‘I know. The Lord told me. I did not kill him.’
‘I am told that your sect does not kill.’
‘That is largely true,’ Arnulf said cagily. ‘Although any man will kill to save his own life.’
‘Such a killing is not regarded as murder under the laws of this land.’ Josse was thinking of de Gifford. ‘When it is a question of kill or be killed, those with authority over us are reasonable.’
Arnulf ’s brown eyes regarded Josse steadily. ‘I do not know who killed your priest, Sir Josse. And that is the truth.’
‘I believe you,’ Josse assured him. ‘But that is not why I am here. I have come to help you.’
Arnulf ’s intense scrutiny continued for a moment or so. Then, with a sigh, he said, ‘I accept your help, Sir Josse. In truth, we have need of the assistance of good folk.’ He turned and gave a brief smile to the Lord. ‘Were it not for my Lord here, Alexius, Guiscard, Benedetto and I would probably have perished and Aurelia certainly would be in her grave. One of his sons came across us, sheltering in a ditch down below the hilltop. Aurelia was delirious and we were trying unsuccessfully to soothe her. The Lord himself came to fetch us and has protected our secret ever since.’
Josse nodded. ‘Aye, and do not think, Arnulf, that he revealed your presence here to me. I-’ He stopped. To claim to have worked it out for himself would sound immodest. ‘Well, he didn’t,’ he concluded abruptly.
Arnulf gave his quick smile again. ‘I was told that you are a man who keeps his eyes and ears open,’ he said. ‘When you were here before, you heard Aurelia crying out in her fever and her pain, and her husband trying to quiet her.’
‘I thought that you did not believe in marriage?’
Arnulf looked at him with interest. ‘You know about us?’
‘A little. If indeed you are Cathars’ — Arnulf nodded an affirmation — ‘then I am told that you are here on earth under sufferance, that you long to die and be reunited with your spirits, that you do not marry and that you abstain from — er, from things of the flesh.’
Now Arnulf’s smile was a positive beam. ‘In essence you have it,’ he said. ‘Although perhaps the bare bones that you present could do with a little fleshing out. As to marriage, Aurelia and Guiscard were husband and wife before they joined us. And, although it is indeed our main ambition to reunite with spirit, yet we are sufficiently human to retain emotions such as love and dependence.’ His eyes sober, he added simply, ‘Guiscard was not ready to lose his beloved wife. We therefore have done what we can to prolong her life a little.’
‘Are you all here, all four men?’ Josse asked.
‘Yes. Benedetto I believe you know of.’
‘Aye, I know that he brought Aurelia to Hawkenlye and then disappeared. She is doing well, by the way.’
Arnulf smiled. ‘I know. But thank you for telling me.’
Putting aside the interesting question of how he knew, Josse pressed on. ‘You and Alexius were in prison and rescued by Benedetto, yes?’
‘Yes.’
Lowering his voice, Josse asked, ‘Was it he who killed the prison guard?’
‘It was.’ Arnulf sighed. ‘It was such a case as we spoke of earlier. Alexius and I were to go to the stake. The Black Man — he who you call Father Micah — had ordained that I was too much of a threat to be allowed to live for, as he quite rightly judged, I had no intention of ceasing my evangelist mission.’ He stared earnestly at Josse. ‘Now I was quite happy to meet my death. But Alexius is still a youth and has not yet received the Consolamentum — you know what that is?’ Josse nodded. ‘I did not want him to die young and unprepared. Benedetto came for us and the guard tried to fight him. Benedetto does not know his own strength; he is a simple-minded man. He does not really understand our faith — any faith, I would say — but he is devoted to our group. We are, I believe, the closest to a family that he has ever known; his is a tragically sad story. He was a large, ungainly and slow-witted child, unloved by his harassed mother, tormented mercilessly by other children. On reaching adulthood he was employed by a man who used him like an animal. The one woman he ever encountered whom he hoped might return his feelings for her betrayed him. Then he met us.’ Arnulf paused, an expression of great sorrow on his broad face. ‘He would defend any of us with his life. He meant only to subdue that gaoler, but he squeezed too hard. Believe me, Sir Josse, Benedetto has suffered an agony of remorse.’
‘I see.’ All the remorse in the world would not bring the guard back to life, Josse thought. ‘What happened to Guiscard?’
‘After punishment, he and Aurelia were turned out to fend for themselves,’ Arnulf said tonelessly. ‘I imagine that the Black Man did not reckon they would last long for both are frail. But, again, Benedetto tracked them down and took them under his care. He had managed to herd us all together and find for us the relative shelter of a bank beneath the Lord’s lands when we were discovered.’
‘There were two other women with you. What about them?’
‘Utta and Frieda were friends who joined our sect together in their home town of Liege. That was where I met them, and young Alexius too. I am also from the Low Countries, but I had been away on a long journey to the south. I met Benedetto in Verona; Aurelia and Guiscard joined us when we were on our way north again. They had been sent to find other Cathars and try to persuade them to make for the Midi. Their home is in the region.’
‘Where they are more tolerant than in the north,’ Josse said.
‘Yes. I see that you are well informed. Utta and Frieda were also beaten and branded, then sent off in a cart loaded with criminals bound for a different gaol from the one where Alexius and I were confined. On the way there was a mishap — I am not sure of the details, for Benedetto was confused, but it sounds as if someone in the crowd was trying to get to a relation or friend in the cart. Anyway, there was a riot, during which Utta was thrown from the cart. While the men of the law went around bludgeoning anybody who got in their way, she had the presence of mind to pull her veil down over her forehead and crawl away. Later, when she realised that Frieda had not also been thrown clear, she tried to go after her. But by then Benedetto had found her and he would not let her go.’
‘And where is she now?’ Josse prompted.
Arnulf closed his eyes, lips moving as if he were silently praying. ‘None of us knows,’ he said heavily. ‘Benedetto found a hiding place for her where he left her while he tried to find where they had taken Frieda. He was unsuccessful. When he returned for Utta, she had gone.’ His brown eyes full of pain, he said, ‘We all weep for her. Benedetto, who believes both her loss and Frieda’s death to be his fault, has all but lost his mind with grief.’
‘What will you do now?’ Josse asked.
‘My plan, such as it is, is to wait here under the Lord’s protection’ — he flashed a grateful glance at the Lord, sitting watching and listening closely — ‘until we receive word that Aurelia is ready to travel. Then we shall make our way to the coast and find some way of crossing the Channel. We shall then head down to the Midi.’
‘And Utta?’
‘What do you suggest?’ Arnulf ’s sudden anger startled Josse. ‘My Lord has sent out search parties, but it is an impossible task. You must know this land far better than I, Sir Josse; can you not appreciate my difficulty?’
‘Aye, I can,’ Josse agreed. ‘I can also see a way in which I can help you. Let me try to find Utta. As you surmise, I do indeed know this land well. I know its hiding places; well, some of them, and I am acquainted with-’ He made himself stop. It was unwise to boast of knowledge of the forest people; for one thing it was arrogant, for another, he was quite sure they would not like it if they ever came to hear of it. ‘I know people hereabouts,’ he finished lamely.
‘You are a welcome and respected guest at Hawkenlye Abbey, a personal friend of the Abbess,’ Arnulf observed.