‘Engelric’s claim is ludicrous.’
‘They feel an obligation to hear it.’
‘Only to dismiss it summarily. Will I be the next to be heard?’
‘No, my lady.’
‘Who will precede me?’ His embarrassment was an answer in itself. ‘I see,’ she said crisply. ‘I have to give way to a person of her rank, do I?’
‘It is not a question of giving way.’
‘Is my claim considered to be inferior to hers?’
‘No, my lady.’
‘And inferior to that of Engelric?’
‘There is no significance in the order,’ he insisted. ‘If there were, then you should feel reassured for the last person to be summoned before the commissioners will be Tetbald the Steward.
That would suggest that the claimants are being questioned in a sequence of rising importance.’
There was a considered pause during which she studied his face and noted the obvious tension in his body. A smile which was intended to relax him instead made him feel even more unsettled.
‘How favourably did they look upon the abbot of Tavistock?’ she said.
‘The proceedings are held in private, my lady.’
‘You saw the abbot when he left and you must have gleaned something from their manner when the commissioners dispersed.
Was his claim felt to be a just one?’
‘They did not confide in me, my lady.’
‘You were there, Saewin. You must have some idea.’
‘The abbot departed in an angry mood, that is all I know.’
‘Then you have told me what I hoped to hear,’ she said calmly.
‘I’ll wager that Engelric will be sent on his way empty-handed as well. That means there are only two of us in contention.’
‘Three, my lady.’
‘I do not count her, ’ she said with scorn.
‘Nevertheless, Asa will be called before them.’
‘Then me.’
‘Then the lady Catherine’s steward.’
‘I have met Tetbald,’ she said with a look of distaste. ‘But tell me about these commissioners, Saewin. That is what I really wish to find out. What sort of men are they? Describe each one to me.’
He rubbed his palms nervously. ‘I am not able to do that, I fear.’
‘Why not?’
‘My office rests on my discretion.’
‘You are not being forced to be indiscreet,’ she argued. ‘I would never dream of placing you in such a position. Besides, what you tell me will go no further than these four walls.’ She leaned forward. ‘All I seek is a few facts. If I am to face these judges, I would like to know what awaits me.’
‘Decent men, well versed in their craft.’
‘They are led by Ralph Delchard, I understand?’
‘My lady …’
‘It is not a secret. Who is he?’ His hesitation irritated her. ‘Is it such an impossible favour that I ask?’ she asked. ‘Perhaps you should remember some of the favours I have done you and your kind, Saewin. Who brought the message to you earlier?’
‘Eldred.’
‘And who admitted you to my home?’
‘Eldred.’
‘I took him into service when nobody else would do so. And on whose recommendation, Saewin? Who brought Eldred to me?’
He lowered his head. ‘I did, my lady.’
‘You sought a favour for a fellow Saxon. I granted you that favour.’
‘Have you been disappointed in him?’
‘No, Eldred has been a loyal servant.’
‘Then I was in some sense doing you a favour, my lady.’
‘Do not try to twist your way out of this,’ she warned. ‘There is something else that you are forgetting, Saewin. Something which involved my husband. Do I need to jog your memory about that?’
He shook his head. ‘I am indebted to the lord Roger.’
‘I am glad that you remember it. There were many who felt the office of town reeve would be safer in Norman hands but my husband rated you highly. He argued strongly on your behalf, Saewin.’
‘I know.’
‘But for him, you would not hold your position. Is that not so?’
‘It is, my lady.’
‘Yet you still deny me?’
‘Not deliberately.’
‘Then why do I feel slighted?’ she said levelly. ‘Why do I feel insulted at having to ask in this way? Why do you betray my husband so?’
‘It is not betrayal, my lady.’
‘Then what is it?’
Saewin could no longer stay in his seat. Jumping to his feet, he turned away and walked up and down for a few moments, weighing up his options and trying to compose himself. Loretta watched him closely. When he finally turned to her, she gave him an expectant smile which melted all his resistance. He capitulated with great reluctance.
‘What do you wish to know, my lady?’ he asked.
When they returned to the castle, Baldwin was in the outer bailey, issuing orders to one of his men. Dismounting from their horses, Ralph and Gervase walked across to meet him. The sheriff’s greeting was polite but lacked any real warmth. His eye kindled with suspicion.
‘Where have you been?’ he said.
‘For a ride,’ replied Ralph.
‘In which direction?’
‘I forget, my lord sheriff. We simply wanted to get out of the city to breathe some clean air. Devon is a pretty county. We are sorry that we will not get to see much of it.’
‘Did you go to the wood?’
‘We may have done.’
‘What were you hoping to find there?’
‘Peace and quiet.’
‘Why waste your time?’ said Baldwin. ‘A man was murdered but his killer is now in custody. That is the end of the matter.’
‘Only if your prisoner is indeed the culprit,’ Gervase pointed out. ‘And I do not believe that he is, my lord sheriff.’
‘We have a confession from him.’
‘Oh?’
‘He lied to you but was forced to yield up the truth to us.’
Gervase did not wish to know any of the details. Under torture, the prisoner would have confessed to anything. He felt sorry for the man and was grateful that he had spoken with him before his spirit was broken. There was no point in arguing that he was innocent. Only the arrest of the real murderer would convince Baldwin that his prisoner did not kill Nicholas Picard, and they had little evidence on which to act so far. Gervase and Ralph were working on instinct but it had always served them well in the past. They had to bide their time.
‘I hear that you crossed swords with the abbot of Tavistock,’
said the sheriff with a grim chuckle. ‘He is a bellicose man when roused. I have had a few skirmishes with him myself.’
‘We still have bruises from our encounter with him,’ said Ralph.
‘He is a pugnacious Christian and no mistake!’
‘He presented his case well,’ said Gervase.
‘To what effect?’ asked Baldwin.
‘We will have to see, my lord sheriff. Four other claimants have to be heard before the abbot’s deposition can be weighed in the balance. This dispute will take some time to resolve.’
‘Surely not. The widow must inherit.’
‘It is not as straightforward as that.’
‘No,’ added Ralph. ‘We have three ladies, a battling abbot and a Saxon thegn in contention here. The property in question was problematical enough while the lord Nicholas was alive. His death has introduced even more complications. What surprises us,’ he continued, ‘is why such a wealthy and important man took so little account of his personal safety. To ride home alone at dusk was very foolhardy.’
‘He was a fearless man.’
‘Fear might have kept him alive.’
‘He was not to know that robbers lurked in the wood.’
‘It is a place where ambush is always a threat to a lone traveller.
What had he been doing in Exeter that made him so careless?’
‘I can answer that,’ said a voice behind them. ‘Dipping his pen in the ink of life, then signing his death warrant.’
They turned to see Berold the Jester. He had crept up behind them to eavesdrop on their conversation. Wearing a hauberk that was far too big for him, he was holding a sword that was absurdly short and garlanded with coloured ribbons. His eyes twinkled merrily either side of the iron nasal of his helm.