The Medieval Murderers - Hill of Bones

Malinferno was getting more confused by the hour. The sun had risen over Solsbury Hill, and the camp was stirring. Even the hardiest sybarites had risen from their bucolic beds. And no doubt with thoughts of more comfortable conditions at home, were preparing to leave the encampment. Living alfresco had been an alluring proposition for the duchess’s guests. The reality was proving less attractive. If Malinferno didn’t resolve the murder of Guido Sacchi soon, all his suspects would be dispersed across most of the estates of the West Country, rendering his task hopeless. And there still remained the problem of disposing of the body in such a way that the Queen would not be implicated by association.

Houghton was proving useless to his investigations, and he curtly bade him good day. What mattered now was finding Doll, and the possible murderer, Daniel Orford.

Malinferno hurried hither and thither, amongst collapsing tents, as Orford’s men did the agent’s bidding. Passing one flapping structure, he sensed rather than saw something flying down towards him. He leaped to one side over a small mound on the edge of the embankment, and fell face down, momentarily dazed. He felt a hot breath on his cheek, and opening his eyes found himself staring into the dull and rather sad brown eyes of the dancing bear. Scrambling away from the tethered creature over which he had tripped, he almost fell again over a large, wooden tent pole. It was this that had crashed down just where he had been standing a moment earlier. A roughly dressed labourer emerged from the folds of the tent, his old-fashioned wig askew and his face red. He muttered an unconvincing apology, and retrieved the pole that had very nearly done for Malinferno. He, for his part, wondered if what had just happened had been other than an unfortunate accident. Was the labourer a cohort of Orford, tasked with doing his bidding, and getting rid of Malinferno? Or at least scaring him off his hunt? If so, what he was proposing to do with Doll right now?

Malinferno quickened his pace, and moved away from where other tents were being lowered, and towards the south-west corner of Solsbury Hill. He had recalled the duchess saying that Orford was an amateur antiquarian of some skill. Perhaps he had drawn Doll to where Malinferno knew, from Hawkins’ map in his pocket, the ground was peppered with treasure. His own excavation had been behind the duchess’s tent, but there were other crosses marked on the map on this part of the hill. With the oak grove to his right hand, he began to scour the flat top of the hill. But he still had no luck. So he pulled the old map from his pocket, and examined it again. There were a couple of crosses marked on the down-slope of the embankment. He ran to the edge and peered down. Just below the ridge, he saw two figures, one a woman in a cloak mighty like Doll’s. She was peering at a hole in the ground. The man was tall, and standing behind the woman. He was lifting a spade over his head. Malinferno called out as loud as he could, and scampered down the bank.

‘Orford! What are you doing?’

As he tumbled down the slope towards them, Daniel Orford and Doll Pocket looked at him bemused. Malinferno managed to stop his descent by bumping into Doll, and clutching her arm.

‘I saw… he was…’

Catching his breath, he realised that Orford had the spade slung casually over one shoulder now. Had it been like that before? He simply wasn’t sure. He took a deep breath, and forced a smile on to his face.

‘What are you doing down here, Doll?’

Doll’s eyes sparkled in that special way that told Malinferno that she had learned some new facts.

‘Daniel was showing me where he has been excavating the remains of an ancient battle. One that may have involved King Arthur.’

Orford exercised a word of caution. ‘There is no proof that the Battle of Mount Badon was fought here, or that Arthur was more than a mere legend…’

Doll nudged Malinferno, silently reminding him of the time they had held the bones of King Arthur in their hands.

‘We know a bit about old Arthur. Don’t we Joe?’

Malinferno quietened her with a glare. The bones – if they had been Arthur’s at all – were safely hidden away, and were causing no more trouble.

‘Miss Pocket exaggerates, Mr Orford. My speciality…’ Doll nudged him again. ‘… our speciality is ancient Egypt. A far cry from old England. But tell me, what have you found here?’

He peered into the hole in the ground, being sure to keep Orford and his spade visible in the corner of his eye. He did not want another ‘accident’ like the tent pole to occur.

‘A few things of curiosity. The frame of what might have been a mirror, and some hobnails.’

‘Hobnails?’

Malinferno wondered why old nails, which he had also found in his trench, should be of the slightest interest. Orford smiled, warming to his task.

‘Yes, hobnails. You see, the leather would have rotted away by now, but the nails used would have remained. It would indicate that Britons, influenced in their style of footwear by Romans, were indeed on this site.’

‘What about signs of battle? Broken bones and swords?’ Doll was all eagerness again with her enquiries.

In return, Malinferno thought Orford gave her a shifty look.

‘Ah, yes, well, perhaps elsewhere…’

‘And treasure? Have you come across any treasure?’

This was Malinferno’s question, and one that drew a sneer from Orford.

‘I am not interested in treasure hunting. Now, if you will excuse me, I have work to do.’

He nodded curtly at Malinferno, then bowed more deeply towards Doll, who returned his courtesy. They watched him stride off up the hill, his spade still over his shoulder. Malinferno looked at Doll.

‘I thought he was going to murder you and tip you in the hole, Doll.’

‘Why would he do that? He has been the perfect gentleman.’

Malinferno did not like the way she emphasised the first word of her final sentence. Was he not a gentleman in his behaviour towards her? He pouted, and began to walk back up the hill too.

Doll laughed, and poked him in the ribs. ‘Did you manage to shift the crate?’

He shook his head, and sighed. ‘No, I got interrupted. By Powell, amongst others.’

She took his arm and pressed her body against his. ‘So, what have you found out while I was entertaining the good agent?’

Malinferno, always quick to recover from a sulk when his opinion was being sought by Doll, gave her a quick résumé of what he had learned. How Sir Ralph might have resented Sacchi’s request for money, but that the Member for Plympton Erle was now an intimate with Mrs Vaughan. If he had wished to kill Sacchi, it would have been in the open like a gentleman. He also summed up his encounter with Powell, the government spy.

‘He spoke of keeping an eye on both Sacchi and Houghton. But here is the curious thing. He was keen to implicate Orford, telling me that he saw him going into the duchess’s tent in the night. And he was at pains to say Sacchi was nowhere to be seen at the time. Yet Houghton, who I also spoke to, said he saw Powell talking to Sacchi. So we come back to his notebook and his statement that he must deal with Sacchi.’ He looked at Doll. ‘Do you think the murderer is Powell, after all?’

She pulled a face. ‘You thought it was Orford not so long ago. Now do you suspect Powell?’

‘I don’t know. The whole thing is so messy, with everyone claiming to have seen the other entering the tent. How are we going to sort this out, Doll?’

Doll shrugged.

‘I don’t now, Joe. But we better do it soon, because Orford just pulled a cart up next to the duchess’s tent.’

Malinferno yelped, and turned to look where Doll’s gaze was aimed. A cart had indeed been positioned close to the opening of the tent where the queen had spent the night. They ran across the encampment, and into the tent, Malinferno in the lead.