Peter Tremayne - Hemlock at Vespers

“I see. Will you send for Brother Sinsear?”

It was moments before they were joined by the young monk. The youth made an effort to overcome the nervous twisting of his hands by placing them behind his back.

“It is a terrible business,” he began, breaking the silence.

“I know that you are upset,” Fidelma smiled gently. “After all, it is your close friend who stands in some danger. The finger of suspicion points in his direction.”

“Brother Cano might be possessed of a temper but he would never… never…”

“He was quick-tempered?” Fidelma interrupted.

Brother Sinsear hung his head.

“I should not have said that. I meant…”

“It is true,” observed Abbot Heribert. “I have rebuked him a couple of times for his turbulent moods.”

“Well, all I want from you, Brother Sinsear, are the details about today. I understand that you left the abbey to go in search of the two Sisters bringing the vial of holy blood. At what time was this?”

“Some time before midday, I think. Yes, it was half an hour before the midday Angelus bell sounded because that was when the vial was due to be at the abbey.”

“Were you instructed to do so?”

Brother Sinsear shook his head.

“No. But knowing Cessair… well, I knew she would be in no hurry.”

There was a brief silence.

“You knew that one of the two Sisters would be Cessair?” pressed Fidelma. “How did you know?”

“Why, Brother Cano told me. We had few secrets. He left to go to the woodsman’s hut where he and Cessair usually met. I knew that this would delay them bringing the vial to the abbey. That was why I set off in good time to meet them and encourage them to hurry. Alas, I was too late.”

“You found Cessair dead?”

“I did. She was tied to the tree even as you saw her.”

“And Sister Delia?”

“There was no sign of her. So I hurried straight to Nivelles to alert Abbess Ballgel.”

“Why did you do that?” Fidelma asked.

“Why?”

“There were other options. Why not rush back to Fosse and alert the Abbot Heribert?”

Sinsear grimaced. “It is well known that Nivelles is closer to that point in the forest than is Fosse. I thought it more expedient to bring the news to Nivelles and then return to alert Fosse.”

“Have you been friends with Cano from the time he arrived in Fosse?”

“He was assigned to help me in the gardens and we became friends.”

“Yet you knew Cessair before Cano arrived?”

“I have met Cessair and Delia as well as many others of the Sisters of Nivelles. There is much intercourse between the abbeys. You see, I am employed in the gardens and my job is taking fruit and vegetables to Nivelles once a week.”

“Brother Sinsear is perfectly correct,” interrupted Heribert. “Members of our community often go to Nivelles to help them with the heavy building work and the upkeep of their fields and crops. In fact, Brother Sinsear took produce to Nivelles only yesterday afternoon. Ah, and didn’t Brother Cano accompany you?”

Brother Sinsear flushed and nodded reluctantly.

Fidelma pursed her lips thoughtfully.

“There is a further question that I must now ask Sister Delia. Please wait for me here.”

In the infirmary Sister Delia, although pale-faced and weak, was looking much improved.

“Sister Delia,” Fidelma began without preamble. “There is only one question I need ask you. Why did you especially ask to be allowed to take the vial of holy blood to Fosse today?”

“Sister Cessair asked me to.”

“Cessair, eh? Then it was not your idea?”

“No. Neither was it her idea, to be truthful. She knew that there would be some argument with the Abbot who disliked her and was reluctant to go. However, Brother Cano had especially asked her to come….”

“How had he asked? Had he not seen her yesterday?”

“No. He sent a message for there is always someone coming or going between our two abbeys. He sent a note to Cessair asking her to come early to the hut so that he would spent a few moments with her to discuss their future.”

“Did you approve of her meetings with Cano?”

“I was Cessair’s friend. I knew that there is no stopping the stupidities that love brings with it. And I thought it was only one question that you wished to ask?”

“So it was. Is this the note?” She pulled out the piece of torn paper from her marsupium.

Sister Delia glanced at it and shrugged.

“I do not read Ogham,” she said. “But I think it is part of the note. Cano and Cessair used the ancient form of Irish writing to write cryptic notes to one another.”

Fidelma turned back to the refectory.

“I think I have the solution to this mystery,” she announced as Abbess Ballgel and Abbot Heribert gazed up as she reentered the refectory.

“Who then is guilty?” demanded Heribert.

“Ask Brother Cano to come here. You will remain, Brother Sin-sear.”

“Brother Cano,” Fidelma began when the young man arrived, “the future looks bleak for you.”

Cano grimaced in resignation.

“The future is empty for me,” he corrected. “Without Cessair, my life is indeed an abyss filled with pain.”

“Why did you ask Cessair to meet you today?”

“I have told you already. So that we could plan to go away together and find a mixed house where we could live and work together and, God willing, raise our children in his service.”

“Whose idea was that?”

“Mine.”

“I thought that someone else might have suggested it to you as a solution to your problems,” Fidelma said quietly.

Cano frowned. “It matters not who suggested it. That was the purpose of our rendezvous.”

“It does matter. Wasn’t it Brother Sinsear who suggested that you should plan to leave here?”

“Perhaps. Sinsear has been a good friend. He saw that there was no future for us here.”

“You went with Brother Sinsear to Nivelles last evening to take garden produce. Why didn’t you speak with Cessair then?”

“We arrived during the evening service and as there was no excuse to delay at Nivelles, I wrote Cessair a note in Ogham suggesting the meeting. I knew that Cessair could read the ancient Irish writing so I put the instructions in that note and left it with the gatekeeper.”

“Yes. It all fits now,” Fidelma sighed. She turned to the young Brother. “Sinsear, would you mind handing Abbess Ballgel the vial of holy blood from your marsupium? The Abbess has been fretful about it ever since she realized that it was missing.”

Brother Sinsear started, his face white. As if in a dream he opened his waist purse and handed it over.

“I found it on the ground…. I meant to give it to you before. …”

Fidelma shook her head sadly.

“One of the most terrible passions is love turned to hatred because of rejection. A lover who sees the object of their love in love with a rival can sometimes be transformed into a fiend incarnate.”

Brother Cano looked astounded.

“Cessair did not reject me,” he exclaimed. “I tell you again, I did not kill her. We planned to go away together.”

“It is Sinsear to whom I refer,” replied Fidelma. “It was Sinsear whose love had turned to a rage-who wanted to hurt and mutilate her.”

Sinsear was staring at her open-mouthed.

“Sinsear had been in love with Cessair for a long time. Being young and unable to articulate his love, he worshipped her from afar, dreaming of the day when he could summon up courage to declare himself. Then Cano arrived. At first the two were good friends. Then Sinsear introduced Cano to his love. Horror! Cano and Cessair fell truly in love. Day by day, Sinsear found himself watching their passion and his jealousy grew to such a peak at what he saw as Cessair’s rejection of him, that his mind broke with the anguish. He would revenge himself on Cessair with such a vengeance that hell did not possess.”