father wanted, and it was not much to pay to keep him away. The farm cost little and stayed profitable, and the old farmer needed little to keep him in ale.”
Baldwin looked at him thoughtfully. “But why did he boast to the Carters and Ulton, then? If he had to live by his son’s alms, why did he brag of his own fortune?”
“Perhaps he looked on his son’s success as being a measure of his own? I don’t know.” Simon shrugged. “It’s possible that the old stories are true and he came back from war with money – maybe if you dig under his floor you will find a chest filled with gold. I don’t know. It’s sad, though,” Simon’s eyes became reflective as he pondered. “It’s sad to think that Brewer could die and leave no one to mourn him. Nobody seems to care that he’s gone, not even his son…”
Baldwin turned and gripped Simon’s upper arm. “My friend,” he said quietly and gravely, “his problems are over, and the miserable end he suffered was his own fault. He lived by making others unhappy, that is why he was killed, why his son left him, and why he will not be mourned. Forget him; he is gone. There’s no need for you to mourn him. You have done enough for others. Here, while we are alone, I want to give you my thanks. If you never manage to do another good deed for all the rest of your life, you can at least die easy, knowing that you have given me a new life.” His eyes rested on Simon’s for a minute, then he said, “And know that I will always help you if you ever need it.”
Simon laughed and slapped him on the shoulder, his temporary gloom fleeing. “You may regret that! I have already thought of a way you can be of use.”
A vague suspiciousness gleamed as Baldwin’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “Me? How?”
“Don’t look at me like that! It won’t be too painful, I swear!” Simon laughingly protested. “Since the death of your brother the area has been without a magistrate, a keeper of the peace. I knew you would wish to help the area as you may, so I have put your name forward, and I think you will be the next magistrate of Crediton.”
Absolute horror showed in Baldwin’s face. “What! Me, a keeper of the king’s peace? But… but for that I have to be…”
“Yes, you cannot be out hunting all day, you have to sit on the bench and work for your living.”
“But Simon, I’ve never done anything like that before, how…?”
“You will learn fast enough, I think. Now, enough! Let us go in and see what Margaret has produced for us.”
They strolled back to the front of the house. At the door, Baldwin stopped and looked at the view. “Simon,” he began quietly, but the bailiff shook his head.
“No. My friend, you are a man of position. That is all that matters and all that need be known. Come, let’s eat.”
They walked in and shut the door behind them.
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