Edward Marston - The Owls of Gloucester

Wulfstan was assertive. ‘I would trade them all for the safe return of those boys,’ he said, plucking at his lambskin cloak and dislodging some of its remaining fur. ‘You cannot put a price on human life. Other items can be replaced. The abduction of three young boys is a far more heinous crime. That is why the kidnapper must be run to ground.’

‘He will be, Bishop Wulfstan,’ said Ralph.

‘In time,’ added Gervase. ‘But we are glad to find you here, Bishop Wulfstan. Our fear is that Owen was taken by someone engaged in the slave trade. You have preached against that, I understand, and taken several measures to stamp it out.’

‘I have, Master Bret.’

‘It would help us to know what they are and to have some idea of how widespread the trade has been in this county.’

‘This is private talk,’ said Hamelin tactfully. ‘I wish you luck in your pursuit of this villain but will not intrude. You obviously have much to discuss with Bishop Wulfstan.’

Hamelin of Lisieux took his leave and slipped out through the front gate. Ralph and Gervase were surprised to find him at the abbey. When they met him at the shire hall, he did not strike them as a man of pious inclination. Wulfstan answered the question before they asked it.

‘The lord Hamelin is a devout man,’ he said gratefully, ‘albeit somewhat late in the day. He was waiting for me when I returned from the castle. He wishes to endow a new church in the Westbury Hundred and wanted to discuss the procedure with me.’

‘It sounds like a worthy enterprise,’ said Ralph huffily, ‘but I do think the lord Hamelin is being unduly hasty.’

‘Hasty, my lord?’

‘He is talking about building a church on land which has yet to be confirmed as his. The holdings in the Westbury Hundred are the subject of bitter dispute. Will his piety hold up if he is deprived of them?’

‘He assured me that there was no question of that because his claim will certainly be upheld by you.’

‘It remains to be seen,’ said Gervase. ‘At all events, it is heartening news for you, Bishop Wulfstan. The founding of a new church must always be an occasion of joy and it is to the lord Hamelin’s credit that he is donating some of his wealth in this way.’

‘Yes, Master Bret. He has acquired an unfortunate reputation in the past and is viewed by some as nothing short of a tyrant. I take him as I find him. A man with spiritual needs and philanthropic leanings.’

‘That was not my estimate of him,’ said Ralph.

‘Oh?’

‘When someone marries a woman like the lady Emma, spiritual needs obviously come second to more physical ones. But that is his business,’ he said dismissively. ‘Let us forget the lord Hamelin. Tell us about this trade in young boys, Bishop Wulfstan.

How long has it been going on and where is it seated?’

‘It has been going on far too long, my lord.’

‘Years?’

‘Several.’

‘I understand that Archbishop Lanfranc is fighting against it.’

‘He and I have exchanged many letters on the subject.’

‘Have there been many victims in your diocese?’

‘Alas, yes.’

‘Which part?’ asked Gervase.

‘All over.’

‘Mainly in Worcester?’

‘No, Master Bret. This county has suffered far more. Abbot Serlo and I have been gravely concerned. There seems to be no way of eradicating the evil completely.’ He sucked in air through his teeth. ‘We are convinced that the two boys who disappeared from the abbey in the past were abducted by someone involved in this abominable trade. And this latest victim, Owen, is now following them into a life of misery.’

When he first heard the sound he thought it must have been made by an animal. It began as a light tapping then faded away.

Owen’s mind turned back to his plight. He was defenceless.

When Brother Nicholas was alive, he had someone to protect and care for him. It was ironic that he had been seized when trying to pay his respects once more to his friend. The grave which had become a shrine to him had lured him to disaster. It was heart-rending. Owen sobbed quietly to himself until the noise stopped him.

It was much clearer this time, more insistent and rhythmical.

Fear clutched at him. Only an animal of some size could make a noise as loud as that. What if the creature made its way into his part of the mill? Owen would stand no chance against it. He would be a sacrificial victim. But the regularity of the sound argued against a wild animal. Time and again, something was banging hard against wood. When Owen realised what it must be, he had his first moment of relief since being taken from the abbey. He was not a lone victim. Somebody else was being held at the mill, aware of his presence and trying to attract his attention. Owen rolled on to the floor so that his back was to the wall. He jabbed his feet back hard by way of reply. There was a pause, followed by even more frenetic banging. Owen answered it with a series of grateful kicks.

A flicker of hope came. He had a friend.

Bishop Wulfstan’s account was a revelation. When he left them to call on the abbot, Ralph and Gervase were very glad that they had returned to the abbey. They now had a much clearer idea of what they were up against and how much money was involved in the trade. Gervase had listened to the bishop’s impassioned speech with special interest. He took out the list which had been compiled for him earlier by Abbot Serlo. Running his eye down it, he came to an immediate conclusion.

‘That’s how it was done, Ralph!’ he declared.

‘What do you mean?’

‘That’s how the victims were selected. I thought that the names were familiar when Bishop Wulfstan first mentioned them. You see?’ he said, thrusting the scroll at Ralph. ‘This is the list of the abbey holdings which Brother Nicholas used to visit. Over the last couple of years, most of those who were abducted came from one of these places. Brother Nicholas was the scout for the slave traders. He not only provided them with an occasional novice from the abbey. In the course of his travels, he would be able to spot other likely targets.’

‘But some of the victims didn’t come from abbey properties at all.’

‘Maybe not,’ said Gervase, ‘but I’ll wager they lived on land that the rent collector passed through while discharging his duties.

He was in the perfect position, Ralph.’

‘Alone and unsupervised.’

‘Completely trusted because he was a monk.’

‘Though not always liked.’

‘He could be affable when he wanted to be,’ recalled Gervase.

‘Think of Caradoc whom we met in one of the abbey’s outliers.

He and his wife thought Nicholas a jolly fellow. So did his four sons.’

‘Yet that other sub-tenant, Osgot, had nothing but scorn for the rent collector. And we know why. Osgot feared for his son.’

‘He didn’t fear that the boy would be abducted, Ralph, because he could not have suspected for a moment that a monk would be involved in the slave trade. What he feared was that Brother Nicholas would befriend the lad and lead him astray in other ways.’

‘Who can blame him?’

‘As for Caradoc, I think we can guess why his sons were not at risk. If they were built like their father, they would be strong and lusty, too likely to resist an attempt to snatch them. Bishop Wulfstan pointed out how young the victims always were,’ said Gervase, taking the list back from him. ‘Young and unable to defend themselves. Like Owen.’

‘Quite so, Gervase. And their youth would increase their value.’

‘Value?’

‘When they were sold,’ explained Ralph. ‘The younger the victim, the longer the service a new master would get out of him. I think you have hit the mark, Gervase. The rent collector was the hub of the wheel. He told his accomplice when and where to strike.’