‘Shocked and hurt.’
‘Even though that friendship took place long ago?’
‘Even then, Golde. Alys should have told me about it.’
‘She was too shy and fearful to do so.’
‘Then she did not enter honestly into the marriage.’
‘All people have some kind of secret,’ she argued.
‘Not of this order,’ he countered. ‘Marriage vows are the most solemn that we take. They must be honoured. A woman cannot do that properly if she comes to the altar concealing a dubious past.’
‘There is nothing dubious here. She loved the man.’
‘Then she should have confessed it.’
Golde gave an affectionate smile. ‘You expect a perfection that few of us can manage, Gervase. Let us forget Alys, for I see that you take this too personally. Imagine two other people in the situation I have outlined.’
‘Well?’
‘The embarrassing letter comes out of her past, given to her by an anonymous hand. It is clearly a warning that her husband will be told the truth of her former love if she does not pay dearly to keep the intelligence from him.’
‘Is that what has happened?’ said Gervase worriedly. ‘Someone is trying to blackmail you, Golde?’
‘Not me. A friend.’
‘Here in Exeter?’
‘Perhaps.’
‘I need to know. This may be important.’
‘It is highly important to the lady in question. I have told her that she must tell her husband the whole truth or she will for ever be at the mercy of the blackmailer.’
‘What was her reply?’
‘That it would be suicidal to confide in her husband. If he learns the truth, she fears, he will fly into a rage.’
‘When was the letter given to her, Golde?’
‘Does it matter?’
‘Very much. Was it in the last couple of days?’
‘Yes.’
‘Then she is the second victim.’
‘Second?’
‘Compromising letters of a slightly different kind were handed to me at the shire hall.’
‘By whom?’
‘I have no idea.’
‘What sort of letters were they?’
‘The kind that are extremely damaging to one of the claimants involved in a dispute. That is why they were sent. Though this is not a case of blackmail, I believe that the person who passed on those letters to me was also in possession of the one given to your friend. I would go even further,’ said Gervase, thinking it through. ‘I would hazard a guess where those letters were found.’
‘Where?’
‘In a box stolen from the house of the lord Nicholas.’
Golde started. ‘But how could anyone know they would be there?’
‘They did not. The box was taken because it contained something else. When the thief discovered it also contained those letters, he saw a means to exploit them.’ He looked up at her. ‘Was your friend in any way involved with the lord Nicholas?’
‘I fear that she was.’
‘Then she is the second victim of the thief. There may be more,’ he said with a roll of his eyes. ‘The lord Nicholas seems to have had many such romances and to have kept fond mementoes of his conquests.’
‘So what should my friend do?’ asked Golde. ‘Tell her husband?’
‘Not yet.’
‘Then what?’
‘Hope that I can find the man behind the blackmail before he can do even worse damage. What you have told me has been an immense help,’ he said, getting up and moving to the door. ‘And the truthful answer to your question is this. If someone was trying to blackmail Alys, I would forgive her any past indiscretion in order to free her from his power.’ He opened the door. ‘Tell that to your friend, Golde.’
‘I will,’ she said. ‘Unfortunately, she is not married to a Gervase Bret.’
It was a fruitless search and it took them well into the evening. Under the supervision of Ralph Delchard and the sheriff, the men spread out in a line and walked slowly from the city to the spot where the body of Hervey de Marigny was found, poking about in the grass and among the bushes for any clue left behind by the killer. There were none. When Baldwin called off the search, he was annoyed and depressed. He and Ralph rode disconsolately back towards the city.
‘You were wrong, Ralph,’ he concluded.
‘I do not think so.’
‘It may well be that the lord Hervey was murdered in the river itself and left at the spot where he died. That would explain why there are no traces of his having been taken to the river from the city.’
‘There is another explanation, my lord sheriff.’
‘What?’
‘The killer was thorough. He knew how to cover his tracks. How many clues did he leave behind when he ambushed the lord Nicholas?’
‘None.’
‘It is so here.’
‘Is it?’ said Baldwin. ‘I begin to believe that the villain is no longer anywhere near Exeter. He was only here to commit the murders before fleeing the city altogether.’
‘No,’ said Ralph. ‘There is no chance of that.’
‘How can you be so sure?’
‘Because of the way the two crimes were committed. They had to be the work of a man who knows the area extremely well. He lay in ambush at the perfect spot in that wood. He hid the lord Hervey's body in a place which took us an age to discover. No, my lord sheriff. We are looking for a local man. And he is still here,’ said Ralph, wrinkling his nose in disgust. ‘I can smell him!’
By the time they reached the castle, Ralph was drooping with fatigue as the cumulative effect of endless hours without sleep began to tell on him. He was not cheered by the sight of Canon Hubert talking to Gervase Bret close by the castle gate. Ralph dismounted and walked slowly across to them.
‘Before you ask me, Hubert,’ he said, lifting a hand, ‘there has been no progress, I fear. We have found nothing. The cathedral will have to shake in its sandals for another night.’
‘It is no jest, my lord,’ said Hubert.
‘I do not see it as such, believe me!’
‘You need some rest, Ralph,’ observed Gervase.
‘Stop sounding like my wife.’
‘There is nothing more you can do this evening.’
‘Oh, yes, there is, Gervase. When I have seen Golde and poured a jug of water over my head to wake me up again, I will take another look at that siege tunnel. It worries me. Berold escorted me there earlier but it was bright daylight. I wonder if it takes on a different character by night.’
Hubert was puzzled. ‘What has a siege tunnel to do with the murder of the lord Hervey?’ he said. ‘It is outside the city.’
‘So was he when he was killed. Will you come with me, Gervase?’
‘No,’ said the other, ‘I have a call to make on my own account.’
‘To whom?’
‘The lady Loretta. She perjured herself before us.’
‘Can this be so?’ said Hubert. ‘An honourable woman like that?’
‘According to Engelric.’
‘Is he the source of this slander?’
‘I do not think that it is slander, Canon Hubert.’
‘Well I do, Gervase. If it is a case of Engelric's word against that of the lady Loretta, I know whose I would believe. She is highly respected in the city and in the cathedral. Her generosity to the foundation is well known.’ He gave a flabby smile. ‘She even sends along her servant to cure a problem that returns to worry them.’
‘What sort of problem?’ asked Ralph.
‘Bats, my lord. Bats in the belfry.’
‘How does the servant help?’
‘He can charm them into a sack, it seems,’ said Hubert, ‘then he takes them to the wood to release them. He must be a rare fellow to have such a skill with bats. The wonder of it is that he is dumb. Dean Jerome tells me that he has a gift from God. Eldred is able to commune somehow with almost any animal.’
> ‘Eldred?’ repeated Ralph.
‘The servant who brought the lady Loretta to the shire hall.’
‘I remember the man well.’
Yes,’ said Gervase, mind racing. ‘So do I.’
Loretta was seated at the table, studying the charter in the bright candlelight and envisaging the time when the property would once more be in her possession. Certain of her success, she allowed herself a smile of self-congratulation. Then she put the charter aside and picked up one of the letters that lay beside it. She was reading it again and mocking its sentiments afresh when she heard the distant knock at the front door. The maidservant answered it, asked the caller to wait, then tapped on the door of the parlour before entering.
‘A gentleman has called to see you, my lady,’ said the girl.
‘What is his name?’
‘Master Gervase Bret.’
‘Show him in at once,’ she said with pleasant surprise.
‘He has two companions with him, my lady.’
‘Canon Hubert and Ralph Delchard?’
‘No, my lady. Men-at-arms.’
Loretta's face hardened but she did not rescind the order. Gervase was soon stepping into the parlour while the two soldiers waited behind in the hall. She gave him a polite smile.
‘This is an unexpected visit, Master Bret.’
‘We did not only come to see you, my lady,’ he explained. ‘We wish to see your servant as well. Eldred.’
‘He is not here.’
‘Where is he?’
‘I am not sure,’ she said evasively.
‘Will he return tonight?’
‘At some point.’
‘Then the lord Hervey's knights will wait for him.’
‘I do not want two men-at-arms lurking in my hall,’ she said with disdain. ‘Send them away at once.’
‘If you wish, my lady,’ he agreed. ‘But I will ask them to dispatch six of the sheriff's men in their stead. Eldred will be taken one way or another.’
‘Taken?’
‘For questioning.’
‘On what grounds do you arrest him?’
‘That is what I have come here to establish.’
Gervase's eye fell on the table and he saw the letters. Loretta moved the charter on top of them to hide them from view but she was too slow. He had seen enough to spark his interest. He strolled calmly across the room to confront her. ‘I called at Saewin's house on the way here, my lady.’
‘Indeed?’
‘He was telling me more about this gift of Eldred's. The way he seems to have of talking to animals even though he is himself mute. When the reeve's dog was sick, it was Eldred who medicined him. He cured the creature. Saewin says that it was he who recommended Eldred to you.’
‘That is true.’
‘When nobody else would employ him, you took him in.’
‘He is a loyal servant.’
‘That is how Saewin described him as well, my lady. He said that Eldred was so grateful to you that he would do anything you asked.’ Gervase moved in closer. ‘Without hesitation.’
‘I expect obedience from a servant.’
‘You demanded more than that from Eldred. I recall how he sat beside you at the shire hall, aware of what you wanted even before you voiced a request. You and he seemed to have a kind of understanding, a form of speech that did not rely on words.’
‘What are you trying to say, Master Bret?’
‘I believe that your servant may have been responsible for two foul murders, both involving the use of an animal. A fox, perhaps. Or some kind of dog. Or a wildcat. A man who can charm bats out of the cathedral belfry can tame any creature.’ He watched her face but it betrayed no emotion. ‘I also suspect that he stole a box from the manor house of Nicholas Picard, using his skill with animals to placate the four dogs who were on guard there in the night.’
Loretta gave a laugh of disbelief. ‘What possible reason could a peace-loving man like Eldred have to kill someone? And why should he want to break into someone's house?’
‘To retrieve something for you, my lady.’
‘Me?’
‘Yes,’ said Gervase, sweeping the charter aside and snatching up the letters with his other hand. ‘Who wrote these? Asa? Or some other woman you are going to persecute?’
Loretta got up and tried to grab them, but he was far too quick for her. Stepping back smartly, he held the letters behind him so that they were well out of her reach. Loretta extended an imperious palm.
‘Those are mine. Please return them.’
‘They are stolen property, my lady,’ he said with a nod at her chair. ‘Sit down again. We have much to discuss.’
‘You have no right to be in my house!’ she snapped.
‘Send for the sheriff and have me evicted. Not that I would advise it, my lady. He is much more likely to invite you to the castle to continue this conversation there. Now – are you going to sit down?’
Seething with controlled anger, she slowly resumed her seat.
‘You have plenty of strange ideas, Master Bret,’ she said, regaining her poise. ‘Strange ideas and wild accusations. Yet no proof whatsoever.’
He held up the letters. ‘Except these.’
‘What do they prove?’
‘That you ordered Eldred to steal the box which contained them. It also contained some letters from Asa to lord Nicholas. They were sent anonymously to me so that her claim was imperilled.’
‘Her claim!’ sneered Loretta. ‘It was totally worthless. Did she tell you that the lord Nicholas had been nowhere near her for over a year? Asa was discarded. He would hardly bequeath those holdings to a woman he could no longer bear to see.’
‘You seem to know a lot about the lord Nicholas,’ he said quietly.
‘I heard all the gossip.’
‘You do not strike me as a person who listens to gossip.’
‘What do I strike you as, Master Bret?’ she taunted.
‘A woman who would stop at nothing to secure her ends.’
‘All I wanted was my legitimate right.’
‘Achieved by illegitimate means.’
‘Or so you imagine.’
‘You committed perjury before us,’ said Gervase. ‘That was what first made me wonder if the lady Loretta was all that she appeared to be. You told us that you were in Normandy when the first commissioners came, and that was why you made no appeal before them. Yet Engelric saw you at a service in the cathedral during the time they were here. So did Dean Jerome and Saewin. I took the trouble to confirm Engelric's comments with them.’
‘You have been diligent!’ she mocked.
‘Not quite as diligent as you and Eldred. But let me see if I can suggest the real reason why you were silent when our predecessors were here. You advanced no claim then because the lord Nicholas was alive. There was some bond between you which forced you to hold back.’
‘Oh, yes!’ she murmured. ‘There was a bond!’
‘What exactly happened, my lady?’
‘You tell me, Master Bret. You have such a colourful imagination that I could listen to your tales for hours. What other hideous crimes are you going to lay upon me? What other weird motives did I have?’
‘There is nothing weird about the desire for revenge. Nicholas Picard cheated your son out of the holdings at Upton Pyne – or so you allege. It is no wonder that you wanted them back so much.’
‘They were mine – they are mine!’
‘Not any more, my lady.’
‘I have a prior claim.’
‘Murder cancelled it.’
Loretta stared at him with undisguised loathing, then her eye fell on the charter in front of her. It no longer lifted her spirits. She brushed it aside and rose to her feet.
‘Yes,’ she said. ‘I had a bond with Nicholas Picard. The strongest bond a woman can have. When I could not get my property back from him by legal means, I chose another way. I seduced him.’ She smiled at the shocked expression on Gervase's face. ‘It
was not difficult. He had a weakness for a pretty face and I flatter myself that mine can still turn a man's head. Besides, he had been sniffing around me for years and his attentions became more obvious after my husband died. He was such a vain man, Master Bret. He thought he would be doing me a favour. It never crossed his mind that I was only letting him enjoy my favours in order to get my property back.’
‘But you never managed that.’
‘I came close,’ she said. ‘Very close. He promised to restore those holdings to me a number of times but always drew back at the last moment. Then he made his mistake.’
‘He told you that you would never secure that property.’
‘In effect. He lost interest in me. He came to break off our romance, though he lacked the courage to do that properly. I have my pride. I am no Asa to be cast off like a dirty garment. The lord Nicholas betrayed me. He had to pay for that, Master Bret.’
‘So you gave instructions to Eldred?’
‘He will let nobody harm me.’
‘Did you order him to steal that box?’
‘I had to,’ she said simply. ‘It contained letters which the lord Nicholas made me write to him. I had to flatter his vanity. He told me that they were safely locked away in a box in his bedchamber and that he carried the only key on his person. It was important for me to retrieve my letters before someone broke open the box and found them. You and your colleagues might not have looked so favourably upon my claim had you known of a romance between the lord Nicholas and myself, especially as my letters contained more than one reference to the holdings in Upton Pyne.’
‘Had Eldred been to the manor house before?’
‘No, but I had. I described it to him in detail.’
‘Then he charmed his way past the guard dogs and took the box.’
‘It was more than a box, Master Bret,’ she said with a high laugh. ‘It was a treasure trove. There were letters in there from over a dozen women. The lord Nicholas had an obsession about keeping trophies. Some of the letters were from Asa. I got Eldred to translate them. He may not be able to speak but he can read and write. When I realised what I was holding, I used them to the best advantage by sending them to you. Asa's claim was fatally weakened.’
The Wildcats of Exeter (Domesday Series Book 8) Page 24
