Peter Tremayne - The Council of the Cursed

‘And where did you meet?’

‘The pre-arranged meeting spot is by a certain tomb in the catacombs beneath the abbey. It is an old necropolis and where all the old bishops of this abbey are buried.’

‘So you went and met Valretrade?’

‘I never reached there. I was passing by Bishop Ordgar’s chamber when I noticed the door partly opened and saw what lay inside: the Hibernian and the Briton, lying in blood on the floor, and the Saxon unconscious on the bed. I struggled for a moment between loyalty to the abbey and concern for Valretrade, then I realised that I should rouse the bishop-and that is what I did. After that, it was an hour or more before I could get away. I finally proceeded to the catacombs, but Valretrade was not there.’

‘What did you do?’

‘I returned to my chamber and re-lit the candle, but although I waited until dawn there was no answer to my efforts. I was puzzled until I remembered that while, after the signal, her candle seemed to be extinguished, the light had actually moved away from the window as if the candle was placed elsewhere. At the time, I just thought that she needed the light. By dawn I thought perhaps the signal had not been fully observed and she had changed her mind.’

‘So a week has passed since then. What has Valretrade told you about her urgent desire to see you that night? And, of course, your candle mystery?’

Brother Sigeric turned a woebegone expression to them.

‘She has told me nothing, for I have not seen her.’

Eadulf was frowning. ‘Are you saying she made no attempt to contact you again through your rather cumbersome method?’

‘None.’

‘Have you not contacted her?’

‘I tried on the subsequent night without success.’

‘Well, we can surely get a message to Valretrade on your behalf. I presume she was angry that you did not turn up at the meeting place.’

Brother Sigeric shook his head sadly. ‘On the fourth day I summoned up the courage to go to Abbess Audofleda and request to see Valretrade. I saw her stewardess, who turned me from the door.’

‘What did this stewardess tell you?’

‘She told me that she could not help me even if she wanted to, and claimed that Valretrade had left the abbey and run away.’

‘Run away? Did you know of any cause why she would do so?’

Brother Sigeric looked as if he were in physical pain. ‘She would never have run away before she had spoken to me.’

‘But she tried to contact you and you did not turn up.’

He hung his head and made a sound like a sob. ‘If things were so desperate, she would have waited. I know her. She would have sent a note to me, some message.’

Fidelma leaned forward and patted the young man comfortingly on the shoulder.

‘We will do our best to find out more for you, Sigeric. We will have a word with this Abbess Audofleda and if there is a mystery there, we shall uncover it. In the meantime, try not to worry and-’

Just then, the library door opened and Brother Chilperic entered.

‘I have informed the bishop,’ he said, without preamble. ‘He will await your findings on the matter as soon as you are ready.’

‘We have finished here,’ she replied, with a smile to Brother Sigeric as she moved towards the door. ‘Thank you for your assistance, Brother. We shall not forget and will doubtless see you again soon.’

Brother Sigeric smiled sadly in response.

‘Do you need to look at Ordgar’s chamber again?’ asked Brother Chilperic, ‘or should I give orders for it to be cleaned and tidied?’

‘I have done with it. However, you may indicate where we will find Abbot Cadfan.’

‘He will be found on the third level. You recall where I showed you the chamber of Bishop Ordgar? Good. Along that corridor to the right, you find a small corridor leading off it, and Abbot Cadfan will be found there.’

‘In that case we will speak with Bishop Ordgar first and Abbot Cadfan afterwards. We will not need your services in that for we can find our way.’

Brother Chilperic seemed reluctant to be dismissed but Fidelma and Eadulf were already moving off. He shrugged and turned away.

Bishop Ordgar did not stand as Fidelma and Eadulf entered his chamber, but remained seated, the scowl on his saturnine features giving the impression of an angry and forbidding personality. Behind him stood a young man with black curly hair who watched their entrance with pale blue eyes. He made a step forward as if to greet them, then halted and glanced nervously at the seated bishop before drawing his tongue across his lips as if to moisten them.

‘You are Brother Eadulf of Seaxmund’s Ham?’ The young man directed his question at Eadulf. ‘You are the gerefa that Bishop Leodegar has told us of?’

‘I am he,’ Eadulf confirmed, replying in Saxon, for the question had been asked in that language albeit accented in the way of someone who spoke it as a foreign tongue. Then he switched to Latin. ‘This is Fidelma of Cashel, sister to King Colgú, King of Muman-an advocate of the courts of the five kingdoms of Éireann-my wife.’

Eadulf knew that Fidelma did not like to announce herself in such a grandiose manner but, from what he had heard of Bishop Ordgar, he knew that they had to impress him from the outset. Eadulf had heard stories of the Saxon bishop’s arrogance and was aware that if it was not challenged from the start, it would be impossible to conduct any form of interrogation with him. Eadulf spoke with his eyes focused unswervingly on the gimlet gaze of the bishop.

‘I was told the woman’s name was Sister Fidelma,’ the bishop replied, still speaking in Saxon, his thin mouth twisting in a sneer.

‘The Faith encompasses people of many backgrounds,’ Eadulf responded evenly, ‘but, of course, you are right. We are all equals in serving the Faith, bishops or abbots. And “the woman” is my wife.’

Again he chose his words carefully and with emphasis to bring Bishop Ordgar away from any mistaken sense of importance.

Eadulf then turned to the young man who had greeted him. ‘And who are you?’

‘I am Brother Benevolentia, steward to my lord, Bishop Ordgar.’

‘But you are not a Saxon?’

‘That is true, Brother. I am a Burgund.’

Fidelma had struggled to follow the conversation; although she had a rudimentary knowledge of Saxon, she was uncomfortable in that language when it came to nuances and complicated subjects.

‘May we speak in Latin?’ she asked, speaking for the first time.

Both Bishop Ordgar and Brother Benevolentia looked surprised and the bishop shrugged. Fidelma took it as an affirmative.

‘Good, since we need to seek answers to some questions.’

‘I was told it was Brother Eadulf who was to represent me,’ Bishop Ordgar said. ‘You know that I have a position of some importance? I represent Theodore, archbishop of Canterbury. As soon as this council is ended, I am to continue my journey to Rome to consult with His Holiness Vitalian.’

‘Then you have not been accurately informed of my role,’ Eadulf said.

‘But we are told that you are of the kingdom of the East Angles and a gerefa ,’ intervened Brother Benevolentia. ‘My lord, Bishop Ordgar, has naturally presumed that you would want to support one of your own kin in this matter.’

Eadulf nearly smiled at the arrogance of the presumption.

‘Sister Fidelma and I have been asked by Bishop Leodegar to investigate the matter of the death of Abbot Dabhóc and report to him. That is all. There is no question of representing the interests of anyone except the interests of the dead abbot in the discovery of who killed him.’

Bishop Ordgar did not look happy.