‘But for one thing, my lord. I wasn’t able to carve the cross that stood on the animal’s head. That was beyond me. I tried very hard,’ he said, sadly, ‘but my hand slipped and the knife cut the cross off at the base. I wasn’t patient enough. I’ll be much more careful with the second one.’
Ralph held them up side by side to compare them. He sighed with admiration. ‘Remarkable work!’
‘Wait until you see the originals, my lord,’ said Vavasour. ‘They capture the essence of the creature. The Venetian goldsmith who made them had actually seen elephants. His miniatures had a life to them.’
‘So do these, my friend.’
‘But they’re made of driftwood and not solid gold.’
‘It’s not the material,’ said Ralph, ‘it’s the way it’s shaped. Besides, these two carvings of yours have a glow all of their own.’
‘The wood dries that colour in the sun.’
‘So you have two gold elephants of your own,’ said Coureton with a chuckle. ‘When the second is finished, you’ll be able to present them to the abbey as well.’
‘No, my lord,’ said Vavasour, taking the two carvings from Ralph. ‘These are carved from memory rather than inspiration. The abbey deserves only the best. I carried them all the way from Rome with a papal blessing on them and I want them restored to their rightful place.’
‘They will be.’
‘What if the thief has already had them melted down?’
‘We’ve taken steps to prevent that,’ said Ralph. ‘I visited the three goldsmiths in Norwich myself and the lord sheriff has sent out word to every other one in the county. The moment they’re offered those miniatures for sale, they’re to report it to him or they’ll suffer the consequences.’
‘But the elephants may already have left Norfolk.’
‘True, but I think it unlikely.’
‘Why?’
‘Whoever stole them knew where to find them,’ Ralph explained. ‘Nothing else was stolen from the lord Richard’s strong room even though it was full of other treasures. Hermer the Steward was overpowered by someone who thus had possession of his keys. Had the thief simply wanted booty, he could have opened every chest in the strong room, but he didn’t. Do you follow my thinking here?’
‘Yes, my lord. You believe it to be someone who knew his way around the lord Richard’s manor house. Someone from the locality.’
‘And someone with a particular reason for wanting those gold elephants.’
‘That’s why the name of the lord Mauger had to be considered,’ said Coureton. ‘When they were taken from the abbey, they were destined to be a wedding gift to the lady whose hand he’s been seeking in marriage himself.’
Ralph explained the situation in detail. The anchorite listened intently throughout, interrupting only to clarify a point or to challenge an assumption. He was impressed by the way that the commissioners had thrown themselves wholeheartedly into the pursuit of a thief who was, in all probability, also a killer. After spending so long alone on the marshes, it took him some time to adjust to the workings of the world he had renounced so completely, but memories gradually surged back. He was able to furnish them with new information about the long feud that existed between Richard de Fontenel and Mauger Livarot, but it was his comment on the lady over whom the two men fought that was most illuminating.
‘How closely have you questioned the lady Adelaide?’ he asked.
‘We haven’t spoken to her at all,’ said Ralph.
‘You should, my lord.’
‘Why?’
‘There’s an odd coincidence here that you couldn’t be expected to see. But I’m more familiar with the people involved.’
‘Go on.’
‘I’ve no wish to malign the lady Adelaide,’ said Vavasour with emphasis. ‘She’s a good Christian with a charitable disposition and was a loyal wife to her late husband. But there’s an aspect of her character that’s a little less admirable. The lady Adelaide is fond of manipulating people for her own advantage.’
‘Yes,’ said Ralph, nodding in agreement. ‘We’ve observed the way in which she’s keeping both suitors at arm’s length and playing them off against each other.’
‘It began with Geoffrey Molyneux, my lord. The lady Adelaide loved him dearly, I’ve no doubt, but that didn’t stop her from exploiting him. He doted on her. Since you’ve met her, I’m sure that you can understand why.’
‘Oh, yes!’ said Coureton. ‘Any husband would dote on her.’
‘The lord Geoffrey showered her with gifts. Her passion was for jewellery and he would travel hundreds of miles just to buy a particular necklace or brooch for her. Gold is the lady Adelaide’s weakness,’ continued Vavasour, looking down at the two carvings in his hand. ‘The lord Richard understood that only too well. He acquired those gold elephants because he knew they might be the one gift that would ensnare her.’
‘Not if she realised that they were stolen property, surely?’
The anchorite hesitated. ‘I can’t answer for that.’
‘You think that she would accept them in those circumstances?’ pressed Ralph.
‘All I can say is that she loves gold more than anything else in the world. And that, alas, even includes her children. Did you know that they’re being brought up in her parents’ household?’
‘No. She never mentioned the children to me.’
‘The lady Adelaide likes to see them if and when she wishes.’
‘Would you call her an uncaring mother, then?’
‘No, my lord. She seemed affectionate towards them on the few occasions I saw them all together. But she chooses not to have them living under her own roof. I find that a peculiar decision, especially now that she’s a widow. It comes back to what I said earlier.’ Vavasour added. ‘The lady Adelaide likes to exert control over people.’
‘Over men,’ said Ralph, bluntly.
‘It’s more difficult to do that with children plucking at the hem of your gown.’
‘All this is very interesting. I spoke to the lady at length myself and saw none of these defects. But as it happens, my wife went to visit her this morning. I dare say she’ll have discerned things about the lady Adelaide that are less flattering.’
‘There’s one last thing, my lord.’
‘Yes?’
‘You mentioned a man called Starculf.’
‘The lord sheriff is searching for him high and low.’
‘What did he tell you about the fellow?’
‘That he once served the lord Richard and was expelled from his estates.’
‘Do you know how Starculf came into his service in the first place?’
‘As a falconer.’
‘But who recommended him?’
‘I’ve no idea.’
‘The lady Adelaide,’ said the anchorite, softly. ‘That was the odd coincidence I referred to earlier. Starculf learned his skills on her estates. When her husband died, she offered the man to the lord Richard. It may just be that she had no need of a young falconer although, of course, he was soon promoted to a higher position.’
‘On the other hand,’ concluded Ralph, ‘she might have recommended the fellow to Richard de Fontenel for a purpose. To act as her intelligencer.’
‘Perhaps that’s why Starculf and Hermer fell out,’ suggested Coureton. ‘The steward realised that his assistant’s loyalties lay elsewhere.’
‘I don’t know about that, Eustace. What is obvious is that the lady Adelaide will bear closer examination. I’m keen to hear what Golde found out about her.’
‘Not as much as we’ve just done.’
‘No,’ said Ralph, turning to Vavasour. ‘Thank you, my friend. Our journey has been more than worthwhile. You’ve taught us what an elephant looks like and given us valuable insights about some of the people with whom we’re dealing.’ He gazed across the marshes to the rolling waves of the sea. ‘I never thought we’d harvest so much in this wilderness of yours.’
The anchorite smiled. ‘It’s no wilderness, my lord.’
‘But you’re completely alone.’
‘I have the birds, I have my Bible and I have God. That’s company enough for any man.’ He held up his carvings. ‘I have these as well.’