Simon Beaufort - Deadly Inheritance

Agnes’ red lips parted in a sensual smile, and she took Giffard’s hand. ‘Geoffrey is deluded! I did give you wine, but it was to soothe your ragged spirits. You seemed so sad.’

‘That is right,’ declared Walter. ‘Only a fool would not notice salt in his wine.’ He gave Giffard a patently false smile. ‘And you are not a fool.’

‘He is not,’ agreed Geoffrey. ‘But he still does not know a good brew from a poor one. You were also ready to kill him later, in the confusion of the fire. I heard you. You saw me listening and promptly changed the subject.’

Agnes opened her mouth to protest her innocence again, but Walter was less skilled at dissembling. He sighed with impatient resignation, as if he had been caught cheating at dice rather than in a plot to kill his uncle.

‘Well, we did not know what else to do. He will not let us do what we want, and he ruins our plans by interfering all the time.’

Giffard was aghast. ‘You would kill me, when all I want is for you to live good, honest lives?’

Even Agnes saw that there was no point in denials now. ‘You are tedious, Giffard, and your brother was the same. I do not want a “good, honest” life. I want to enjoy riches, power and lovers. Why will you not leave us alone to live as we see fit, not as you want us to be?’

Giffard’s face was ashen. ‘Then you may consider yourselves free of me, if that is what you want. I wash my hands of you.’

Walter was unashamedly delighted. ‘We shall leave today,’ he declared. ‘Isabel and fitzNorman had the right idea: I do not want to stay here to be slaughtered, either.’

Roger had been listening to the discussion with open disgust. Suddenly, he stepped forward and grabbed Walter by the tunic, speaking in a low hiss that even Geoffrey found intimidating.

‘The King does not like people murdering his bishops, so you had better hope Giffard lives a long and happy life, boy. If he dies a day before he reaches his three-score years-and-ten, I shall tell King Henry you are responsible for his death.’

‘But it might not be true,’ said Agnes, alarmed. ‘All powerful men have enemies.’

‘Then you must join ranks against them,’ said Roger coolly. ‘The day Giffard dies is the day I tell the King you are responsible.’

Geoffrey agreed with Agnes that Roger’s threat was unfair, but he did not care. If it prevented them from striking at Giffard in the future, that was fine with him.

‘And what about the Duchess?’ asked Giffard in a whisper. His face was grey with shock as the enormity of the betrayal struck home. ‘Did you harm her?’

‘They tried,’ said Geoffrey, when Agnes opened her mouth to lie. ‘And Walter provided the means. But they did not succeed, because they cannot read Italian.’

‘What do you mean?’ demanded Agnes, too startled to deny the charge. She glanced at her son, who seemed equally bemused. ‘What does Italian have to do with it? Besides, Walter does read Italian.’

‘He knows some phrases, but he does not understand the language – no matter what he tells you.’

‘Lies!’ shouted Walter. He took a deep breath. ‘All cats love beautiful women when the moon is green.’ He reverted to Norman-French. ‘See? I speak it like a native.’

‘Then tell me what I am saying now,’ said Geoffrey, also in Italian. ‘And prove it.’

‘He is talking gibberish,’ said Walter, appealing to Giffard. ‘He is trying to make me look stupid when I am not. I speak Italian. He is just blathering with nonsense words.’

‘Actually, he is not,’ said Giffard. ‘I know Italian myself – I learnt with the Pope in Rome. Geoffrey made sense; you did not. I warned you against lying before, Walter: not only will it stain your soul, but now you have been caught out.’

‘I found this among your possessions,’ said Geoffrey, showing the box of mandrake to the seething boy and his mother. Both looked shocked. ‘Unlike most people on the night of the fire, you had time to gather your belongings, because you knew what was about to happen. It was a mistake: you should have left this to burn, so it would not be here to accuse you.’

‘It is dried mandrake fruit,’ said Agnes with a light, false laugh. ‘What is your point? Many people own them, and in Italy they are considered a rare treat.’

‘Eat one, then,’ suggested Geoffrey, offering her the box.

She stepped away from it. ‘I do not like the taste.’

‘Walter?’ said Geoffrey. Walter regarded him with sullen loathing, but made no move to take one.

‘I will,’ offered Giffard, reaching out to the box. ‘I am partial to these, but they are rarely seen in England.’ He swallowed it and took another.

‘Have them all,’ suggested Agnes eagerly. ‘They are the finest money can buy.’

‘Here,’ said Roger, looking from Giffard to Geoffrey in concern. ‘Should you be doing that? Mandrake is poisonous – even I know that.’

‘Yes, it is,’ agreed Geoffrey. ‘But not all the plant is toxic. There are times when mandrake fruit, which look like yellow plums, can be harvested and eaten with no ill effects – as you would know, had you read the label on this box, and as Giffard is aware. But Agnes did not know: she told me that all parts are poisonous. She was wrong.’

‘You gave Sibylla these, thinking to poison her?’ asked Giffard, incredu-lously. ‘Silly woman! Surely you know they are harmless when they are ripe? And even when they are unripe, they are not as toxic as the root. You cannot kill anyone with these!’

‘Margaret and Eleanor both saw Agnes give the Duchess yellow fruit,’ said Geoffrey. ‘Sibylla ate one, but did not like it. She gave the rest to her courtiers, who ate them with no ill effects. Agnes and Walter fully expected Sibylla to die from their gift, but that was not what killed her.’

‘Are you sure?’ asked Roger uneasily.

Geoffrey nodded. ‘Mandrake poisoning is characterized by gripping pains in the gut and purging. I have spoken to people who saw the Duchess in the final stages of her illness, and they mentioned no such symptoms: she slipped away peacefully. Agnes and Walter wanted to murder the Duchess, and even executed their plan to kill her, but they did not succeed.’

Agnes shot Walter an accusing glare. ‘ You told me-’ she began, before realizing she should hold her tongue.

‘He told you mandrake is poisonous,’ finished Geoffrey. He held up the phial Durand had seen fall from Walter’s bag after the fire. ‘And he had this, which contained juice of mandrake root. Mandrake root is very toxic. However, he grabbed an empty pot from somewhere, and it was never full when you were with the Duchess.’

‘You told me you tested mandrake and it worked,’ Agnes snapped imprudently.

‘I saw it work in Italy,’ said Walter defensively. ‘I stole the pot later, so I would remember its name.’

Agnes sighed angrily, before shooting Geoffrey a triumphant smirk. ‘So, you have learnt the truth, but it means nothing. Our fruit did not harm Sibylla – as you have just proved – so we have committed no crime. We are innocent.’

‘And Sibylla is still dead,’ said Walter, contemptuous of Geoffrey’s conclusions and their implications. ‘And my mother will be duchess in her place.’

‘She can try,’ said Geoffrey. ‘But the rumours that she is a killer – regardless of whether they are true – mean that will never happen. Despite his infidelity, the Duke loved his wife.’

‘He did,’ agreed Giffard. ‘So do not be surprised if he declines your offer of marriage, Agnes.’

‘Come, Mother,’ said Walter loftily. ‘We do not have to listen to this. We are leaving.’