Michael, JECKS - The Tournament of Blood

Baldwin said nothing. His experiences in Eastern countries had taught him that love between men was not so uncommon. Over here, even the King himself was said to be a sodomite whose lovers had included that madman Gaveston, until his death, and now Hugh Despenser.

‘Whoever did this could do it again,’ the Bailiff said grimly. ‘God forbid, but he could strike again. What can we do?’

‘There’s no point in worrying – we have to find out why Wymond was killed. And why so brutally? Surely a stabbing would have been easier and safer.’

‘A madman?’ Simon enquired.

Baldwin shot him a look. ‘Some madman, to have been able to kill in this way without leaving a clue. No, I believe this was a premeditated murder.’

‘A madman, eh, Bailiff?’ Mark Tyler gave a short laugh. ‘Is that what you reckon? And only yesterday you almost drew your knife on him yourself.’

Squire William had risen early, making his way to the lists to exercise his horse, and afterwards had remained, drinking with a few other men who hoped to be knighted. It was good to catch up with old friends after such a long time away, and many wanted to ask him about his adventures in battle.

Knighthood, he felt, was given less than its due respect. Probably it was the fault of the kings who had insisted that base-born men should be permitted to join the knighthood – indeed should be forced to join if they earned enough money. This distraint was no doubt good for the Treasury, but it meant that men who could scarcely lift an axe with both hands were now being received into the ranks of the knights.

William had no qualms about joining it himself. He knew that he was different; he had been born to the nobility. All his youth he had been educated in weapons, in handling swords and knives, maces, axes and lances. His honour was beyond doubt, for it was his birthright.

Even a knight requires leisure, though, and today William wandered among the tents of knights and tradesmen, standing a while to watch the youths of the town playing with their bows and arrows, wrestling, or gambling on two dogs fighting. Children were stoning chickens, and William paused to watch until one child, angry at a competitor’s use of a heavy stone, went to the maimed cock and broke its neck with one easy flick of his wrist. That led to a short flurry of fists as both boys tried to determine whose bird it was, a tussle that was cut short by a large forester who picked up one boy in each huge hand and held them apart with a bemused expression, then clouted them both over the head once he had set them back on the ground.

William grinned at the sight and was about to move away when he saw her.

She was a good height, slim, with slanted green eyes that looked on the brink of laughter. Young, certainly, but with a fiery temperament, he fancied. With her complexion he guessed she must be fair-haired beneath her wimple, and when the sun caught her face she seemed to glow from within. At her side was a thin, scowling man dressed like a servant. He must be her chaperone. William saw the two join the gamblers at the fight, saw them pause to egg on the dogs. The chaperone stayed watching when she wandered a few feet to a stall selling wine. William observed her, feeling the stirrings of excitement.

The young squire never willingly lost an opportunity to prove his worth in the battle of the sexes. He walked slowly towards her, and as he approached and she noticed his intent gaze fixed upon her, he bowed, low and reverent. ‘My Lady,’ he breathed.

‘Sir.’

Her tone was not welcoming, but often a woman would try to conceal her true feelings, he knew. She was younger than he had thought – perhaps not yet fifteen. Probably a virgin. William had enjoyed virgins before, among the peasants on his father’s lands, but this girl was no rough and uneducated wench to be easily persuaded to take a tumble with her lord’s son. She was so well-dressed and graceful in her movements, she must be the daughter of a wealthy man; that would make taking her maidenhead all the more pleasurable. He would enjoy snatching her from under the eyes of a rich parent or guardian, he considered, smiling wolfishly.

Taking a quick look about him to see that his father was nowhere near, he continued with his attack.

‘Lady, I am blinded. Your beauty outshines the sun herself. Your radiance burns me. Your smile could cure a thousand ills and put to flight a legion of devils, for while a perfection such as you exists upon this earth, all ugliness is doomed.’

‘Your attention is not wanted,’ she stated with calm precision, like a much older woman. ‘Please leave me.’

‘Never!’ he declared, swiftly moving to block her retreat. ‘All I offer is my service as a knight. I –

‘You? A knight?’ she asked in a rush as though she was at once overtaken with enthusiasm, but then she sniffed and said more warily, ‘I don’t see your arms or sword.’

He grinned. ‘I anticipate myself. I shall be dubbed during this festival, and then my arms will be your arms, my sword yours; my heart is yours already.’

As he spoke he realised that they were no longer alone. The servant had approached and stood at his shoulder.

She too had noticed, and now she smiled as she sipped her wine.

The servant said gruffly, ‘Are you all right, miss?’

‘Yes, thank you, Hugh. I think the good squire is about to leave.’

‘I would prefer to wait and talk, Lady.’

‘And I would prefer to be alone. So please leave me – otherwise I might have to ask my servant, Hugh here, to keep you from me,’ she said.

‘I doubt a servant could keep me from you,’ William said bravely, but he didn’t like the look of the large stick this Hugh carried. It looked well-used.

She frowned. ‘You shouldn’t judge Hugh by his dress. He is a good fighter – but more to the point, if you were to be seen attacking him while I called for help, you would be condemned for molesting me. And a squire found brawling with a servant while attempting to shame a woman, would hardly be looked upon as chivalrous, would he?’

Defeated, William bowed low to her. ‘But my Lady, I shall never attempt to shame you. How could any man look at such loveliness and think of harming it? I shall look to talk to you at the first opportunity,’ he smiled. ‘I can hardly be expected to see such radiant beauty without wishing to enjoy a smile from it. I look forward to seeing you again soon.’

As soon as he had gone, Edith Puttock, Simon’s daughter, gave Hugh a fierce glower. ‘So what were you doing while I was being insulted by that arrogant twerp?’

‘You didn’t look too upset,’ Hugh shrugged.

Edith surveyed him irritably. ‘That’s a bit rich, Hugh. And don’t put on that frown for my benefit. It may work with Mother, but it doesn’t with me. I know you too well.’

It was true. Hugh had been her devoted servant ever since she was born; when she wanted a companion or playmate it was always to Hugh that she turned. Her father was too often away from their home for her to consider him in the same light, and in any case Simon was always the stern master of the household. Hugh, on the other hand, was always ready and willing to drop his chores and join her in her games.

If anything he was even more hound-like in his treatment of her since he had come back to the Puttock household. For the last year or more he had been living with a woman up near Iddesleigh, with Simon’s grudging approval since Hugh had made his oaths at the church door with her. ‘More than I did with you, eh?’ Simon had said to his wife when Hugh told them. Simon and Margaret, Edith’s mother, had made their vows before witnesses in a field during harvest.

For Edith, who was accustomed to Hugh’s constant presence, it had been odd to see him go. Living without him for a year had been strange, as if an adored brother had died. Worse, somehow, was the discovery that a woman could not only attract him, but could tempt him away from the household where he had made his home, especially since she already carried a child who was not Hugh’s. It intrigued Edith to know what this wife of his was like, but that was not the sort of question she could ask him. The differences in her position and age compared with Hugh’s were too great.