‘No, of course not. But justice demands something.’
‘You talk to me of justice today?’
Simon saw a picture of Roger in his mind’s eye, the dark features, the piratical grin, the cynical leer when he doubted a witness’s words, and slowly shook his head. ‘What do you want to do?’
‘Find Piers and Elias and Roger Scut. With them we can fetch the body.’
It took no time to gather the men and soon they were on their way, Hugh leading a small farm cart, Piers and Elias walking alongside, and Roger Scut, Baldwin and Simon on horseback. Their route took them back along the path where the girl had died, and Baldwin asked exactly where she had been found. Elias pointed out the position.
‘I see. And you were in that field with Ben?’
‘No. That ’un.’
Baldwin stared at the freshly ploughed soil. He could see over the hedge, but no one on the road would have been visible. On the opposite side, a hedge had been recently laid, the long branches set down horizontally and kept in place with pegs and grasses to form a strong, living barrier to the sheep and cattle that would next year graze here. ‘That’s where Osbert was?’
‘Aye.’
Baldwin nodded, but then looked nearer. ‘And this must be where Sampson and Surval were.’
Elias shot him a look, but it was Piers who said, ‘Surval never told me he was here.’
‘Perhaps you forgot to ask him?’ Baldwin said mildly, but then he met Elias’s look before urging his mount onwards.
At the wall, Hugh let his pony wander without taking the cart from its back. Baldwin and Simon’s horses were loosely hobbled so that they could nibble at the grass while the men climbed over the fence and took the track Baldwin had found before.
‘Are you sure he’s here?’ Piers said doubtfully. ‘This isn’t the easiest place to hide a man, is it?’
‘When I was here the other day, I found small drops of blood on the way,’ Baldwin said shortly. ‘They led me to the pit here, as though someone was going to throw in something, and yet all there was, was a dead calf. Ah yes. There it is.’
They had reached the pit now.
‘Maybe someone from the farm put it here?’ Piers said helpfully.
‘But as I said, there was blood on the way here,’ Baldwin said as he led them to the pile of stones. ‘And you will find him in there. Please get him out. There should be no need to tell anyone else of this. If we keep silent ourselves, we can remove him, put him with the dead in the churchyard and make an addition to the records to show that Wylkyn died trying to help us storm the castle.’
Roger Scut’s head shot up. ‘You expect me to add this man’s name to the list? I can be no part of that! I should be perjuring myself!’
‘Scut, if you do not, I shall tell the Dean about your efforts: seeking to accuse an innocent monk of a murder he didn’t commit, releasing him from gaol so that he could be hunted down and killed, and all so that you could take more wealth to yourself. Would you like that?’ Baldwin asked with silky sarcasm.
‘I didn’t release him. Sir Ralph did.’
‘But you tried, didn’t you?’ Simon said. ‘And Dean Peter is an old friend of mine and Sir Baldwin’s. He would trust us.’
‘Very well. I suppose I shall have to agree under the threat of your blackmail,’ Roger Scut said with a show of reluctance. ‘If that is all…’
‘No, it is not. You also have a farmer, Jack, whom you have forced to give up lands he himself acquired. You will give them back to him in their entirety.’
‘What? I can’t do that! What would my other peasants say?’
Baldwin reached out almost lazily, and grabbed a handful of his tunic. He pulled Scut to him. ‘Arse that you are, by name and behaviour, I swear this to you: if you do not release Jack from your intolerable service, I shall see you ruined in the Church. You wanted this little chapel so that you could take the money from it, didn’t you? Well, if you do not agree to my demand, Scut, I shall make it my job to tell the good Dean that you are so keen on it, and I will ensure, Scut, that you have it and it alone. You will take Mark’s place here, without a Lord, now that Sir Ralph is dead, without a patron, and without any income. I can do this, Scut, if you do not release Jack and return to him all the lands you have recently taken from him.’
‘I shall release him,’ Scut said sulkily. ‘Although he is a lazy devil, and why on earth you want to assist someone like that is beyond me.’
Piers gave a cry of revulsion. ‘We have him!’
Baldwin released Scut and nodded slowly while the man patted down his habit and tried not to look embarrassed. He walked over with Simon to view the corpse as it was exposed, Baldwin in their wake.
The discovery of the body was no great surprise to Baldwin because he had known that Wylkyn was here as soon as he had come to look at the spot with Simon and the Coroner. He could have kicked himself for not investigating properly on the previous occasion, but then he had not enjoyed the luxury of time, and it was only when he had a little pause for reflection that he had been able to see what he had first missed.
‘It is sad to see a man like him brought down,’ he observed to Elias.
‘At least he died quickly, didn’t he?’
‘How can you tell?’
‘All those wounds.’
‘But he could have suffered a great deal while receiving them!’
‘Perhaps.’
‘Like that poor girl Mary.’
‘Her?’ Elias nodded sadly. ‘Ruined, poor chit.’
‘I heard your own daughter was raped.’
‘Yes,’ he sighed.
‘You miss her. She was how old?’
‘About fifteen.’
‘That must have been a terrible loss to you.’
‘It was.’
‘And her death was not so kindly as this man’s?’
‘No. She bled to death, poor child.’
Baldwin drew him away from the others a few paces. ‘But Mary was not raped, Elias.’
‘So?’
‘She willingly gave herself. It was wrong to kill her.’
‘Who says I killed her?’
‘You found her lying by the way, you saw the blood, and you thought she was dead, so you sent her brother to fetch help. You thought someone had raped and murdered her, just as they killed your own child. Except when you went to her, once Ben was gone, you realised she wasn’t dead, but she had collapsed because of the bleeding, just like your girl’s.’
‘The Coroner reckoned my daughter died because the man kicked her and broke something inside her. There was lots of blood, all running down her thighs and legs. My poor lass. It was terrible!’
‘So she was already dead when she was found?’ Baldwin asked gently.
‘No. It took her an age to die. And when I saw young Mary lying there like that, all the blood down her legs, and all, I thought it was happening all over again.’ His eyes were glistening now, and he sniffed as he continued. ‘I sat with her, and then I touched her, and her head just flopped down. Her neck was broken.’
‘You found her alive, didn’t you? You concealed her from Ben’s view so you could kill her.’
‘No. She was dead already.’
‘You took her head and snapped her neck like a rabbit.’
Elias shook his head. ‘No, Sir Baldwin. I swear she was already dead. Ask Surval. He saw me.’
‘You saw Surval there? You didn’t mention that before.’
‘No, well. Not much point telling of others there, is there? It’d only get him fined as well. The vill can do without more fines.’
Baldwin studied him. He hadn’t mentioned Surval, so far as he could remember. ‘Where was Surval?’