Ken Follett - World Without End

Henri took the service, but Philemon preached the sermon. He thanked God for answering the prayers of Kingsbridge monks and sparing the town from the worst effects of the plague. He did not mention that the monks had fled to St-John-in-the-Forest and left the townspeople to fend for themselves; nor that Caris and Merthin had helped God to answer the monks’ prayers by closing the town gates for six months. He made it sound as if he had saved Kingsbridge.

“I makes my blood boil,” Merthin said to Caris, not troubling to keep his voice down. “He’s completely twisting the facts!”

“Relax,” she said. “God knows the truth, and so do the people. Philemon isn’t fooling anyone.”

She was right, of course. After a battle, the soldiers on the winning side always thanked God, but all the same they knew the difference between good generals and bad.

After the service, Merthin as alderman was invited to dine at the prior’s palace with the archbishop. He was seated next to Canon Claude. As soon as grace had been said, a general hubbub of conversation broke out, and Merthin spoke to Claude in a low, urgent voice. “Does the archbishop know yet who the king has chosen as bishop?”

Claude replied with an almost imperceptible nod.

“Is it you?”

Claude’s head shake was equally minimal.

“Philemon, then?”

Again the tiny nod.

Merthin’s heart sank. How could the king pick a fool and coward such as Philemon in preference to someone as competent and sensible as Claude? But he knew the answer: Philemon had played his cards well. “Has Gregory instructed the monks yet?”

“No.” Claude leaned closer. “He will probably tell Philemon informally tonight after supper, then speak to the monks in chapter tomorrow morning.”

“So we’ve got until the end of the day.”

“For what?”

“To change his mind.”

“You won’t do that.”

“I’m going to try.”

“You’ll never succeed.”

“Bear in mind that I’m desperate.”

Merthin toyed with his food, eating little and fighting to keep his patience, until the archbishop rose from the table; then he spoke to Gregory. “If you would walk with me in the cathedral, I would speak to you about something I feel sure will interest you deeply,” he said, and Gregory nodded assent.

They paced side by side up the nave, where Merthin could be sure no one was lurking close enough to hear. He took a deep breath. What he was about to do was dangerous. He was going to try to bend the king to his will. If he failed he could be charged with treason – and executed.

He said: “There have long been rumours that a document exists, somewhere in Kingsbridge, that the king would dearly love to destroy.”

Gregory was stone-faced, but he said: “Go on.” That was as good as confirmation.

“This letter was in the possession of a knight who has recently died.”

“Has he!” said Gregory, startled.

“You obviously know exactly what I’m talking about.”

Gregory answered like a lawyer. “Let us say, for the sake of argument, that I do.”

“I would like to do the king the service of restoring that document to him – whatever it may be.” He knew perfectly well what it was, but he could adopt a cautious pretence of ignorance as well as Gregory.

“The king would be grateful,” said Gregory.

“How grateful?”

“What did you have in mind?”

“A bishop more in sympathy with the people of Kingsbridge than Philemon.”

Gregory looked hard at him. “Are you trying to blackmail the king of England?”

Merthin knew this was the point of danger. “We Kingsbridge folk are merchants and craftsmen,” he said, trying to sound reasonable. “We buy, we sell, we make deals. I’m just trying to make a bargain with you. I want to sell you something, and I’ve told you my price. There’s no blackmail, no coercion. I make no threats. If you don’t want what I’m selling, that will be the end of the matter.”

They reached the altar. Gregory stared at the crucifix that surmounted it. Merthin knew exactly what he was thinking. Should he have Merthin arrested, taken to London, and tortured until he revealed the whereabouts of the document? Or would it be simpler and more convenient to the king just to nominate a different man as bishop of Kingsbridge?

There was a long silence. The cathedral was cold, and Merthin pulled his cloak closer around him. At last Gregory said: “Where is the document?”

“Close by. I’ll take you there.”

“Very well.”

“And our bargain?”

“If the document is what you believe it to be, I will honour my side of the arrangement.”

“And make Canon Claude bishop?”

“Yes.”

“Thank you,” said Merthin. “We’ll need to walk a little way into the woods.”

They went side by side down the main street and across the bridge, their breath making clouds in the air. A wintry sun shone with little warmth as they walked into the forest. Merthin found the way easily this time, having followed the same route only a few weeks earlier. He recognized the little spring, the big rock and the boggy valley. They came quickly to the clearing with the broad oak tree, and he went straight to the spot where he had dug up the scroll.

He was dismayed to see that someone else had got here first.

He had carefully smoothed the loose earth and covered it with leaves but, despite that, someone had found the hiding place. There was a hole a foot deep, and a pile of recently excavated earth beside it. And the hole was empty.

He stared at the hole, appalled. “Oh, hell,” he said.

Gregory said: “I hope this isn’t some kind of charade-”

“Let me think,” Merthin snapped.

Gregory shut up.

“Only two people knew about this,” Merthin said, thinking aloud. “I haven’t told anyone, so Thomas must have. He was getting senile before he died. I think he spilled the beans.”

“But to whom?”

“Thomas spent the last few months of his life at St-John-in-the-Forest, and the monks were keeping everyone else out, so it must have been a monk.”

“How many are there?”

“Twenty or so. But not many would know enough about the background to understand the significance of an old man’s mumblings about a buried letter.”

“That’s all very well, but where is it now?”

“I think I know,” said Merthin. “Give me one more chance.”

“Very well.”

They walked back to the town. As they crossed the bridge, the sun was setting over Leper Island. They went into the darkening cathedral, walked to the south-west tower, and climbed the narrow spiral staircase to the little room where the costumes for the mystery play were kept.

Merthin had not been here for eleven years, but dusty storerooms did not change much, especially in cathedrals, and this was the same. He found the loose stone in the wall and pulled it out.

All Philemon’s treasures were behind the stone, including the love note carved in wood. And there, among them, was a bag made of oiled wool. Merthin opened the bag and drew from it a vellum scroll.

“I thought so,” he said. “Philemon got the secret out of Thomas when Thomas was losing his mind.” No doubt Philemon was keeping the letter to be used as a bargaining counter if the decision on the bishopric went the wrong way – but now Merthin could use it instead.

He handed the scroll to Gregory.

Gregory unrolled it. A look of awe came over his face as he read. “Dear God,” he said. “Those rumours were true.” He rolled it up again. He had the look of a man who has found something he has been seeking for many years.

“Is it what you expected?” Merthin said.

“Oh, yes.”

“And the king will be grateful?”