The Guilt of Innocents (Owen Archer Book 9)

by Candace Robb

  The lad who greeted him at Munkton’s was glad to give him the information, and Hempe was off at a trot to Petergate and the house of Dame Lotta, a wealthy widow known for her charitable gifts to the churches of the city. Munkton had certainly settled his journeyman in respectable lodgings. Perhaps the guild had insisted.

  An elderly manservant opened the door, ‘Master Bailiff? How did you know my mistress –?’

  ‘Did she send for me?’ How strange.

  ‘Aye. Just now.’

  The elderly servant was eased aside by the tiny widow. ‘George Hempe, I think?’ Her dark eyes seemed intense in her exceedingly pale face, and a beautiful contrast to the fair hair braided beneath her veil. Hempe thought her one of the handsomest women of York. ‘Come in, I pray you. I’ve made an unpleasant discovery and need your counsel.’ She led him to a door at the end of the hall farthest from the street.

  ‘Dame Lotta, I’ve come concerning your lodger, Nigel, the journeyman –’

  ‘For Master Edward. Do you mean you know why I sent for you?’

  ‘You sent for me?’

  ‘What else would a bailiff of York want with me?’ Her dark eyes watched him with lively curiosity.

  ‘I wished to ask you about your tenant.’ Hempe wondered how she remained unwed. Might she consider a mere bailiff? He shook his head to rid himself of the thought.

  ‘You shake your head, Master George?’

  ‘A crook in my neck, that is all. Pray ignore my twitches. What was your unpleasant discovery?’

  Obeying a nod of her head, the manservant slipped past Hempe to the door and swung it wide.

  ‘Behold my late lodger Nigel’s room, Master George,’ said Dame Lotta with a sweep of her arm.

  Bedding twisted and mounded on the floor, a good mattress slit open, feathers everywhere, the contents of a chest spilling out.

  ‘I assure you, had the young man done such damage, even once, he would have been back at Edward Munkton’s.’

  ‘When did you find this?’

  ‘Just a while ago.’ Lotta bowed her head and apologetically said, ‘I did not like to go in last night, not with him just murdered. I feared his spirit might be flitting about in agony, and where would he come but his last home. Nor did I want my servants frightened.’ She peered up at him with the sweetest expression of fear Hempe had ever seen. ‘Perhaps it is unwise to say this of the dead, but he was not a nice man, though tidy and quiet. I’d thought about asking him to leave.’

  Hempe asked permission to go into the room and look around, which Lotta readily gave. Clothes, a writing slate, a small book of notes regarding the working of gold which had been his mystery, a pair of worn boots, prayer beads – Hempe found nothing of interest. But of course whoever had searched before him would have removed anything that might point to his murderer, assuming that his murderer was the searcher. He tried the door leading to the side alley and found it locked.

  The servant, standing in the doorway to the hall, said, ‘I found it unlocked this morning, sir. Mistress told me to lock it.’

  ‘Had the lock been damaged? Or the door?’

  ‘The lock, sir. I had to put another one on it.’

  Dame Lotta kept a supply of padlocks, it seemed. Returning to the hall, Hempe asked her what she meant by ‘not nice’.

  ‘I did not care for the way he looked at me,’ she said. ‘And of late I’d heard another man’s voice a few times. His guests were to come to the street door so that I might know who was in my house.’ She nodded her head as if to emphasise the correctness of the rule. ‘But this one would come by way of the alley door. Nigel also seemed secretive in other ways. Not that I cared to know much of his life, but he’d grown rude in his responses to my questions.’

  ‘And yet he looked at you with too much interest?’ asked Hempe.

  She raised her eyebrows. ‘There was variance in his behaviour. I do not dissemble with you.’

  ‘I never thought that you did, Dame Lotta. I beg you, forgive me if I have offended you.’

  She smiled and gave him a little bow. ‘Of course, Master George.’

  ‘Did this visitor by any chance wear a fancy hat? Fur and feathers?’

  ‘As I said, I did not see the visitor.’

  ‘Ah. Yes, you did say.’ He learned little more, and as he left her home he wondered whether she was truly God’s most adorable creation, or whether he’d had too much wine too early in the day.

  Jasper guided his horse close to the captain’s. ‘Da, I just remembered something. Osmund Gamyll was in the city the night of Drogo’s death. It was when he was talking to Master Nicholas that I learned Aubrey and Sir Baldwin were alive and home.’

  ‘Are you certain?’

  ‘Yes.’

  The captain grinned and nodded. ‘You are proving to be an excellent spy, my son.’

  Seven

  SECRETS

  OF THE HEART

  While Kate instructed Gwenllian and Hugh in some kitchen chores and Phillippa napped by the fire, Magda tried to engage Alisoun, just home from school and rosy-cheeked from the cold, in a discussion about her future.

  ‘I never wished to be a nursemaid,’ said Alisoun, her pouting face above her thin neck giving her the look of an indignant bird. ‘I’ll be relieved to quit this house.’

  Magda could tell by the girl’s jagged breath that it was not so, but she did not intend to argue with her.

  ‘Kate’s cousin Maud needs the warmth and healing of this household, so Magda is glad thou hast no desire to remain here. Thou needst not worry about thy schooling – it will not be interrupted unless thou shouldst choose to journey with Magda when the floods begin.’

  Alisoun sat a little straighter, subtly fluffing her feathers. ‘You’d let me come with you?’

  Magda nodded. ‘Unless thou art needed in the city. Thou needst a lodging, so it is thy choice whether to bide with Magda or accept another post. Magda thinks thou couldst do much for an ailing young woman, the daughter of a shipman. Thou wouldst get much practice in healing by attending her.’

  Conflict shone in Alisoun’s eyes. ‘You would teach me how to care for her?’ she asked.

  ‘Aye. Her healing requires both physicks and a supportive presence, a listening friend. Wouldst thou have the patience for that?’

  ‘I want to be a healer, not a friend.’ Alisoun almost growled the last words.

  Now she reminded Magda not so much of a chick as a small, testy dog. ‘Thou hast much to learn about what a healer does. When Maud is ready to come here, Magda will take thee to meet the young woman and thou canst decide for thyself.’

  ‘And if I don’t choose to take care of her?’ Alisoun barked.

  ‘The city and the countryside overflow with people in need, young Alisoun. Thou shalt not lack for work if thou art willing.’

  The question remained in Magda’s heart – was the girl willing? She must be patient, for only time would provide the answer to that troubling question.

  * * *

  Her lower back aching and her ankles swollen after a full day of sitting on the high stool in the shop, Lucie was glad to accept Edric’s offer of his arm for support as they crossed the garden to the hall. Frost softened the winter twilight, and where the lamplight spilling from the hall window illuminated the wisps of air and the stark winter garden, Lucie felt as if she’d stepped into another world, one more magical, with different standards of beauty. She mentioned this to Edric and he paused to look around.

  ‘It is wondrous,’ he said in a reverent whisper. ‘The world must be so beautiful seen from your eyes, Dame Lucie.’

  Sometimes it was difficult for Lucie to remember that he was older than Jasper, he seemed so artless in his youthful infatuation.

  ‘I was so caught up in how cold I am that I had not noticed how the fog swirls,’ he said.

  Lucie had noticed that he seldom seemed aware of his surroundings. ‘Your apprenticeship is a time for learning how to live a good life in your mystery as well as
how to mix physicks, Edric. You will be a better apothecary by knowing life.’ She stopped herself. This was not the moment for such a discussion. ‘And you are right, it is cold out here.’ Lucie picked up her pace, still with her hand in the crook of Edric’s arm.

  As soon as they entered the hall, Lucie noticed Alisoun’s eyes fastened on her hand on Edric’s arm. She dropped it, irritated by how guilty the girl made her feel with that look.

  Magda’s multicoloured gown caught Lucie’s eye as the healer approached her, and she thought how fortunate she was in her friend. She noticed Magda glancing over at Alisoun with a thoughtful expression, but then she was smiling at Lucie as she guided her to a high-backed chair by the fire.

  ‘How dost thou?’ Magda asked as Lucie settled. Lifting Lucie’s hem Magda shook her head at her swollen ankles.

  ‘I’m aware of those,’ said Lucie. ‘My back aches as well. I am truly toswollen. It all seemed easier when I was younger.’

  ‘It was,’ said Magda, ‘but thou wilt soon feel better.’ She went over to the fire and stirred something in a small pot.

  Gwenllian pushed a low stool under Lucie’s feet and then knelt next to her. Lucie reached down to stroke her raven curls.

  ‘You are my angel,’ she said.

  Gwenllian gingerly bent over to rest an ear on Lucie’s belly. ‘Baby is sleeping?’ she asked.

  ‘Your brother or sister has been dancing a jig all the long day, so I think he or she is tired. I am, too!’ But at this moment Lucie felt content.

  Straightening, Gwenllian leaned on the arm of Lucie’s chair, trying to look her in the eyes. ‘Aunt Pippa was confused today. She was worried about someone named Amélie. Who was she?’

  Lucie glanced over at her aunt as she smoothed her daughter’s hair. ‘She was my mother, your grandmother from Normandy, remember? Aunt Phillippa must have dreamt about her and woke confused.’

  Gwenllian shrugged and sighed. ‘I don’t like that she thinks grandma is still alive. I don’t like when Aunt Pippa’s confused.’

  ‘Neither does she, my love.’

  Magda brought a cup of steaming liquid from the pot on the fire, and now thrust it into Lucie’s hands, startling her. ‘For the swelling and the backache,’ she said. ‘Now, drink.’

  Gwenllian ran back to Hugh and Alisoun. Lucie watched as her two children began a tag game around Alisoun’s chair.

  ‘Thou art blessed with healthy bairns,’ said Magda. She’d pulled a stool up to join Lucie.

  Edric made a move to join them.

  ‘The bailiff George Hempe came to Master Nicholas’s school today, Edric,’ said Alisoun.

  He changed his direction and sat down near her, but not so near as to become part of the tag game. ‘What was wrong?’ he asked.

  ‘I don’t know. He asked to speak to Master Nicholas in the alleyway. After that, Master Nicholas kept forgetting what he’d been saying.’

  ‘It’s no wonder that the controversy about his school and the gossip about what happened when he prayed over Drogo has shaken him,’ said Lucie.

  ‘I did not mean to disturb your rest, Dame Lucie, I was speaking to Edric.’ Alisoun spoke in a tone far too familiar for a nursemaid.

  Lucie would not tolerate such disrespect from the girl. ‘Take the children to the kitchen, Alisoun, and calm them with supper. You might eat with them this evening.’ She used a firm though not unfriendly tone.

  ‘But Kate feeds them,’ Alisoun said, her colour high.

  Edric studied his shoes.

  ‘Not this evening,’ said Lucie. ‘She will be up late in case the captain and Jasper return. You are apparently at ease, so it is no inconvenience to you to feed the children.’

  Alisoun rose and snapped her skirts.

  ‘Have a care,’ said Magda. ‘Thou hast fire in thy eyes, Alisoun, and it is blinding thee.’

  Bobbing her head to Lucie and glaring at Magda, Alisoun rounded up her charges and led them out of the hall. Lucie let her breath out only when the door closed behind them.

  Magda looked disgusted. ‘Where is the healer in her soul?’ she muttered as she rose to give the fire a poke.

  ‘Did I cause trouble for Alisoun?’ asked Edric.

  He looked abandoned, and Lucie felt for him. It would take a sturdier man than he would ever be to carry the burden of Alisoun’s affections.

  ‘It was nothing you did, Edric,’ she assured him. ‘I think she is bored with her duties here. It is well that a wet nurse will soon come to take her place.’

  ‘What will she do then?’ he asked.

  ‘We will continue to support her schooling,’ said Lucie, ‘and Dame Magda is arranging a post for her.’

  ‘Magda spoke with Alisoun earlier.’ She settled back down. ‘Do not fret, lad, for she is surrounded by those who wish her well. Enough of that girl.’ She turned to Lucie. ‘Magda also talked with George Hempe, the hawk himself. He called here, and Magda told him about Master Nicholas’s queer behaviour. That is why he sought out the man. And a tanner’s wife came to tell the captain of a pair on the riverbank yesterday who might have been the goldsmith’s lad and his murderer. But then thou knowest she was here. She did come to thee?’

  Poor Alice, pregnant again. ‘Yes. She has all that she needs for a while, and I was glad to give it to her. She is a sweet woman, too sweet.’ Lucie knew Magda would divine her meaning.

  ‘Aye, she should not have –’ Magda glanced up at Edric’s eager expression and fussed with Lucie to finish the cup of herbs. ‘Magda will not be here tomorrow, but she will leave more of this beverage for thee.’

  ‘Where will you be?’ Lucie had slept so soundly the previous night and believed that Magda’s mere presence had provided such a gift, a night of unbroken sleep that was such a rare blessing when pregnant. ‘You are not safe at home.’

  ‘That is thy opinion, but Magda won’t be at home. She has a thought that a baby who is due is about to proclaim her arrival.’

  ‘Then it’s true what they say,’ said Edric in a hushed tone of wonder, ‘you can see the future.’

  Lucie knew to expect Magda’s barking laughter, but Edric looked startled and confused.

  ‘Thou hast leaped from a thought that it is time for the baby to wondrous powers of divination,’ Magda said. ‘Thou hast honoured Magda, but she cannot accept thy praise.’

  Edric could not help but smile in response to Magda’s gleeful expression, her clear blue eyes twinkling. Lucie was glad that he was able to laugh at his mistake, but she worried about how easily the young man was befooled. He would be prey to tricksters if he did not learn to discern what was probable and what was not.

  After dinner, Edric went off to his chamber above the shop and Phillippa went off to her own bed, still fretting about the dead who yet lived in her confused mind. Alisoun had apparently chosen to remain in the solar after putting the children to bed for the night.

  Lucie, Magda, and Kate sat in the kitchen, and Magda announced Maud’s imminent arrival, which delighted Lucie. As Kate had been in the household long enough to be trusted as family, Lucie and Magda were free to continue, talking of Alice Tanner’s overabundance of children, George Hempe’s visit, the possible connections between Nigel and Drogo, and most of all Alisoun’s feelings about Edric and his for Lucie.

  It was quite late when they heard Owen’s and Jasper’s voices in the hall. Kate hurried out of the kitchen to see to their comfort while Lucie and Magda followed more sedately.

  Seeing the midwife with Lucie, Owen jumped to the wrong conclusion. ‘What is amiss? Is the baby all right?’

  ‘Our baby is healthy, my love, and the most active one I’ve carried. Magda had the trouble, not I.’

  ‘The second murder, aye,’ said Owen, rubbing the scar beneath his eye patch, which Lucie took as a sign of his concern over the ‘coincidence’ of two men knifed and then drowned. ‘Alfred just explained why he was guarding the house. He’s a good man. And this young man,’ Owen put a hand on Jasper’s shoulder, ‘is a
fine spy in training. He has been a great help to me.’

  ‘Da’s work is nothing like I’ve imagined it,’ Jasper said. Lucie saw that the boy was exhausted but excited to tell all. ‘We found Hubert, but he wouldn’t return with us. I’m hungry, Kate.’

  ‘So am I,’ said Owen. ‘But first things first.’ He swept Lucie up in his arms. ‘I am so glad to see you looking so well, my love. Now to bed with you. It’s late for you to be down here. You need your rest.’

  She gladly accepted the ride up the stairs. ‘I missed you,’ she said as he gently lowered her to the bed. ‘But Magda was a peaceful bed mate,’ she teased.

  ‘You shared our bed with Magda?’ Owen looked incredulous. ‘Does she mutter charms in her sleep?’

  They laughed together, a moment of intimacy that Lucie extended by pulling him down beside her.

  ‘I’m filthy from travel, my love,’ Owen protested.

  ‘When did I ever mind that?’ she whispered into his thick dark hair. Christ but she loved him.

  They kissed long and tenderly.

  ‘So, does she mutter charms in her sleep?’ Owen asked when they paused to breathe, his breath tickling her face.

  ‘You know she has no truck with charms,’ Lucie said, laughing. It was so good to have him in her arms. ‘Do you think Hempe was right to worry about her after she’d fished Nigel from the Ouse?’ Unfortunate question, she realised at once.

  Reminded of his work, Owen sat up, moving a little away from her. ‘I do, and I’m glad that Magda agreed to have a care. A goldsmith’s journeyman.’ He shook his head. ‘I wonder whether Drogo asked him the value of the cross and he coveted it. But such a small piece.’ He explained what it was that Hubert had lost.

  ‘A birthing cross,’ Lucie said, feeling sorry for the women who had been deprived of a good luck piece for their lying ins. ‘The poor lad. Where is the cross now?’