The Hand of Justice

‘He will not,’ said Isnard. ‘He will rage and rail, then he will bury his mother and go back to Thetford. He is not stupid, and knows the law favours the rich. But perhaps he should ask his prior to petition the King, to tell him what is really happening here. His Majesty deserves to know what vile things are being done in his name.’

‘Unfortunately, I suspect he already does,’ said Bartholomew. He recalled what Tulyet had said about the law. ‘But it is all that stands between us and chaos.’

‘I suspect we will soon learn that it does not make a very good barrier,’ said Isnard. ‘There are rumblings of discontent in this town — about the ownership of the Hand, about the mills, and about the compensation for Thorpe and Edward. It will not be long before we are in flames.’

Bartholomew felt even more restless after his encounter with Isnard, and did not know what to do to take his mind off the array of problems and questions that tumbled about his mind like demanding acrobats. When Michael would have strolled back towards Michaelhouse, Bartholomew steered him to the High Street instead, thinking they could walk as far as the Castle or beyond. The hill would be good exercise for Michael, and there was a sick woman in the derelict cottages opposite the fortress who might appreciate a visit from a physician and a monk.

As they approached the Church of All Saints in the Jewry, Bartholomew saw people begin to emerge after its Sunday service. Among them were Stanmore and Tulyet, who expressed their sadness over the death of Warde.

‘What is this about the town paying Thorpe and Edward Mortimer for the costs of their exile?’ demanded Michael, brushing their condolences aside. ‘Surely it cannot be right?’

Tulyet’s expression was disgusted. ‘I had word from the King’s Bench yesterday, and the sum we have been ordered to pay is enormous. It will cause all manner of strife, because the burgesses are already demanding that some of it should be paid by the University.’

‘Why?’ asked Michael indignantly. ‘Neither Thorpe nor Mortimer were scholars when they committed their crimes. Why should the University contribute to compensation?’

‘Because the merchants are already struggling to fund the repairs to the Great Bridge,’ replied Tulyet tartly. ‘Thorpe and Mortimer’s demand has come at a very bad time.’

‘The burgesses are right,’ said Stanmore who, as one of the town’s wealthiest merchants, was likely to be asked to put up a significant amount. ‘The University should help us with this.’

‘Will you contest the decision?’ asked Bartholomew of Tulyet. ‘There must be something we can do to avoid rewarding criminals for their wrongdoings.’

‘We have no case,’ said Tulyet. ‘The King’s Bench has made a decision in His Majesty’s name, and we cannot refuse to part with our gold because we think it is wrong. The King would respond by accusing us of rebellion. All we can do is pay the money, and hope Thorpe and Mortimer leave.’

‘I will never pay a Mortimer,’ vowed Cheney the spicer, overhearing their discussion as he walked past. He bustled forward to have his say. ‘Not a penny! I hurl stones every time I see Edward swagger along the High Street, but I always miss.’

Cheney’s Millers’ Society colleagues were at his heels. They had evidently been using the service to engage in a little impromptu business, because all held documents, and Morice carried an abacus.

‘We were sorry about Warde,’ said Isobel, breaking off from an apparently intense discussion with Bernarde and her husband. ‘He was a good man.’

‘The King’s Commission miss he,’ said Lavenham gravely, when she pinched his arm to tell him to make a suitably sympathetic comment. ‘He school-man with nose in book, but honest.’

‘He was fair minded,’ agreed Tulyet. ‘I do not know how the King’s Commission will fare without his calm voice and gentle reason.’

‘Master Thorpe will be even-handed,’ said Michael.

‘So will I,’ declared Bernarde, affronted. ‘And Lavenham. We will give the King the verdict he wants.’

‘Point proven,’ muttered Bartholomew.

‘I do not see your problem,’ said Bernarde, genuinely puzzled. ‘Surely you want the King happy?’

‘Everyone wants the King happy,’ said Stanmore, before his brother-in-law could incriminate himself by saying he did not much care. ‘The King unhappy is always a bad thing, because it means increased taxes. None of us want that.’

There was a chorus of fervent agreement, with Cheney adding that it was especially true now everyone had to dig deep in his coffers to pay Edward and Thorpe’s compensation — as well as financing the repairs to the bridge.

‘Master Warde was not as unbiased as everyone believes,’ said Bernarde, returning to the matter of the Commission. ‘When we had our first meeting, he insisted on putting the Mortimers’ point of view — and Master Thorpe actually listened to him.’ He sounded as if he could scarcely credit their outrageous behaviour.