The Traitor of St Giles

Chapter Thirty-One

At the stairs to the hall Baldwin paused and stopped, staring up at the doorway.

He was still there when Edgar returned from helping Simon to a bed in the gatehouse. ‘Sir Baldwin, are you well?’

‘I am fine,’ he replied testily, but it was not the truth. The elation which had filled him after the short and bloody battle in the street had left him and now the reaction was setting in: a dark mood had fallen over him like a blanket, dampening his spirits and filling him with gloom.

The hall was filled with the guests, and as he stood in the doorway, many heads turned to stare at him. Among them was Sir Peregrine’s. The bannaret’s expression was hard to gauge. Baldwin assumed it must reflect sadness that his plans had failed, rather than any shame or embarrassment.

‘Edgar,’ he said, ‘see if the man with the broken head is awake yet. If he is, bring him here along with the last remaining man from Toker’s band.’

Lord Hugh and Sir Peregrine were beside him now. ‘My good Sir, what has occurred?’ Lord Hugh asked. ‘You left us in such a steaming hurry. Have you been hurt? And where is the good bailiff?’

Baldwin was quiet a moment. He surveyed the room. ‘This is a pretty gathering, isn’t it?’ he said in a strong voice. ‘All these fine people here, and treachery and murder stalk the streets.’

His anger was bubbling and rising to the surface, but he was beyond worrying as the room fell silent.

‘A good man, a noble and honourable knight, was stabbed to death; near him a man thought to be a felon was also killed, his fiancée having been murdered; the knight’s servant then was killed, and tonight my friend and I were set upon. Simon is injured and two more men have died while their two friends are in gaol.’

Lord Hugh said mildly, ‘This is hardly the time or place for such reminiscences, Sir Baldwin.’

‘My Lord, with respect I think this is the ideal time. Before witnesses.’

Lord Hugh met his gaze, then gave a slow nod. ‘Very well, tell us what you have discovered.’ He beckoned a servant who hurried forward with a seat and the lord sat while the guests shuffled and glanced at each other.

Baldwin ignored the audience.

‘My Lord, our kingdom is riven with fear. All men are terrified of a fresh war and they seek to defend themselves as best they can. Some look for money, some for other rewards. They try to bend you to the will of their masters in return for promises of power.

‘Sir Gilbert was here to bring you to the Despensers’ fold; others wished to ensure he failed. Sir Peregrine wants your support for the Marcher Lords; Andrew Carter wished you to give your backing to Earl Thomas.

‘And Bailiff Puttock and I make such men fearful because we only seek to serve our lords, not to influence them. That makes us appear threatening…

‘My Lord, Philip Dyne was no criminal. He never committed rape or murder: he was simply an innocent who thought he would be killed if he went to court. Everyone assumed he was guilty, so he would never be able to escape the rope.’

‘What proof do you have for this?’

‘Andrew Carter is dead. He admitted his guilt to Father Abraham: he committed incest with his step-daughter and killed her to ensure her silence when he realised she was in love. I expect he was unhappy when Dyne escaped – he almost certainly wanted Dyne to be caught by the posse and summarily executed, but his wish was denied him. Instead Dyne reached sanctuary. No matter what else one may say about Father Abraham – and there is much I could say about him – he does at least consider the sanctity of his church to be sacrosanct.’

Baldwin became aware of a rumbling of anger in the crowd, and when he turned he saw the priest spluttering with indignation. ‘What do you mean by this? What would you dare to say to me, Sir Knight? I have never heard such ridiculous words from someone who is supposed to be in a position of authority.’

‘Then today shall be a novel experience for you, Father,’ Baldwin snapped. ‘I say you are dishonest and corrupt. You take bribes from people to write up your records although you already receive payment for them. Then you compound your avarice with bigotry and theft.’

‘What! You dare accuse me of…’ The priest had gone puce with rage and he quivered with emotion. ‘How dare you! You’ll apologise or I shall excommunicate–’

‘Be silent!’ Baldwin roared and took a step forward. His anger was unfeigned. This priest had cursed a knight purely because he had been a member of Baldwin’s own Order, burying the man in unconsecrated ground to the harm of his soul just like a common felon, and compounding the insult by cursing him. Baldwin pointed, not caring that his hands were still covered with the drying blood of his foe. ‘You saw the dead body on the night Sir Gilbert died, didn’t you? I shall come to you in a moment.’

Father Abraham licked his lips but remained silent.

Baldwin looked at the other faces in the room. ‘It has been difficult to piece together what happened in those woods that night. There were many people there, each of whom had their own reasons to wish to see Sir Gilbert silenced.

‘What really did happen there? I think we have to look at the day before Sir Gilbert died. In the period between his arrival and his death, someone decided to kill him. So where did he go and what did he do?

‘He went to Templeton before anything else, if Father Abraham can be believed. He wanted to see his old chapel and hide the goods he carried for safekeeping. It would be too dangerous to wander the streets of Tiverton with such a fortune on his person. That accomplished, he rode to Tiverton and went to the castle.

‘The next we know of him, he was seeing Nicholas Lovecok in a tavern. What happened before that? I do not believe Sir Gilbert, a messenger from the Despensers, would sit drinking and wasting time had he not yet spoken to you, Lord Hugh. Surely he came here to the castle before going to the tavern!’

‘Yes, he did. He came to see me during the afternoon.’

‘You knew that your bannaret wouldn’t want you to see him, for Sir Peregrine supports the Lords of the Marches, not the King’s favourite. So you met Sir Gilbert in private?’

‘Yes. I saw him in my chamber.’ Lord Hugh glanced at his guests, and spoke out strongly, so that all present could hear. ‘He offered me a huge bribe to support the Despensers and let them land in Devonshire. I refused.’

‘Did he leave immediately?’ Baldwin asked.

‘No, he remained talking for some time. In fact, he asked me for advice. He said he hadn’t expected me to take a bribe; it was his conviction that the Despensers were a broken reed, that they could not be permitted to return to the kingdom, and asked me who I advised him to support.’

‘At the inn, Lovecok noticed that Sir Gilbert was being followed. I think that although you tried to conceal your tryst with Sir Gilbert, you failed. Sir Peregrine knew he was there. Not only that, he had the man followed when he left here.’

‘This is nonsense!’ Sir Peregrine exclaimed. ‘Why should I do that?’

‘In order to know what he was doing. You had a man follow him back to his camp, and the next day you yourself went there to keep an eye on him. And it was then you caused the first death.’

‘You dare to accuse me of murder?’ Sir Peregrine grated. He marched towards Baldwin, his hand on his sword hilt, chin jutting aggressively. Two female guests gasped in alarm but their husbands leaned forward eagerly to watch with all the others.

‘No, Sir Peregrine, I do not. You were there to keep this dangerous messenger under surveillance but no, you didn’t kill him.’ Baldwin turned back to Lord Hugh. ‘One thing I could not understand, my Lord, was how the knight’s dog died. It was plain to me that a weakly man like Dyne could never have killed the knight and the dog if they set upon him at the same time. This is what happened. The dogs had been restless all day and as soon as the knight let one off the leash, it raced into the woods and was never seen alive by Sir Gilbert again.’

‘What are you accusing me of?’ Sir Peregrine demanded.

‘Sir Peregrine, I do not accuse you of killing the knight but you did commit a slaying that night.’

Bewildered, Lord Hugh looked at Baldwin. ‘Dyne was killed by the other two.’

‘Sir Peregrine killed Sir Gilbert’s dog.’

Sir Peregrine took a deep breath. ‘I am afraid that is true, my Lord. When the merchants appeared and pointed towards my hiding place thinking to catch Dyne, I set off back into the woods. I hadn’t got far when the dog attacked me.’

‘The hound saw or heard you that afternoon,’ Baldwin told him. ‘As soon as Sir Gilbert set off for the trees his dog caught your scent and ran after you.’

‘He came straight at me. There was nothing I could do but run him through. I left him there and made off. But I swear I never killed Sir Gilbert.’

‘You had the motive,’ Baldwin said. ‘You didn’t want your lord to support the King’s favourite.’

‘Maybe not, but that is no reason to kill.’

Baldwin nodded thoughtfully. ‘Sir Gilbert rode up, saw his beast lying hurt, dismounted and dropped to his side – and was stabbed. It was all over very quickly.

‘Meanwhile, Dyne was being hunted. He was found by Andrew Carter and run down. His sole weapon – Sir Gilbert’s dagger – was knocked away, and he was beaten severely by Carter before he was beheaded, probably so that he could not tell Nicholas about Carter’s incest and subsequent murder of his daughter. All the while Sir Gilbert’s body lay nearby, and the murderer, I expect, looked on.

‘Many people were there near the woods that night. Harlewin was riding along the road when Sir Gilbert came out of the woods, and was asked to remain there to prevent the felon crossing over.’ He turned to John Sherman. ‘You were there.’

‘Yes, I told you,’ he admitted.

‘Only you forgot to mention that you brought Sir Gilbert’s horse back to town with you.’

At this, Lord Hugh exploded. ‘What? You killed the poor devil, spicer?’

‘No, my Lord, no!’ Sherman felt people move away from him. ‘It wasn’t me! What would I have killed him for?’

‘Tell us again what happened – and this time, make it the truth,’ Baldwin said remorselessly. ‘You were riding through the woods. Who did you see?’

‘I had seen a woman on horseback riding along slowly and thought…’ he stopped and glanced at his wife. ‘I thought it was my wife. When she darted into the woods I believed that she had seen me and was hiding so that I wouldn’t find her with her lover.’

‘Did you see a man with her?’

‘No, so I decided to follow after her and see what was happening. I had only gone a short way in when I heard a scream. That put me on my guard. A while afterwards I heard a heavy mount cantering towards me and I saw Sir Peregrine sweep back towards the road.’

‘What did you do?’

‘I continued, Sir Baldwin,’ Sherman said and his back straightened a little. ‘I may not be a very good husband, but if my wife was in there and was in trouble, I intended to find her and rescue her.’

‘I see.’

‘I edged forward slowly. There was a lot of commotion in among the trees. My God! It was horrible. And then I saw Father Abraham. He was walking, leading a horse. He stopped at the roadway and slapped it hard on the rump to make it flee.’

‘What? This is nonsense!’ exclaimed the priest angrily.

Sherman carried on. ‘I turned into the woods and soon caught up with him; he seemed almost to jump out of his skin when I called to him.’

‘What would you have done?’ demanded Father Abraham. ‘I thought it was an outlaw or someone.’

‘The Father seemed furious to see me there. He wanted to know what I was doing, and when I said I had heard a scream and seen a woman hereabouts and thought it could be my wife, he told me that my Cecily wasn’t there, and ordered me to leave and return home. However, just then there was another scream, a short cry of terror, and the priest crossed himself. I was scared but I felt I should go and see what was happening. I thought my wife could be in danger. I rode towards the sound, ignoring the priest’s words, and came across Dyne’s body.’

His voice trailed off. When Lord Hugh gave an impatient gesture, Sherman hung his head. ‘I didn’t want to be fined for being the first finder, so I came away as quickly as I could. What was the point of me being amerced and going to the inquest later? I just left the woods as quickly as I could, praying that Father Abraham was telling the truth and Cecily wasn’t there. On the way home I saw the horse Father Abraham had been leading. I caught it and brought it back to town, leaving it at the hackneyman’s stables.’

‘Why didn’t you bring it in to be impounded?’ Lord Hugh asked. ‘That’s what should happen to a horse found loose.’

Baldwin answered. ‘Because the horse he found had brands at neck and rump saying it was owned by the Despenser. John Sherman did not want that family to think he might have had a hand in any action against them or their friends so he took it to a dealer for safekeeping.’

‘It looks suspicious, though,’ Lord Hugh said. ‘A murderer would steal a horse in the same way, concealing it to sell it later.’

Sherman felt his danger. He stammered, ‘If… If anyone was guilty it was the priest. He was there, he caught the horse – who else could have killed the knight?’

Baldwin nodded his agreement. ‘Quite correct – so he was. Father Abraham didn’t pass Harlewin in the road. I think because he found a corpse and went to Templeton through the woods, avoiding the roads where he could. He knew of Sir Gilbert’s Templar connections and Father Abraham hates the Templars, even to the extent of cursing the body of Sir Gilbert as he laid the body in its grave.’

‘I didn’t kill him!’

‘But you did find the horse.’

‘Yes,’ the priest sighed. ‘I found it. And I was thinking about keeping it for myself, but then I saw Sir Gilbert’s body slumped over his dead dog and didn’t want to be associated with a murder. Especially when I saw the Despenser brands. So I set it free.’

‘Slumped over his dog?’ Baldwin shot. ‘So you left him in that position?’

‘Yes. To my shame. I should have arranged him like a Christian, but I couldn’t. I had to get away from there.’

‘So there we have it,’ Baldwin said. ‘And who else saw you in there?’

‘Cecily Sherman,’ the priest replied. ‘She saw me with the horse. She was there too and made it quite clear she thought I had killed Sir Gilbert. If it was anyone else I’d have laughed off her words, but I knew Sir Gilbert and knew he was a Templar. If one woman believed I had killed him, others would think I hated his kind enough to kill him.’

‘And you don’t?’ Baldwin sneered.

‘No! I am no murderer. Cecily promised not to tell anyone, but she obviously thought I was guilty. It scared me, as I say, for if a woman like her thought it possible that I could have killed a man to steal his mount, then any man or woman in my congregation might think the same. She blackmailed me. Forced me to lie to her husband for her, covering up for her fornication. Only this morning she arrived late in my church and demanded that I lie and say she had come to the church for early Mass. I didn’t dare tell the truth in case she said she had seen me.’

‘That night, she thought she was being chased, that her husband had lost his mind and was determined to catch her in her adultery and kill her,’ Baldwin said slowly. ‘She was going to meet her lover, but all the noise made her hide in the woods.’

‘That was what I feared,’ John Sherman said. He stared at his wife bleakly.

‘And you thought she had killed Sir Gilbert, didn’t you?’ Baldwin said softly.

Sherman’s face was pulled taut as though he was holding the tears at bay with difficulty. ‘I didn’t want to,’ he protested. ‘And when I heard the other woman was dressed in green I knew my wife was innocent. She doesn’t have a green robe.’

‘Nonetheless, you thought she was guilty of Sir Gilbert’s murder, didn’t you?’

‘Oh, God help me!’

Baldwin watched his tears dispassionately. ‘Cecily, perhaps you should tell us your side.’

Cecily stood up from her stool, her mouth working soundlessly, shaking her head.

Baldwin eyed her remotely. ‘You were there: you saw the priest, you saw the horse. Did you stab the knight?’

‘No! No, I swear it!’

John Sherman threw his hands out in appeal. ‘My Lord, leave the matter to me. I will thrash the evil from her. In future she will be loyal to me, I am sure of it.’

Baldwin spoke quietly. ‘John Sherman, I suppose you think she killed him almost in self-defence. “I thought my husband was hunting me: a horse came blundering up, and a man dropped from it. I heard him come closer, and then he fell to his knees. I thought he’d tripped and stabbed him to defend myself ”. It is a good hypothesis. What made you so convinced it was she who committed the murder?’

‘No… No, I won’t condemn her! She is my wife,’ he said, throwing his hands down like a man pleading for his life.

‘Sherman, your wife is innocent, I promise you. Why did you doubt her?’

He gazed at Baldwin blankly. There was an almost crazed hopefulness in his eyes at Baldwin’s words, as if he scarcely dared dream that Baldwin was telling the truth. Slowly he said, ‘It was the inquest. As soon as I saw Sir Gilbert’s body I realised he looked just like me from behind. I thought she had seen Sir Gilbert and struck him down, thinking it was me.’ His voice broke with the horror of what he was saying and he could speak no more.

Cecily licked her lips but had to clear her throat before she could speak. ‘My Lord, why should I have tried to kill this man? I didn’t know him.’

‘But if you thought it was your husband, what better way to remove him?’ Baldwin said coldly. ‘You had hidden in the woods fearing that your husband might have followed you, hadn’t you? And then you saw the man before you and struck. That is what your husband thought.’

‘I couldn’t have killed like that. I am no murderer.’

‘No,’ Baldwin agreed. ‘You are not. The first thing my friend and I thought when we saw Sir Gilbert’s body was that he had been murdered by an experienced man, a professional. This was no frenzied, fearful killing. It was a cold-blooded and deliberate assassination. Only someone with specialised knowledge could have done it.’

‘But who?’ Lord Hugh said.

‘The murderer was a ruthless man, someone with a definite motive,’ Baldwin continued remorselessly. ‘Someone who wanted to remove a potential threat to his lord. Oh, and someone who knew that Nicholas Lovecok had already met him in a tavern. Someone who knew that Sir Gilbert was the emissary of Despenser. Someone who was alone, who was not seen in the woods when everyone else was there. Harlewin le Poter.’

The Coroner felt all the eyes in the room move to him and he gave a surprised smile, raising his eyebrows, protesting mildly, ‘But I was at the road.’

‘Sir Gilbert never came to see you at the roadside. You heard crashing about in the trees, and went in. Let us give you the benefit of the doubt: probably you wished to try to help. You are a King’s officer. You rode into the woods and in a short time you came across a dog’s body. When a horse came blundering towards you, you hid.’

‘He just appeared and leaped down instantly,’ said Harlewin, looking uneasy now. ‘I thought he was after me: I wouldn’t have attacked him otherwise.’

‘You stalked the man while he was weeping for his lost dog. While he knelt at his dead hound’s side, you stabbed him.’

‘I thought he was going to attack me.’

‘Liar!’ Baldwin said coldly. ‘You crept up behind him and stabbed him once, selecting the point which would kill. Then you mounted your house and rode back to the road. Those who saw you there didn’t realise that you had already killed Sir Gilbert.’

‘Why? Why should I have killed him?’

‘It was something I have heard mentioned a couple of times: your corruption. Your reputation seemed unfair because from all I have heard, you have served the King loyally and without double-dealings, yet the stench of deviousness clings to you. It springs from the occasion when you released a man of Earl Thomas’s from gaol. Some Coroners will take money to do such things, but your reputation seemed to be tied to Earl Thomas’s. And Sir Gilbert wanted Lord Hugh to support Despenser.’

Harlewin allowed a fleeting frown to pass over his brow. ‘But how could I have known that?’

‘You told me yourself – you reported that Nicholas had met with Sir Gilbert. It was hardly surprising that Nicholas, a man who himself supports Thomas of Lancaster, should let you, another supporter of his lord, know that there was a dangerous ambassador in the town who had been to call on Lord Hugh.’

‘If you are correct, why should I kill Sir Gilbert? If I knew about their meeting in the tavern, I would also have known that Lord Hugh was committed to the King and wouldn’t change his allegiance.’

Nicholas cried, ‘I didn’t tell him that!’

‘Are you sure?’ said Baldwin.

‘Of course I am! Sir Gilbert asked me about many things and told me he was here to negotiate with Lord Hugh on the Despensers’ behalf, but he never told me the detail of his meeting. He wouldn’t. It was confidential.’

Harlewin shook his head, but then turned and darted for the doorway. Before he could reach it John Sherman leaped forward, hurling himself at the Coroner. Grasping him about the knees, he brought Harlewin down, and when Harlewin looked up, he found himself staring along the naked blade of Sir Peregrine’s sword.

‘Coroner, you are arrested.’

‘Not for long, Sir Peregrine,’ he grinned. He stood and dusted his knees, smiling coolly. ‘As soon as my Lord Thomas hears of my position he will have me released, be assured of that.’

Lord Hugh walked over to Harlewin, looking him up and down with contempt. ‘He may well do that for so loyal a servant, Master Coroner. But before you celebrate, consider this: I have news which may not be so appealing to you. There are stories circulating in London that indicate Lord Despenser is back in the country at the invitation of the King and the bishops. The exile has been declared illegal.’

‘Nonsense! The King wouldn’t dare,’ Harlewin blustered, but his face had gone pale.

‘He did so before with Piers Gaveston; he has done so again. And when Hugh Despenser hears that you murdered his favoured ambassador, I think it won’t matter who your lord may be. Guards: lock him up!’