And what of Nathaniel’s sister? She could well have had a good deal to fear from a young woman suddenly put in authority over the household, the darling of a besotted elderly husband, ready to pander to her every whim. Eris could have made Jacquetta’s life a misery if, as seemed more than possible, the two women had no liking for one another.
Finally, there was the housekeeper, Dame Elvina, who, if Theresa Lilywhite was to be believed, had been Nathaniel’s mistress for many years and who, again according to Theresa, was one day hoping to marry him herself. Eris had been a girl brought in to help her in the house. To have that girl suddenly elevated so far above her, to have to take orders from her instead of the other way about, surely any woman would have found such a situation intolerable.
So it seemed to me that a girl as calculating as Eris Lilywhite appeared to have been must have guessed in advance that her marriage to Nathaniel Rawbone would provoke opposition not just from his family, but from almost everyone. Why, therefore, if she were ready for this eventuality, would she have run away? No; it was far more likely that someone had murdered her, removing her once and for all from the scene. But who? (Not that there was a dearth of candidates, but then, that was part of the trouble.) And when? And what had happened to her body?
Yet another question distracting my attention from the Mass had been how to worm my way into Dragonswick Farm. But on this score, I need not have worried. As the Rawbone family followed Nathaniel out of church, Dame Jacquetta stopped in front of the Lilywhites and, raising her stick, poked me in the chest.
‘Are you this chapman I’ve been hearing about?’ she asked in a clear, ringing voice that possessed none of the feebleness of age, and which resounded throughout the tiny building, causing curious faces to turn our way. I muttered that I was and she poked me again. ‘Come up to the farm after dinner with your pack. There are certain things I’m short of that you might have. Buttons, laces, pins. Can you oblige?’
I mentally reviewed my depleted store of goods, then nodded. I still had some buttons, I was sure of that, and would have lied outright just to get my foot in the door of the Rawbones’ farmhouse.
‘Stop loitering and come along, Jacquetta!’ her brother ordered irritably from the church doorway. ‘What are you doing back there?’
‘Don’t forget! As soon as you can after dinner,’ the old lady instructed, poking me for a third time.
I rubbed my sore chest and began to move with the rest of the congregation, filing out into the cold winter air, where the inhabitants of Lower Brockhurst, like people everywhere, paused for a gossip before making their way home to dinner. Excusing myself to Maud and Theresa, I edged towards Rosamund Bush, where she stood, a little apart from her parents, who were deep in conversation with another couple of their own age. I reached her just ahead of Lambert Miller.
‘Mistress Rosamund,’ I said, giving her my best smile, which elicited no response, ‘are you still wanting me to play in your team this evening? If you’ve made other arrangements I shall quite understand.’
‘No, I haven’t made other arrangements,’ she answered crossly. ‘I’m still expecting you. If that’s all right on your part,’ she added on a more conciliatory note.
‘Of course.’ I tried another smile and was rewarded by a slight tilt at the corners of her mouth. And when Lambert would have interrupted the conversation, laying a possessive hand on her arm, the Fair Rosamund decided it was time to teach him a lesson. Her smile deepened until it was positively glowing.
‘You were very naughty to run away like that last night, without even saying goodbye,’ she pouted.
I took hold of one of her little hands and kissed it. ‘It was very wrong of me,’ I whispered, ‘but Mistress Lilywhite wanted to leave at once and I was afraid to keep her waiting. She terrifies me.’
Rosamund giggled. ‘Don’t be silly,’ she said, nipping my fingers and ignoring the expression of outrage on her would-be swain’s face. ‘Theresa’s harmless enough. Besides, a great fellow like you isn’t afraid of anyone, let alone a woman.’
‘I wouldn’t be too sure of that,’ I grinned, releasing her hand. ‘I’m a married man. Master Miller!’ I went on, as if I had only just noticed him. ‘As a member of Mistress Rosamund’s side, I hope to have the pleasure of seeing you again this evening. You are her challenger, I believe, in this game of Nine Men’s Morris?’
He glowered at me. ‘I am. But if you have other things to do, pedlar, I’m sure I can find her another player.’
‘Nonsense, Lambert! Master Chapman has agreed to be my man and I’m holding him to his promise.’ Rosamund swept me a curtsey as William and Winifred Bush signalled that they were now ready to depart. ‘I shall see you tonight then – Roger!’ She peeped at me coyly from beneath her lashes before turning to follow her parents. But she remembered to kiss her fingertips to Lambert. She had no intention of antagonizing him too much.
I returned to the Lilywhites, who were waiting patiently for me, and offered the older lady my arm. Theresa accepted it gratefully, finding the climb back up to their homestead more arduous than the descent to the village. The weather had improved still further while we had been in church and a thin, watery sunlight now warmed the whole of the pasture. Only the surrounding woodland stood as though carved from thunderclouds, black and menacing.
The dogs and geese set up their inevitable cacophony as we entered the enclosure, the former yet again being silenced by a word from Theresa. Not so Hercules, who came bounding towards me as soon as the door into the house was opened, barking like a fiend out of Hell and ignoring all my efforts to hush him. He had evidently become worried at being left so long on his own and was showing his disapproval in no uncertain manner. Eventually, however, I managed to convince him that I had not totally abandoned him, and was able to turn my attention to a matter that was troubling my conscience. This was prompted by the savoury smell of the rabbit and herb broth that was bubbling in a pot over the fire.
‘Mistress Lilywhite,’ I said, addressing Maud, ‘if I am to stay here for any length of time, I must pay you for my food and lodging. I can well afford to.’
Both Maud and her mother-in-law were at first reluctant to agree. Quite apart from the hospitality that people living in remote places are expected to extend to strangers, I had also promised to do them a favour by trying to discover what had become of Eris. But after a little persuasion, we agreed on a sum for my and Hercules’s continued bed and board.
‘The dog and I have healthy appetites,’ I warned them.
Theresa said she was happy to hear it: she liked a hearty eater, be it man or beast. But Maud’s smile was perfunctory, and she continued to convey the impression that she would prefer me not to meddle.
‘So!’ said Theresa as we sat round the table to eat our broth. ‘You have been invited to Dragonswick Farm after dinner, chapman. It will give you the chance to make some enquiries. You’ll probably find Jacquetta Rawbone eager enough to talk. She didn’t care for my granddaughter at the best of times, and hasn’t had a good word to say for Eris since the night of her disappearance – the night she discovered that Nathaniel was planning to marry the girl.’
Theresa glanced at her daughter-in-law for confirmation of her words, but Maud refused to comment. Her face was still closed, its expression almost surly. She did not want me to prove that Eris was dead.
It was getting on towards midday by the time I finally finished my dinner – I had disgraced myself by having three helpings of broth – and was able to rebuckle my belt over my woefully distended stomach. At home, Adela would have curbed my appetite by warning me of the perils of overeating – ‘You’re developing a paunch, Roger! You’ll get fat and look old before your time!’ – but without her watchful eye upon me, I had behaved like a little boy let loose in a cook shop. I knew I ought to have felt thoroughly ashamed of myself. Unfortunately, I didn’t.