The servants were just finishing withclearing the hall after supper. Frevisse saw Lady Anne andGuy, Sir Ralph, Sir Edward, and Lady Eleanor clustered in front ofthe fireplace, but her attention went to Master Gallard, busy atsetting servants to make the rushes even where they had beenscrabbled by table legs and people’s feet. For all hisapparent fluster, he was efficient about it, just as he had beenefficient at everything these past few days. But even nowthat she knew he was Sire Philip’s brother, she could find nofamily resemblance at all, either in looks or manner.
He saw her before she could turn away andhurried over to make his eager, bobbing bow and ask, “Is thereaught I can do for you? How does Mistress Chaucer? Better, I hope. This has been a very heavy business for her,poor lady.”
“She’s resting quietly and that’s the bestthing for her just now.”
“Very certainly. But is there anythingI can do for you?”
She had been intending to ask Guy and LadyAnne where Jevan might be, since he was not in the hall, but nowshe said, “I’m looking for Jevan Dey.”
Master Gallard puckered his lipsthoughtfully, then said, “I think I saw him going to the chapelbefore supper. He never came to eat, you know. Heshould. He’s far too thin. Unless he’s gone somewhereelse, he’s in the chapel, surely.”
“There’s very little that you miss, is there,Master Gallard?”
Frevisse said it as a compliment, and he tookit so. “No, no, not if I can help it.”
“I didn’t know you were Sire Philip’sbrother.”
Master Gallard looked surprised. “Therewas no call for you to know, certainly. And there’s verylittle like between us, is there?”
“But you’re glad to be serving together thiswhile?”
“Most certainly. We were apart for manyyears, but have a fondness for each other. It’s good to betogether while we can, before-” He broke off with a suddenintake of breath, as if he had nearly committed anindiscretion.
“Until Bishop Beaufort takes him into hisservice,” Frevisse finished for him.
Master Gallard looked relieved. “Youknow his expectations then? Yes, he has good hope ofit. And well he should. He’s very clever.”
“And ambitious?” She said it as a mildjoke about something of which they both knew and approved.
Master Gallard bobbed on his feet as heanswered archly, “Within the limits he deserves to be, surely.”
“Wasn’t he bothered by Sir Clement’sinsistence he could prove you weren’t freeborn?”
“It was all nonsense. Pigeon traps inwater.” Master Gallard waved his hands airily to show thefoolishness. “There are papers. Philip has themall. Sir Clement had no claim, even on me. Philip wouldbe safe of course, being a priest, but I’d have no protection atall, and can you see me in a village, doing day work foranyone? But there were no grounds for it. Sir Clementwas only being odious.”
“But you’re nonetheless not sorry that he’sdead.”
“There’s no one sorry, I fear.” MasterGallard dropped his voice to emphasize the solemnity of hisanswer. “And few pretending they are. Though after adeath like that we should all consider our place in God’s eye andamend our ways.”
“You were in the hall when ithappened?” Frevisse could not remember whether she had seenhim then or not.
“No, no. My feet, you know-” Master Gallard bobbed slightly. “-they grow sore when I’m onthem too long, or if I stand too still. They’re very tender,and that morning by the time we’d finished with the funeral andseeing everyone into their places, well, I was in desperate need ofsitting down, and I did, in the kitchen where I could still be sureof what went on, of course, in case of need. But when theoutcry over Sir Clement began, it took me too long to reach thehall, with the servants in the way and all, so I only saw him beingtaken out. But there was talk of it afterward. Morethan enough talk. A terrible business, terrible. You’verecovered from the shock of seeing it, my ladies?”
“Quite recovered, yes,” Frevisse assuredhim. “If you’ll excuse us?”
Master Gallard assured them that he would,and while he was busy at it, Frevisse deftly extricated herself andDame Perpetua and went on their way.
“Did you learn anything from that?” DamePerpetua asked when they were well away from being overheard.
“I learned Master Gallard agrees with SirePhilip’s story that Sir Clement was no threat to them. Itwould be better if he’d said he’d actually seen these papers thatinsure that. So far, I have only Sire Philip’s word that theyexist.”
“And you couldn’t very well ask MasterGallard.”
“No. That’s something I’ll have toleave to the crowner. He has a right to ask and be answered,where I might be refused for impertinence. But I also learnedMaster Gallard was in the kitchen and so had access to SirClement’s food.” Which was useless unless she found some wayhe could have known which dishes Jevan would take to Sir Clement,because surely he could not have put the poison food into everydish or even remove one without someone in the kitchen noticingwhat he was doing, and that would have been too large a risk torun.
The chapel was as it had been the firstevening, when Frevisse had come to pray beside Chaucer’s corpse,except that there were fewer candles around the bier where SirClement now lay, and only two men kneeled beside the coffin. One of them was Jevan.
Not willing to disturb him at his prayers,Frevisse beckoned Dame Perpetua to the other end of the chapel, andby a single candle’s light, their heads close together over DamePerpetua’s prayer book, they whispered through Vespers. Whenthey were done, Dame Perpetua looked questioningly from Frevisse toJevan’s back, and back again. Frevisse shrugged, not knowingwhat to do except wait and hope it would not be too long.
It was not. The chapel’s chill hadbarely begun to be uncomfortable before Jevan straightened stifflyand rose slowly to his feet. As he bowed to the altar,Frevisse went forward so that when he turned away, she was standingbeside him.
“Master Jevan.”
“Dame Frevisse.” He bowed again. He was tired; it showed in his face and the way he heldhimself.
“I need to talk to you.” She indicatedthe door, and he followed her out into the antechamber.
But when she stopped, he said, “I have dutiesI must needs go to.”
“I’ll keep you only briefly. My cousinCountess Alice has asked I give her sympathies to Sir Clement’sfamily, since she’s nursing her mother presently, and to assure youof any help you need in your while here.”
“The lady is very gracious. I hopeMistress Chaucer isn’t badly ill?”
“Not ill so much as exhausted with trying tobe brave through everything.”
“But she’s better?”
“We think so.”
“That’s well then.” Jevan clearlyconsidered the conversation finished. He began to bow again,to leave. To forestall this, Frevisse said, “I’ve heard agreat deal about your uncle and what he was like. It’s toyour credit you were praying for him.”
A dull flush spread over Jevan’s face. Was he that unused to compliments? Frevisse wondered. But heonly said, “He should be prayed for by someone, and who better thanI?”
“Still, he wasn’t an easy man to bearound. No one seems sorry at all that he’s dead. Areyou?”
“Not in the slightest.” The answer camewith the firmness of deep conviction. “Everyone around himwill be better for being rid of him.”
“Especially Guy and Lady Anne.”
Jevan’s jaw tightened, but he did notflinch. “They’ll have their desires now, and God give themjoy of it.”
“And you? What will you do? Go onin service to Guy? I gather you were invaluable to SirClement.”
“I was his drudge,” Jevan said.
“You could have left him, found workelsewhere.”
Jevan shook his head. “He left me nohope of that. I tried once, took work as a woolpacker for oneof the merchants who bought our wool. Sir Clement hunted medown and gave neither me nor the merchant peace until finally theman had to let me go, to be rid of him. Sir Clementsaid he would do that whenever I tried to leave.”