‘Tell that to the lady Adelaide,’ he said, cheerily. ‘But I must away, my love.’
They were in their chamber at the castle. Golde had just shown him what she had bought that morning and told him of the invitation. Ralph had no time to linger. After giving her another kiss, he moved towards the door. ‘You went to market this morning,’ he said, ‘and now it’s my turn.’
‘What are you after?’
‘Gold!’
He let himself out and went down the stairs. Minutes later, he was riding alone through the main gate, with directions from the captain of the guard. There were three goldsmiths in Norwich and he intended to visit them all. The first could be discounted at once. He had been sick with fever for over a week and his shop was closed. The second had been offered nothing to buy or melt down and was a man of such patent honesty that Ralph wasted no more time questioning him. It was when he called on the last of the three that he sensed he might make more progress.
Judicael the Goldsmith was a portly man with heavy jowls, rounded shoulders and flabby hands. He was older and more prosperous than either of his two rivals. His shop was larger, his apparel richer and his manner more confident. When he saw Ralph entering his premises, he rubbed his palms and gave an unctuous smile.
‘Good morning, my lord,’ he said.
‘Are you Judicael?’
‘Yes, my lord. What can I do for you?’
‘I’d like your help.’
‘Certainly. I keep a very large stock. Rings, brooches, necklaces, bangles.’ His voice took on a confiding note. ‘I take it that we’re talking about a gift for a lady?’
‘We are,’ confirmed Ralph.
‘Good. What would you like to see?’
‘Two gold elephants.’
Judicael’s face went blank. ‘Elephants, my lord?’
‘Do you know what elephants are?’
‘Well, yes, of course. Not that I’ve ever seen one in the flesh. But I have an idea of what they look like. You want me to make two elephants? Is that my commission?’
‘No,’ said Ralph, irritated by his manner. ‘Your commission is simply to give me the answers I need. I’m not here to buy anything.’
‘Oh, I’m disappointed to hear that.’
‘My errand is more important than your disappointment.’
‘Is it, my lord? Why is that?’
‘I’ll ask the questions. Now, has anyone brought any gold elephants to you?’
‘No, my lord.’
‘I’m told they’re so big,’ explained Ralph, using his fingers to give some idea of dimensions. ‘Made of solid gold, with a crucifix on each head. Has anything like that been brought to your shop?’
‘Nothing at all, my lord.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Absolutely sure.’
‘So you weren’t asked to melt them down?’
‘No, my lord.’
‘But you do buy the occasional gold item?’
‘Only if I have proof of ownership,’ said Judicael firmly. ‘Otherwise, I turn it away. I’m a respectable goldsmith, my lord. I don’t trade in stolen goods.’
Ralph was not persuaded by the claim. Judicael was too sleek and plausible. There was an evasive look in the man’s eye. Ralph tried to press him.
‘Where is your stock kept?’
‘Under lock and key, my lord.’
‘Here on the premises?’
‘In my strong room.’ The unctuous smile returned. ‘You wish to buy something?’
‘No, my friend. I just want to know if you’d let me see what you have.’
Judicael was cautious. ‘I’m sorry, my lord. That would be out of the question.’
‘What if I were to come back here with the sheriff?’ Ralph introduced himself properly and stated the nature of his business. The goldsmith became even more circumspect. Although anxious not to impede a murder investigation, he was at first unwilling to take Ralph on trust. The commissioner grew impatient.
‘Will you open your strong room or do I have to break the door down myself?’
‘That won’t be necessary, my lord,’ said the other in alarm.
‘Then why dither, man? Are you hiding something?’
‘No, no. Of course not.’
‘Those two elephants are here. Is that it?’
‘I swear I’ve never seen any gold elephants.’
‘Then you have nothing to worry about, have you?’
Judicael gave way. After first locking the door of the shop, he took Ralph into the room at the rear and approached a stout door. Two keys were needed to open it. Inside the strong room was a series of small boxes, each locked and chained to the wall. The goldsmith fumbled with his keys.
‘Which one shall I open, my lord?’ he gibbered.
‘ All of them.’
Ralph was certain that the missing property was not there but he was determined to make the goldsmith sweat a little. He looked into each box and examined each separate item of jewellery. Nothing even remotely like an elephant came to light. Yet the visit was not fruitless. The more time he spent with Judicael, the more he sensed that the man was holding something back from him. When the last of the boxes had been locked up again, he fixed the goldsmith with a cold stare.
‘Where are they, Judicael?’
‘I don’t know, my lord. As God’s my witness.’
‘Someone brought those elephants to you, didn’t they?’
‘No, I’ve never laid eyes on them.’
‘But you’ve heard of their existence?’
The goldsmith squirmed helplessly. ‘I may have,’ he admitted.
‘Go on.’
‘If they’re anything like the objects you describe, they’re very unusual. Only an expert goldsmith could fashion such objects. They’re far beyond my skill.’ He squinted up at Ralph. ‘Where did you say they came from?’
‘Somewhere abroad. Brought to England only recently.’
‘I doubt that, my lord.’
‘Why?’
‘You mentioned that the elephants each had a crucifix on its head?’
‘According to what I was told.’
‘That jogged my memory,’ said the other. ‘What I said was true. I’ve not seen the pieces myself but I’ve heard tell of them. You were misinformed, my lord.’
‘Oh?’
‘They weren’t recently brought to England.’
‘How do you know?’
‘Because they’ve been in this country for quite some time.’
Chapter Six
Alone in his chamber at the castle, Gervase Bret went patiently through the documents he had brought with him from Winchester. It was a task he thoroughly enjoyed. Ralph Delchard was at his most effective when confronting awkward witnesses in the shire hall. Legal niceties only exasperated him. They were meat and drink to Gervase who read the abbreviated Latin on the pages in front of him with continuous pleasure, knowing that his retention of detail would be vital when the commissioners sat in judgement on the various disputes. The name he was after was proving elusive. He knew that it was somewhere in his sheaf of papers but he could not recall the exact spot. Richard de Fontenel had separate holdings in the hundreds of Forehoe, Taverham, Blofield and Humbleyard and Gervase picked his way carefully through them all. It was amid land in the Depwade hundred that he eventually located the person he was seeking. ‘In Boielvnd. 1 car tre. Qua tenuit Olova.t.r.e.’
‘In Boyland, 1 carucate of land which Olova held in King Edward’s time.’
His satchel contained only a fraction of the returns that were brought back to the Exchequer by the first team of commissioners to be checked and collated. All that concerned Gervase and his colleagues were patent irregularities and unresolved disputes. Olova’s claim was among them. She had definite cause for complaint. Not only had she lost a carucate of land in Boyland to Richard de Fontenel, he had also taken two carucates from her in Tharston. It was not clear by what means he had acquired the property but, since it amounted in total to over three hundred and fifty acres, Gervase could understand why Olova was eager to contest ownership of it. Others had also been dispossessed by de Fontenel but she had been deprived of most land. Her losses did not end there. Gervase noted that Olova had also been relieved of two smaller holdings in the West Flegg hundred by Mauger Livarot. It was a familiar tale. She was one of many people in Norfolk who had been ground down remorselessly between the mill wheels of de Fontenel and Livarot.