Falconer and the Death of Kings

by Ian Morson

  ‘Excuse me, sir. Do you know where Butchery Street is?’

  Once again he was waved away with a peremptory gesture. Not sure what he had done wrong, he stopped on the end of the bridge, gazing down at the muddy waters that flowed swiftly beneath. Further along, houses clustered on both sides of the bridge, obscuring the view. A shabbily dressed young man was seated on the parapet, swinging his legs idly over the void. He grinned at Thomas.

  ‘I couldn’t help overhear your question, friend. Why do you seek a street that doesn’t exist in Paris?’

  Thomas frowned, sure that the monk could not have deliberately misled him.

  ‘No, it surely exists. A man called Adam teaches medicine there.’

  The shabby youth tilted his head back and roared with laughter, threatening to fall off the parapet with the violence of his seizure. He flicked his long hair out of his eyes and, swivelling round, dropped to the safety of the bridge’s floor. He stuck his hand out for Thomas to take.

  ‘You Englishmen may be part Norman, but you mangle our language something awful. My name is Jacques Hellequin. But you may call me Jack.’

  He made a great show of speaking the last sentence in what he fancied was courtly English. Thomas took his hand and squeezed it firmly. It was good to meet someone in Paris who did not turn his nose up at the sight of an Englishman.

  ‘It is good to meet you, Jack. I am Thomas Symon from Oxford. But what do you mean about mangling your language?’

  Jack’s eyes twinkled.

  ‘There is a world of difference between boucherie and bûcherie. One is indeed an abattoir, but the other is a woodcutter’s shed. Master Adam’s medical school is in the street named after the latter. Though, come to think about it, it would be more appropriate if it were in the other. In fact, I can’t wait to tell my fellow students of your unintentional pun.’

  Thomas silently vowed he would have his revenge in some way on the monk who had set him up to appear a fool.

  ‘You are a student at the school?’

  ‘Yes, I am. You have fallen on your feet with me, Master Symon. I will show you where the school is. But first you must know of the difficult situation that exists there.’

  Thomas feigned ignorance of any problem, hoping that his new friend was referring to the very death that he wished to investigate. His young and innocent face, usually an embarrassment to him when he wished to appear wise and knowing, sometimes was an advantage.

  ‘What is that, Jack?’

  Jack Hellequin grimaced.

  ‘One of our numbers died the day before yesterday.’

  Thomas expressed horror at what might have caused death in a medical school.

  ‘He did not contract some deadly disease that I might catch too?’

  ‘No, indeed.’ Jack squeezed Thomas’s arm reassuringly. ‘You could not die of the same cause. Unless you too threw yourself off the tower of Notre-Dame.’

  ‘Ah, yes. I heard tell of that poor unfortunate. Threw himself off, you say? I heard it said he was pushed.’

  Jack’s brow clouded over, and he seemed to stumble a little in his progress down Rue de la Bûcherie.

  ‘Who told you that? That is a foul thing to say. No, the truth was that Paul was a tortured soul who did not fit in well with the rest of us. He was English, and the rest of us are either French, Norman or Picard. And though our master is English too, Paul kept to himself a lot. He was a misfit.’

  Thomas was about to question this analysis of the dead youth’s behaviour while alive, but his guide stopped in the street in front of a nondescript house in the row of tenements that made up Rue de la Bûcherie, each with its back to the river. Jack Hellequin made an extravagant gesture towards the crumbling façade.

  ‘And here is that great seat of learning – Master Adam Morrish’s medical school.’

  Thomas held back his eagerness for more information and followed Jack through the portal.

  EIGHT

  The gateway giving access to Ste-Chapelle and the Royal Palace was closely guarded. And the Frenchman in his royal livery stared suspiciously at William Falconer when he presented himself. He was even more surly when he heard the master’s English accent. But finally he was persuaded to send a message to the English court sojourning in the guest quarters of King Philip’s palace. From the fixed stare he got from the guard, Falconer could only imagine the man disbelieved such a shabby individual as himself had any business with the glittering courts of the two kings. However, he had to allow Falconer through the gate when the gaudily clad Appleby came to meet him. Though the guard’s puzzlement was only increased by the apparently friendly exchange between such opposites. Who could fathom the English and their wardrobes?

  Falconer was led into the palace by Sir John Appleby and through a maze of rooms and corridors. All the time, Sir John prattled on about how remarkable the king was, and how he admired his maturity and good sense. Falconer nodded politely, only half listening to the courtier. He had met his sort before, when he had been summoned into the presence of the old king, Henry, who had died last year. The ailing monarch had been surrounded by men who jumped at his every whim, and doctors who were afraid to tell him he was dying. The powerful very rarely heard the truth from those in their presence. Falconer had been an exception, and Henry had seemed to relish the cut and thrust of their arguments over who had killed the king’s wardroper, and why. The Oxford master resolved he would behave exactly the same when he met Henry’s son, the new king. Then he realized Appleby had asked him a question.

  ‘I’m sorry, Sir John, my hearing must be getting as bad as my eyesight. What did you say?’

  ‘I was saying that you should show respect in the king’s presence and refer to him as Your Majesty. He is only just growing into his new role, and he is not as secure in it as his father was. After all, Henry of Winchester ruled for more than fifty-six years, and…’

  Falconer abruptly interrupted.

  ‘And saw off a rebellion of his barons. Yes, I know. But Edward himself was a canny operator. He was clever enough to switch sides back and forth in the Barons’ War. I doubt he is as vulnerable as you think.’

  Appleby pulled a face.

  ‘Hmm. Be that as it may. He is your monarch, so don’t remind him of his switching of allegiance. He now professes to love his father.’ He stopped to eye up Falconer’s appearance. ‘What a pity you could not bring yourself to dress more appropriately. Still, he may appreciate your humble garb for what it is.’

  Though making the best of Falconer’s one and only outer garment, the courtier could not resist flicking away some of the grime on his shoulder. He then pulled the jaunty sugarloaf hat off his own head, straightened his surcoat and knocked on the studded oak door that they stood before. A voice ushered them in, and Sir John opened the door, leading Falconer into the room.

  Falconer’s first impression of Edward was of his height. But he was broad-shouldered too. His time in the Holy Lands had developed him as a fighter, and even Falconer had heard the tale of his recent exploits at the tourney in Châlons. Having stared at the king for some time, while Sir John announced him, Falconer realized Edward was assessing him too. He felt embarrassed, knowing his age was beginning to tell and that he was more than a little ragged around the edges. But when Edward spoke, he was reassured.

  ‘I can see there is a fighting man under that dowdy scholar’s robe, Master Falconer. Your shoulders tell me that you once wielded a sword, and you have not allowed the years to deprive you of your strength.’

  Falconer felt childishly pleased by Edward’s recognition of his former life as a mercenary soldier. He had indeed spent his youth fighting wars across Europe. Until he had become sickened by the carnage. A horror that had grown to be greater than he had revelled in the chance being a mercenary had given him to see the world. The University of Bologna had been the turning point in his life, where he had begun again to devote himself to the world of scholarship. But the king was correct in his second surmise. He had t
ried to keep himself fit, considering it important to keep his body as sharp as his brain. However, he shook his head in regret.

  ‘Sadly, Majesty, the years are beginning to take their toll, and I am not as vigorous as I was.’

  ‘And yet your mind is not affected. Sir John tells me you have solved many intractable cases of murder in and around Oxford. Please sit.’

  Falconer had the presence of mind to allow the king to sit before taking up the invitation to be seated himself. Sir John snapped his fingers, and a servant materialized with a jug of the best Rhenish, which he proceeded to pour into two goblets. Falconer thought of Saphira Le Veske, and her task in Honfleur of sorting out the family wine business. But his distracted thought was only fleeting, as the king was already embarking on a story of strange and terrible deaths that drew Falconer in. As he drank the red wine, Falconer listened closely to the tale. Then he had some questions to ask.

  ‘You say the attempt on your life was in June of 1272?’

  ‘Yes, by a servant called Anzazim, who was a local man but one who had proved himself loyal to me until that moment.’

  ‘And your uncle Richard, King of Germany, died in the April of the same year.’ Edward nodded, and Falconer continued. ‘But it could not have been the same person involved, as the two incidents were thousands of miles apart.’

  ‘I understand that. But I was not thinking of the person carrying out the deed when I asked you to investigate. Anzazim and whoever else it was were merely weapons wielded by someone in the shadows.’

  ‘But was Richard’s death murder? He had had a stroke and had been suffering from the half-dead disease for months. Could his demise not have been entirely natural?’

  ‘Yet all the reports I had later said he was recovering. Why did he suddenly die at that particular time, and so close to the attempt on my life? And as both were only a year since the outrage in Viterbo that involved the de Montforts, it leaves me deeply suspicious.’

  ‘Yes. I agree that the death of Henry of Almain, Richard’s son, was clearly a case of murder, and one where the perpetrators are known. Everyone in the Church of St Silvester witnessed it. Guy and Simon de Montfort are known to be the killers. So what can I add to that case?’

  Edward sighed.

  ‘Nothing more, I suppose. But isn’t it an indication of who might have been involved in the other murders? Including that of my eldest son?’

  ‘Ah, yes. John, who died in Berkhamsted in the August of the same year, 1271.’

  Falconer detected a wavering in Edward’s voice as he mentioned his one-time son and heir, John. Though he had no children of his own, Falconer could guess how cruel the death of a child could be. Even in a time when death was the natural bedfellow of birth. It was known that Edward and Eleanor had lost three daughters before John had been born. But they had all died either stillborn or as tiny infants. Life was precarious in the first years of any child’s existence. John had lived to a robust five years before his untimely death. And while in the care of his uncle Richard too. Could all these cases have a common thread? Falconer chose his next words carefully.

  ‘Majesty, I know this is hard for you, but you must realize in each of these cases the corpse is a long time cold in the ground.’ He heard Sir John wince at his apparent harshness, but he pressed on. ‘And the threads of truth that will need to be picked out are equally cold and buried deep. Where do you think I could possibly start?’

  Edward sat upright in his chair, drawing on a mantle of majesty.

  ‘You can dig wherever you wish, Master Falconer. Sir John has a letter signed by me that gives you authority to question who you will from the highest to the lowest. Many of the men who surround me will have been present during at least one of these… incidents. And you may have as long as it takes to uncover the truth. Do it for John’s sake, if no one else’s.’

  The king clicked his fingers, and Appleby gave Falconer a folded parchment that was to be his pass to all areas of the king’s life. Edward then rose from his chair and held out his hand. Falconer too got up and took his king’s hand, before retiring from the room. After the regent master had gone, Edward looked at Appleby, a big grin on his face.

  ‘I think that went well, don’t you, Sir John?’

  Appleby nodded eagerly.

  ‘Indeed, sire. I think you pointed him in the right direction.’

  Thomas was making good progress in his search for information about Paul Hebborn. While the students of Adam Morrish sat in the gloomy schoolroom waiting for their master, they chatted idly with him. Three of them had known Hebborn quite well, even though the boy had been quite stand-offish. Geoffrey Malpoivre, a stocky but elegantly dressed individual, suggested that Hebborn had been encumbered by his stammer.

  ‘He could hardly get a single word out without tripping over it. It made him awkward and reluctant to mix with the rest of us. I tried to draw him into our circle, but to no avail.’

  ‘So you are of the opinion that he took his own life.’

  Malpoivre shrugged his shoulders and spread his hands in a Gallic gesture Thomas was beginning to recognize. It suggested a fatal resignation.

  ‘What other conclusion could you come to?’

  A lively youth called Peter de la Casteigne could not resist chipping in.

  ‘The story is that he was pushed, though. You all know how John Fusoris teased him. He made Paul’s life a misery.’

  Jack Hellequin raised a cautionary hand.

  ‘You can’t go around saying things like that. Fusoris is not here to defend himself, and to all intents and purposes you are accusing him of murder.’

  ‘Who is being accused of murder?’

  The tone of the voice was commanding, and all, including Thomas, turned to look at who had spoken. In the doorway of the room stood a slight figure of a man, silhouetted by the daylight filtering in from outside. Thomas could not make out his features as only one candle burned in the room itself. But his guess that this was Master Adam Morrish was confirmed when Jack Hellequin stepped forward and spoke up.

  ‘Master Adam, we were merely having an exchange of views about Paul’s death. Idle speculation on our part. Nothing serious.’

  Adam Morrish stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. As he stood in the light cast by the flickering candle, Thomas was able to make out his features better. His hair was short and cut in a clerical tonsure, which, added to his thin and boyish features, gave him the appearance of someone no older than his students. But Thomas knew that, if this man had obtained a degree in medicine, he had to be at least in his late twenties. And observing the knowing and curious look that was now cast his way, Thomas guessed Adam was actually older than he seemed. He took a step towards the man, his hand extended.

  ‘Master Adam, I am Thomas Symon from the University of Oxford. If you will allow it, I would like to listen to your lectures on medicine. It is a subject I am most interested in myself.’

  The man took Thomas’s hand in the lightest of grips, and the contact was so fleeting that Thomas was unsure whether he had grasped a man of flesh or a wraith. A secretive smile crossed Morrish’s face.

  ‘It will be good to have another Englishman present.’ He turned towards his students. ‘Here, I am plagued by Picards, Normans and French.’

  The young men in the room sniggered and nudged each other. Morrish clearly held his class in the palm of his hand. While the mood was still genial, Thomas decided to test out Morrish’s opinion on his late student’s demise.

  ‘Do you think it was idle speculation… to suggest Paul Hebborn’s death was murder?’

  The smile on Morrish’s lips froze for a moment, and Thomas was aware of an icy look in the other man’s deep-set eyes. Then, as suddenly as it came, the cold look disappeared. Morrish was all geniality again.

  ‘Master Symon, you must know how students like to gossip. I dare say it is not long since you were a student yourself.’

  Thomas Symon blushed at the truth of Morrish’s vei
led rebuke, but he held his tongue. Morrish filled the silence with his opinion on the matter.

  ‘I regret not seeing that Paul was unhappy here. I was so absorbed in my teaching that I did not see he had not fitted in with this crowd of reprobates.’ He waved his arm at the still-grinning group of youths. ‘There was no doubt some gentle ribbing taking place. Perhaps it got too hurtful for him to bear. I blame myself for not being aware of that. Paul was a terrible stammerer, which I put down to his shyness. I tried to cure him of it, but to no avail.’

  ‘But to throw himself off the top of Notre-Dame… Wasn’t that a little extreme?’

  Morrish smiled at Thomas, who felt he was now being treated as a child. A nuisance who was to be indulged only so far and no further.

  ‘He found solace in the cathedral, and could be found there most evenings. It is no surprise to me that it was the site of his death. Now, if you will permit me, it is time to begin my lectures.’

  Morrish abruptly turned his back on Thomas and left him to slide like a naughty child into a place on the back row of benches set out for his students. Soon they were immersed in the Isagoge of Johannitius.

  NINE

  ‘Ah, the Isagoge of Johannitius, who was known in the Arab world as Husain al-Ibadi.’

  ‘He was a Muslim, then?’

  ‘No, he was Christian, but he was the director of the caliph’s House of Wisdom in the ninth century. His knowledge is all based on Galen, mind you. And I bet you can’t wait until you progress to the Byzantine text on urines by Theophilus.’

  Thomas smiled broadly at Falconer over the refectory table. Conversation was not forbidden in the abbey, but the content of their discourse was a little eccentric. One of the monks seated next to them was staring at them with distaste written large on his features. Thomas endured Falconer’s teasing.