‘The man Gray,’ said Maistre Pierre through a large mouthful, ‘told us little of value.’
‘You heard it, did you?’
‘I did. We know, I suppose, that he was hired by this Archibald — Baldy — and another with a feathered hat, to steal from us something in a pack which had belonged to their master, and which had been sought and not found, by Baldy or another, at Leith.’
‘We’d a horse we cried Baldy once,’ said Tam vaguely, ‘for the white spot on his broo. A good goer he was an all.’
‘A fair summary,’ agreed Gil, ignoring this, and took a bite of bread and fish. ‘And we heard of a man with a feathered hat,’ he added, switching to French. Johan frowned, watching them.
‘The same, you think?’
‘Or a coincidence.’
‘Mm.’ Maistre Pierre took another wedge of bread. ‘And what have we got, or not got, that they are after? The load that went to Stirling, or something else?’
‘And why is the Spital interested? They had obviously heard a lot about us,’ observed Gil in Scots.
‘How so?’ asked the mason, annexing the last pickled onion. ‘Shall we have more food?’ He waved to the man at the tap of the big barrel without waiting for an answer.
‘De Brinay knew I was a lawyer,’ Gil said, and looked down at his dark clothing. ‘I may be soberly dressed, but my inkhorn and pen-case are out of sight in my baggage. I never said to Riddoch what my calling might be, though I know you named your own, and we left these three out in the street. So the Spital never got the information from him.’ He glanced at Johan, who looked enigmatically back at him. ‘Either Simmie brought that word as well as the rest from Sinclair this afternoon, or they knew about us already.’
‘Out in the street,’ muttered Tam. ‘There was something …’
‘What is it, man?’ asked Rob, looking at him in concern.
‘Something I’ve forgot, when we were out in the street. Did someone speak to us?’
‘Half the lassies o Linlithgow,’ said Rob, grinning. ‘You were cawin’ the pump handle to them for kisses.’
‘I never!’ said Tam in alarm.
‘No, you never,’ said Luke, despite Rob’s grimaces. ‘He’s having you on.’
‘If you kick me again,’ said Maistre Pierre to Rob, ‘I will eat your share of the food.’
‘Someone did speak to us,’ said Tam, and rubbed his forehead. ‘Who was it?’
The second platter of bread and fish disappeared more slowly. Gil shared a great hunk of bread with Socrates, and tore a portion of stockfish into shreds for the dog, relishing as always the contrast between the strong, sharp teeth set in the narrow, powerful jaw and the delicate, well-bred manners the animal displayed.
‘Well,’ he said, licking onion sauce off his fingers when the platter was empty, ‘shall we ride on? Tam, are you fit, man? Maybe I should have taken you to your kin at the Wheetflett.’
‘Kin,’ muttered Tam, edging along the bench after Rob. ‘Kin. That’s it. He said kin.’
‘What are you on about?’ demanded Rob.
‘Is it what you’d forgot?’ Luke asked.
‘Aye,’ said Tam, and lurched to his feet. ‘Aye, Maister Gil, I’ll manage, never you worry. But that’s it, right enough. That’s what I’d forgot. When we were at the well, the three of us, waiting for you and Maister Mason,’ he said earnestly, hobbling after Gil to the door, ‘a man cam down the vennel from the place you were in first. The lute-maker’s, was it? Well clad, he was. Might ha been the lute-maker hisself.’
‘So?’ said Gil, helping his servant over the doorsill.
‘He said to me, Was I with those two men that were there just now. I said, Aye I was, since there wereny two other men thegither, saving us, in the street at the time,’ he added, grinning. ‘And he said, Tell your maister, he said, that Barty Fletcher, would that be the right name?’
‘It would,’ said Gil. ‘Go on.’
‘That Barty Fletcher has kin in Roslin.’ He looked uncertainly at Gil’s expression. ‘That was all he said, Maister Gil. And then he turned and went back up the vennel.’
Chapter Eight
‘It must have been terrifying,’ said Alys, her brown eyes round. Not, Kate noted, You must have been terrified, but, It must have been terrifying.
‘I’d not have forgiven myself,’ said Augie Morison earnestly, ‘if you’d come to any harm, Lady Kate. Whatever he was after, it could never have been worth that.’
‘It’s one thing about a life of pilgrimage,’ Kate said lightly. ‘You meet soon or late with every ragabash in Scotland. Babb and I have trapped pilferers before now — though never so redhand,’ she admitted.
They were seated in the castle courtyard on a bench, which two of the Provost’s men had carried out for Kate rather than have Babb heave her up and back down several turns of the tower stair to Maister Morison’s lodging. About them, members of the castle household scurried back and forth carrying furniture and rolled-up tapestries, readying the Archbishop’s lodging for the arrival of the King’s party the next day.
‘But what was he after?’ Alys asked.
‘The second half of the treasure. He seemed quite certain it should be there.’
Morison shook his head, biting his lip.
‘I took him for an honest man,’ he said sadly. ‘Well, as honest as any of them.’
‘Most of us are honest till we’re tempted,’ said Kate. ‘I think maybe Billy was tempted beyond his limits.’
‘By the man with the axe,’ said Alys, nodding.
‘Axe? What man with an axe?’
‘We saw him in Hog’s tavern,’ Alys explained.
Morison looked from one to the other of them in horror.
‘What have you lassies been up to?’ he demanded, and then, ‘I’m sorry, Lady Kate, that slipped out. But what your brother will say when he hears this I just don’t know.’
‘Maybe we shouldn’t tell you, then,’ said Kate.
‘I’ve heard this much,’ he said. ‘I’d better hear the rest.’
‘Oh, it gets worse,’ said Kate. She recounted the episode in the Gallowgait, while Morison’s mobile face reflected amazement, anxiety, concern, and finally a stern determination.
‘Lady Kate,’ he said when she had finished, ‘I can’t accept any more help if it brings you into sic danger. You could have been badly hurt there in the tavern, and as for Billy Walker breaking into the chamber where you lay sleeping, well! I can’t bear to think of it. I must ask you to leave my house, my lady, and go back to your uncle’s in Rottenrow.’
‘What, and leave your bairns alone?’ said Kate. He paused, open-mouthed. ‘I’m not finished, Maister Morison.’
‘Aye you are. I’ll send the bairns to our Con out at Bothwell,’ he said, recovering himself. ‘Andy can take them. Con’s got an altar at St Bride’s, you know that, he can surely find a woman in the town to mind them till I can bring them home again. The Provost’s men will question Billy and learn what he knows, and you can stay out of it in safety, Lady Kate. And yoursel, Mistress Mason,’ he added belatedly.
Kate exchanged a glance with Alys past Morison’s shoulder.
‘I’m still not finished, maister,’ she said. ‘There’s more to tell you yet. I said it gets worse, and it does.’
‘Why, what’s happened? Not the bairns?’ exclaimed Morison in alarm.
‘No, no, the bairns are well. One of Mistress Mason’s lassies is with them just now,’ she assured him, ‘teaching them to play at merry-ma-tanzie.’ She took a breath, and plunged on before he could interrupt again. ‘No, maister. Last night, after all was quiet again, there was a second inbreak. Whoever it was, he never got into the house, but he found where we’d shut Billy in the coalhouse.’
‘And?’ He looked intently at her face, and read the news there. Appalled, he put out a hand and covered hers where they lay in her lap. ‘Lady Kate, you’ve met a deal of trouble and pain for me. Was it you found him?’ She shook her head, thinking of the moment when Andy had stumbled into the house, grey-faced with shock, blood on his boots. ‘Our Lady be praised for that mercy, at least. How was he killed?’