Michael JECKS - The Templar's Penance

It was not an easy job, managing a castle the size of Tomar, and for João, it was doubly onerous. In the past he had been with the Order of Sao Thiago, and moving to a new Order was not what he had wished for, not at that time of his life. If he could, he would have taken a post with a peaceful Order, perhaps the Cistercians, and spent the rest of his life in quiet contemplation. But the man who wishes to serve God must follow where He commands, and in any case, like so many pious men who had positions of importance in other convents, there were good reasons for coming to the Templar sites and restoring them in the public eye. João had felt the keen urge to come here and do all he could for Tomar.

The Englishman was a driven soul, he thought again. He had seen that in the fellow’s eyes the day before. Now, if anything, he looked more torn than before. He had the appearance of a man who had come to a decision, but who disliked the result. He was not going to like the responses he would get today either, João thought to himself.

‘Sir Baldwin. I am pleased to see you again.’

‘I thank you,’ Baldwin said as João motioned to the novice who had led Baldwin inside. The boy brought in a tray of wine, which he set between the two men. He poured a little into two goblets, then quietly withdrew.

Baldwin sipped at the wine. ‘I am here, as you asked, to hear your answer.’

‘My answer – yes. I did not feel it was an answer I should give,’ João said, toying with the stem of his goblet. ‘If the man whom you sought was guilty, that guilt was for him and for God. If he wished, he could speak to you, but I saw no justification in forcing him to do so.’

‘So I have wasted my journey,’ Baldwin said.

‘You are a hasty man,’ João said, and there was a flash of steel in his voice. ‘Please hear me out. As I said, it was not a decision I could take. However, I do not wish to have even the most pious woman-murderer here in my castle. Piety is important in a knight, but a knight who can rape and kill a Christian woman is not worthy of his robes. So I went to speak to him last night.’

‘He is here, then?’

‘Yes, he is here. And he will speak with you. He has agreed.’

‘I am most grateful.’

‘I shall be with you while you talk,’ João said as he clapped his hands. In a moment or two, a novice had entered, listened quietly to João’s instruction, and scurried off to fetch Ramón. While they waited, the two men sat without talking.

Baldwin was hard put to control his impatience. No matter what he had decided that morning, he knew that he must still try to find Afonso and learn what had made him stab Matthew. Although if Afonso admitted to the crime, what then could Baldwin do? Kill Afonso in his turn? That was ridiculous. It would be perpetuating the endless round of revenge.

Over the table, João studied him with interest. He knew that Baldwin was struggling with a bitter internal argument, for he had seen the signs before. A man who is in charge of a convent soon begins to spot those who have need of most support. Every man, João thought, would come to God in his own time. He thought Baldwin was probably coming to find God in his own way. For his part, João was content to remain silently watching Baldwin. There was nothing he could do to help. Baldwin was no doubt being spoken to by God.

There came the sound of boots tramping steadily along the corridor, then coming to a halt outside João’s door. A knuckle rapped on the door, and João called out permission to enter.

Ramón walked inside with the truculent demeanour of a man expecting to be accused. He glared at Baldwin as soon as he entered the room. ‘ Claveiro , you wanted me?’

‘You know why, Frey Ramón,’ João said mildly. ‘This is not a court, and you are not accused. This good knight would like to speak to you, though.’

Baldwin had stood when Ramón walked in, and he remained on his feet. ‘To see you is to be more certain that you are innocent,’ he began placatingly.

‘After my woman was murdered, I chose to leave Compostela,’ Ramón stated harshly. ‘Why should you seek to follow me?’

Baldwin was unsure how to conduct this inquest. Eyeing Ramón, he tended to think that a direct approach would be most effective. ‘There are some who say you yourself killed her.’

‘Me? I loved her!’

‘Yet she was carrying a large amount of money when she went to the meeting at the ford. We know that you were there with her, for you were seen by Don Ruy.’

‘Yes, of course I saw her there. She had asked me to go and meet her.’

‘What, in order to guard her? While she negotiated with the blackmailer?’

‘No. She made no mention of any such thing,’ Ramón said with apparent surprise. ‘All she wanted was to ask me if I would protect her if she left her mistress. Obviously, I said I would. We were betrothed, and I hoped to marry her this year.’

Baldwin felt sure that the man was concealing something. Before Ramón could move on to a fresh topic, Baldwin said, ‘What then?’

‘That was all. I returned to the town, and shortly afterwards her body was brought back.’

‘That is not all, is it? You were walking with her for some while. What else did you talk about?’

‘Nothing. We spoke a little, and separated. That was all.’

‘What did you speak about?’

‘That is none of your business!’

‘I am trying to convince myself that you are an innocent man, Brother! Can you not tell me what passed between you?’

‘What does it matter?’ he spat.

‘It matters because another could be arrested and hanged for the murder if you don’t help us to resolve things,’ Baldwin snapped. ‘Do you want an innocent man to be blamed, just because of your high-minded desire to protect someone?’ This last was a guess, but Baldwin was sure that Ramón must have a good reason for keeping silent on the matter.

Ramón shot a look at João, then looked down at the floor. He hated the idea of telling the truth, but he hated still more the idea of lying, especially if that might lead to an innocent man being accused. He had no idea that Baldwin’s ‘innocent’ was already dead. ‘I don’t know that I should tell you … it reflects upon my lady’s virtue.’

‘Tell me, please,’ Baldwin urged.

Ramón glanced once more at João, who remained impassive, but then lifted an eyebrow. Ramón knew what that meant. A Knight of Christ was supposed to tell the truth to the glory of God. That reflection stabbed at him coldly like a shard of ice, and he shivered, but at last told his story.

‘I was surprised when she asked me to see her there at the ford, because she and her mistress had already told me that Doña Stefanía must go out to a meeting and that was why I couldn’t see Joana until later. Then she whispered to me to find a means of getting to this place. When I arrived, she was there. She had a bag with her, and she told me that she had taken it from her lady. Doña Stefanía was a dragon and a thief, she said. She had served her loyally, she said, but enough was enough.

‘During the journey to Compostela, the Doña had slept with men, she said. A woman with loose morals was no mistress for her. So Joana had invented a blackmailer, a man who knew of the Doña’s affairs, and who demanded money. Joana asked me, would I run away with her? We could keep the money, she said, and she showed me her bag.

‘There was more gold in there than I had seen before in my life. Thirty to thirty-five libras . She had taken it from her lady.’ Baldwin interjected, ‘How so, when the lady herself was going to bring this money to the blackmailer?’

‘She hid her lady’s horse. There was a cousin of Joana’s travelling with her and her lady, a man called Domingo. He was there to protect them. Joana told him to take her lady’s horse and move it so that the Doña wouldn’t be able to leave immediately, and then Joana played on her lady’s fears, pointing out that it would be easy for a man who was so dishonourable to capture her and take her hostage. Doña Stefanía,’ he added drily, ‘was easy to convince that she would be safer left in the town.’