Michael Jecks - The Malice of Unnatural Death

‘Well? What is all this?’ Coroner Richard demanded. ‘Oh! Good Christ!’

‘Who is this child?’ Baldwin demanded as he dropped to a knee at her side. There was a terrible wound in her flank, he saw. It looked as though a long blade had stabbed in, and then been torn out through her stomach wall. Blood oozed slowly throughthe mess of intestines, and although her hand remained over the gash, her eyes were already dim, lips pale, flesh waxen. Shewas past rescue. ‘You poor, sweet child,’ he murmured.

A priest hurried up, unstoppering his bottle of water as he flung himself at her side, making the sign of the cross and beginninghis ritual. It was enough to bring Baldwin back to his senses. He brought himself up from his knees and cast about him. ‘Langatre- what can you tell us about this?’

‘This is Lady Alice. I heard her scream, and when I came to see what was the matter, her maid here was lying as you see her. Another servant did it, apparently.’

‘It was Jen. She was cast from our household this morning,’ Lady Alice said, and shuddered. She was cold, so cold! Wrappingher arms about her, she managed to prevent herself from succumbing to the waves of nausea which threatened. She wanted tothrow herself into Maurice’s arms, but that would only cause more comment, and she dared not. She must be strong! ‘I thoughtshe was a little unhinged — she said my husband had promised himself to her, and that he would divorce me in order to winher. I was so furious that I decided she must be sent away, but I had no idea … no idea …’

‘What happened?’

‘Jen appeared. She had a knife, and tried to stab me. It was only because I moved quickly that she didn’t kill me.’ Aliceheld up her arm. There was a slash in the rich material of her tunic, and a little blood had stained it. ‘As soon as I wasaway and safe, Sarra tried to speak sensibly to her, but she wouldn’t listen. Wouldn’t hear anything. Just kept repeatingthat I was in her way, or something. I don’t know … I can’t truly recall her exact words … and then she lunged andtried to stab at me, but caught little Sarra instead. She did that … and then fled.’

‘Where?’

It was Langatre who answered. ‘Up that alley there. She has half the men from the street after her, though. I doubt she willescape them all.’

Baldwin looked at Sir Richard. ‘You are coroner, old friend. What should we do with her? You have seen her body already. Isthere any need for her to remain here until the jury can be collected?’

‘No, of course not! Let us set her down in the undercroft with that necromancer. That would surely be best,’ Coroner Richard said, quietly for him. He kept gazing down at the littlebody, and Baldwin saw the glistening at his eyes. It made his own begin to well.

Activity was always the best cure for such emotions, and he quickly sniffed to himself, then called to men to fetch a fewboards or a door to carry the body down the stairs. In a few minutes a door was provided and Baldwin helped the priest and Langatre to lift her little frame onto it. It was not a heavy job. She was little larger, so Baldwin felt, than his own Richalda. No. Nonsense. Richalda was only an eighth the age of this young woman. Still, the feeling of sadness would not leave him ashe watched Simon and Robinet pick up the door with its sad burden and begin to march to the undercroft.

The dark was like a clammy blanket after the open air in the street, and as they walked inside Baldwin heard Simon bellowingfor a candle. Baldwin felt the cool lick up his cheeks as he trailed in after them, cursing as he felt his boot squelch inthe mess of dirt and blood at the doorway, and then he was feeling about for tinder and a flint. Soon he managed to strikea glow, and blew it gently until he had fanned it into flame. Setting a candle to it, he lighted two more and placed themon a shelf before, helping to clear a space on a table. Simon and Robinet lifted the door up, and carefully rolled Sarra’sbody onto the table before bowing their heads respectfully and moving away.

Baldwin was already cupping a hand about the first of the candles to snuff it when he heard the explosion of shock.

‘Christ’s cods! Sweet Mother of Christ, NO! ’

And then Robinet fell to his knees beside the body on the ground.

‘Walter! Walter, no!’

Jen was strangely cold. There was the noise of the people chasing her along the alleyway, and that made her heart thud likea hammer in her breast, but that wasn’t it. In some way it felt as though she wasn’t here at all, as though she was relaxedand unconcerned, floating high over all the people and the city, observing with the detachment of an angel as her body poundedalong the cobbles.

Sarra would understand. Given time, she’d understand. This wasn’t some silly infatuation like so many girls had every so often,this was real love. Love that could scorch a couple when it ignited. Sarra couldn’t see that yet, but she would when Matthewdeclared his love for her. Trying to tell her, Jen, that he didn’t care for her! Hah! She must have thought Jen was blind not to have seen it. His adoration was there in his eyes at every moment when he was in a room with her. There was no concealingit. The only obstacle was his first wife, and she must leave him. She would go one way or another.

There was no guilt in Jen. Not now. Not ever. She was only fighting as any woman must to protect her love and her lover. Alicewas nothing. A mere encumbrance to him. Jen was his real soulmate. She would have him, too. And when Sarra saw how happy theyboth were together, she would understand.

But there was this odd feeling in her. It was like a panic, as though she was anxious or something. But that was daft. Shewas not worried about anything. Except escaping from these people. It was maddening that she must run from them as thoughshe was some common felon, when all she was doing was trying to protect herself. That was it. She was protecting herself. Didn’t any woman have the right to defend herman against other whores who might seek to take him away? Yes. And she would, too.

The alleyway ended in the second street, and she had the presence of mind to thrust the knife into her bodice. Looking downas she started up towards Carfoix, she saw the redness on her hand and for a second her eyes opened with horror. She thought,she really did, that she had cut herself — and then she almost laughed aloud at the silliness of it. Of course, it was onlythe scratch she had given Sarra. She’d have to apologise for that later, but Sarra would understand. She was a kind girl, Sarra. It would be nothing once she saw how happy Matthew was with his Jen.

She hid her hand in a fold of her dress and ducked her head a little as she made her way on, pushing through the crowds likeany other native of the city. Yet there was a constant irritant. Behind her she would keep hearing the blowing of horns andthe shouts of the men in the hue and cry. Once she risked a quick glance over her shoulder, and saw a man glowering ferociouslyat all the people in the street. He almost caught her eye, but she turned away and continued, her head lower still on hershoulders.

Near the crossroads in the middle of the city, she heard more calls and shouts. At first she thought it was merely the hawkersup there, but then she understood that someone had already made his way to the place, and there were three or four men standingand peering at the approaching women with intent, serious expressions. She could not stop; she could not continue, and returningwas impossible. That man with the brutal glower might do her harm. For a moment she actually considered taking him into herconfidence and telling him that it was all right, the sheriff had sanctioned her actions — but then she shook her head. She hadn’t been ableto tell him yet what she was trying to do to help him, hadn’t told him that she was going to remove his wife so that theycould be together for ever.