The Hand of Justice

‘Thank God you were here, or he would have had this tome away from me in an instant,’ he said. ‘He is at Gonville, and they are teaching him well — he would guess it is worth a lot of money.’

‘How do you know him?’ asked Michael curiously. ‘You are a newcomer to the town, and you were not here when he committed his first spate of crimes.’

‘I had the misfortune to find myself in his company when I went to visit the Hand of Justice three weeks ago — Thorpe and his horrible friend Edward Mortimer. I had heard about the Hand, and I wanted to see it for myself. Actually, that is not true — I went to ask whether it might intercede on our behalf in the Disputatio de quodlibet. I had a feeling we would not do well, and I so wanted to win.’

Michael raised his eyebrows. ‘But you had me and Matt to argue by your side.’

‘Yes,’ agreed Wynewyk. ‘And you are the best Michaelhouse has to offer. However’ — here the drop in his voice indicated he thought Michaelhouse’s best was somewhat below par — ‘Matt’s logic is sometimes flawed, while your mind is too often on your other duties, Brother.’

‘I see,’ said Michael coldly. ‘Pray continue. You asked the false relic to help you, because you believed Matt and I were not up to the task.’

‘I was right,’ retorted Wynewyk haughtily, refusing to be intimidated. ‘We lost, did we not?’

‘Then you must conclude that the Hand did you no good, either,’ Bartholomew pointed out.

‘I do not think the Hand is as holy as folk say,’ said Wynewyk. ‘I have seen many relics — in Albi among other places — and our Hand does not possess the proper aura of sanctity. Father William touches it for a start, and you do not toss real relics around as though they are pomanders. However, all this is irrelevant. I was trying to tell you how I met Thorpe and Mortimer.’

‘Then do so,’ suggested Michael, as the lawyer paused to gather his thoughts — or his lies.

‘The day I decided to visit the Hand was the one they happened to choose, too. William took the three of us to see it together. We went into the tower and knelt, but when William went to an upper chamber to fetch the Hand, Thorpe demanded my purse. I could not believe my ears! They were robbing me, not only in the sacred confines of a church, but within spitting distance of a holy relic. I was disgusted with myself for being terrified of them, and even more disgusted when I handed my purse over without a word. Unfortunately, it contained Michaelhouse’s monthly food allowance.’

Michael gazed at him. ‘Is that why we have been living like peasants recently?’

Wynewyk nodded miserably. ‘I probably should not have relinquished it quite so easily, but I am not a man for fighting. However, it is easy to be wise — and brave — about events once they are over. That is what Master Langelee said, when I told him what had happened.’

Bartholomew thought back to his first encounter with Thorpe — in St Michael’s Lane on the day of the Disputatio. Wynewyk had been with him, and he recalled the lawyer raising his hood to hide his face. He had assumed Wynewyk had not wanted a man with such a violent reputation to see and remember him, but it had been because Wynewyk had been afraid that Thorpe would recognise a man who had already fallen prey to his intimidation.

‘What else did Langelee say?’ asked Michael angrily. ‘And why did you not tell me?’

‘He said their pardons make them untouchable — even by you. He did not want you to demand our money back, and have them complain about you to His Majesty. He also believes the town will tolerate their vile behaviour for a while, but that they will soon vanish, never to be seen again anyway.’

Bartholomew was sure the Master had reached this conclusion when Dame Pelagia had arrived. She had a way of making people disappear quietly, and Langelee greatly admired her for it.

‘The sooner the better,’ said Michael fervently. ‘But you should have confided in me, man. I do not stand by while my colleagues are robbed in broad daylight.’

‘Please do not tackle them about it,’ begged Wynewyk. ‘I do not want them coming after me for getting them into trouble.’

‘You should know me better than that. Besides, they would deny the incident if I approached them directly. But I shall repay them for what they did.’

‘So, who tried to take the book?’ asked Bartholomew, pointing to the tome under Wynewyk’s arm. It crossed his mind that the lawyer might plan to exchange it for groceries. There were plenty of scholars in Cambridge who would love to acquire a copy of Summa logicae.

‘I have my suspicions,’ said Wynewyk, looking down the street to where Thorpe was still a figure in the distance. ‘He was in our hall recently, after all.’

‘He did sit near the books,’ recalled Bartholomew. ‘I did not notice him sawing, though.’