The Elephants of Norwich

Chapter Five

Seen from the vantage point of the castle, Norwich was a large city built in the loop of the river and replete with rows of timber dwellings whose thatched roofs shone in the morning sunlight like burnished gold. The dominating influence of religion was attested by the presence of almost forty churches and chapels, many of them constructed of local flint and possessing the distinctive round towers for which the city was justly renowned. Norwich had a sense of order and permanence to it. Closer inspection, however, revealed it to be a more decayed and cluttered place than at first appeared. As Golde and Alys rode through the dusty streets escorted by two of Ralph’s men, they saw countless examples of dire poverty and the fell hand of war. The weight of resentment was heavy. Even after twenty years of occupation, Normans were seen as odious foreigners, an imposition to be endured rather than a people with whom the inhabitants could make common cause.

Alys had never met such open disapproval, evidenced, as it was, in cold stares, hostile comments, insulting gestures and mute insolence. She found it disturbing. As a Saxon woman in the garb of a Norman lady, Golde was in a more ambiguous position, understanding the feelings of the bystanders they passed while identifying herself with a conquering elite about whom she had many reservations. Not all the citizens were unfriendly. The latent animosity of the many was offset by the cheerful greetings of the few. Others simply ignored the quartet, coping with the sight of Norman soldiers in hauberks by pretending that they were not there. Murder added a dimension of unease. News of the homicide had spread throughout the community and it hung in the air like a noisome stench. People looked warily over their shoulders.

‘Well,’ said Golde, turning to her friend, ‘what do you think of Norwich?’

‘I like it far more than it likes us,’ replied Alys.

‘You get used to that sort of thing.’

‘Do you?’

‘I met it in York, Chester, Exeter and every other place I visited with Ralph.’

‘It’s never been quite so obvious in Winchester, perhaps because that’s where I grew up. I don’t simply sense their condemnation here; I can reach out and touch it.’

‘People are slow to accept change.’

‘It goes deeper than that, Golde.’

After their short tour of the city, they rode into the noisy market, itself a symbol of discord. Moved from its original site in Tombland to the east of the city, it now occupied land in the parish of St Peter Mancroft to the west of the castle, serving the many Norman families who had settled in the district and causing a stream of protest that still flowed with a strong current. During the banquet the previous evening, Golde had been told about the enforced change of venue. She raised her voice above the hubbub.

‘It upset everybody,’ she said.

‘What did?’

‘Shifting the market here from its old site. It used to be in the parish of St Michael Tombland, the richest in the city, according to Ralph. It stood there for many years. They met a lot of opposition when they took it away.’

‘I can understand that, Golde.’

‘A market is really the heart of a town.’

‘Don’t let Brother Daniel hear you say that,’ warned Alys.

‘Why not?’

‘He’d argue that a cathedral or an abbey was the heart of a community.’

Golde took a more practical view. ‘We all have to eat.’

Caught up in the mild frenzy around them, they picked their way through the milling crowds. The stallholders had been busy since dawn but the haggling was still at its height as fresh customers came in from outlying villages and hamlets to swell the numbers. Alys took note of a blaze of colour to her left.

‘Can we look at that stall selling cloth?’ she asked.

Golde laughed. ‘We’ll look at everything.’

‘Look or buy?’

‘Both.’

Helped by the two soldiers, they dismounted and made their way across to a display of silks, satins and woollen materials. Alys was soon entranced. The market was an education. It told them far more about the city than they could learn inside the confines of the castle. They heard the voices, shared in the emotions and observed the habits of the local people. Crafts of all kinds were on display. Stalls were set out in a higgledy-piggledy fashion. The two women followed a meandering route that took them past luscious fruit, fresh vegetables, slabs of meat, piles of fish, squawking poultry, baskets of eggs, jewellery, pottery, wine, beer, shoes, clothing, cutlery and all the other items that vendors promoted with loud competitive zeal. The powerful aroma of the market was compounded of many individual elements, the most enticing being that of freshly baked bread. The two women enjoyed it all immensely. Golde was pleased to see how well Alys stood up to what was a tiring expedition. They were on their feet for a long time and buffeting shoulders took their toll.

‘How do you feel?’ she asked.

‘Very well.’

‘You looked quite ill during the banquet.’

‘I was tired, that’s all.’

‘You’ve certainly got your colour back today.’

‘And my appetite,’ said Alys with a smile. ‘The sight and smell of all this food is making me hungry. Shall we go back?’

‘I think we’d better or they’ll wonder what’s happened to us.’

Lifted back on to their horses, they made their way to the castle through the steady throng with the few items they had purchased safely packed into a satchel. Their journey took them past the deserted house where the dead body had been found, now attracting the ghoulish interest of some children and a barking dog. When they rode into the castle, an ostler was waiting to assist them to the ground before taking their mounts away to be stabled. Somebody else was waiting for them as well.

‘There you are,’ said Brother Daniel, beaming happily as he swooped down on them. ‘I was hoping to find you.’

‘We’ve been to market, Brother Daniel,’ explained Golde.

‘Yes,’ said Alys. ‘It was wonderful.’

His face clouded. ‘I’m glad that you found something to take your mind off the dreadful crime that came to light yesterday. It still preys on me. Perhaps I should’ve come with you to the market, though I doubt if even that would wipe away the memory of what I saw in that house.’

‘The lord Eustace told us how distressed you were,’ said Golde.

‘He’s been very kind to me.’

‘It must have been a horrid experience for you.’

‘It was, my lady,’ he confessed, ‘but God directed my footsteps for a purpose. I was meant to find that body. It chastened me. Shocking as it was, I think the experience has left me a better and more considerate person.’

‘Nobody could be more considerate than you, Brother Daniel,’ says Alys.

‘Thank you,’ said the monk, shaking off his melancholy. He held up a letter. ‘But this is why I’m so pleased to see you. I have something for you.’

‘For me?’ Alys said in surprise.

‘It’s addressed to both of you.’

‘Who could be writing to us?’ wondered Golde, taking the missive.

‘The servant belonged to the lady Adelaide’s household.’

‘The lady Adelaide?’

‘Open it, Golde,’ urged Alys.

‘No, you take it,’ said the other, passing it to her. ‘You spoke to the lady Adelaide last night. I didn’t.’ She gave a wry smile. ‘Though I heard a great deal about her from my husband. Ralph sat next to her.’

Alys broke the seal. ‘I’ll see what she says.’

‘I’m sorry that you missed the banquet, Brother Daniel,’ said Golde.

‘So am I,’ he replied. ‘But I hear you had an uninvited guest.’

‘Richard de Fontenel. It was his steward whose corpse you found.’ She saw the astonishment on Alys’s face. ‘Good news or bad?’

‘Excellent news,’ said Alys. ‘We’ve been invited to visit the lady Adelaide.’

‘Alone or with our husbands?’

‘Oh, alone. She makes that quite clear.’

Eustace Coureton had no intention of being excluded from the investigation of the two crimes. He plied Ralph Delchard and Gervase Bret with searching questions about their visit to the manor house of Mauger Livarot. ‘What sort of man is the lord Mauger?’

‘The kind that no sensible person would trust,’ said Ralph. ‘Behind that leering smile of his was a selfish, cunning, deceitful man who’d stop at nothing to gain the upper hand over a rival.’

‘Not even at murder?’

‘No, my lord.’

‘Then he could be the culprit?’

‘I didn’t say that. The lord Mauger is certainly capable of stabbing a man to death, though he’d be more likely to thrust the blade into his back than his chest. But I don’t think he’s guilty of this murder. He looked too surprised when he was told about it. Too surprised and too peeved.’

‘Why was that?’

‘He felt cheated out of the pleasure of killing Hermer himself.’

‘Is that what he told you?’

‘I read it in his eyes.’ Ralph told Coureton in detail about the interrogation of Livarot and the old soldier took it all in, nodding sagely throughout. When the recital was over, he turned to Gervase.

‘Do you have anything to add to that?’

‘Only that I’m also convinced that the lord Mauger didn’t commit or instigate the murder. It came as a welcome bonus to him. We could see that. As for the theft of the gold elephants, however,’ reflected Gervase, ‘I’m not so sure. The lord Mauger may well be implicated there. So might Drogo.’

‘Drogo?’

‘His steward.’

Ralph gave a snort of disgust. ‘A wizened little weasel of a man.’

‘He was too knowing,’ said Gervase. ‘Too shifty, artful, sure of himself. He and the lord Mauger are well matched. They’ll be subtle advocates when they appear before us to ratify their claim to the disputed property. We’ll have to watch them like hawks.’

‘We will,’ vowed Ralph.

‘I look forward to meeting them,’ said Coureton. ‘But I’m glad you mentioned the theft of those elephants, Gervase. In pursuing a killer, the sheriff has rather lost sight of the earlier crime. His efforts are concentrated on solving a murder.’

‘He believes that the two crimes are linked,’ said Gervase.

‘All the more reason to look more closely into the first because that may lead directly to the second. I thought that the sheriff’s deputy was investigating the theft,’ Coureton went on, ‘but when I spoke to Olivier Romain earlier, he told me he was riding out to the lord Richard’s estate again to look for clues relating to the murder.’

‘That won’t please the lord Richard,’ commented Ralph. ‘Nothing is more important to him than the return of his precious elephants. And we all know why. They’re the bait for the lady Adelaide. What a hideous choice confronts her!’ he said, pulling a face. ‘Richard de Fontenel or Mauger Livarot. She wouldn’t be selecting a husband. She’d be choosing between death and damnation.’

‘The lady Adelaide may reject both,’ said Gervase.

‘That’s her business,’ said Coureton. ‘Ours is to do what we can to solve two crimes that are holding us back from the work that brought us here in the first place. To that end, I think that we should go hunting.’

‘For what, my lord?’

‘Elephants.’ He leaned forward to explain. The three men were sitting at a table in the hall over a light meal. Ralph had a cup of wine in front of him; Gervase and Coureton had opted for ale. The latter’s voice lowered to a conspiratorial whisper.

‘I had a long talk with Olivier Romain,’ he said. ‘He admitted that he’d made little progress in solving the theft of those gold elephants. But he had stumbled on one promising fact.’

‘What was that?’ said Ralph.

‘A year ago, the lord Richard employed a man who worked hand in hand with Hermer as his assistant. They got on well at first. Then they fell out. Hermer had the man dismissed and he went off swearing that he’d get his own back.’

‘On the steward or on the lord Richard?’

‘On both.’

‘Who is the fellow?’

‘His name is Starculf.’

‘Then why hasn’t he been questioned?’

‘Because there’s no sign of him,’ said Coureton, frowning. ‘Starculf left the area months ago and hasn’t been seen since. The sheriff’s deputy looked everywhere and the search will continue. Starculf not only had a reason to steal, he had a motive to kill.’

‘Also,’ said Gervase, thinking it through, ‘he’d be familiar with the estate. He’d know his way around extremely well. If he was Hermer’s assistant, he might even have had keys to the house.’

‘Apparently, the lord Richard spoke very harshly of him. He flew into a temper at the very mention of Starculf’s name.’

‘It doesn’t take much to enrage him.’

‘ Ira furor brevis est.’

‘What does that mean?’ said Ralph.

‘“Anger is a short madness.” I was quoting Horace.’

‘Then he must have had someone like Richard de Fontenel in mind.’

‘Starculf must be tracked down,’ said Gervase. ‘He’s an obvious suspect.’

‘I agree,’ said Coureton, ‘but I think we’ll uncover some others before too long. Starculf was only one of several people with a grudge against the lord Richard.’

‘Alstan, for instance.’

‘I wasn’t forgetting that poor old man.’

‘It’s a pity we didn’t get him to tell us more about the way the estate was run.’

Coureton shook his head. ‘He knew little that would be of value to us. No, I fancy there are far more eloquent witnesses to his master’s ruthlessness. And you’re the person to find them for us, Gervase.’

‘Me?’

‘You’re our sharp-eyed lawyer.’

‘Where am I supposed to look?’

‘Where else,’ said Coureton, ‘but in that sheaf of documents you brought with you? The lord Richard is contesting the ownership of a large acreage of land with Mauger Livarot, but it must have belonged to someone else before either of them tried to take it into their possession. Who was that original owner and how was his property seized from him?’ He offered a helpful grin. ‘Does my suggestion make sense?’

‘Considerable sense,’ said Gervase, gratefully. ‘I went through the returns for this whole county and saw just how often the name of Richard de Fontenel was associated with dubious claims. He acquired land by all manner of subterfuge.’

‘Make a list of those he dispossessed.’

‘I will, my lord.’

‘Especially in the Taverham hundred.’

‘Leave it to me.’

‘We may turn up suspects that would not occur to the sheriff and his deputy.’

‘I’ll go through my satchel with care.’

Ralph was lost in thought. Emerging from his silence, he brought the flat of his hand down hard on the table and startled them. They looked quizzically at him.

‘What if we’re wrong?’ he demanded.

‘About what?’ said Gervase.

‘Everything. What if the two crimes are unconnected? We’re all assuming that one person is responsible for both but that may not be the case at all. In any event, we’re more likely to solve the first crime if we treat it in isolation.’

‘Why?’

‘Because then we can examine it properly,’ argued Ralph. ‘If we treat it as a prelude to murder, we only confuse the issue. Reduce it to the simple facts. Richard de Fontenel buys an expensive gift for the lady he wishes to marry. That gift is stolen from his home. What’s his immediate conclusion?’

‘That the lord Mauger took the elephants,’ said Coureton.

‘Exactly. A deadly rival trying to ruin his marriage plans. That’s one reason for the theft but isn’t there a much more obvious one?’ He looked from one to the other. ‘Sheer gain,’ he said, grinning at them. ‘Those elephants were made of solid gold. They’d be dangerous to keep because they’re so distinctive. Besides, they were very valuable. So what would the thief do?’

‘Have them melted down.’

‘Yes, my lord.’

‘That way, the evidence disappears from sight,’ said Gervase.

‘And he sells the gold for a handsome profit.’ Ralph got up suddenly from the table. ‘Let the sheriff go chasing after Mauger Livarot,’ he said with a chuckle. ‘I’m going to acquaint myself with the goldsmiths of Norwich. One of them may have had some unusual items presented to him recently.’

‘Sound reasoning,’ complimented Eustace Coureton. ‘You and Gervase are engaged in the selfsame search, my lord.’

‘Are we?’

‘Yes. While you’re hunting through some shops in the city, Gervase will be scouring his documents. I’ll be interested to see which of you finds gold first.’

Roger Bigot lifted the lid of the rough-hewn wooden coffin and peered in. Wrapped in a shroud, Hermer’s corpse had been reunited with his hands but they were not attached to his wrists. They had been placed either side of the body.

‘Are you certain they belonged to your steward?’ asked the sheriff.

‘There’s no doubt about that,’ said de Fontenel, testily. ‘The left hand bears his ring and there’s a scar on his right palm that I recognise. Those are Hermer’s hands, my lord sheriff. Who else’s could they be?’

Bigot took one last look at them before he closed the lid of the coffin. ‘When is the burial?’ he said.

‘This afternoon. There’s no point in delaying it.’

‘At least he’ll be whole when he’s lowered into his grave.’

‘That won’t be the case with his murderer,’ promised the other with a glint in his eye. ‘I’ll cut off more than his hands. I’ll gouge out his eyes for a start.’

‘You’ll do nothing of the kind,’ warned the sheriff. ‘When we arrest the villain, I’ll decide what punishment to inflict.’

‘Not if I get to him first!’

They were in the tiny church on Richard de Fontenel’s estate, less than half a mile from his manor house. Since the building lacked a separate chamber, the coffin had been placed on trestles in the nave. The smell of incense filled the air. Summoned by a message from de Fontenel, the sheriff had ridden out to view the missing hands and to hear how they had reappeared. It was a puzzling development. Bigot waited until they left the church before he resumed his questioning.

‘Who found the hands, my lord?’

‘Clamahoc, one of my servants.’

‘Where were they?’

‘Left outside my front door in a box.’

‘Did this Clamahoc see who put them there?’

‘No,’ said the other, grimly, ‘and nor did anyone else. But I know who it was.’

‘I hope that you’re not going to say that it was the lord Mauger.’

‘It’s just the kind of taunt he would favour.’

‘How can you be sure that it was a taunt?’

‘What else could it be, my lord sheriff?’

‘An act of penitence.’ His companion snorted. ‘It could, Richard. Suppose that the killer repented of his savagery and returned the hands to lighten the burden on his conscience.’

Richard de Fontenel scowled. ‘I don’t believe in penitent murderers. If the man was so conscience-stricken, why not confess his crime? No,’ he insisted, ‘this was a gibe at me. Those hands were sent back to give me a deliberate shock.’

‘Well, they weren’t placed at your door by the lord Mauger. That I can affirm. Not long before your servant found that box, I was talking to Mauger at his house. He would never have been able to cover the distance here in time.’

‘Then he must have sent that verminous steward of his.’

‘Drogo was present throughout my visit.’

The other man was adamant. ‘Mauger had those hands delivered here somehow.’

‘I don’t agree,’ said Bigot, ‘and neither do Ralph Delchard and Gervase Bret. They came with me on my visit. Both are shrewd men, used to rooting out deceit and dishonesty. They came to the same conclusion that I did. Mauger is not the culprit.’

‘Then he fooled all three of you.’

‘My deputy is of the same mind. Olivier still believes that the most likely person is the man who was Hermer’s assistant. What was his name?’

‘Starculf.’

‘He left here under a cloud, it seems.’

‘We found him unreliable.’

‘Why was that, my lord?’

‘That’s a private matter. Starculf had to go.’

‘But he left embittered, vowing vengeance.’

‘True,’ admitted the other. ‘He did have cause to strike at Hermer, but why leave it so long? Why attack at this particular moment? Starculf has not been seen or heard of for months, my lord sheriff. I doubt that he’s even still in the county. It would be too much of a coincidence if he returned to take his revenge at the precise moment when I had those gold elephants in my possession.’ He gave a dismissive shrug. ‘How could he arrange to steal something he didn’t know I owned?’

‘We’d still like to speak with him.’

‘Only one other person was aware that I’d acquired those elephants.’

‘Mauger Livarot.’

‘Exactly!’

‘But how did he know, my lord?’

‘The way that he gets to know everything,’ sneered de Fontenel. ‘By means of bribery. My wedding gift vanished on the very day I showed it to the lady Adelaide. That was no accident.’

‘According to you, Hermer made off with it.’

‘He must have done.’

‘Why?’

‘Because he had the elephants on a platter when he left the room. The lady Adelaide and I talked alone at some length. Above an hour, probably. During that time,’ de Fontenel asserted, ‘Hermer must have sneaked off to deliver the takings to the man who put him up to the crime — Mauger Livarot.’

‘You really believe that your steward betrayed you?’

‘What I believe is that Mauger used him then cast him aside.’

‘Yet Hermer’s body lies in your church. It’ll be buried on your land.’

‘I couldn’t deny him that.’

‘Even though you suspect him of being party to a conspiracy?’ said Bigot. ‘I would have thought you’d want to burn the body or tear it to shreds.’

‘That rage has passed,’ confessed the other, solemnly. ‘Hermer gave me good service for many years. I owe him something for that. Besides, there’s an element of doubt. Not about Mauger’s involvement,’ he said, wagging a finger. ‘Only about Hermer. Part of me wants to believe that a loyal steward would never sink so low.’

‘Olivier Romain reached the same conclusion.’

‘All that your deputy can talk about is Starculf.’

‘With good reason, my lord. He was disaffected when he left your estate.’

‘The only way that he would have been drawn into this was as Mauger’s agent.’

‘Stop harping on the lord Mauger. He’s innocent.’

‘Not from where I stand!’

Bigot sighed wearily as they walked towards their horses. Four of the sheriff’s men were already in the saddle. They waited while the two men exchanged their last words. Bigot recalled something that had been said earlier.

‘You claim that nobody knew that you had those gold elephants.’

‘Nobody except Mauger.’

‘What about the man who sold them to you?’

‘I bought them abroad. In a private transaction.’

‘Where did the transaction take place?’

‘That’s no concern of yours, my lord sheriff,’ said de Fontenel, sharply. ‘Just do your office and get them back for me.’

‘When are you bidden?’ asked Ralph Delchard, interested to hear the news.

‘Tomorrow,’ said Golde.

‘Did the invitation extend to me?’

‘No, Ralph. Nor to Gervase.’

‘A pity. I’d rather like to see where the lady Adelaide lives.’

‘Be honest,’ she teased. ‘All you’d like to see is the lady Adelaide herself.’

‘Not for the reason you think, my love. I enjoy her company, I won’t deny it, but that’s not why I’d seek it out. Two men are vying for her hand in marriage. One of them has been robbed of the wedding gift intended for her and his steward has been murdered. That’s why I’d like to speak with the lady Adelaide again,’ he said, kissing her on the forehead. ‘To find out more about her relationship with the lord Richard than she was prepared to divulge at the banquet.’

‘Does she still have a relationship with him? I’d have thought that his behaviour last night ended all hopes he had of marrying her. He was raging.’

‘ Ira furor brevis est.’

Golde was taken aback. ‘What did you say?’

‘“Anger is a short madness”,’ he replied airily. ‘It’s from the Roman poet, Horace. You didn’t know that your husband was a Latin scholar, did you?’

‘I think you’ve been talking to the lord Eustace.’

‘How did you guess?’ He gave a ripe chuckle. ‘As for the lady Adelaide, you’ll be able to judge for yourself if she’s cast the lord Richard aside as a suitor. He’s no worse than her other swain, the lord Mauger.’

‘A beautiful woman can’t always choose the men who’re attracted to her.’

‘Tell that to the lady Adelaide,’ he said, cheerily. ‘But I must away, my love.’

They were in their chamber at the castle. Golde had just shown him what she had bought that morning and told him of the invitation. Ralph had no time to linger. After giving her another kiss, he moved towards the door. ‘You went to market this morning,’ he said, ‘and now it’s my turn.’

‘What are you after?’

‘Gold!’

He let himself out and went down the stairs. Minutes later, he was riding alone through the main gate, with directions from the captain of the guard. There were three goldsmiths in Norwich and he intended to visit them all. The first could be discounted at once. He had been sick with fever for over a week and his shop was closed. The second had been offered nothing to buy or melt down and was a man of such patent honesty that Ralph wasted no more time questioning him. It was when he called on the last of the three that he sensed he might make more progress.

Judicael the Goldsmith was a portly man with heavy jowls, rounded shoulders and flabby hands. He was older and more prosperous than either of his two rivals. His shop was larger, his apparel richer and his manner more confident. When he saw Ralph entering his premises, he rubbed his palms and gave an unctuous smile.

‘Good morning, my lord,’ he said.

‘Are you Judicael?’

‘Yes, my lord. What can I do for you?’

‘I’d like your help.’

‘Certainly. I keep a very large stock. Rings, brooches, necklaces, bangles.’ His voice took on a confiding note. ‘I take it that we’re talking about a gift for a lady?’

‘We are,’ confirmed Ralph.

‘Good. What would you like to see?’

‘Two gold elephants.’

Judicael’s face went blank. ‘Elephants, my lord?’

‘Do you know what elephants are?’

‘Well, yes, of course. Not that I’ve ever seen one in the flesh. But I have an idea of what they look like. You want me to make two elephants? Is that my commission?’

‘No,’ said Ralph, irritated by his manner. ‘Your commission is simply to give me the answers I need. I’m not here to buy anything.’

‘Oh, I’m disappointed to hear that.’

‘My errand is more important than your disappointment.’

‘Is it, my lord? Why is that?’

‘I’ll ask the questions. Now, has anyone brought any gold elephants to you?’

‘No, my lord.’

‘I’m told they’re so big,’ explained Ralph, using his fingers to give some idea of dimensions. ‘Made of solid gold, with a crucifix on each head. Has anything like that been brought to your shop?’

‘Nothing at all, my lord.’

‘Are you sure?’

‘Absolutely sure.’

‘So you weren’t asked to melt them down?’

‘No, my lord.’

‘But you do buy the occasional gold item?’

‘Only if I have proof of ownership,’ said Judicael firmly. ‘Otherwise, I turn it away. I’m a respectable goldsmith, my lord. I don’t trade in stolen goods.’

Ralph was not persuaded by the claim. Judicael was too sleek and plausible. There was an evasive look in the man’s eye. Ralph tried to press him.

‘Where is your stock kept?’

‘Under lock and key, my lord.’

‘Here on the premises?’

‘In my strong room.’ The unctuous smile returned. ‘You wish to buy something?’

‘No, my friend. I just want to know if you’d let me see what you have.’

Judicael was cautious. ‘I’m sorry, my lord. That would be out of the question.’

‘What if I were to come back here with the sheriff?’ Ralph introduced himself properly and stated the nature of his business. The goldsmith became even more circumspect. Although anxious not to impede a murder investigation, he was at first unwilling to take Ralph on trust. The commissioner grew impatient.

‘Will you open your strong room or do I have to break the door down myself?’

‘That won’t be necessary, my lord,’ said the other in alarm.

‘Then why dither, man? Are you hiding something?’

‘No, no. Of course not.’

‘Those two elephants are here. Is that it?’

‘I swear I’ve never seen any gold elephants.’

‘Then you have nothing to worry about, have you?’

Judicael gave way. After first locking the door of the shop, he took Ralph into the room at the rear and approached a stout door. Two keys were needed to open it. Inside the strong room was a series of small boxes, each locked and chained to the wall. The goldsmith fumbled with his keys.

‘Which one shall I open, my lord?’ he gibbered.

‘ All of them.’

Ralph was certain that the missing property was not there but he was determined to make the goldsmith sweat a little. He looked into each box and examined each separate item of jewellery. Nothing even remotely like an elephant came to light. Yet the visit was not fruitless. The more time he spent with Judicael, the more he sensed that the man was holding something back from him. When the last of the boxes had been locked up again, he fixed the goldsmith with a cold stare.

‘Where are they, Judicael?’

‘I don’t know, my lord. As God’s my witness.’

‘Someone brought those elephants to you, didn’t they?’

‘No, I’ve never laid eyes on them.’

‘But you’ve heard of their existence?’

The goldsmith squirmed helplessly. ‘I may have,’ he admitted.

‘Go on.’

‘If they’re anything like the objects you describe, they’re very unusual. Only an expert goldsmith could fashion such objects. They’re far beyond my skill.’ He squinted up at Ralph. ‘Where did you say they came from?’

‘Somewhere abroad. Brought to England only recently.’

‘I doubt that, my lord.’

‘Why?’

‘You mentioned that the elephants each had a crucifix on its head?’

‘According to what I was told.’

‘That jogged my memory,’ said the other. ‘What I said was true. I’ve not seen the pieces myself but I’ve heard tell of them. You were misinformed, my lord.’

‘Oh?’

‘They weren’t recently brought to England.’

‘How do you know?’

‘Because they’ve been in this country for quite some time.’