The accused man blinked and struggled with his breath as though suffocating. Eventually he whispered ‘My wife. My child. They died,’ Dolwyn went on. ‘But it wasn’t murder. I wasn’t hanged.’
‘Because you ran? You abjured the realm?’
‘No.’ The voice was ragged.
‘What happened to your wife and child?’
‘They were in the house. I was out for the night at the tavern, and I’d had a lot to drink. When I got home, my wife was in a rage with me. I hit her.’
‘You killed her.’
‘No! I swear it! But she had been shouting at me, and all I did was punch her. And then I went out to cool my head, and when I came back the place was on fire. I tried to rescue her. .’
‘You killed her. She fell into the fire, and the house caught light.’
‘I tried to get back inside to save her and my daughter, but the men in the vill stopped me. They held me back.’ How did this steward know of all that? Dolwyn had told Matteo, but no one else.
‘So this is the sort of man you are. A killer even of your own family. A danger to others. My lord, I have no more questions. Here is exactly the kind of fellow who would take advantage of a traveller, kill him, and rob him of all he possessed.’
‘I did nothing! My family wasn’t meant to die!’
‘You expect us to believe that?’ the steward spat.
‘What of the jury?’ Lord Berkeley asked.
The men who stood at the wall nearest Simon fell to talking amongst themselves, and then they nodded to the steward. He asked if they had reached a conclusion. There was a muttering, and then he asked them for their decision.
‘He’s guilty, master.’
The steward addressed Dolwyn. ‘You’ve heard their conclusion. What do you have to say?’
‘I didn’t harm him. I wouldn’t have, because I knew he had a wife and child at home. After he told me that, it would have been impossible for me to lay a finger on him. I’d not have hurt him any more than I’d have hurt them. Master Matteo, help me!’ he pleaded, turning to Matteo.
Matteo nodded, and Simon saw him give a quick frown as if of reassurance. The gesture was so swift, Simon could almost have believed that he had imagined it, but then he saw Matteo’s hand pat his purse, and understood. The Bardi would pay to save him.
Lord Berkeley leaned forward. ‘Well, this is my court, and I believe that the jury is fair and just in their conclusions. So it is my belief that you are guilty. You murdered Ham, you stole his horse and cart, and you would have made off with your booty if the brave knight here had not prevented you. I find you guilty, and my decision is that you will be hanged until you are dead. Take him away.’
Simon looked at Dolwyn. He barely appeared to care. There was something about him that was ineffably sad. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but suddenly another voice intervened.
‘WAIT!’
Simon winced at the bellow from his side.
Lord Berkeley and his steward peered round.
‘Who said that?’ the steward demanded.
‘I did,’ declared the smiling Sir Richard de Welles. ‘You can’t do that.’
Lord Berkeley raised his eyebrows. ‘Really? You think a lord cannot decide his own judgements in his own court?’
‘Oh, that’s all right, me lord. No trouble at all,’ Sir Richard said with a genial smile. He pushed three men from before him and stepped over to Dolwyn’s side. ‘But you cannot send him to hang.’
‘And why not?’
‘You know the law, me lord. It’s illegal for you to execute any man without the approval of your local coroner. He has to be there to witness the execution and make sure all is in order.’
‘Oh, and you claim that privilege?’
‘No, I am not coroner here. You have to ask your local fellow to come. Who is he?’
Lord Berkeley looked at his steward, then at Sir John Maltravers. ‘Well?’
Neither knew the name of the man responsible for the area.
‘In that case, me lord, I am afraid you may not have this man’s head,’ said Sir Richard apologetically. ‘I’m very sorry. Be a good thing, removing an arse like this, especially since he’s a known killer. But against the law.’
‘Is there any man here who would stand by him?’ Sir John demanded. He was a big man, almost as tall as Sir Richard, although younger, and with a powerful, heavy body that was not fat, but accumulated muscle. He had only a couple of days’ growth of beard, which gave him a belligerent appearance.
‘I will,’ said Sir Richard happily. ‘Sorry, me lord, but we can’t break the King’s laws.’
‘I too,’ Baldwin said. ‘As a Keeper of the King’s Peace. .’
‘So am I!’ Lord Berkeley stated angrily.
‘I was about to say, my lord,’ Baldwin finished smoothly, ‘that as Keeper of the King’s Peace yourself, you would hardly wish it known that you had deliberately flouted the King’s laws in your own court. Bring the coroner here so that he may witness the execution. That is all. It need not be a lengthy process.’
‘True,’ the lord said, frowning at Baldwin and Sir Richard with a baleful eye. ‘Very well. Put him back in the gaol. He can wait there until the coroner arrives.’
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Good Friday
Berkeley Castle’s Hall
‘I still think you are both mad,’ Simon said as he took a mess of fish cooked in a white wine sauce. ‘He was furious with you when you told him he was not allowed to execute his own felon.’
‘When you get to my age,’ Baldwin said, ‘you realise that there really isn’t much to fear about standing up for what you believe is right, Simon.’
‘No,’ Sir Richard said, belching behind his hand and reaching for the mess himself, decorously scooping out a large bowlful, setting it on the table before him and sighing happily. With a hunk of bread in his hand, he began to eat. Swallowing noisily, and sticking his tongue out to catch a stray drip from his moustache, he turned a beaming face to Simon. ‘And he couldn’t argue. Not with all his people there, as well as us and Sir Jevan. He knew that there were too many for him to cow us.’
‘Why did you both do it?’ Simon asked. ‘He is a felon, isn’t he? He did take the cart.’
‘Mayhap he is, but if we allowed this lord to hang a man illegally, what sort of example would that leave, eh?’ Sir Richard said reasonably.
Simon nodded. ‘And?’
Baldwin grinned, dropped his bread onto his wooden trencher and said, ‘There was an indecent haste about the way Lord Berkeley convened his court to investigate the murder of a complete unknown. The lord himself will never have heard of this “Ham”, after all — so why the need for such speedy justice? Because the lord feels anger at a peasant’s death? I doubt it. Because he loathes the sight of this man Dolwyn? Why should he? Or is it because Dolwyn is a threat to him? Again, that would be hard to believe. But perhaps the lord wanted to make a point. To cow someone else?’
‘Dolwyn’s master?’ Simon guessed.
‘Yes,’ Baldwin agreed, and a faraway look came into his eyes. ‘But there was a striking lack of support from Bardi, wasn’t there? I cannot help but wonder whether there is something going on between the Bardi and Lord Berkeley.’
Simon had to agree with that. He too had noted that Matteo had appeared reluctant to support Dolwyn, his servant. ‘You think the Florentine had reason to desert his servant?’
‘I’ve never known a banker do anything unless it was in his interests,’ Sir Richard said with certainty.
Baldwin smiled at his comment, but he looked round at the sight of Harry and Senchet being brought into the hall. ‘Look. The Lord Berkeley decided they were innocent, after all.’
‘Good,’ said Simon. ‘From all I’ve heard, they had nothing to do with the murder, no matter what the facts about Dolwyn.’
‘There, I believe you are correct. About those Bardis, though,’ Baldwin said. ‘I should not trust such men. What sort of interest could such bankers have in the fate of a servant like Dolwyn?’