The Malice of Unnatural Death

Chapter Thirty-Two

Exeter City

Alice saw the crowd outside the house from the top of Stepecote Street, and she glanced at Sarra with a perplexed frown. ‘What isall this? I thought he was released today.’

‘I shall go and ask, mistress, if you want,’ Sarra suggested, and soon she was pushing her way through the mass of people. She could not reach the front of the crowd, but from a vantage point — which was a small wooden crate she found lying in thestreet — she was able to see that there was a beadle standing nervously with a polearm in his hand, surveying the crush withwariness bordering on alarm. Sarra recognised him, but there was no possibility of getting to him and asking what was happening,not with all these people about. However, there was a small, scruffy urchin nearby. She stepped down from the box and walkedup to him.

‘What is happening over there?’

Rob had been happily engaged in studying a pair of pigeons on the roof and wondering whether he could hit one with a stonewhen the young woman prodded him with her foot. He looked her up and down, lifted his eyebrows, shrugged, and snorted to himself.‘What’s in it for me if I tell you?’

‘A smack on your head if you don’t answer sharply,’ Sarra said sweetly. She had two brothers.

He scowled. ‘There’s a wizard lives here — he’s been murdered. Say his head was almost taken off his body.’

Sarra gave him a close look. She only knew of one necromancer in this street. ‘I heard tell he was all right this morning. He had been kept in the gaol overnight and released earlier today — and now he’s dead?’

‘Look over there and you’ll see the beadle guarding the body until the inquest can be held,’ Rob said. He was waiting herefor Busse to reappear. The man had retreated into the house with Langatre a short time ago, and Rob wanted to follow him again. It was growing chilly out here. Even in the midday sun it was cold.

‘Do they know who killed him? Or why?’

‘Nah! You know how people are. The fornicating churls from this roadway are all clucking about like gossips from any other,but they won’t help the coroner for nothing.’

‘Wait there!’ Sarra said, and hurried to her mistress. ‘Langatre priest is dead, my lady,’ she gasped as she reached Lady Alice. ‘Apparently someone murdered him this morning. I saw the beadle there with my own eyes.’

Lady Alice felt as though she had been buffeted by a heavy blow. She rocked on her heels and blinked, momentarily overwhelmedby nausea. There was only one thought in her mind: that her husband had somehow learned about her visits to Langatre and hadtaken his own revenge for her discussions with the magician.

It was no surprise. If a man learned that his barren wife was seeking the aid of a magician, he might well imagine that thelatter could have taken advantage of her. And although she had been the soul of propriety in all their negotiations, she could all too easily comprehend that her husbandmight have flown off the handle at the thought that she had been here to consult a known sorcerer. It must have made him mad.

Unless it was something to do with that little whore Jen.

Alice felt the breath catch in her throat at the thought. What if Jen was in reality her husband’s lover, as the mediocre-mindedlittle hussy had implied? If Matthew was in love with her, he would not want Alice to suddenly conceive, and he would ruthlesslyremove any man who might be able to help her …

No, that was ridiculous. And yet, if he heard that his own wife was consulting a necromancer in order to achieve something,just at the time when he had learned of the attack on Hugh le Despenser, he would want the fact suppressed. And he could beruthless in pursuit of his career, as Alice knew. It was foolish in the extreme of her not to have seen this! So stupid! Forher to see a magician at just this time was asking for trouble. Of course her husband could not possibly condone her visitsto Langatre when his own master, Despenser, would be made so angry by the idea. It was just a matter of bad fortune that shehad decided to come here today to see him, after reading that curious little note.

Be careful! she had read. Your husband knows all our business.

Fortunately she had had the presence of mind to throw the offending thing straight onto the fire, and then, calling for Sarra,had felt a little foolish in leaving so swiftly, but now she felt more than ever vindicated. It was merely a shame that shehad not managed to get here sooner, or that the message had not been sent earlier so that she could have come and protected Langatre from her husband’s men.

‘Mistress? What would you have us do?’ Sarra asked.

‘We should return to the castle,’ Alice said with a catch in her throat. She turned, and was about to make her way up thestreet when she saw the twisted features only a pace or two away. As the steel flashed, Alice screamed and lifted both handsto protect herself.

Michael Tanner felt tired as he left the keeper and his companions. They had questioned him quite fiercely, he felt, and theexperience had left him drained. And it was all for nothing, sod them all!

The last days had been exhausting. Ever since the shock of hearing that the attempt to assassinate the king and his bastardsons-of-the-devil, the two Despensers, had been betrayed, Tanner had been on tenterhooks, waiting for the men to arrive athis door and take him away. Yet nothing had happened. Life had continued as though nothing untoward had occurred. While heknew that men were being tortured in Coventry, he heard no signs here in Exeter that anything was wrong.

And it was good to reflect that while all the associates in the attempt were arrested, the one crucial man in the whole enterprise, John of Nottingham, had escaped and made his way here.

Sheriffs tended to be corrupt, but among such a dishonourable rabble there could be one or two exceptions. And Croyser wasone such. A deeply religious man, who believed with all his heart in the life to come and the Gospels, Croyser hated whathe saw the Despensers doing to his land and his people. He deplored the way that the king acquiesced to each and every demand made by the Despensers, and he refused to see all the conspirators taken, hanged and displayedin order to satisfy their lust for revenge. Instead he had released John of Nottingham and given him instructions on whereto go: to Croyser’s old servant’s son and still loyal retainer, Michael Tanner.

A message had already arrived, warning Michael to expect John soon, and it was a good thing it got to him. Otherwise he wouldnot have considered talking to such a bedraggled figure.

He first saw the fugitive necromancer outside the tavern. There was little enough in the sight to inspire confidence. Shabbyclothing, gaunt features … little enough to speak of power and importance. Michael would have left him there, had he notalready been contacted, and as it was, he at first thought that this was only some beggar who had appeared by coincidence,and would have left him to the mercies of the night. But then he caught sight of those eyes, the deep-set, dark eyes of aman who held inconceivable power. There was a force which emanated from his soul and fired the eyes with authority.

This was a truly awesome character, and fearsome. He gave off a sense of command that was not human, as though any insultwould be rewarded immediately with a punishment more ferocious than even the Despenser could imagine.

Yes. There had been much to fear, looking into those eyes. Not as much as some, of course. The man who killed him was clearlyeven more to be feared than his victim.

Tanner walked to his barrel and poured himself a strong ale. He felt light-headed and not a little emotional. The idea thatthe effort, all the planning, all the terror at the idea of discovery, had been in vain, was enervating. He could have toppled over for lack of command over his legs. Sitting was impossible. If he sat, he might never rise again.

All that work, he thought, and drained his cup.

And as the cup was raised, he heard a knock at the door.

His heart lurched like a rache seeing a cat. ‘Fool, fool, fool!’ he swore at himself. Christ Jesus! If John was dead, obviouslythey’d known where he was, and that meant they probably knew where all the conspirators were. They must have been following John or someone else, and now they were going about the city and capturing all those who’d ever had anything to do with theconspiracy. Why had he come back here to his house? He must have been mad! He was a cretin!

The knock came again: urgent, demanding. With leaden feet, Michael Tanner started to cross the floor to the door, but beforehe could reach it the door sprang open, and in the doorway was only emptiness. He gaped, staring, and even as he did so afigure, tall, slim, clad in dirty grey and black, slipped round the doorframe and into his house. And as Tanner took in thesight, he felt his reason slipping.

‘In God’s name-’ he began.

‘Yes, friend. In God’s and all the saints’ names,’ said John of Nottingham. He drew his lips back from his teeth and baredthem briefly. ‘But before we start our prayers, do you close that door and keep all unwanted eyes from us, eh? Because wehave work to do.’

Lady Alice fell back, away from the dagger, and cried out in alarm. Jen smiled to see her so fearful, and advanced, her longknife waving from side to side, before suddenly lunging.

It was Sarra who stepped between them, a hand up to protect her mistress. ‘Jen! Jen! Stop this! What do you think you’re doing?’

‘It’s her, her — she’s poisoned my lover’s mind against me,’ Jen said through gritted teeth. ‘Get out of my way, Sarra.’

‘So you can kill her? No, I won’t! You can’t kill her, Jen. All she’s done is stick to her vows. It’s not her fault she marriedthe sheriff before you ever heard his name, is it?’

‘He loves me. He always has loved me, and she’s in our way. Without her we can be happy.’

‘Jen, he doesn’t feel anything for you at all. Why should he? He’s a knight, Jen, a God-fearing knight — and what are you? You believe he’d leave his wife for you? Look at yourself, Jen! How can you think he’d leave her for you?’

‘Shut up! You don’t understand! You haven’t been in love, have you? He and I love each-’

‘Has he kissed you? Has he called you his sweeting? Has he touched your body? Has he moaned for love of you? Has he visitedyour bed at night? What is this, Jen? You are mad if you think he feels anything for you. All he knows right now is that you’reinsane. You’re lunatic. If you go back, he wouldn’t even want to be in the same room as you — you have to be sensible, Jen! Put the knife away and leave my mistress alone. Otherwise all you’ll get is a painful death for your treachery to our master.’

Jen slowly turned to face Sarra, ignoring Lady Alice for a moment. Her face registered her dumb astonishment. As though Sarracould comprehend the depth of feeling that existed between her and her master! ‘You say he wouldn’t want to be in the sameroom as me? He would leave his position, his wife, his life, if I asked him to …’

‘He didn’t even speak up for you when you went to him yesterday, did he? He wouldn’t protect you then, would he? Because he loveshis lady. It’s Alice he adores, Jen. Never you.’

‘No! No! That’s rubbish. His only trouble is, she’s like a limpet! If he tells her how he loves me, she won’t let him go. She cleavesto him like a contagion! Well, I’ll kill her now and save him from her. Then he and I may leave and find ourselves our ownhappiness.’

Sarra shook her head. Her heart was already thudding painfully in her breast, and she put her left hand to it even as sheturned her right palm upwards in the sign of good faith. ‘Please, darling Jen, don’t do something you’ll regret. This isn’tyou! I know you — you wouldn’t hurt another person for no reason. My lady has done nothing to harm you, Jen. All this stuffabout Sheriff Matthew, it’s in your head. It’s not real, Jen.’

At last she could see her arguing was achieving something. Jen’s face went blank for a moment, and then her eyes screwed upand tears began to flood from them and course down her cheeks. She stood there some little while, hands clenched at her sides,the knife forgotten, her entire body rigid and unmoving. And some of the people who had been watching saw, and one or twomen started to step towards her in a bid to capture and restrain her. One, Sarra recognised: it was her mistress’s man. Sheturned to see whether Alice had seen him too, and then …

And then Jen’s eyes snapped open, and Sarra’s relief turned to horror as she realised that Jen’s mind had finally broken.

‘It’s all right, Sarra,’ she said reasonably, and then gave a gentle smile. ‘I can see you’re worried about your job when I am wife to the sheriff and this sow is in her grave. You don’t have to worry. I’ll keep you in your post. All will be easierwhen this woman is dead, never fear.’

Maurice slipped on a cobble, and Jen suddenly became aware of her danger. She shot a look over her shoulder and saw him comingclose. Her jaw clenched, and she turned a furious look upon Sarra. ‘You should have warned me!’ she hissed, and then sprangforward with all her anger behind her blow.

The knife flashed grim and deadly, and Sarra felt nothing, only a desire to save Lady Alice. The moment dragged past slowly,like a lifetime. She saw the knife in Jen’s hand, and she felt herself move to block Jen’s path to Lady Alice. It was instinctual,not a thing she intended to do, and as the knife shot forward to reach past her flank, Sarra felt it hit her, a slow, draggingblow that hurt like a punch, but which hardly felt dangerous. No, it was more like a blow one of her brothers might have givenher. And then she had Jen’s forearm in her hands and held it tight. ‘Jen, come, leave us here. You don’t need to get intoany more trouble,’ she said.

She saw Jen’s face twist with rage, and felt the arm in her hands twist. At first she had a good grip, but then somehow hergrip loosened, and she felt the knife hand pull away from her, saw it gleam like red oil in a wide arc to keep the men atbay, and all hold up their hands, watching that wicked blade as it passed in front of them. And Sarra tried to go to Jen tocapture her herself, wrap her arms about her so as not to hurt her, and try to bring her to her senses, but she heard a sharp,piercing squeal and spun on her heel to see her lady staring at her with a hand to her mouth.

‘Lady, I …’

But no more words would come. In a bleak inspiration, she knew what Alice had seen. The pain throbbed at first, like a bruise, but then she was racked with a white-hot searingdeep in her bowels, and as she put her hand to her side she realised she was dying. There was a gushing from the wound, anda hot, burning feeling at her groin and heart, and as she fell to her knees she saw Jen baring her teeth in impotent maliceat Lady Alice before springing away from the encircling men and darting up an alley.

Then she toppled over, and even as Maurice reached Alice, Sarra’s sight was fading. She just couldn’t focus. It was so irritating. And there was a roaring noise in her ears …