The Wildcats of Exeter (Domesday Series Book 8)

by Edward Marston

  ‘Something must have thrown him off guard.’

  ‘Why did he not travel with an escort? He had over twenty knights on whom he could call. If the road was perilous, an escort would have been essential. Why did he choose to ride alone?’

  ‘We may never know, Ralph.’

  ‘At least we are aware of what we are dealing with here,’ said the other. ‘This was no sudden attack by robbers. They would have killed him, taken his purse and fled. And they would cerainly have stolen his horse as well. My lord sheriff mentioned that it was the returning horse which alerted the lord Nicholas's household.’

  ‘What are you saying, Ralph?’

  ‘This was a cold, deliberate, calculated act of murder. It was not enough to take the man's life. His face had to be obliterated.’ He replaced the candle in the alcove. ‘That rules out a random attacker, in my view. This was a person or persons who knew Nicholas Picard and lived close enough to the city to observe his movements. I sense a spirit of revenge here, Gervase. Somebody was paying him back for injuries done to them.’

  ‘No injuries could compare with those we just witnessed.’

  ‘I agree. This is butchery. However,’ he said, ‘I am glad that my curiosity has been satisfied. The lord sheriff sought to keep this horror from my gaze, but not out of concern for my feelings. I will be interested to learn what his real reason is for shielding me from this murder investigation.’

  ‘Does he have any clues to follow?’

  ‘None that he will disclose to us, Gervase.’

  ‘Why is he so secretive?’

  ‘That is what I intend to find out.’

  ‘Will you tell him that we have now viewed the body?’

  ‘No,’ said Ralph. ‘Certainly not. There is no need for him to know about our early morning visit. Baldwin the Sheriff would disapprove strongly if he realised that we had gone behind his back. This must be kept from him.’

  ‘That will not be possible,’ said a voice behind them.

  They turned to see a figure descending the steps from the vestry. Joscelin the Steward had overheard their conversation. His duty to his master outweighed the courtesy he was bound to extend to guests.

  ‘Please leave,’ he said. ‘I wish to lock the door of the mortuary.’

  Canon Hubert and Brother Simon were the first of the commissioners to arrive at the shire hall that morning. They found everything in readiness. Saewin the Reeve was there to welcome them and to invite them into the long, low room in which so much of the civic and legal business was conducted. The newcomers were pleased to see that the place had been swept clean, chairs and a table had been set out for them and benches had been procured for the witnesses. Refreshments were laid out on a small table in the corner and Hubert could not resist sampling a honey cake, washed down with a cup of water. Simon touched nothing. He put his satchel on the table and began to unload the sheaves of documents which it contained.

  Hubert could feel that the reeve was still hovering in the background.

  ‘You may leave us now,’ he said over his shoulder.

  ‘I wish to deliver a message to the lord Ralph.’

  ‘Leave it with us and we will see it handed to him.’

  ‘This message came by word of mouth,’ said the reeve. ‘The lady who gave it to me bade me pass it on to the commissioners. I naturally want to give it to the man who leads you.’

  ‘We all lead in some senses,’ said Hubert pedantically, facing him. ‘By the same token, we all follow. There is no need for you to linger when you have other business to address. Deliver the message to us and we will give it to the lord Ralph. Will this content you?’

  ‘I suppose so,’ said the other uncertainly.

  ‘Who is the lady in question?’

  ‘Loretta, widow of the late Roger de Marmoutier.’

  ‘That name is familiar to me. Do you recognise it, Brother Simon?’

  ‘Yes, Canon Hubert,’ said the scribe. ‘Certain holdings which came into the possession of Nicholas Picard were at one time part of the manor of Roger de Marmoutier.’

  ‘When he died,’ explained Saewin, ‘the property was left to his son, William, but he, a headstrong young man, was unfortunately killed in a hunting accident. At that point, the land came into the possession of the lord Nicholas. No claim was made by the lady Loretta when your predecessors compiled their returns for the county but she wishes to press her claim now.’

  ‘Then she may have left it too late,’ said Hubert pompously. ‘I am not sure that we can allow her to enter the contest at this stage.’

  ‘The abbot of Tavistock has done so,’ Saewin reminded him.

  ‘That is a different matter.’

  ‘I do not see how, Canon Hubert. His position is exactly that of the lady Loretta. He waived his right to advance his claim before the first team of commissioners but is ready to come forward now.’

  ‘And must be heard.’

  ‘Will you favour the Church over a private individual?’

  Hubert blenched. ‘I resent the insinuation behind that question.’

  ‘No offence was meant,’ said the reeve, raising an appeasing palm. ‘In relaying the message to you, I have done what the lady Loretta instructed. Decisions about who will and who will not come before you are entirely a matter for you and your colleagues. It is not my place to comment in any way. Please accept my apology.’

  ‘Very well.’

  ‘I will detain you from your work no further.’

  ‘Thank you,’ said Hubert crisply. He waited until the reeve went out of the hall before turning to Simon. ‘Favouring the Church, indeed! The suggestion is gross.’

  ‘Yes, Canon Hubert. No man is more impartial than you.’

  ‘The abbot of Tavistock will be judged fairly and objectively. He will receive no special courtesies from me or from anyone else. Where the Church has erred – as it occasionally has in some of the disputes we have looked into in other counties – I have been the first to point it out.’

  ‘Your record has been unblemished.’

  ‘And so it will remain.’ Hubert chose what he felt would be the most comfortable chair, sitting down like a mother hen settling herself on her eggs. ‘But where are the others?’ he complained. ‘They should have been here by now.’

  ‘The lord Ralph is usually very punctual.’

  ‘He was until he married,’ said Hubert sharply. ‘This would not be the first time that his wife has made him tarry. I am not at all sure that her influence on him is entirely beneficial. It might be better if the lady Golde did not travel with him on his assignments.’

  ‘That is my feeling,’ said Simon, nodding energetically.

  ‘She is an intelligent lady and pleasant company but not an appointed member of this commission. Inevitably, she is a distraction.’

  The door opened and they looked up in anticipation, but it was not their colleagues who stepped into the hall. A Benedictine monk shuffled slowly towards them, his hood up and his hands tucked in the sleeves of his cowl. He stood respectfully before the table.

  ‘Canon Hubert?’ he asked.

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘I bring word from the lord Ralph.’

  ‘Why is he not here?’

  ‘He has been delayed by the lord sheriff,’ said the monk. ‘He hopes to be here with the others before too long but sends his apologies in the meantime. The delay was unforeseen.’

  ‘And most unwelcome,’ observed Hubert. ‘We have an immense amount of business to conduct. An early start is imperative.’

  ‘It will not be possible today.’

  ‘Our deliberations take precedence over conversations with the lord sheriff. Bear that message to the lord Ralph.’

  ‘I would not be admitted to their presence.’

  ‘Why not, brother?’

  ‘Because they have arrant fools enough without me.’

  Hubert gaped. ‘Fools, did you say!’

  ‘Fools, idiots and mindless soldiers.’

 
‘Such immoderate language for a monk!’ said Simon.

  ‘That is why I could never take the cowl for more than a few minutes,’ said the messenger, pulling back his hood to reveal the distinctive head and hair of Berold. ‘I came in jest but I spoke in truth.’

  ‘To disguise yourself as a Benedictine is an act of sacrilege,’ said Hubert in disgust. ‘I will make mention of this to the lord sheriff.’

  ‘Then you would be the biggest fool of all, Canon Hubert.’

  ‘Do you dare to mock me?’

  ‘I am only giving you fair warning,’ said the other, skipping to the door and divesting himself of his cowl at the same time. ‘My master is hot with rage. Only a simpleton would go near him when he is in such a state. Ask the lord Ralph. He is feeling the sharp edge of the lord sheriff's fury.’

  ‘You were expressly told to keep yourself out of it!’ roared Baldwin. ‘Do you not recognise an order when you hear one?’

  ‘My orders come from the King himself,’ said Ralph.

  ‘Devon is under my aegis and you would do well to remember it.’

  ‘A sheriff is still answerable to a higher authority.’

  Baldwin turned puce. ‘Do you defy me, my lord?’

  ‘I simply wished to view the last remains of Nicholas Picard.’

  ‘Against my wishes.’

  ‘It was too early to seek your permission, my lord sheriff,’ said Ralph with a sly wink at Gervase. ‘Or we would surely have done so.’

  ‘My permission would have been refused.’

  ‘Then it is as well we did not wait for it.’

  ‘You sneaked into that mortuary like thieves in the night,’ yelled their host. ‘This is my castle and I expect my guests to respect my authority within these walls. What you did was unforgivable.’

  ‘But within my rights.’

  ‘No, my lord!’

  ‘Yes,’ insisted Ralph. ‘The lord Nicholas figures so largely in our investigations that we have a keen interest in what happened to him.’

  ‘He was murdered. That is all you need to know.’

  ‘Why are you keeping the truth from us?’

  ‘Do you dare to accuse me of lies?’ howled Baldwin as his anger reached a new pitch. ‘Take care, my lord. Men have been thrown into my dungeons for less than that.’

  ‘I did not say that you told lies,’ countered Ralph. ‘Merely, that you have held back the full truth and tried to prevent us from finding it out. I would respect your authority more if I felt that you were worthy of it.’

  Baldwin de Moeles was so incensed that he reached for his sword. Ralph did not flinch but Gervase Bret moved swiftly. Stepping in between the two men, he acted as a peacemaker.

  ‘There is no call for argument here.’ He turned to the sheriff. ‘We were wrong to disobey your orders, my lord sheriff, and owe you a profound apology. Curiosity got the better of us. We were in the chapel at first light, praying for the success of our work here, when we remembered that the lord Nicholas lay in the mortuary. The temptation to inspect the body was too great to resist, but it was a mistake.’

  ‘No, it was not, Gervase,’ argued Ralph vehemently.

  ‘Let me handle this, my lord.’

  ‘We had to see the lord Nicholas.’

  ‘Subject to my lord sheriff's approval.’ Gervase shot Ralph such a look of reproof that the latter was silenced at once. When his young friend was in such an assertive mood, it was as well to heed his advice. It was time to let him take over the negotiations. All that Ralph had done was to trade bold words and insults with their host. They had almost come to blows and a brawl would advantage nobody, least of all a commissioner who relied on the sheriff both for accommodation and for help with his office. Gervase's diplomacy would achieve far more than Ralph's plain speaking. Voices which had reverberated around the hall at the castle needed to be deprived of their passion and volume. Gervase shrugged his shoulder and gave a conciliatory smile. ‘We were too curious and too arrogant, my lord sheriff,’ he said.

  ‘I know it well,’ grumbled the other but he sheathed his sword as he did so. ‘Too curious, too arrogant and too rash.’

  ‘We had the audacity to believe that we could discover something which your own more experienced eyes had missed. We are royal commissioners who sit in musty halls with our noses in wrinkled documents and ancient charters. What do we know about the pursuit of a killer?’ He saw Ralph bite back an interruption and hurried on. ‘It was a monstrous folly on our part to imagine that we could do your job in your stead.’

  ‘I am glad that you appreciate it.’

  ‘Appreciate it and acknowledge our fault.’

  ‘I heard no such acknowledgement from the lord Ralph.’

  ‘Nor will you!’ Ralph said under his breath, then he felt a sobering kick on the ankle from Gervase. ‘He is right, my lord sheriff,’ he added aloud. ‘I do see the error of our ways now. Gervase speaks for both of us.’

  ‘Would that he had done so earlier!’ snapped the other.

  ‘My remarks were intemperate. I take them back.’

  ‘I am glad to hear it.’

  ‘So am I,’ said Gervase with feeling. ‘Nothing can be achieved by our bickering. We are all on the same side here. Fall out among ourselves and disharmony follows. Pool our resources and work together – under your direction, lord sheriff – and we form an irresistible team.’

  ‘That is so,’ said Baldwin, slightly mollified. ‘We can join forces but I must be in command.’

  ‘Without question.’ Gervase looked meaningfully at Ralph. ‘Well?’

  ‘Yes, yes,’ came the lacklustre endorsement. ‘Without question.’

  ‘Then let us put this aberration behind us,’ decided Baldwin, strutting around the room. ‘I will forget what has happened if you give me your word not to interfere any more in this murder investigation.’

  ‘We give it unconditionally, my lord sheriff,’ said Gervase.

  ‘Do we?’ murmured Ralph in dismay.

  ‘It is the only way to proceed.’

  ‘Then let us leave the matter there,’ said Baldwin.

  ‘Not until we have given you our opinion,’ said Gervase persuasively. ‘It was wrong of us to visit the mortuary, but we did reach certain conclusions about the murder victim. They may well confirm your own observations, my lord sheriff, and should be heard for that reason alone.’

  Their host pondered. ‘As you wish,’ he said at length.

  ‘Our feeling was this …’

  Ralph watched with admiration as Gervase adopted new tactics. Instead of increasing their host's anger with naked defiance, Gervase was subtly flattering him in order to draw information from him. He deliberately altered the deductions they had made about the dead man so that the sheriff would be provoked into correcting him. Ralph and Gervase were learning valuable new details about the case.

  ‘What, then, was your final conclusion?’ asked Baldwin at length.

  ‘That the lord Nicholas was killed by someone in order to prevent him from appearing before us to affirm his right to the disputed holdings. One man probably carried out the murder,’ said Gervase. ‘Someone well known to the lord Nicholas who unwittingly let him get close enough to make a surprise attack.’

  ‘Then you are mistaken on every point, my young friend.’

  ‘How can that be?’

  ‘Nicholas Picard was ambushed by robbers in the wood. His purse was empty when he was found and valuable rings had been taken from his fingers.’

  ‘Could not that have been a ruse on the part of the murderer?’ said Ralph, unable to keep silent any longer. ‘A cunning villain would do his best to make it look like the work of robbers in order to deflect suspicion away from himself.’

  ‘We know that robbers were involved, my lord. Two of them.’

  ‘How can you be so sure?’

  ‘Because my men trailed them to an inn near Credition,’ said Baldwin. ‘A messenger rode through the night to bring me word. The robbers had moved on bu
t the innkeeper remembered them well. They spent far too much money for men as poorly attired as they were. He told my officers which way his guests went.’ He gave a harsh smile. ‘It is only a matter of time before those men are apprehended and brought back here to stand trial for the murder of Nicholas Picard.’

  Chapter Four

  When the commissioners eventually arrived at the shire hall, they found a number of people awaiting them. Saewin had assembled all the witnesses who needed to be examined on the first day and was standing by to receive further instructions. Ralph Delchard, Gervase Bret and Hervey de Marigny strode into the hall with the speed and purpose of men who wished to make up for lost time. Canon Hubert's protest about their lateness was brushed aside by Ralph. Four of his men were stationed at the rear of the hall while four of de Marigny's knights acted as sentries outside. Ralph had learned from experience that the presence of armed soldiers tended to encourage a more truthful response from witnesses.

  All five of them were soon seated behind the table with documents set out before them. Ralph occupied the central position with Hubert and de Marigny on either side of him. Brother Simon was poised to record the proceedings of the day in his neat hand. Gervase was the most anxious of them all to set things in motion. Though his mind was concentrated on his duties, his heart was still in Winchester with his betrothed. Every delay lengthened the time he would be apart from her and might, he feared, even prevent him from returning in time for his wedding.

  Hervey de Marigny looked along the table and gave a chuckle.

  ‘What a daunting tribunal we make!’ he observed. ‘I would not like to face such an imposing set of judges.’

  ‘We endeavour to frighten the witnesses into honesty,’ said Ralph with a grin. ‘Only minor cases come before us today so we will not be unduly taxed. I would suggest that you watch us throughout the morning before you join in the merriment.’

  ‘It is hardly merriment, my lord,’ said Hubert reproachfully. ‘We are royal agents with serious business which must be addressed seriously. May I remind you that one of our principal witnesses was murdered on the eve of our arrival? That is hardly a cause for merriment.’