Michael Jecks - The Prophecy of Death

‘Yes. Truly.’

‘What is it you want me to learn about today, then?’

‘I had wondered about the story of Solomon, when he was anointed by Zadok the priest.’

‘Why?’

‘It seemed a suitable reference for you, my Lord.’

‘You realise, do you, that my father’s oil of St Thomas has been stolen?’

‘Yes. I had heard. That was why I thought it might be a good time to consider the importance of anointing.’

‘What is that supposed to mean?’ the Earl demanded, rolling over on his bed until his feet were on the floor, and then lifting himself up to stand.

‘It is nothing to upset you, my Lord. I was wondering whether you were aware of the different attitudes to anointing, that is all. And whether you realised that the anointing has little importance from the perspective of the oil itself.’

‘I don’t understand.’

‘It is very simple. The oil is a carrier. It brings the blessing of God upon you when the priest makes the mark of God upon you, but the oil itself is nothing important. It is a means by which God’s blessing arrives.’

‘Are you trying to say that St Thomas’s oil is worthless?’

‘Hardly that, my Lord. No, but it is not of great value, either. The oil is less important than the standing of the priest. Now King Solomon had Zadok, but were you unworthy, the finest oil and the most revered priest would not avail you. If you went to your coronation with a light, uncaring heart, no matter what the ceremony, you would not win the support of God or Christ.’

‘But if the oil was given to St Thomas by the Blessed Virgin herself?’

‘That may have some impact, in terms of bringing the ceremony to the attention of God, but I would still hold that it is the conviction of the King and what lay in his heart that would carry most importance and, secondly, the purity and belief of the priest. The oil is relatively unimportant in the scheme of things.’

‘Is this the teaching of Christ? Is it in the Bible?’

‘I have seen nothing that says my assertion is untrue.’

‘So it is not, then. Richard, what is your real aim here? You don’t believe that this oil is a nonsense any more than I do.’

‘If men are killing over it, their actions are perverting the oil itself. If this was given to St Thomas by the Blessed Virgin, do you think she would want to have men squabbling over it? Would she want to see blood spilled over it? Of course not. The men who commit such crimes deserve every punishment for their foul deeds.’

The Earl pulled a grimace. ‘You try to scare me? Should I reject such an oil if it comes to me?’

‘I do not mean to do that, my Lord. No, I only seek to show that if it is never found again, it will matter little to you.’

‘And the prophecy?’

‘If you want my honest opinion, my Lord, it matters not a whit.’

‘What!’

‘If the prophecy is valid, my Lord, it matters not at all what men attempt. If you are to be the “Boar from Windsor”, then the presence of the oil will make little difference.’

‘But the prophecy said that I must be anointed by the oil.’

‘And if the oil is necessary, the Holy Mother Mary will bring it to you. Do you honestly think that any man could prevent her from ensuring you have it if it is her firm conviction that you should have it? Do you think Despenser could stand between her and you if she wished you to have it? Of course not! To think that would be blasphemy! If she intends you to have it, she will ensure that you do.’

Aye. Aye, she will, the Earl told himself, and aloud, he said, ‘You are right, of course, old friend.’

Inside, he reminded himself that helping the Virgin to achieve her goals was not against her wishes. He would do all he could to ensure that her wishes were carried out.

Simon and Baldwin had been invited to stay with the Bishop of Exeter again in his house, and they made their way to his great hall on the banks of the Thames with a sense that they had achieved little.

‘If only I had seen a man look nervous in front of me, I’d be happier,’ Simon said. ‘But of all the men we saw today, not a one looked as though he was anxious about our questioning. It leaves me wondering whether we have missed the correct man entirely.’

‘That is always possible.’ Baldwin wore a frown. ‘Yet that would mean that the actual murderer is someone entirely divorced from the King’s entourage, and surely the fact that someone knew where to find the herald means that the attacker must have had some information based upon time spent with the King’s household. I can only assume that we are correct and it was a herald or messenger who killed de Yatton.’

‘What if it was someone else, though? Is there someone else who’d have had the ability?’

‘I daresay some men in Despenser’s household would have had the ability; just as someone from the King’s own household would have had. Then again, there are the others.’

‘Who do you mean?’

‘Well, the Queen’s hounds were there and the body was found by her hounds — perhaps her master of hounds …’

‘Baldwin, that could be a touch of brilliance.’

‘Could it? I doubt it. What possible aim could she have had in taking it?’

‘The discomfiture of the King?’

Baldwin stopped in the street and stared at the cobbles all about. ‘But she is busy on her embassy. I never had the impression that she was capable of such dissembling. Did you?’

‘No, but …’ he was tempted to point out that she was both female and French, but Simon held his tongue. There was no need to cause an argument just now, he reasoned to himself. ‘Look, it is not only her, is it? Perhaps others seek to cause our King some difficulty. From Despenser’s attitude, it seems plain to me that the King is unhappy about losing his oil, so perhaps we should look for someone who sought to achieve that.’

‘It would have to be someone with great knowledge of the King. Either that, or someone was merely fortunate in causing this effect.’

‘If it was intended,’ Simon agreed.

Baldwin shook his head. ‘No. By that reasoning I merely return to Sir Roger Mortimer. He is surely the man with the most to repay. His debts to the King and Despenser are very deep. He has lost everything, even his wife and children.’

‘So he would be delighted to irritate the King, then,’ Simon pointed out.

They had reached the Bishop’s house, and knocked upon the gate. The aged porter took one look at them and grunted before opening the door, and they crossed the main yard to the hall.

Simon shook his head. ‘It’s a shame we’re sure that Yatton is dead. If he were alive, it would make the situation easier.’

‘How so?’

‘Well, it would be an elegant solution, wouldn’t it, if Yatton had been the killer. He waited until a man appeared who was about his size, killed him, set his own clothing on him, and then ran away. Perhaps to a widow in the area. But how would a messenger get to know a woman in the vicinity, let alone …’

Baldwin shook his head slowly. ‘It would be easy to see how a man might get to know a woman in the area — if he was travelling up and down the road regularly, he might well meet one. And then he was often late, Joseph said, because he had a religious attitude, so was often delayed. The delays may have been because of his assignations with the woman, rather than visits to a chapel.’

‘But what of the oil?’

‘Yes. It founders on the oil, as you say. The oil. What would be the point? What would he have done with the oil? There was no need to take it.’

Simon shrugged. ‘Mind you, if he were still alive, perhaps he would only have been an agent for another. He could have … what’s the point? We know he’s dead.’