Michael Jecks - The Outlaws of Ennor

‘She has been badly mauled by pirates. They came on her last evening, and tried to take her, but were beaten away through the night. The master says the pirates sailed away north and east. He’s happy: he didn’t want all her wine to be taken by foreign pirates, he said!’

‘A good thing, too,’ Thomas said, smiling broadly. ‘And how many tuns are there aboard?’

‘One hundred and seventy-eight, they say.’

‘And to think that pirates nearly won her,’ Thomas said. He wanted to sing and shout his joy. A hundred and seventy-eight tuns would fetch an excellent price in Fowey. At last his ship was in! Blessed day!

‘It is odd, though. They say that they were found yesterday on the open sea only a few miles south of us. They’d thought that they were safe this far west, but they are sure that their attackers were Bretons. They were lucky to fight off the pirates. It was led by some Breton with a thick black beard.’

‘Those snail-eating sons of worms are coming farther and farther westwards, aren’t they?’ Thomas said.

‘You think so? I just wondered …’

Thomas glanced at Walerand’s face. The youth seemed confused, but then he often did. Now his features were screwed into a frown of concentration that was almost painful to behold. ‘What is it?’

‘Just that I didn’t think they’d come all the way here. It’s a long journey home for them, isn’t it? And at risk all the time. You don’t think they’ve found somewhere to lay up, so that they can come and attack ships about here?’

Thomas’s good humour left him. In a flash his earlier reflections returned to him. This was no idle speculation — this was certainty. David had attacked it. Some other islander must have black hair and a beard.

‘No, it’s not Bretons at all!’ he burst out. ‘It’s those damned islanders. They go from their strongholds in St Nicholas and attack honest merchantmen on their way from Guyenne to England, the murderous devils! They attacked this lot because they were sure that the people on board would be carrying a good cargo, but were beaten off, just as the last ones were when they attacked the Anne !’ He struck the gatepost. ‘This is the last proof. Maybe it was one of them murdered Robert as well, just because they hated paying customs! And now they are trying to steal more cargos. Well, they have attacked their last ship now! We’ll see to the miserable crew of cat’s offal! We shall end their crimes once and for all!’

‘With twelve men?’ Walerand said scornfully. ‘You reckon you can storm the St Nicholas islanders? Even with all the servants from the castle, they’d be too few.’

‘You are a moronic little turd, aren’t you?’ Thomas said, contempt dripping from his voice like venom. ‘You don’t mind causing pain to a woman or a man weaker than you, but when it comes down to serious work, you cringe and whine. You have no plans greater than seeking an extra penny a day for yourself. You don’t even dream of making a pound, you are so far behind. Perhaps I should not put your name forward to Ranulph to take over Robert’s duties.’

Walerand felt that like a fist in the gut. He whined, ‘I didn’t mean to insult you, sir. You know so much more about these things and I just-’

‘You just opened your mouth before thinking, as usual! Well, listen then, fool! Perhaps you’ll learn enough to make you useful. We have a ready force of men to help us.’

‘Where?’

Thomas favoured him with a glance in which amusement and derision were mixed in equal portion, before staring out at the Faucon Dieu.

‘Can’t you see them yet?’ he asked.

Baldwin was delighted to enter the church with the stolid priest and accept a large pot of wine before viewing the corpse.

‘I thought that the Prior would ask someone to come and view the body,’ William said, eyeing this tall knight with interest.

He struck William as a dangerous man. Most knights could appear dangerous in one way or another, of course, but to William’s eye, Baldwin seemed like that most intimidating of men: a powerful officer who was not interested in bribes but who actually sought justice and truth. While speaking to William he seemed to pay a lot of attention to the plight of the people of St Nicholas, but the only time he showed anger was when William spoke of Robert and the flagrant abuses of his power.

‘He was one of the castle’s men, I suppose,’ Baldwin said, frowning. ‘Did his master know that he was trying to steal from the people of the islands?’

‘Of course he did! But Ranulph and his blasted lackey Thomas don’t give a ha’penny damn for what the people feel. As far as they are concerned, the islanders here are no better than cattle. They can be hung, killed, or baited, but God forbid that they should try to retaliate.’

‘Yet someone has retaliated,’ Baldwin observed. He was keen to bring the subject around to the ship in the port, find out whether it was the Anne.

‘Aye, well, perhaps that was for his other sins.’

‘What other sins?’

‘Who can tell?’ William asked, his face hardening. ‘The man was run out of England when he committed a homicide in a tavern. That was why Thomas brought him here, because he had killed a man in cold blood, and Thomas saw that he enjoyed it. The Sergeant always tries to recruit men who enjoy their crimes.’

‘Thomas himself had no reason to seek this gather-reeve’s death, I suppose?’ Baldwin mused.

‘There were stories …’

‘Such as?’

‘Perhaps Robert learned about some of Thomas’s other ventures. What would Thomas do to silence him then?’

‘What form of venture would that be?’

William set his head to one side. ‘There is only one which would interest Thomas, and that is making money. Men here have their own ways of doing that. Some allege that they turn to piracy, but I doubt that! No, I think that Thomas has his own way of fattening his purse.’

‘Come on,’ Baldwin snapped, eager to be done so he could go and look at the ship. ‘Enough of this innuendo! What does he do?’

‘I can’t explain now. Wait until later, and I’ll introduce you to someone who knows.’

‘Who?’

‘Someone on the island who knows much about the sea. But now we should concentrate on the poor fellow in here.’

‘Of course,’ Baldwin agreed. ‘I believe that he was a priest called Luke?’

‘Yes, Luke was the chaplain of St Elidius, so of course he fell under the Prior’s control. I didn’t like him, I have to admit.’

‘The Prior? Oh, you mean Luke.’

‘Yes. In my vocation, one sees a few men like him: they can’t wait to get their hands on the next woman. It’s bad for the Church, and they risk their eternal souls, but they will still do it, just for a few minutes’ pleasure.’ He sighed loudly.

Baldwin could control his agitation no longer. ‘Before we speak about this Luke, can you tell me: that ship in the harbour — what is she called?’

‘Her?’ William stood and peered. ‘The new one, I don’t know, but the older of the two was called the Anne , I think. She came into port the morning after that terrible storm.’ His mouth fell open with a jerk. ‘Ah! Some day my head will be knocked from my body, and it won’t matter because there is so little in there! Of course! He mentioned a man, a close friend who was washed from the ship during the storm, a knight called Baldwin. There has been much on my mind, Sir Baldwin. My apologies — I should have sent a message to the Prior to tell him of your friend, but — alas! — I forgot!’

‘You have met Simon?’ Baldwin exclaimed, leaping to his feet.

‘Yes, but hold your excitement, friend! He’s at the castle.’