The Wildcats of Exeter

by Edward Marston

  ‘And did she?’

  ‘To some extent.’

  ‘Did she sound no false notes at all?’

  ‘Oh, yes,’ he said. ‘There were a few things which did not ring true. Asa spoke of being distraught at the lord Nicholas's death but she seemed robust enough at the shire hall yesterday. She also claimed that he would have married her if his wife had died. I was not at all sure about that. It is unlikely.’

  ‘Impossible!’ said Ralph scornfully. ‘Men do not marry women like Asa. She was deceiving herself – or trying to deceive you. What else aroused your suspicion?’

  ‘Asa was eager to make me believe that the two of them had drifted together by accident.’

  ‘That woman does nothing by accident.’

  ‘Quite so. I think she deliberately chose the lord Nicholas and then surprised herself by falling in love with him.’ He saw the look of disbelief on his companion's face and became defensive. ‘It can happen, Ralph. There was genuine affection between them. She was never his harlot, I am certain of that. They were lovers. He cared for her.’

  ‘Do you?’

  Gervase reddened and Ralph burst out laughing. They finished their breakfast in silence before they became acutely aware of de Marigny's absence. A servant was summoned at once and sent off to rouse the commissioner from his bed, but the man soon returned with the news that the bedchamber was empty. Ralph began to feel alarmed.

  ‘Where can he be?’ he said.

  ‘I have not seen him since yesterday evening.’

  ‘Nor I, Gervase. I never stirred from Golde's side.’

  ‘Perhaps he went for a walk in the city.’

  ‘This early in the day? He values his sleep too much.’

  ‘Then he may be with the sheriff. Or somewhere else in the castle.’

  ‘We shall see,’ said Ralph, getting up. ‘It is not like Hervey to miss a meeting. And it is most unlike him to forgo a meal.’

  He sent for Joscelin and the steward appeared within minutes. When he was told the problem, he took charge at once, dispatching a number of servants on a search of the castle while assuring the visitors that there was no need for concern. Joscelin felt sure that Hervey de Marigny would soon be found and brought to the hall. Ralph was unconvinced and Gervase shared his anxiety. The pattern which the three commissioners had set each morning at the castle had been broken.

  The servants returned one by one but none had located the missing man. He had last been seen leaving the castle the previous evening. None of the guards remembered his coming back. Joscelin did his best to calm the apprehension that was now spreading.

  ‘Let me organise a more methodical search,’ he volunteered.

  ‘We will be part of it,’ said Ralph.

  ‘I will find more men. The castle is large with many places to hide.’

  ‘Hervey de Marigny is not given to playing games.’

  ‘What was the last thing he said to you, Ralph?’ asked Gervase.

  ‘I cannot recall.’

  ‘Did he not talk about seeking out Walter Baderon?’

  ‘He did, Gervase,’ said the other. ‘But he can hardly have been talking to the captain of the guard at the North Gate all night! I sense trouble.’

  ‘There is one other possibility,’ said Joscelin tactfully.

  ‘Is there?’ said Ralph.

  ‘Some of your men have been visiting houses of resort in the city.’

  ‘They are soldiers, Joscelin. Entitled to their pleasures.’

  ‘I accept that, my lord,’ said the steward. ‘And it is, in any case, none of my business. Could not the lord Hervey have gone in search of like entertainment and stayed there all night?’

  Ralph pondered. ‘He could have,’ he said at length, ‘but I am certain that he did not. Hervey de Marigny is conscientious. He knew how important it was to meet over breakfast this morning for a discussion. Something is seriously amiss here.’ He headed for the door. ‘Bring everyone you can, Joscelin. I will round up our own men. We will find him if we have to turn this castle inside out.’

  Tetbald was annoyed. Having ridden all the way to Exeter in a steady drizzle, he was peeved to be kept waiting in an anteroom at the shire hall long after the echoes of the Tierce bell had died away. He took out his anger on the town reeve.

  ‘What is going on, Saewin?’ he demanded.

  ‘There has been a delay.’

  ‘I can see that, man. What is the cause of the delay?’

  ‘I do not know.’

  ‘You do not know or you will not tell me?’

  Saewin's face was impassive. ‘There is a delay,’ he said calmly. ‘That is all I have been instructed to say.’

  ‘I have been cooling my heels here for an eternity!’

  ‘So have I, Tetbald.’

  ‘Are none of the commissioners here?’

  ‘Not yet.’

  ‘Then where are they?’

  ‘I believe that they are still at the castle.’

  ‘Do they always summon people long before they are needed?’

  ‘No, Tetbald. They have been very punctual until today.’

  ‘Then why am I the one to suffer?’

  ‘Be patient.’

  ‘How can I be patient when I am wet and hungry? Do you know what time I left in order to be here before Tierce?’ He stamped a foot in irritation. ‘Send word to the commissioners that I am here.’

  ‘They already know of your arrival.’

  ‘Then urge them to begin their proceedings.’

  ‘I could not do that if the lady Catherine herself were here to appear before them,’ said Saewin, asserting his authority with quiet force. ‘So I will certainly not do so for her steward. If the commissioners choose to keep you waiting here all day, it is within their rights to do so. Nothing will be gained by trying to browbeat me, Tetbald. You merely blame a messenger who brings you bad tidings, and that is unjust.’

  Tetbald was checked. Controlling his temper, he saw the folly of upsetting the one man who might be able to explain what was happening. Saewin clearly knew more than he was prepared to say. He would also be aware of the developments which had so far taken place in the dispute. Tetbald decided that it was time to adopt a more persuasive approach towards the reeve.

  ‘I am sorry,’ he said with a shrug. ‘You are right to rebuke me, Saewin. You are simply doing your office – as, indeed, am I. This is a time of trial for us and it has put us under severe strain. The lord Nicholas's death was a blow which has left us dazed.’

  ‘I appreciate that.’

  ‘The foul murder has been followed by another crime.’

  ‘Oh?’

  ‘A robbery at the manor house.’

  ‘What was stolen?’

  ‘That is beside the point,’ he said evasively. ‘It is the fact of the crime which has wounded the lady Catherine. An intruder somehow entered the house at night. That is very disturbing, Saewin.’

  ‘I can see that.’

  ‘The lady Catherine was appalled. She is grieving over her husband and in no fit state to suffer another cruel shock. It has made her very nervous.’ He pulled himself up to his full height. ‘I see it as my duty to protect her from any further unpleasantness. Not only has her husband been killed and her house broken into, the lady Catherine has to suffer the indignity of seeing her property fought over by vultures who have swooped on the dead body of the lord Nicholas. I hoped that I could quickly resolve this dispute in her favour and be able to take some good news to her for a change.’

  ‘That may yet happen, Tetbald.’

  ‘If and when the commissioners get here.’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘So what is holding them up?’

  ‘I am not at liberty to tell you.’

  ‘Why not? Is it so secret?’ He produced an oleaginous smile. ‘Come, sir. Let us not quarrel. All I seek is an explanation. Is this delay related to one of the claimants? The abbot of Tavistock, perhaps? Or the lady Loretta? Or has some new vulture come to pec
k at the corpse?’

  ‘There has been an unfortunate delay. Accept that fact.’

  ‘I will if you tell me what lies behind it.’

  ‘The commissioners do not have to justify their decisions.’

  ‘What exactly did they tell you?’

  He put a hand on the reeve's shoulder and smiled at him again, but Saewin said nothing. Tetbald eventually gave up. Removing his hand, he scowled darkly and was about to issue another stream of protests when they were interrupted. A figure appeared at the door and gestured to Saewin. The reeve seemed slightly embarrassed. He turned to Tetbald.

  ‘I must go,’ he said.

  Then he followed Engelric out.

  The debate which raged at the castle was far more heated than anything which had taken place at the shire hall. Ralph Delchard was on his feet, gesticulating wildly, Canon Hubert, jowls shaking, was at his most determined, Gervase Bret was unusually agitated and even Brother Simon, normally a mute witness on such occasions, felt obliged to add his comments. Their clamour reverberated around the hall.

  ‘The proceedings must be suspended forthwith!’ insisted Ralph.

  ‘That would be madness!’ yelled Hubert.

  ‘Hervey de Marigny is missing. The commission cannot possibly sit without him.’

  ‘Why not, my lord? We have done so before on many occasions.’

  ‘I can vouch for that,’ said Simon gently. ‘The three of you have coped with many disputes on your own and could do so again.’

  ‘Devon presents us with more work than most counties,’ observed Gervase from his seat at the table. ‘That is why the lord Hervey joined us and he has been as able a judge as any of us.’

  ‘Able and upright!’ endorsed Ralph.

  ‘On the other hand,’ resumed Gervase, ‘I am not convinced that we have to bring our deliberations to a halt until he has been found.’

  ‘We must, Gervase!’ said Ralph.

  ‘We must not!’ countered Hubert.

  Ralph waved his arms. ‘He is our colleague and friend. We must lead the search for him.’

  ‘That is the sheriff's duty,’ said Hubert.

  ‘Do you not care what has happened to the lord Hervey?’

  ‘Deeply,’ said the canon, ‘but I also care for the important work with which we have been entrusted. It must not be set aside, my lord. While the sheriff does his duty, let us continue to do ours.’

  ‘We have a duty to Hervey de Marigny!’ urged Ralph.

  Hubert was adamant. ‘Our first commitment is to the King's will.’

  ‘Would you really sit idly by in the shire hall while a friend is lost and possibly in danger?’ Ralph swung round to Gervase. ‘Help me out here. Let me hear at least one sane voice.’

  ‘I am wondering what the lord Hervey himself would wish,’ said Gervase thoughtfully. ‘What has befallen him I do not know, and I hope for news of his whereabouts very soon. But I suspect that he would not want us to abandon our work on his account.’

  ‘Exactly!’ said Hubert.

  Ralph was perplexed. ‘You are against me, Gervase?’

  ‘Of course not. I share your fears.’

  ‘Then do something about them and join the search.’

  ‘That is what I am suggesting,’ argued Gervase. ‘But that search must not only be undertaken in the nooks and crannies of Exeter. Besides, we are strangers to the city and would not know where to start looking. No, Ralph,’ he said earnestly, ‘the place for us to conduct our search is in the shire hall. We always felt that the lord Nicholas's death was directly related to this dispute and so is the lord Hervey's disappearance. I am certain of it. Solve the dispute,’ he advocated, ‘and we solve both mysteries.’

  ‘Sage counsel,’ said Simon.

  Hubert smiled grimly. ‘Our three votes outweigh you, my lord.’

  ‘I am the leader of this commission,’ Ralph reminded him.

  ‘But our judgements rest on majority decision.’

  ‘Only in the shire hall, Hubert!’

  ‘And that is where we should be, my lord.’

  ‘But it seems so heartless,’ said Ralph with passion. ‘Heavens above, man! If you went astray, would you want your colleagues to proceed calmly on as if nothing had happened?’

  ‘Yes, my lord,’ said Hubert.

  ‘It is indecent!’

  ‘It is a necessity.’

  ‘I agree with Canon Hubert,’ said Gervase.

  ‘You simply wish to discharge our duties here so that you can gallop back to Winchester and get married!’ Ralph was hurt. ‘Really, Gervase. I expected support from you at least. The lord Hervey is a Norman baron in a city which is full of resentful Saxons. Anything might have happened to him. Can you really turn your back on him like this?’

  ‘I am not turning my back on him, Ralph.’

  ‘You are putting your own selfish needs first.’

  ‘No!’

  ‘Then what are you doing?’

  ‘Directing my energies to resolving this dispute. Until we do that, we will never know the full truth. You must see that, Ralph.’

  ‘All I can see are three men deserting a friend in need.’

  ‘I resent that accusation, my lord,’ said Hubert.

  ‘So do I,’ added Simon.

  ‘We are not deserting him, Ralph,’ said Gervase. ‘We are simply seeking to find him by other means.’

  Ralph snorted. ‘Ah! I see. Hervey is hiding in the shire hall. If we take our seats there, he will pop up from under the table to surprise us.’ His tone was contemptuous. ‘This is lunatic reasoning. There is only one way to find him and that is by joining the sheriff in his search.’ He looked round the table. ‘It is shameful that anyone should think otherwise.’

  There was a bruised silence. It was eventually broken by Simon. ‘May I speak?’ he asked tentatively.

  ‘No!’ snarled Ralph.

  ‘Brother Simon is entitled to express an opinion,’ said Hubert.

  ‘He is a scribe and not a commissioner.’

  ‘I think we should still hear him, Ralph,’ said Gervase.

  ‘So do I,’ said Hubert. ‘Proceed, Brother Simon.’

  The scribe glanced nervously around at the others before speaking. ‘I would ask you to call to mind what happened in York,’ he said querulously. ‘There, too, we were burdened with an immense number of disputes and there, too, we were granted the services of an additional commissioner to help to bear the onerous load.’

  ‘Tanchelm of Ghent,’ recalled Gervase.

  ‘A shrewd judge,’ continued Simon. ‘While he and Canon Hubert heard one set of disputes, you, my lord,’ he said, smiling at Ralph, ‘were able to deal with other cases in consort with Gervase. By dividing the work, you were able to speed up the pace of your judgements.’

  ‘Until the lord Tanchelm was murdered,’ said Ralph with a reminiscent glare. ‘Did we sit in session during the hunt for the killer? Did we forget about our colleague and carry on with our work? No, we did not!’ he stressed, slapping the table. ‘We suspended everything until the murder was solved. We showed respect for the dead. Thank you, Simon,’ he said with a nod at the scribe. ‘You have given us a timely reminder of how to behave. We must do as we did in York and put our work aside.’

  ‘But that is not what I am proposing, my lord,’ said Simon.

  ‘No?’

  ‘The cases are similar but not identical. To begin with, the lord Hervey is simply missing. He may well be found alive and unharmed. The point which I was striving to make was this. Two commissioners were able to take responsibility in York.’ He trembled under Ralph's glare but forced the words out. ‘Could not two also do likewise in Exeter?’

  ‘What do you mean?’ growled Ralph.

  ‘Simply this, my lord. I am suggesting a compromise. You wish to join the search party and must be allowed to do so.’

  Ralph was determined. ‘No man on earth will stop me!’

  ‘We respect your decision,’ said Simon. ‘But while you j
oin the sheriff, Canon Hubert and Gervase can continue the work at the shire hall. This answers all needs, my lord. Does it not?’

  Dean Jerome liked to preserve an atmosphere of peace and harmony but that was not always possible when Geoffrey, abbot of Tavistock chose to visit Exeter. A pious man and a renowned scholar, the abbot was also liable to outbursts which could be distressing to men of contemplative inclination. His exalted position made him difficult to criticise, let alone to control. The dean searched for a means to hurry him on his way.

  ‘How long will you be staying with us?’ he said mournfully.

  ‘Why do you ask?’ said the abbot. ‘Have I outstayed my welcome?’

  ‘Not at all, my lord abbot.’

  ‘Bishop Osbern encouraged me to remain here.’

  ‘And so do I,’ lied the other. ‘So do I. Our community is enriched by your presence. It is always a pleasure to see you in Exeter.’

  ‘It was not pleasure which brought me here, Jerome.’

  ‘I know.’

  ‘I came to rectify a dreadful wrong,’ said the abbot. ‘Until I have done that, I will not stir from the city. If you wish to know how long I will stay, ask the commissioners. It lies in their hands to return to my abbey that land which was seized illegally from it. Our cause is just.’

  ‘I never doubted that, my lord abbot.

  ‘Then speak to the commisioners on my behalf. Canon Hubert resides here with you,’ he said, ‘though I have somehow been prevented from meeting him within these walls. I am sure that both you and Bishop Osbern wish to see the property restored to my abbey. Help to bring that desired end about.’

  ‘It might be looked upon as interference.’

  ‘Not by me.’

  ‘By the commissioners.’

  ‘With whom does your loyalty lie, Jerome?’

  The dean was saved from the embarrassment of having to answer the question. A novice brought news that the abbot had a visitor. When he was told who it was, Geoffrey excused himself and scurried off at once. Ralph Delchard was waiting for him in the parlour. The abbot's urgency swept pleasantries aside.

  ‘Have you arrived at a judgement?’ he demanded.