Peter Tremayne - The Leper's bell

‘And was it in the position that I first saw it?’

‘Exactly so, lady. I touched nothing, but, ascertaining the little man was dead, and certainly not wishing to touch a leper, I ran back and found Capa who was still searching the fair with Caol. We came here and then Capa returned to the fair for a moment. He said that he had told a man to go to fetch you.’

Caol moved forward. ‘Capa and Gorman remained with the body while I waited on the edge of the wood for you.’

‘And so, Gorman, when you came upon the body, there was no sign of anyone else nearby?’

‘No, lady. As soon as I saw in what manner the little man had died, I looked quickly round, so far as my eyes could penetrate the wood, but saw no one nor any sign of anyone.’

Fidelma nodded slowly and turned her gaze on Capa.

‘I need to be clear in my own mind about the sequence of events. How did the woman know you were looking for a dwarf in religious clothing with a leper’s bell? If the woman told you that she had seen the dwarf lurking at the edge of the woods here, why did you not come to investigate yourself?’

Capa’s smiled was disarming.

‘I was asking some people if they had seen signs of the dwarf. I thought it might quicken our search if I did so. No one had seen him except this woman. I would estimate that she was some farmer’s daughter. She told me that she had seen this strange fellow while she was at the stream drawing water for her animals. Almost immediately, I saw Gorman,’ he indicated the raven-haired young warrior, ‘and told him to investigate. I went on asking people … and, shortly after, Gorman returned. The rest was as he narrated it, lady.’

Fidelma sighed deeply.

‘Let us return to your tent, Fiachrae. Wait here,’ she added to Capa and his men, ‘for the coming of the herbalist. Impress upon him that I want a thorough examination of the body for sign of any affliction that he may have suffered from, and when it is done, one of you come to Fiachrae’s tent to report to me. Then I will come and speak to him. Make sure he is thorough in his examination.’

Capa raised a hand in acknowledgement and Fidelma, with Fiachrae and Eadulf at her side, walked back towards the tent of the chieftain.

‘I don’t understand, cousin,’ protested Fiachrae. ‘I don’t follow any of this.’

‘No reason why you should,’ Fidelma replied shortly.

Eadulf cleared his throat meaningfully. After all, this was Fiachrae’s village over which he had jurisdiction. Fidelma unbent a little.

‘I think this is the dwarf we were looking for. But I do not believe the dwarf was a leper.’

Eadulf’s eyes rounded a little. ‘He did carry a leper’s bell.’

‘That is why I have asked that the body be examined by someone who can confirm my suspicion.’

Back in the chieftain’s tent, Fiachrae went immediately to the jug of mead, pouring himself a large measure. Then he remembered his manners and turned, jug in hand, to Fidelma and Eadulf.

‘Will you join me?’

This time Eadulf shook his head while Fidelma accepted.

‘A small measure,’ she added when she saw that her cousin was prepared to be generous with his liquor.

‘This has put a black cloud in the sky of our fair, cousin,’ muttered Fiachrae. ‘Who is this little religieux and who killed him? The slaughter was done in my territory and I am responsible for finding the evildoer.’

‘As a dálaigh , even though just visiting your territory, I take responsibility in that matter, cousin,’ Fidelma assured him.

‘But who is he?’ demanded Fiachrae. His eyes widened as if a thought had suddenly struck him. ‘I nearly overlooked something. I’d better inform the crossan , the little gleemen, just in case they know this dwarf.’

‘Good for you!’ exclaimed Fidelma. ‘I was nearly forgetting … ask them to gather at the place where the herbalist is making his examination. But on no account let them enter until I have seen the herbalist.’

When Fiachrae left, Eadulf leant quickly forward to Fidelma.

‘I have formed a theory. The young warrior, Gorman — he had the ideal opportunity to kill the dwarf.’

She returned his gaze evenly.

‘Why would you think that, Eadulf?’

‘He was more than keen to accompany us. He admitted he was in love with Sárait and wanted vengeance. Those are good reasons.’ His eyes widened suddenly. ‘If Aona is right, why, Gorman might even have been responsible for the death of Sárait’s husband Callada, and-’

Fidelma interrupted him. ‘I think we are racing ahead without evidence. It is fascinating to speculate but as I have often told you, Eadulf, speculation without facts will take us nowhere. Why would he kill the dwarf? We have no knowledge that the dwarf killed Sárait, only that a figure, which Caol deemed a misshapen child, brought a message to her and she went out of the palace in answer to it. We are working on supposition.’

Eadulf looked glum. ‘I had forgotten it was Caol who saw the misshapen child that night. Perhaps he recognised the dwarf and…’

Fidelma shook her head. ‘Let’s stop speculating until we hear further,’ she said.

It was not long before Caol summoned them to the herbalist’s shop. It was a wooden hut hung with dried herbs and flowers and a fire smouldered in a hearth at one end, enhancing the thick aromatic atmosphere to the point where Eadulf started to cough and even Fidelma had to catch her breath. Even though it was still daylight, the interior was lit with lamps as the small windows let in hardly any light.

The herbalist was old and querulous.

‘Well, the dwarf is dead,’ he snapped as they entered, peering in shortsighted fashion at them. ‘Dead,’ he repeated. ‘Why am I bothered further?’

Fidelma moved forward to face the old man.

‘A fool can tell that he is dead. I instructed that you look for signs of any affliction.’

The herbalist stared myopically at her.

‘Of course he was afflicted,’ he snapped. ‘He was a dwarf, wasn’t he?’

‘Again that is obvious,’ replied Fidelma sharply. ‘Did he suffer from leprosy?’

‘Did he … what?’ The herbalist was even more irritable. ‘I am being asked to teach a class in basic medicine?’

Fiachrae had joined them and moved close to the herbalist.

This is the sister of King Colgú, a dálaigh of the courts. Answer her questions in civil fashion or you may find that you will no longer be practising your art here,’ he said quietly.

The herbalist blinked, peering once again at Fidelma.

The dwarf did not suffer from leprosy,’ he said shortly.

‘So far as you could tell, has he ever done so?’

‘He has never done so. You do not, so far as I have knowledge, recover from of such a pestilence, even though some strangers claim such miraculous cures.’

Fidelma compressed her lips.

That is exactly what I wanted to confirm.’ Then she frowned. ‘What do you mean about strangers claiming cures?’

The old man sniffed in deprecation.

‘A day or so ago, a stranger came through here… his companion translated his words as he did not have much of our language. His companion told me that he was a healer in his own land. He claimed he knew of various herbs which might cure the disease. I knew none of them except burdock, but that I only know as a plant whose juices can be used to treat burns and sores.’

‘And we eat the young stalks in salads,’ added Eadulf, who, having spent some time studying the apothecary’s art, knew a little of such matters. ‘But what were the others that this stranger spoke of?’

The herbalist glanced at him in disfavour.

Things with strange foreign names. Not even the blessed Fintan of Teach Munna in Laigin was able to cure himself once he contracted the disease. I heard Bishop Petrán once argue that Fintan was cursed with the affliction because, during the great Synod of Magh Lene that was held when I was a young man some thirty-five years old, Fintan had argued against Rome’s authority. He went so far as to criticise some of the pronouncements of the Bishops of Rome, such as their approval of the Edict of Lyons when it was decreed that lepers should be cast out of society and go about ringing bells to warn others of their coming.’