‘He’s not a man to court popularity.’
‘Especially not in monastic quarters!’ said Coureton.
Ralph grinned. ‘It’s just as well that Canon Hubert is not with us. He’d want to excommunicate the lord Richard on the spot.’
‘If he’s found guilty of theft,’ said Bigot, ‘there’ll be other punishment as well.’
‘All in good time, my lord sheriff.’
‘What should our next step be?’ Bigot asked.
‘To confirm that Judicael the Goldsmith was telling the truth,’ Ralph replied.
‘Shall I send a messenger to the abbey?’
‘He stands before you. This is an errand that I claim for myself. After all,’ said Ralph, cheerfully, ‘I won’t just be riding to Holme to see the abbot. I might well find the man who took those elephants there.’
Coureton was doubtful. ‘Surely a monk wouldn’t steal?’
‘Some do little else,’ said the other, irreverently. ‘I’ve met too many grasping abbots and lying monks to put much faith in a Benedictine habit. In any event, it would not really be a case of theft. The abbey would simply be reclaiming something that was theirs in the first place.’
‘What about the murder?’ asked Bigot.
‘What about it, my lord sheriff?’
‘Do you expect to unearth a suspect in Holme for that as well?’
‘Of course,’ said Ralph. ‘It’s the main reason why I wish to go there.’
Expecting a visit from him, the lady Adelaide took pains with her appearance. Over a pure white chemise, she wore a light blue gown. Her hair was coiled neatly at the back and only the curls at the front peeped out of the white wimple. Around her waist was a gold belt that hung down between her thighs. She looked immaculate and dignified. When her visitor was admitted to the house, the lady Adelaide was posed on a bench that was carefully placed beneath a window so that it acted as a frame to her head. She rose to welcome Mauger Livarot.
‘Good day, my lord,’ she said.
‘You look more charming than ever, Adelaide,’ he remarked, crossing to place a kiss on her outstretched hand. ‘It’s wonderful to see you again.’
She resumed her seat. ‘Have you been out hunting again today?’
‘In a manner of speaking.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I’ve been helping the lord sheriff in his pursuit of the murderer.’ He smirked down at her. ‘The first thing I had to do, of course, was to assure him that I was not responsible for Hermer’s death. For some reason, he seemed to think that I might be.’
‘The lord Richard is certain of it.’
‘Yes, I heard about his performance at the castle last night.’
‘It caused quite a commotion.’
‘I hope that it also showed you the kind of man that he really is.’
Her tone was artless. ‘Forceful and strong-willed?’
‘Arrogant, bullying and headstrong,’ he said, curling his lip. ‘Those aren’t qualities that a lady should look for in a husband.’
‘I like a man who speaks his mind and the lord Richard certainly does that.’
‘Are you drawn to someone with a vile temper?’
‘No,’ she conceded. ‘That has little appeal.’
‘Then my rival must stand aside, for he has the vilest temper in the county.’
‘I think he could be taught in time to curb it.’
‘Would you take on such a monstrous task?’
‘If there were sufficient inducements.’
‘I, too, can offer inducements, my lady.’
Mauger Livarot was wearing a green tunic with a floral pattern. His mantle was of a dark crimson hue that matched the belt at his waist, and his brimless cap was peaked in the centre. Hands on his hips, he gazed at her with an almost proprietary air. He lowered his voice to a caressing whisper.
‘Come, Adelaide,’ he coaxed. ‘Why choose a wild animal for a husband when you might have one who is already tame?’
‘Nobody would describe you as tame,’ she said with polite scorn. ‘Least of all, your tenants. You have a reputation for harsh treatment.’
‘Firmness is a virtue.’
‘Until it’s taken too far.’
‘Oh, I always know the exact point at which to stop,’ he boasted, leering at her. ‘Tenants are like children. To school them properly, you have to be firm or they’ll take advantage of your weakness.’
‘Isn’t that what you’re doing now?’
‘Perhaps, my lady.’
‘The lord Richard has been weakened by events. A serious theft from his house has been followed by a gruesome murder. He’s very preoccupied at the moment. You came here to take advantage of his weakness.’
‘Do you blame me?’ he said with another smirk.
‘Not at all,’ she replied, easily. ‘I knew that you’d visit me again sooner or later.’
‘I always choose the best time to strike.’
‘True.’
‘Isn’t that a recommendation?’
‘Yes, my lord, but I need rather more than that.’
‘You shall have it,’ he asserted, becoming more earnest. ‘Richard de Fontenel is mired in trouble. Spurn him, my lady, or you’ll share the same fate. Accept me instead.’
‘You mentioned inducements.’
‘You shall have whatever you want.’
‘Unfortunately, that’s not possible.’
‘Anything is possible when you say that you’ll be mine. Put me to the test.’
‘There’s no point.’
‘Why not?’
‘Because I’d ask for the one thing you could never give me, my lord.’
‘Then it doesn’t exist,’ he declared.
‘Oh, it does,’ she said with a nostalgic smile. ‘To be more exact, they exist. I’ve seen them and marvelled at them. I all but fell in love with them. That’s what I want more than anything else — those exquisite gold elephants that the lord Richard bought for me.’
‘Do they really mean that much to you, Adelaide?’
‘They do.’
‘Nothing similar would entice you?’
‘Perfection cannot be imitated. I want those particular elephants.’
He was decisive. ‘Then you’ll have them, my lady.’
‘How?’
‘That’s for me to worry about.’
‘But they’re stolen property. They could be hundreds of miles away by now.’
‘Then they’ll have to be found and brought back, won’t they?’ he said, confidently. ‘I stand a far better chance of retrieving them than the sheriff, believe me. I have intelligencers all over the county. Before I set the search in motion, of course, I need to extract a promise.’
‘Of what?’
‘Discretion, my lady.’
‘It’s second nature to me.’
‘When I capture those elephants, you’ll be my accomplice.’
‘Nobody else will know that I have them, I promise you,’ she said with quiet sincerity. ‘I’ll keep them entirely to myself. I’ll feast my eyes on them in private. All that concerns me is the joy of possession.’
‘Then we share the same impulse, Adelaide,’ he said, taking her hand. ‘I, too, want to revel in the joy of possession. And it will be all the more sweet because of the means by which I accomplish it.’
‘In what sense?’
‘I’ll turn thief to give you another man’s wedding gift.’
‘The lord Richard would kill you if he ever found out.’
‘That’s a risk I’d willingly take for you.’
‘I’m impressed.’
‘Just think, my lady,’ he said, emitting a cackle of delight. ‘While the lord Richard is scouring the kingdom for his missing elephants, they’ll be right here all the time. They’ll be ours.’
‘No, Mauger,’ she said, softly. ‘They’ll be mine.’
Ralph Delchard was not a man for delay. Once a decision had been made, he liked to implement it at once. Shortly after his conversation with the sheriff, he was ready to go.
‘Three choices confront you, my lord,’ he said, putting a foot in his stirrup.
‘What are they?’ asked Eustace Coureton.
‘You can visit an abbey with me, call on a lady with Gervase or simply stay here and take your ease. You’re under no compulsion.’