King's Gold

Sir Ralph was surprised when the knock came, and a moment or two later Sir Richard and Sir Ranulf were in the chamber and introducing the coroner to the King.

‘Your Highness,’ Sir Ranulf said, bowing. ‘I hope I find you comfortable?’

Sir Ralph smiled to see the expression on Sir Edward’s face. It was that of a man who has been given a pot of iced water in a desert. ‘As you can see, sir, it is not the accommodation I would have chosen,’ he said deprecatingly, with a gesture around the room. ‘But it suffices.’

‘You have all you need?’ Sir Ranulf asked.

‘I have excellent company, my friend, but I lack books. That is my greatest sorrow.’

‘I shall ensure that books are sent to you, sire.’

Sir Ralph frowned. It was unkind of the coroner to pretend to help. He thought he should interrupt, but was unsure how to.

‘I would be grateful.’

Sir Ranulf glanced about the chamber with a critical eye. ‘You must let me know if there is anything else you need, sire. And one other thing. Her Royal Highness, your wife, wishes me to tell you she thinks of you with fondness, and has asked me to arrange for some presents to be brought. Wine, some clothing, and choice meats. I shall arrange this with the custodian of the castle.’

Sir Richard appeared to stir himself. ‘Hey? Do you have a letter from Her Highness, or anything to confirm all this?’

The coroner smiled. ‘I was asked to visit to enquire about Sir Edward. It was simply fortuitous that you had a death here as well.’

Sir Ralph rose and peered at the letter with Sir Richard when Sir Edward had studied it.

‘It is genuine,’ Sir Edward said. ‘Please tell my wife that I am glad, and grateful for her thoughts and gifts.’

Sir Ranulf spoke with Sir Edward for some little while, and Sir Ralph was glad to see his lord keenly enthusiastic all the while. Only when the guests had left the chamber, did Sir Edward’s mask fall.

He fell into his seat and covered his eyes.

‘Sir Edward?’ Sir Ralph rose to his feet, perturbed.

‘What does she wish to do? Torture me? Promising presents – books, clothes. Why, to remind me of all I have lost? Or does she tease me, showing me all the luxuries that her damned lover enjoys?’

Willersey

The day was overcast and heavy with the threat of rain as Father Luke walked from his church door to the little patch of garden, carrying his hoe.

‘Hello, Jen,’ he called with a smile.

She gave a startled jump like a young foal, and turned a face of tragic misery to him.

‘Jen,’ he said, shocked at the sight. ‘Please, maid, come here and let me hold you.’

She slowly crossed the path to him, and he put his arms about her. ‘Dear child, you are skin and bone,’ he said. ‘You must eat, or you will not flourish.’

‘I can’t,’ she said quietly. ‘I have no hunger.’

‘Jen, your father wouldn’t wish to think that his death would cause yours,’ Luke said firmly. ‘You need to eat and remember how good your father was, so that his memory, and your love for him, will live on.’

‘I miss him so much!’ she blurted out, sobbing.

He knelt before her, and she put her head on his shoulder, weeping with all the passion of a grown woman.

Father Luke cradled her skinny body and had to blink to keep his own tears at bay. This poor little girl.

He felt as though the despair of the world was resting on his shoulders.

Second Saturday after Easter

Berkeley Castle

Simon and Sir Richard sat on a bench outside the gaol as Dolwyn, Harry and Senchet were brought to them.

The day was warm and humid, but of the three men, Dolwyn shivered like a man with the ague.

‘Do you know why we’ve brought you here?’ Sir Richard asked, his eyes resting on each of them in turn.

Harry spoke first. ‘We know nothing, sir. We were asleep in our beds when the screams woke us, and we followed Master Dolwyn to find the cause, as we should.’

‘You are here because we believe you,’ Simon said. ‘Look, we do not think you are guilty. It makes no sense for any of you to have slain Sir Jevan, so far as we can see. So we wish to do what we may to have you released. But in order to do that, we have to know if you can tell us any more about what happened, the night Sir Jevan died.’

‘We were asleep,’ Harry said simply. ‘It was his screams that woke us.’

‘All we did was go to help a man being attacked,’ Senchet agreed.

‘What of you, Dolwyn?’ Sir Richard asked.

‘I was in my bed, same as these. We were all woken by the screams.’

‘When you reached the body, then – is there anything more you can tell us?’

‘Sir Richard, if there had been anything I could have said to aid my defence, I would have told the coroner at the inquest.’

Sir Richard nodded and looked across at Simon.

Simon shrugged dispiritedly. ‘Ach! I wish Baldwin were here,’ he said.

Near Stockport