“And knowing the skills of Prioress Eleanor in ferreting out murderers,” he said aloud, “I believe the hour of our departure from here will arrive most swiftly.”
With those words, he unlatched the gate and hastened toward the hermitage. Had anyone been nearby, they would have heard this dark-robed man softly humming a chorus from The Play of Daniel.
Chapter Thirty-four
The Lady Avelina sat bolt upright in the chair, her face in shadow. Although a timid light did creep through the shuttered window, it remained a pallid glow as if uncertain whether or not clarity was welcome.
“I have been waiting for you, Prioress Eleanor.”
“I beg pardon for the delay. Your servant’s death required…”
“I am guilty.”
Eleanor stepped back, struck dumb by the blunt confession. Had she expected this, she would not have asked Sister Anne to wait outside the room until called. She regretted not having her friend’s reaction to this unexpected statement. Unsure exactly how to respond, the prioress chose to say nothing.
“Where is my son?”
“He has been with the hermit outside the priory since soon after you arrived.”
“Has anyone accused him of involvement in this crime?”
Eleanor felt her body tremble with nervous uncertainty and was grateful the lady could not see her lack of composure in the faded light. Taking a deep breath, she willed herself to calm and to listen carefully, less to what was said than how it was spoken. “Crowner Ralf confirmed he has not left the hermitage, or, if he did, Simon’s absences have been too short to travel to the priory and return.”
Avelina laughed, the sound more akin to the screech of a knife against a whetstone than any merriment.
“There is no doubt that your son is innocent in the death of your servant, and so you have no cause to shield him.”
“The death of Baron Otes remains unsolved.”
Eleanor stepped closer, hoping to better read the woman’s expression. “If the person who killed the baron also killed Kenard, then your son is innocent of the former since he is most certainly blameless of the latter.”
Uttering a soft groan, Avelina pressed her hand against her breast. Even in the muted light, Eleanor could see sweat glistening on her face.
“Are you unwell, my lady?”
“A mild indisposition. I ate something that disagreed with me. It will soon pass.”
“Sister Anne waits just outside the door. Shall I send for her?”
“You are kind, but I need her not.” The lady smiled, and then bit her lips as if the effort exceeded her strength. “Let us return to the subject of murder. Is that not why you came?”
Indeed it was, but Eleanor now regretted she had not spoken with Brother Thomas before coming to see Lady Avelina. Once she understood how blinded she had been by the land gift, she realized that two killers might be involved. Her reasons for changing her mind could also be wrong. She had rushed to this meeting ill-prepared.
And now something else troubled her, although the cause was elusive. She had little time to ponder it and was growing anxious to get to the truth of this matter. “Why did you claim guilt?” she asked, choosing to be as direct as this woman had been with her admission.
Avelina bowed her head. “The evening we arrived here, Baron Otes begged a private audience with me. I was well acquainted with his reputation as a man who collected secrets to his benefit.” Her eyes narrowed as she glanced up at the prioress. “What did I have to fear? The widow of a known traitor has nothing left to hide.” She fell silent as the words required for further explanation refused to be spoken.
Hearing the bitterness in her tone, Eleanor wondered if the woman had any tears left to weep. She nodded sympathetically.
“Although I could not imagine what the baron wanted from me, I decided to grant the man’s wish. It is often wiser, I have found, not to remain in ignorance when it comes to the ways of wicked men.” She rubbed nervously at her eyes.
“Had you any fears or suspicions of what he came to discuss?”
Avelina shook her head. “How clearly does a mother ever see the true nature of her beloved son? How can a dutiful wife ever judge her lord husband?”
Eleanor answered with care and, she hoped, compassion. “Mothers and wives may see the flaw but love the man in spite of it. When a man pledges loyalty to another mortal, his unbending fealty may be honorable although his judgement may be in error. Sons are often much like their sires.”
Avelina’s eyes betrayed her surprise. “You are kind! I doubted that Baron Otes could have discovered some horrible secret related to my dead husband. Ghosts cannot surpass the crime of treason, and God is the final judge of blasphemy.” She began to gasp as if the summer air had become too thick to breath.
Eleanor moved closer to the woman. “Are you sure you are well?”
“It is only my sorrow you observe. I beg you to let me finish!”
The prioress stepped back.
“As you noted, my son is much like his father, both in his longing to serve a lord well and his inability to recognize which one is strong enough to survive any fray.” She coughed. “Will you swear to me that what I tell you shall remain in confidence?”
“I cannot, unless Simon is innocent of both murder and treason.” Eleanor shuddered at the implications of what the woman had just told her. All she really needed to know was who killed two men, not necessarily the details of why. “I shall be frank with you,” she said. “Two souls have been sent to God unshriven. Although Baron Otes was a cruel man, his killer had no right to execute him in that manner. Our Lord has said that only those without sin should ever cast stones. God alone has that prerogative. As for your servant, I know nothing of him, virtues or vices, but the same applies to him. For the sake of proper justice, I seek the murderer.”
“I am grateful for your honesty,” Avelina said. “I shall only say that my son has been unwise in his choice of men to support his ambitions, and Baron Otes came to inform me of Simon’s entanglements. Even though I should not have been surprised, the shock was quite hard to bear.”
Then the boy’s foot had at least slipped into treason’s quicksand. If she was to learn the names of murderers, Eleanor knew she must step away from the further unveiling of Simon’s crimes. She knew she was too close to the discovery for any distraction. “What did he demand for his silence?”
“Oh, he wanted more than a small price for keeping that secret!” Avelina looked around as if fearing an unseen presence. “He offered to help my son regain some of his lands, although not the title. As recompense for his efforts, he demanded half what he had recovered for Simon or else the value of it in coin.”
Eleanor winced. “Were the remaining lands adequate to support your son?”
“Not as his birth deserved, and I have little enough to add when I die.”
“What did he say he would do if you refused the offer?”
“He swore to tell the king the names of the men who demanded Simon’s support in return for funds to pay for horse and armor.”
“So I must conclude your son was in peril of his life.” Had the dimming light cast the lady’s face in greater shadow or had her cheeks turned sickly grey?
Avelina nodded.
“Were you alone when the baron spoke with you?”
“Except for Kenard. Since he was both mute and a servant, the baron found him only an object of mockery.”
Now Eleanor grew confident that Brother Thomas had been right, at least in principle. There were two who were complicit in these crimes, and she knew she must proceed with care. “Did you tell Simon of this discussion?”
“As a woman, I may be imprudent. As a mother, I am not so foolish as to tell a boy, already condemned for unwise behavior, of matters that might cause him to act with even greater rashness.” She covered her eyes.