The Medieval Murderers - House of Shadows

When Perce returned and Baldwin and Simon were holding large mugs of ale, he continued.

‘I wished to see her to try to persuade her again that she should announce her marriage to me. I didn’t want her going back to her father, or that snake of a brother of hers. Have you seen him? Timothy, he is called, but a man less like a disciple of Christ I cannot imagine. He is marked like a leper almost.

‘As was her wont, she refused me. The time was not yet right, she said. I spent too much time trying to persuade her, but she would have none of it. When I asked her about my son, she laughed at the thought that she might have had an affair with him. But there was something in her speech that worried me, I confess.’

‘Why?’

‘Because it didn’t sound natural. I am an older man, Sir Baldwin. You are too. You know as I do that you can hear a lie in the tone of a lover’s voice. I heard it then. Oh, don’t look at me like that! I killed no one that night. I heard that note and knew then that she had been seeing my son. I was upset, I confess. But not upset enough to slaughter the only two people in the world whom I loved. That would be insane!’

‘So what did you do?’

‘I left her, with an immensely heavy heart and tears ready to spring. I couldn’t force her to lie to me any further, and I sought solace in returning here and considering to myself that I would be cruel indeed to force her to join me here when she really wanted a younger man. I was prepared to perjure myself and declare that we had never married.’

‘How did you? Your wooing must have been difficult in the extreme.’

‘I think she came to love me as a father. Perhaps she never enjoyed the company of her own? It happened that we met one day near the Rosary while I was watching the building works. She saw me and came to apologize.’

‘Apologize for what?’

‘Didn’t you hear? The Rosary was my manor. When it was taken from me, I lost all my lands.’

Baldwin was surprised. ‘The lands about the Rosary? Marshes like them must be worth little!’

‘My flocks were able to meander and pasture there, but more important was the fishing. I had traps all over the river bank, kiddles to catch salmon. My lands were worth a great deal.’

‘How did you lose them?’

‘I thought you must know all this. Ten years ago I was a companion to Piers Gaveston. I was loyal to him, even when the barons took against him and exiled him. I remained loyal, and when he returned to this country I fought for him. My reward was a series of manors from here all the way to Kent. But now Piers is dead I have no patron. And in the last few years Despenser has whittled away my possessions. The last act was to take my lands for the Rosary, along with all the rest of my lands. All I have left is this hall.’

‘Under what pretext did he take them?’

‘Oh, the easiest possible. He alleged that I was associated with the Lord Mortimer. He suggested that I had aided Mortimer in his escape from the Tower. But I swear I had nothing to do with it.’

‘Many about here appear to have been accused of aiding Mortimer to escape,’ Baldwin noted. ‘The prior too. A new man has been installed.’

‘That man Cusance. He is a companion to Despenser. They wanted a nice berth for him because he and his brother have served Despenser well. So Despenser had Walter de Luiz arrested and gave the living to his friend. It is a disgrace! To think that a politician could remove an honourable, godly man and replace him with a sham. All in the priory hate him. None trusts him.’

‘Was there anyone else who could have wanted to have you impoverished?’ Simon wanted to know. ‘Surely Despenser wouldn’t have simply picked on you for no reason. Someone must have suggested you had some part in that.’

‘I have no idea who could have suggested such a thing,’ William said. ‘An enemy like that must have been obvious. I could hardly miss the fact that someone hated me so much as to want to take away my life. Look at me! Only two years ago I was a powerful man with a good livelihood. Now I have lost all – even my wife and son.’

‘If you used to visit the marshes so regularly,’ Simon wanted to know, ‘did you ever see the figure? The ghost?’

William shivered and appeared to withdraw into his chair. ‘I saw it once, with my wife. It petrified me. But then…’

Baldwin nodded. ‘The next day you heard of the escape?’

‘Yes. It made me think that the ghost was perhaps a clever ploy to scare away watchers. A clever ruse. And I believed it. So would you, out near the river with a fine mist coming down.’

‘What did your wife think?’

‘At the time she, too, was terrified.’

‘Did you discuss it with her?’

‘Yes. In fact she was proud afterwards to have reported what she saw to her father, and through him to the city authorities. It’s probably because of her that the prior was removed.’

‘Who would have known that?’

‘I know Juliet mentioned it on our wedding day – but I don’t think she talked about it apart from then. At the time she was so filled with what that marshland meant to her, you see. She was full of excitement. Joyful, just like me.’

A tear ran slowly, unregarded, down William’s cheek. ‘First I lost Cecily, now her daughter and my son. There is nothing left for me.’

‘Master William, tell me,’ Baldwin said. ‘Sir Henry – would you doubt his personal loyalty to Despenser?’

‘No, I think that he is entirely loyal. There are many things I say to his detriment, but I wouldn’t disparage his faithfulness.’

Baldwin stood. ‘I ask that you remain here in your hall until this matter is reconsidered. Others may seek to punish you if you leave here.’

‘Any man could break into this place. There’s only me and Perce now that my son is dead.’

‘I shall leave these men with you. You will be safe.’

Baldwin turned to leave. ‘One thing: how do people reach these salmon traps – kiddles you called them?’

‘Mine were further into the water, and a boat was needed. Others, like the monks, have theirs nearer the shore. They sometimes use stilts to cross the mud.’

Baldwin commanded one of the bishop’s men to hurry to the bishop and inform him that he was not convinced that William was guilty as they had considered. He asked that a man be sent to Sir Henry, too, to ensure that Juliet’s father was aware that William was not arrested and was likely innocent.

Before they reached the water, Baldwin suddenly stopped. Simon saw him staring over the flats. ‘Are you all right, Baldwin?’

‘No, I don’t think I am. My mind has been fogged. Juliet was killed and left; Pilgrim was killed but treated with respect. If Pilgrim was not murdered by his father, then who else could have left him in such a kindly manner?’

‘As I said before – a monk?’

‘Precisely. The only trouble is: Juliet. Who could have killed Pilgrim and Juliet and treated them in so different a manner?’

‘A monk may be disinclined to touch a woman’s body, I suppose.’

Baldwin gave a swift grin. ‘Or more inclined, so I’ve heard. But this matter grows only more opaque. Why treat the two so differently?’

‘Two killers?’

‘Too coincidental. I cannot believe that.’

‘Someone else came along and prevented the killer from treating the woman in the same manner?’

Baldwin nodded. ‘I am still fascinated by Elena telling us about the figure. She must have realized we’d learn about men on stilts.’

‘Yes, which makes me infer that she knew what she was saying and she was trying to give us a hint. Now I think I understand it, too.’

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