Two factors weighed most heavily with him. The trial was to have been a mere formality. He had pronounced sentence on Ebbi the moment the man was dragged before him and he had never doubted his guilt nor allowed Ebbi any chance of pleading his innocence. A Saxon villain suited his purpose in every way. If the prisoner were somehow exonerated and — it did not bear thinking about — acquitted and released from custody, then his handling of the case would be shown to be seriously at fault. What he saw as legitimate force used to question an assassin would instead become mindless brutality against an innocent man. Robert d’Oilly needed a verdict of guilt.
That prompted him to continue.
A second factor held him back and that was the dismissal of Maurice Pagnal. He was the one amenable member of the tribunal, impelled by an old loyalty and rewarded by a hefty bribe. The sheriff and he were kindred spirits. Yet Maurice had been exposed and instantly discharged from the tribunal. Ralph Delchard had asserted himself to great effect.
There would be severe repercussions when the King heard the grim tidings, and the more Robert d’Oilly obstructed the royal commissioners, the worse those repercussions would be for him.
Ralph chose that moment to reinforce the point.
‘No man is above the law,’ he reminded. ‘The greatest landholder in this county was the King’s own half-brother, Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, Earl of Kent and one of the richest men in the kingdom. Where is he now? Languishing in prison, his lands forfeit.’ His gaze moved from d’Oilly to Milo Crispin. ‘Three men in this shire own between them one-fifth of its land. Two of them sit in this hall, the third, Roger d’Ivry, is presently in Rouen where he holds the Tower. None of those men is above the law. Let them remember Odo. If they try to thwart justice, they will bring the law down upon their own heads.’
Robert d’Oilly caught his son-in-law’s eye and wished that he could appear as calm and detached as Milo, whose advice, as always, had been sound though uncomfortable. There was no easy way out of the predicament. Hiding his misgivings behind a show of authority, the sheriff banged the table once more and enforced absolute silence.
‘This case is adjourned until tomorrow,’ he said.
Coming to Oxford was in the nature of an ordeal for Leofrun. Crowds frightened her. She was a simple countrywoman who had rarely travelled more than a few miles from the place where she was born.
In a town as big as Oxford, even with two men to escort her, she felt lost and threatened. Only the thought of helping Ebbi kept her from leaping down from Gervase Bret’s horse and running back home.
Leofrun was quite overwhelmed.
The sense of menace pressed down upon her even more when she rode through the castle gates. She clutched Gervase’s shoulders tighter than ever, unused to being on any horse, still less on one ridden by a royal commissioner. Guards looked at her with derision, wondering why a scraggy old Saxon woman was being brought into the castle with such undeserved courtesy. She was humiliated by their sneers.
Gervase spent all his time trying to reassure her.
‘You will not have to stay here for long,’ he said.
‘Take me back now.’
‘No, Leofrun.’
‘Then let me walk home. I cannot stay here.’
‘You must. Until you are called.’
‘I am afraid.’
‘That is understandable.’
‘They will hurt me.’
‘Nobody will lay a finger on you.’
‘I should never have come.’
‘Would you desert Ebbi?’
She gave a despondent shrug. ‘What can I do? Who would listen to an old woman like me? Nobody will believe me.’
‘They will if you speak under oath.’
‘I will not know what to say.’
‘The truth.’
She began to sob and he put a consoling arm around her.
They were in an ante-room in the keep and Gervase was having doubts about her value as a witness. Leofrun was the only person whose evidence could save Ebbi but that evidence had to be offered clearly and confidently. If she was tearful now, when they were sitting alone on a bench, how could she possibly survive in a courtroom where she would have to face some searching questions? It had been embarrassing enough for Leofrun to have to confide in a stranger like Gervase. To make the same confession in front of more hostile listeners would be a continuous agony for her.
‘It will not be as bad as you fear,’ he said.
‘I will let you down.’
‘No, Leofrun.’
‘I will let Ebbi down. He will hate me for it.’
‘He will thank you with all his heart.’
A fond smile slowly spread across the moist cheeks.
‘Do you think so?’
‘I know it,’ he promised. ‘Ebbi sent me to you.’
‘That is true.’
‘He spoke so warmly of you, Leofrun.’
‘Did he?’
‘You are all that he has.’
Her voice cracked with emotion. ‘Ebbi is all that I have. I cannot bear the thought of what he has suffered here.’
‘Then help him, Leofrun.’
‘Do you really think I can?’
‘Be schooled by me and all will be well.’
She grasped his hands and squeezed them gratefully.
‘Why are you being so kind to us?’
‘I will not see an innocent man convicted of this crime.’
‘Ebbi trusted you. I see why.’
‘Put your own trust in me, Leofrun.’
She nodded and made an effort to collect herself.
‘Will you be in there with me?’ she asked.
‘I will not leave your side.’
‘How will I understand what they say to me?’
‘I will act as your interpreter.’
‘Will they deal harshly with me?’
‘Not while I am there,’ he said firmly. ‘I am a lawyer by training.
The court is my home. You will be safe.’
‘Will I?’
Leofrun was unconvinced. She sat there in trepidation without saying another word. Several minutes passed. When the door opened without warning, she gasped in alarm. Gervase steadied her with a touch on her arm, then rose to speak to the guard who had just entered. The message was short. When the man went out again, Leofrun looked questioningly up at Gervase.
‘The court has been adjourned,’ he explained.
‘What does that mean?’
‘We got here in time.’
‘Ebbi has been sentenced?’
‘Not yet. My lord Ralph managed to stop the trial before it reached a verdict. He is now talking to the sheriff about you.’
‘Me? Why?’
‘He has to persuade the sheriff to admit your evidence.’
‘And if he fails?’
Gervase did not attempt to conceal the truth from her.
‘Ebbi will die.’
Robert d’Oilly was in a truculent mood. He did not like to be balked at any time. To have his authority questioned in so public a way was intolerable to him. When he conducted Ralph to a private apartment in the keep, he slammed the door behind them and confronted his guest.
‘That was unforgivable!’ he stormed. ‘You barged into a court when a trial was in progress and had the audacity to claim that I am slack in my duties.’
‘I made no such claim, my lord sheriff.’
‘Take care how far you go!’
‘There was no personal attack on you.’
‘Oxford is mine,’ declared the other. ‘All mine. I have been castellan here for twenty years and kept this town under strict control. It is the only way to get respect from these people. Show one sign of weakness and you are lost. Rule by force and they learn to obey.’
‘There is another way to earn their respect.’
‘And what is that?’
‘By dispensing justice.’