‘Then you must seize Mauger Livarot at once,’ insisted de Fontenel, striding back down the hall. ‘He’s behind all this. He bribed Hermer to steal the two elephants from me then had him hacked to death by way of reward. Mauger is the culprit. I’ve said that all along. If you’d had the sense to listen to me at the start, my steward might still be alive and those elephants would be back under lock and key.’
‘That’s pure supposition, my lord.’
‘Don’t argue with me, man!’ yelled the other. He raised an arm as if about to strike, but Olivier Romain held his ground. The sheriff’s deputy was a stocky man of medium height, a conscientious officer who took his work with intense seriousness. Still only thirty, he had a composure and fearlessness that made de Fontenel hesitate. The older man lowered his arm and glowered at him. Romain did not flinch. His voice was calm.
‘You’re blaming the messenger for bringing bad tidings, my lord.’
‘I blame the lord sheriff,’ snarled the other.
‘He’s not culpable here.’
‘Yes; he is. A robbery takes place yet he refuses to take charge of the case and fobs me off instead with his deputy. A murder occurs and he sends you to report the matter to me. Why isn’t Roger Bigot here himself? What does it take to get him off his backside at the castle?’
‘The lord sheriff is already making inquiries,’ said Romain, defensively.
‘His place is here, breaking the news to me. I want to know exactly when and how my steward was discovered. I also expect to be told that Mauger has been arrested and thrown into a dungeon for his heinous crimes.’
‘If the lord Mauger is guilty, he’ll be taken in due course.’
‘Why the delay?’
‘Evidence has to be gathered, my lord.’
‘The man hates me,’ said de Fontenel, jabbing a finger at him. ‘He’s stolen my land, he’s trespassed on my estate, he’s done everything he can to annoy or obstruct me. Now he’s trying to wreck a marriage that is very dear to my heart. How much more evidence do you need, Olivier?’ He gesticulated wildly. ‘Mauger is a thief and murderer. Take him.’
‘The lord sheriff means to interview him first thing tomorrow.’
‘Why wait until then?’
‘You’ll have to ask him that.’
‘Save valuable time and put him in chains this very evening.’
‘I don’t make the decisions,’ said the other, reasonably. ‘I simply carry out orders. You needed to be told about the fate of your steward and that’s why I rode out here post haste. It’s bleak news, my lord, and I offer you my sincere condolences.’
‘What use are they!’ Richard de Fontenel stormed around the hall, feet clacking noisily on the oaken floor. One hand was on the dagger at his belt, the other clutched at his hair. It was as if he were feeling the full impact of the news for the first time. He came to an abrupt halt.
‘The commissioners have arrived, you say?’ he snapped.
‘This afternoon, my lord.’
‘How many in number?’
‘Three with one scribe.’
‘Take a message to the leader of the embassy.’
‘If you wish.’
‘I do wish, Olivier,’ said the other, approaching him again. ‘My message is this. Until these crimes are solved, I refuse to be called to the shire hall to be examined by them. Theft and murder take precedence over their deliberations. Besides,’ he went on with a harsh laugh, ‘I’ll spare them time and trouble. When Mauger is arrested, he’ll have to forfeit his claim to my property. The commissioners will not have to adjudicate between us. I’ll only have to dispute lesser matters before them.’
‘Your message will be delivered.’
‘Take a second with you.’
‘For the commissioners?’
‘No, Olivier. For your revered Roger Bigot, sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk.’
‘What am I to say to him?’ asked Romain, warily.
‘That he must do his duty and call Mauger to account.’
‘Or?’
The other man drew his dagger and brandished it menacingly. ‘I’ll take the law into my own hands.’
Impervious to the discomfort Brother Daniel knelt at the altar rail in the chapel for a long time and offered up prayers for the soul of the dead man. Since he had discovered the corpse he felt a personal responsibility towards Hermer the Steward even though he had never met him. When he finally got up, genuflected and turned, he was astonished to see Eustace Coureton waiting patiently for him at the rear of the nave. ‘How long have you been there, my lord?’ he asked.
‘Long enough to appreciate how devout you are, Brother Daniel.’
‘I wasn’t only prompted by devotion. To be honest, I went down on my knees in abject fear. I asked God to send me the courage to face this horror. For that is what it was, my lord,’ he admitted. ‘When I looked into the eyes of the dead man, I felt the cold hand of mortality gripping me by the throat.’
‘A natural reaction,’ said Coureton easily. ‘We all feel like that when we look upon violent death for the first time. As a soldier, I, alas, grew hardened to such sights. There’s nothing as sickening as a walk across a battlefield that’s strewn with corpses. Man’s inhumanity to man is writ largest there. Yet I did it without a tremor eventually. I knew that life must go on.’
‘That’s why I feel so guilty.’
‘Guilty?’
‘He lay dead at my feet, I was still alive.’
‘Thank the Almighty for your good fortune.’
‘I did, my lord. Several times.’
‘Then you’ve no cause to be troubled by guilt.’
‘So why does my conscience plague me?’
‘I don’t know, Brother Daniel.’
‘My head is still pounding.’
‘Rest awhile,’ said the other, lowering him on to a bench and sitting beside him. ‘You need time to come to terms with what you saw.’
In the short time they had known each other, Eustace Coureton had grown fond of the monk. Brother Daniel was a congenial member of the party, intelligent, willing and quick to learn, but on the long road from Winchester, when the two men had enjoyed several conversations together, Coureton had detected a more sensitive side to his friend. Behind the amiability and the spiritual exuberance was a decided vulnerability. Hearing of Daniel’s unwitting discovery of the murder victim, Coureton had guessed that the monk would be duly appalled by the experience and might welcome a friendly face, and it was for this reason that he sought him out in the chapel.
Daniel spoke in a whisper. ‘When one of the holy brothers passed away at the abbey it was always a peaceful event. Sadness was tinged with relief that the departed would be going to a far happier station than they had enjoyed on earth. But not in this case, my lord.’
‘I know. Gervase Bret gave me the details.’
‘It was a ghastly sight. I’ll never forget it.’
‘Yes, you will,’ said Coureton soothingly. ‘Time is considerate towards us. It suppresses darker memories. I knew that you’d be shaken by the ordeal and repair to the chapel. That’s why I came to find you.’
‘I’m grateful for your kindness, my lord.’
‘You shouldn’t be left alone. Come and join us, Brother Daniel.’
‘Where?’
‘In the hall.’
The monk was amazed. ‘The banquet is still being held?’
‘It begins very soon.’
‘How can anyone enjoy a feast when a foul murder hangs over us?’
‘In the circumstances, I don’t think there’ll be much enjoyment, but the banquet had to go forth. It was too late to abandon it. Besides,’ he said, philosophically, ‘we have to keep body and soul together. Even a monk must eat and drink.’
‘I lack any appetite.’
‘Then at least sit with us in the hall. Company will distract you.’
‘It’s more likely to sadden me, my lord,’ said Daniel. ‘Don’t worry about me. You go to the banquet with the other guests. I’m only a humble scribe. I don’t really belong there. The chaplain has invited me to share more homely fare with him, so I’ll have someone to comfort me.’
‘What will you do after that?’