The Medieval Murderers - King Arthur's Bones

‘My husband is not here,’ she began. ‘He-’

But Boleton put his finger to his lips, and she saw that his face was pale and filmed with sweat. ‘Do not give me away,’ he whispered. ‘Please! He is hunting for me.’

She regarded him in confusion. ‘Who is?’

‘Cole. He has accused me of being the forest thieves’ leader.’

Gwenllian felt her jaw drop. ‘Why would he do that?’

‘Because the real leader is him . But he knows the game is up, and intends to evade justice by having me blamed in his place. And I thought we were friends!’

Gwenllian’s thoughts whirled. ‘But he-’

‘Just think about it,’ urged Boleton desperately. ‘Who, as constable, is well placed to round up outlaws and make a bargain with them – they burgle Carmarthen homes and he looks the other way for a share of the proceeds? Who else could force malleable locals, like John and Gilbert, to join his vile game – to say which houses to rob and when? But they have been arrested, so he is covering his tracks by saying I am the one who organized the whole affair.’

‘But John and Gilbert are dead. One from being stabbed and the other from a fall. And Iefan said the forest folk do not know the name of the man who recruited them. Symon has no need-’

‘Dead?’ echoed Boleton. His face was ashen. ‘Was Cole nearby when they met their ends?’

‘Yes.’ She was unable to control the tremble in her voice.

‘Then he has eliminated the only witnesses to my innocence,’ breathed Boleton.

‘I do not understand,’ she said, backing away. She was beginning to be frightened.

‘Surely you must have worked it out by now? Why do you think I have not shared details of my investigation with him? Why do you think I have tried to keep him away from Gilbert – an important witness? Why do you think John was so terrified when he was summoned at the crack of dawn yesterday? And why do you think I insisted on coming with you while you asked questions about Daniel’s murder?’

Gwenllian felt sick. ‘Are you saying Symon killed Daniel with the priory’s cross?’

Boleton nodded. ‘He is a dangerous man and must be stopped. Will you help? He is a better swordsman than me, and I cannot best him alone. You must distract him while I-’

He broke off when there was a clatter of footsteps. He drew his sword and stepped behind the door just as Cole burst in, breathless and gasping.

‘We caught them! They were on a ship, ready to sail for Ireland. They confessed everything – how they were lovers and Hywel blackmailed them. How they poisoned him and were discussing how to dispose of the body when my soldiers arrived – they did not realize the rumpus was for someone else’s crime, so they tried to escape. I doubt they will hang, because they can claim benefit of-’

‘Symon! Watch out!’ Gwenllian screamed.

Only Cole’s instinctive duck saved him from decapitation. Boleton’s blade smashed into a table, which flew into pieces. Cole’s sword was in his hand even before he had recovered his balance, ready to do battle.

‘Why did you warn him?’ cried Boleton, ripping his weapon from the shattered wood. ‘Did you not hear a word I said?’

‘He is not this criminal mastermind,’ shouted Gwenllian, tears spurting. ‘ You are.’

For a moment no one moved. Then Boleton backed away from Cole, sword held defensively.

‘You are making a terrible mistake, My Lady.’ He was pale and his voice shook. ‘He has just killed the two men who can testify to his identity – you told me that yourself.’

‘Gilbert is not dead,’ said Cole, looking from one to the other in confusion. ‘He is knocked out of his wits. Perhaps I should have pulled him further through the window, but I saw John-’

‘And you knifed him,’ finished Boleton. He appealed to Gwenllian. ‘Help me make an end of this evil-’

‘John knifed himself,’ said Cole, his face a mask of bewilderment. ‘His weapon is still embedded in his stomach, if you care to look. But my dagger is here, at my side.’

‘Mistress, please,’ begged Boleton. ‘You were beginning to be convinced by my reasoning-’

‘Actually I was encouraging you to talk, to give Symon time to rescue me,’ said Gwenllian coldly. ‘He is not the leader of these thieves, and you will never make me believe otherwise. So put up your sword, and let us be done with this nonsense before someone is hurt.’

Cole regarded his friend in shock. ‘You told her I committed these burglaries?’

‘Yes, he did,’ said Gwenllian, going to stand next to him. ‘But there are many reasons why that cannot be true.’

‘Then name them,’ challenged Boleton, gripping his sword in both hands.

She might have said Symon did not possess the wits for such sly subterfuge, but she refused to denigrate him to his treacherous friend. She began to outline what she had deduced instead.

‘First, you accuse him of being in a position to forge an alliance with outlaws, but the same applies to you – more so, because you are the knight in charge of solving crime and you often meet villains. Second, he can barely persuade John to raise his pen, let alone join a criminal fraternity. Third, you did not dog our footsteps yesterday to prevent him from destroying evidence, but to protect yourself. Fourth, look at your fine new clothes. I do not believe your tale about a recent inheritance.’

‘That did seem odd, brother,’ said Cole quietly. ‘We have been friends for years, and you never mentioned this dowager aunt before.’

‘Then there is your relationship with Gilbert,’ Gwenllian went on. ‘You stopped Symon from arresting him yesterday, and you were in his company during Lord Rhys’s raid – like Daniel, you stole at a time when it would be blamed on the invaders. Gilbert said he had things to do that night and seemed frightened – you were using him to make the most of the chaos.’

‘You draw ridiculous conclusions,’ shouted Boleton angrily. ‘It is not-’

‘Afterwards, when theft became too dangerous, you fled to the forest,’ Gwenllian cut across him. ‘You spun a wild tale about single-handedly fending off forest-dwelling robbers, which I did not believe. But I should have done, because that part was true – and later you decided to put your new acquaintances to good use.’

‘This is arrant rubbish,’ objected Boleton hotly. ‘I am not a-’

‘Gilbert betrayed you before he fell,’ Gwenllian forged on. ‘I saw the distress on Symon’s face when the name of the leader was whispered, although I could also tell he had already guessed it – it was confirmation of what he feared. Meanwhile, Gilbert misunderstood his reason for asking – he thought he was being tested, to see whether he would inform on the constable’s closest friend.’

Cole regarded him unhappily. ‘I had already guessed, brother. You see, you doubled back to ambush me when I chased you towards the river, and I recognized the manoeuvre – we used it together many times in France.’

‘And then there was poor John,’ Gwenllian went on. ‘You recruited him to your nasty cabal, knowing he did not have the strength of character to resist. Was he really so useful?’

‘He was about to expose Daniel as a villain.’ Boleton rounded on Cole. ‘Your so-called friend, who was stealing from the castle. Another few days with the accounts, and John would have had all the evidence he needed.’

‘You always were jealous of Daniel’s relationship with Symon,’ said Gwenllian in distaste. ‘You must have been delighted to learn he was dishonest. No wonder you did not want John to take holy orders – who else would trawl through old records on your behalf? But you drove him to suicide.’