Pat McIntosh - The Merchant's Mark

‘Billy said the thief ran off,’ objected Kate.

‘He said there was a fight,’ Alys reminded her, ‘so there must have been more than one man. He also said the thief was nowhere near the cart, but patently somebody was. If he lied in that, he may well have lied in other things.’

‘I wonder if Mall heard any more?’

‘We can hardly ask her just now, poor lass.’ Alys clasped her hands and gazed down at them. ‘If the treasure was hidden in the yard, and this man of Knollys’s came to fetch it, and something went wrong — I suppose it means that Knollys has known where this part of the treasure has been, and perhaps intended to keep it to himself for some reason.’

‘Will Knollys would need no reason to hold on to money,’ said David Cunningham. ‘It’s what makes him a good man for Treasurer. Your conjecture is no bad, Alys my lassie, but it could as well be Noll Sinclair.’

‘Sinclair?’ said Kate. ‘I mind him. We stayed at Roslin one time, my mother and sisters and me, when I was a wee thing. They were kind to me. Do you mind, Babb?’

‘No doubt,’ said her uncle, over Babb’s agreement, ‘but he holds land in Linlithgow, and I’m certain he’s let some part of it to a cooper. If the coin was hidden in the yard, it was hidden on Sinclair’s land.’

‘Is that likely, sir?’ Kate asked.

‘Oh, aye. Sinclair was aye a good friend to the Crown.’

‘But the man with the axe did not mention Sinclair,’ objected Alys.

‘You need more information,’ said Canon Cunningham firmly. Kate noted the you again. ‘But for now, lassies, what are the two of you to do? I suppose you must go home from time to time,’ he said to Alys, who smiled quickly. ‘But you, Kate, are you to stay here? I hardly think it safe.’

‘Maister Morison said the same,’ said Kate. ‘But I don’t like to leave the bairns. There should be someone in the house to take charge.’

‘Bairns?’

‘They’re in the yard,’ said Alys, ‘with Matt’s friend Mistress Thomson.’ The Official craned to see out of the window. His thin cheeks creased in a rare smile as he saw the little girls, who were industriously sweeping a small patch of ground with two very large brooms, while Matt and Mistress Thomson lifted broken crocks. ‘Kate is right, sir, there should be someone in control. There are only the two women in the house, and one of my lassies on loan, and though Andy has his master’s trust, he also has his hands full with the men and the yard. He can’t see to two bairns as well.’

And for how long? Kate wondered, biting her lip. What will come to their father? Imprisoned, however kindly, kept from his trade and his household -

‘What will happen to Maister Morison, sir?’ said Alys.

The Official abandoned the view of the children and sat back, looking from Alys to Kate.

‘That depends,’ he said. ‘He needs to show clearly he had no knowledge of the barrel, which is no an easy thing. This matter of his man breaking in and then being murdered, while he himself was held secure, should go in his favour.’ He paused to consider, eyeing Kate carefully. ‘Aye, I suppose you had best stay here the now, Kate. If it comes to a trial, no doubt the law will put someone in place, but the Justice Ayre won’t reach Glasgow for weeks.’ His thought was clear to Kate: At least it gives the lassie something to think about. She lifted her chin and eyed him back, and after a moment he gave her another of those rare smiles. ‘My, Kate. Times I see your father in you. Does it matter to you, what happens to Amphibal Morison’s boy?’

Kate opened her mouth to deny the imputation, closed it again, and looked down. Behind her Babb said, with a warmth equalling the sudden warmth of Kate’s face, ‘Who’d want to see a man brought to his end by a spiteful creature like Billy Walker? No wonder she’s taking an interest, Maister David!’

‘Aye,’ said Kate. ‘Babb’s right, sir.’

‘Aye,’ said her uncle, with that legal lack of expression, and rose. ‘Well, I had best be up the road. I have a case to look over for the morn. Gang warily, my lassies,’ he added, looking from one to the other. ‘You’ll keep me informed, won’t you?’

‘We’ll report to you, sir,’ agreed Kate. His mouth twitched, but he only raised his hand for the blessing.

By the time the two men selected by Andy for the task came home from their expedition to the Hog, the house was relatively quiet. The hall, swept and polished, bright with fire and candlelight, was strewn with cut pieces of linen, and more was stretched out on the great board which had been set on its trestles for the purpose. Round it, under the branches of light, the women were sewing, with the support of small cups of a reviving herbal cordial which Ursel had produced from her stillroom. When Andy stepped into the house with the two cheerful men behind him, he looked round approvingly.

‘Where’s the new one?’ he asked. ‘The nourice?’

‘She didny want to leave them,’ said Ursel. ‘Wynliane’s no right yet. Here, Jennet, that’s a sleeve to that shift, and I think Babb has the other.’

‘Aye, well, I tellt you how it would be,’ said Andy.

Kate grimaced, and Alys nodded. ‘You did indeed, Andy,’ she agreed, ‘but we had to try to bath them. I wonder if there is a better way to approach it,’ she said thoughtfully. ‘Perhaps if an adult got in with them?’

‘We’d be better to wash the bairn standing in a basin,’ said Kate. ‘It can’t be good for her, upsetting her so she screams like that.’ She looked past Andy. ‘Jamesie, William. What did you learn?’

They came forward, dispensing fumes of ale and the greasy cooking smells which clung to their clothes. Ursel sniffed, and primmed up her mouth.

‘No a lot, my leddy.’ This was Jamesie, lanky and dark-haired, turning his bonnet in his hands. ‘Mattha Hog says he’d be right glad to take the coals off our hands, my leddy, but I never discussed the price, since you never tellt me to.’ Kate nodded approvingly. ‘And then we sat down, like Andy tellt us, and took a stoup of ale, and listened a bit, and talked a bit. They were wanting to hear how Billy dee’d.’

‘What did you say?’ asked Alys.

‘What we saw,’ said William. ‘How he was cut to pieces like wi an axe.’ He looked at his colleague. ‘I thought one or two folk looked sideways at that. As if maybe they were feart the fellow wi the axe was in the place the night.’

‘Aye, but he wasny,’ said Jamesie.

‘Naw. So then,’ pursued William, ‘one fellow asked what Billy was after when we took him redhand last night, so we tellt them what he said about the maister’s kist, and how a’body kens the maister keeps his coin up at the castle. And we tellt them how it was you and Babb that catched him,’ he added, ‘and how Babb wanted to put skelfs under his fingernails and set light to them — ’

‘That wasny me, it was Jamesie that wanted to set light to them!’ said Babb indignantly, needle poised over a scrap of linen.

‘I never!’ said Jamesie, equally indignant. ‘It was your brother Ecky, William Soutar.’

‘Whoever it was,’ said Kate, ‘we never took up the idea. What did the Hog have to say to that?’

‘Well, I think they’ll no come calling uninvited,’ said Jamesie, grinning.

‘It was so you,’ muttered William.

‘Did you learn anything more?’ said Kate, seeing the way the discussion was heading.

‘No in the Hog, no,’ admitted Jamesie. ‘But when we left — ’

‘Calling me a liar — ’

‘This fellow came out after us, casual-like, and had a wee word as we cam along the Gallowgait.’

‘What fellow was this?’ asked Alys.

Jamesie shrugged. ‘He never said his name. What he did say was, he’d heard Billy and this fellow wi the axe talking in the Hog yestreen. Afore you were there yourself, my leddy.’