He was so proud to be given the responsibility of mounting guard on the Welsh border. I am a man of God myself and abhor violence in all its forms, but we do, unfortunately, need brave warriors like my brother to maintain the peace and make our mission possible.’ He heaved a sigh of regret. ‘His son, alas, was cut from different cloth. His rashness made me ashamed to call him nephew. It has left a stain on our family.’
‘The people of Hereford were shocked.’
‘As well they might be, my lady. My nephew inherited an earldom from his father, then promptly joined a rebellion against the King.
It was a disastrous escapade and not without its embarrassment for me. The rebellion was easily quashed but it made the King understandably wary of creating another earl of Hereford.’ He waved a dismissive hand. ‘But let us put all that behind us. I did not come here to bore you with a sermon on the political ills of your town. What do you think of Exeter?’
‘It is a charming city.’
‘How much of it have you seen?’
‘A great deal,’ she said with enthusiasm. ‘The lady Albreda conducted me around it yesterday with Berold the Jester.’
‘A lively companion.’
‘He made me laugh.’
‘That is his art, my lady, though his fooling sometimes has a sharp edge. Canon Hubert was shaken when Berold appeared before him in a Benedictine cowl.’
‘Canon Hubert is very sensitive to any ridicule.’
‘I know. He urged me to complain to the sheriff but it would have been pointless.’ He smiled tolerantly. ‘You cannot have a disciplined jester. It is a contradiction in terms. But tell me about yourself.’
Golde was flattered by his attention. Osbern was genuinely interested in what she had to say and it encouraged her to talk freely about her life and work in Hereford. He was fascinated to hear that she had been a brewer of some distinction in the town and listened attentively to her account of how she met Ralph Delchard.
‘It is good to know that someone in Hereford drew benefit from the visit of the royal commissioners,’ he observed. ‘Your husband’s work will never make him popular, important as it is.
He must meet with a great deal of resentment.’
‘Ralph has grown accustomed to that.’
‘Taxes always arouse hostility and sometimes, I fear, it can spill over into violence. I dearly hope that is not the case here.’
‘Here?’
‘The lord Hervey’s disappearance.’
‘You think he may have been attacked?’ she said in alarm.
‘It is, alas, a possibility,’ said Osbern sadly, ‘and one that the sheriff has evidently considered. Hence the size and urgency of this search party. This city has a long history of resistance to authority. The lord Hervey would not be the first man to suffer because of the office he holds.’ He saw the anxiety in her face.
‘Will you join me in a prayer for his safety?’
‘Yes, your Grace,’ she said. ‘Gladly.’
Gervase Bret was in a quandary. The letters which had been delivered to the shire hall by an anonymous hand caused him great discomfort and forced him into the anomalous position of having to deceive Canon Hubert and Brother Simon. When he glanced through them, he could see that the letters had a bearing on the dispute before them, but they were of so intimate a nature that he felt he was intruding into someone’s privacy and he drew back from divulging their contents to his colleagues, deciding instead to act independently even though he saw the danger involved. Gervase knew why the letters had been addressed to him. Of the commissioners, he was the only one who could understand the language in which they were written.
Noting his embarrassment, Hubert became intensely curious.
‘Are we to know what those letters contain?’ he asked.
‘No, Canon Hubert,’ said Gervase, putting them into his satchel.
‘They concern a personal matter.’
‘Why were they delivered in such a strange manner?’
‘I do not know.’
‘It seems odd that they were brought to the shire hall.’
‘Odd?’
‘If it is personal correspondence, it would surely have been sent to you at the castle. Since they came here, I am bound to wonder if they pertain in any way to our deliberations.’
‘No, Canon Hubert.’
Gervase’s denial was firm enough to convince but it left him feeling profoundly guilty. He was glad when they recalled the first claimant to the hall. The verbal tempest created by the abbot of Tavistock diverted attention from him and gave Hubert the chance to take a leading role in the debate, responding vigorously to the prelate’s wilder accusations and making it clear that his own black cowl should not be taken as an indication of prejudice in favour of the abbey. Brother Simon watched in open-mouthed wonder, alternately cowed by the abbot’s vituperation and inspired by Hubert’s authoritative rebuttals. Gervase asked a few pertinent questions about the wording of the documents which were offered in support of the abbey, but the real battle lay between the claimant and the canon.
When the session finally ended, the abbot of Tavistock crept away to lick his wounds like an injured lion. Encouraged by what he perceived as Hubert’s sympathetic treatment of him at their first encounter, he had come with high hopes, but he went away feeling battered and betrayed. Gervase was the first to congratulate his colleague on his steadfast performance.
‘That was masterly, Canon Hubert.’
‘I had to defend the integrity of this commission.’
‘You did so superbly.’
‘Thank you, Gervase,’ said the other, preening himself. ‘You might mention it to the lord Ralph.’
‘Most certainly.’
‘We have been able to manage perfectly well without him.’
‘And without the lord Hervey,’ added Simon.
All three of them were brought to a sharp halt. In the cut and thrust of debate, they had forgotten all about the missing commissioner. No news had been brought of Hervey de Marigny, which meant that he had still not been found. Their apprehension grew. Much as he had relished his position of command, Hubert would willingly have sacrificed it for the safe return of a respected colleague. They were in a more subdued mood when the last witness of the day was shown into the hall.
Loretta looked as poised and elegant as ever. She was accompanied by Eldred as before though he did no more than sit there in melancholy silence. Loretta expressed surprise that only two commissioners were there to examine her but Hubert assured her that he and Gervase were fully authorised to put her claim under scrutiny again.
‘Does that mean you will reach a conclusion today?’ she asked.
‘That is highly unlikely, my lady,’ said Gervase.
‘Why?’
‘Because we are still not satisfied that we have all the facts before us.’
‘I have given you the only facts which matter,’ she said blandly.
‘The holdings in Upton Pyne belonged to my late son, William, and should be restored to me immediately.’
‘This property seems to hold a special significance for you, my lady,’ said Hubert. ‘Is that a fair comment to make?’
‘A very fair comment, Canon Hubert.’
‘Do these holdings have some peculiarly attractive features?’
‘No.’
‘Then why are you so anxious to recover them?’
‘It is a matter of honour,’ she said.
‘This dispute is very distressing to the lord Nicholas’s widow.’
‘I have every sympathy for her, Canon Hubert, but I will not let this opportunity pass by without asserting my entitlement. May I remind you that it was while I myself was in mourning that this property was taken from me in the first place?’
Canon Hubert backed off and left the bulk of the questioning to Gervase. Searching enquiries were put to her but Loretta was equal to each one of them and the legitimacy of her claim could not be doubted. She conducted herself with far more dignity than the abbot of Tavistock and her arguments were correspondingly more effective. Even Canon Hubert began to be swayed by her.