Michael JECKS: The Merchant’s Partner

She started. For the last few minutes she had seemed to lose herself in her thoughts, staring into the fire roaring close by. “Yes? Oh, I suppose it’s true. It is how I remember it. But I didn’t know it at the time. After I had been to see that old hag, when I heard she had been found dead, I was sure that it must have been Harold who killed her. Especially when I heard that she was found in his field. It was obvious. I was scared to see him after that. I thought he might try to kill me. That was why I insisted that he came without a weapon when he came to see me.”

“You insisted he came without a weapon?” Simon said.

Greencliff said, “Yes. She took my dagger and gave it to my friend before we met. She refused to see me alone while I had my dagger with me.”

Simon leaned back in his seat, both hands on the table top, and stared wide-eyed at the youth. For a moment he was silent, but then he spoke with a voice slow and deliberate. “When did you get it back? When did your friend give you your dagger back?”

“My ballock knife? When we left the Trevellyn house, I suppose. Oh, no. No, he must have set it down at my house. That’s right, I found it on the floor in the house when I was packing. He must have put it there for me.”

“Tell me one last thing. This friend, it was Stephen de la Forte, wasn’t it?”

The misery in his eyes was plain to see as the boy answered simply, “Yes.”

After they had checked the story to make sure that they understood it, Baldwin told Tanner to hold both Greencliff and Mrs. Trevellyn at Furnshill, and then led the way out. Simon and he quickly donned thick jackets and cloaks. The bailiff also grabbed a woollen scarf which he wrapped round his neck before tugging on his gloves. Then he went back to the hall to see his wife before leaving. Having given her a hug, he turned, and caught a glimpse of Baldwin.

He was standing by the doorway, and Mrs. Trevellyn had crossed to his side, as if expecting to receive a similar farewell to that which Simon and his wife had exchanged. It felt as if his heart would stop when Simon saw the knight look at the woman without recognition, only to turn dismissively on his heel and make his way to the front door. Not from sympathy for the woman, but because he could see how much his friend was hurt at the story he had just heard. As if recognising the knight’s despair, the thin figure of the black and brown dog followed at his heels.

Outside, Edgar was already mounted on his horse, and Hugh stood nearby, holding Baldwin’s and Simon’s. They swung up, took their reins, and made their way down the driveway towards the lane. The dog followed behind as, once on the road, they turned their faces to the south and set off to Wefford.

Whenever Simon glanced at his friend, Baldwin’s face was set as solidly as the brass plate on a tomb. Although he maintained an expressionless demeanour, Simon could see the pain in his eyes. It was too clear, and it made him try to think of something to lighten his friend’s mood. But what can soothe a wounded heart? In the end he gave up the struggle and stared ahead glumly, sadly aware of his inability to offer any comfort.

They clattered up to the entrance of the house in the early afternoon, halting and dismounting before the front door. Soon hostlers appeared and took their horses while Baldwin tied the dog to a hook by the door. Then they entered. In the hall they found the lady of the house, sitting alone in front of her fire and looking up at them with fear in her eyes.

“Yes?” she said, her voice quavering.

Baldwin stepped forward, but Simon interrupted him quickly and, pushing in front, bowed quickly to the lady. “Madam, we need to speak to your son. Is he here?”

She shot a glance at Baldwin and Edgar, her eyes wide and fearful, before they rested on the bailiff once more. “You want to speak to Stephen again? But why? He told you all he knew the last time you were here, what more do you want of him?”

“I’m sorry, madam, but we need to ask him some questions. Is he here?”

“No… No, he’s in Crediton. He left some time ago. He should be back tomorrow, though, so if you want to come back then.”

“No, I think we’ll wait.”

“But why?”

Simon looked at her sympathetically. He was beginning to feel that all he could do today was try to offer support to those he was bound to upset. Trying to smile, he said as soothingly as he could, “We have to ask him about the death of Agatha Kyteler and Alan Trevellyn. We think that…”

He paused at the sight of her pale, terrified face in which the eyes appeared to have grown to the size of plums, huge and startling against the pallor of her skin. “Are you all right? Can we get you anything?”

Waving a hand in irritable dismissal of the offer, she held his gaze, and to his sudden distress, he saw a large tear roll down her dried and wrinkled cheek. It was as if he had upset his own mother, and he felt her pain like a band constricting his chest. Yet there was nothing he could do to make it easier for her. If her son was, as he believed, responsible for the two murders, she would live to see her only son die, and in a cruel and degrading manner.

He averted his gaze and settled to wait, but he had only just made himself comfortable in a small chair, while Baldwin and Edgar stood lounging against the screens, when Walter de la Forte came in, closely followed by the thin and perpetually anxious manservant.

It was apparent that he had not seen the knight and his man to his left as he entered, because he immediately strode to the bailiff and stood before him bristling with rage.

“What is this? I understand you’re here to question my son again? What gives you the right to invade my house? You may be an officer, but you’re not an officer here?”

“I am an official. I can…”

“Not in my house, you can’t. I’ve a good mind to teach you not to molest a man in his own home. I could kill you now, and all my servants would swear that you attacked me and…”

At the sound of Baldwin clearing his throat from behind, he underwent a sudden transformation. His anger disappeared to be replaced by a kind of cunning sharpness before he risked a quick glance over his shoulder and found Baldwin and Edgar to be close behind him. He slowly turned back to Simon, who did not move or respond, but merely sat and stared up at him with an expression of faint disbelief. When it became apparent that the man was still wondering what he could say, Simon softly spoke. “You just threatened an officer in the presence of two other men of high honour. You will sit and be silent. We shall deal with you later.”

At first it looked like he was going to attempt an attack on Simon. His eyes bulged with his emotion, and his hands clenched, but then the fire died. His shoulders dropping, he looked as though he recognised defeat. Turning away, he stumbled to a bench and sat, his face in his hands.

Looking up at Baldwin, Simon saw that his eyes were on the fire. However, Edgar was aware that the man could be a problem, and when the bailiff gave a quick nod, the servant walked round to take up a position behind the merchant.

On Simon’s cloak there was a twig caught among the threads. Reaching down, he lifted the heavy cloth and studied it. Pulling at the stick, he murmured softly, “It must have been hard, having to be suspicious of your own son. I don’t suppose you really wanted your partner killed so that your son could take over his position. It sets a rather unpleasant precedent to have partnerships dissolved by death. I must admit, though, I don’t understand why he wanted to kill old Agatha Kyteler.” He plucked the twig free and gazed at it ruminatively for a moment before tossing it into the fire.