‘I always do.’
‘A trial such as this one? Hastily convened when the murder victim is still fresh in the ground? Why the unseemly rush? What time has there been to gather all the evidence?’
‘The man confessed. That was evidence enough.’
‘He admitted his guilt in so many words?’
‘Well, no. Not exactly. But he did not deny it.’
‘The fellow has been beaten to a pulp and scared witless. What credence can you place on anything he tells you? I saw Ebbi in court.
Is that how you treat your prisoners before they are convicted?’
‘He was insolent and unhelpful.’
‘That means he did not admit his guilt.’
‘Whose side are you on?’ demanded the other.
‘Yours. If you deal justly.’
Robert d’Oilly turned abruptly away and marched to the window.
Down in the bailey, he could see an armed guard escorting Ebbi back to his cell. Arnulf the Chaplain was walking beside them, talking to the prisoner and reaching out to steady him when he stumbled. The sheriff waited until Ebbi disappeared from sight before swinging back to face Ralph.
‘What is this new evidence?’ he said sceptically.
‘First, let me tell you how the murder was committed.’
‘I know that already. The assassin hurled a dagger at Walter Payne’s back then made his escape into the forest.’
‘You are wrong, my lord sheriff.’
‘Every man present has vouched for those facts.’
‘Did any of them see the assassin run to the forest?’
‘No,’ conceded the other.
‘Let me tell you why.’
Ralph gave a brief account of their search of the copse and discovery of the hiding place. The sheriff showed a grudging admiration for their pertinacity.
‘You and Master Bret have been very thorough.’
‘Gervase deserves the real credit,’ said Ralph. ‘He found the hole in the ground and lay hidden in it himself.’
‘You have learned how the assassin eluded capture but that does not absolve Ebbi from blame. He may still have committed that murder before concealing himself in the hiding place.’
Ralph was scornful. ‘You have met the man, my lord sheriff. Would Ebbi really have the strength and skill to hurl a dagger with such accuracy? Never! Nor would he have the guile to devise such a cunning hiding place in the copse. And there is another telling detail. When he was taken, did your men find Ebbi coated with dirt?
‘They made no mention of it.’
‘Then there is further evidence in his favour. Wait until you see Gervase. He was only in that hole for a minute or two yet his face was besmirched and his attire was covered with filth. Had Ebbi been under the ground much longer, he would have come out in a far worse state before he raced to the cover of the forest.’
‘That is a fair point,’ admitted d’Oilly.
‘There is one final question to be asked.’
‘What is that?’
‘ Why should he kill Walter Payne?’
‘A random act of violence.’
‘There was nothing random about this. It was planned with great care. The assassin chose his target and worked out his means of escape in advance. Ebbi has never met Bertrand Gamberell’s knight.’
Ralph spread his arms. ‘Why go to such lengths to kill him?’
Robert d’Oilly was forced to bow to the inexorable logic of the argument but he was reluctant to loosen his grasp on the prisoner. A lesser crime could be attributed to him.
‘What was Ebbi doing in the forest?’ he challenged.
‘I was coming to that, my lord sheriff.’
‘At the very least, my men caught a poacher. Forest law is there to be enforced. Ebbi may yet hang on to his life but we’ll castrate him for that offence.’
‘Was he caught with game in his possession?’
‘No, but he may have hidden it so that he could retrieve it at a fitter time. When my men hunted him down, he made a run for it. If he committed no crime, why should he flee?’
‘Leofrun will explain that.’
‘Who?’
‘The witness we brought with us, my lord sheriff. Leofrun may seem like an ill-favoured old woman to us but Ebbi sees her through different eyes. That is why he ran from your men. To divert their attention and spare the blushes of a lady.’
‘What are you talking about?’
‘An assignation,’ said Ralph with a grin. ‘Ebbi and Leofrun had a secret tryst. He is single, she is a widow. They lack the marriage vows which would make their love valid so they have to resort to stolen moments of pleasure.’ He gave a confiding chuckle. ‘Come, my lord sheriff. Which of us has never dallied with a lady in the greenwood? We might not choose such an unsightly lover as this Leofrun but that does not alter the case. If we were surprised in the long grass with a lady, would not our first instinct be to protect her from discovery and shame?’
‘This is some ruse,’ decided the sheriff.
‘It is God’s own truth.’
‘The woman is lying. She will say anything to save his balls from the knife.’
‘She has a vested interest in those balls, I grant you. But ask yourself this. Would any woman admit in open court that she was copulating in the forest with a man to whom she is not wed unless she knew that he was completely innocent and that her confession could save him from a death sentence?’
Robert d’Oilly took time to consider Ralph’s argument.
‘Where is the woman?’ he said at length.
‘Here at the castle.’
‘I will need to hear the story from her own lips.’
‘Gervase will be a ready interpreter.’
‘Fetch her in at once.’
‘I will,’ said Ralph. ‘But first brace yourself.’
‘Why?’
‘Leofrun is a most unlikely enchantress.’
When Arnulf came back up the steps from the dungeons, he saw Ordgar crossing the bailey and moved to intercept him. It was important to secure a father’s approval.
‘Has your daughter spoken to you?’ he asked.
‘Yes,’ said Ordgar. ‘Bristeva is thrilled.’
‘What about you?’
‘I am pleased with your decision, if somewhat surprised.’
‘Surprised?’
‘Can my daughter really deserve this honour?’
‘She has a fine voice, Ordgar.’
‘I know,’ agreed her father, ‘and I love to listen to her. But I have also heard the other girls in your choir, Father Arnulf. Much as I love my daughter, I must admit that Bristeva will never compare with my lord Wymarc’s sister.’
‘Helene did have an exceptional talent, it is true. But her brother has, alas, taken her from us. We miss her dreadfully. However, there is no point in dwelling on the past. We must look to the future and find a replacement for Helene.’
‘And can Bristeva be that replacement?’
‘I believe so.’
‘She will need much help from you.’
‘That is why I am glad of this chance to speak to you,’ said Arnulf politely. ‘I want your permission before we go any further. Bristeva will have to spend more time here at the castle from now on. Are you happy for her to do that?’
‘Very happy. I will not hold her back.’
‘You have no reservations about this?’
‘None at all, Father Arnulf. You have surely seen that?’
‘What I have seen is a loving father doing all he can to encourage his daughter. That is as it should be. But you have not always been the one to escort Bristeva to and from the church. When your son has brought her, I have sensed a strong disapproval.’
Ordgar stiffened. ‘Has Amalric been disrespectful?’
‘He has expressed a low opinion of the choir.’
‘Let me speak to him. I’ll chide him for his rudeness.’
‘You might also have a word with your steward.’
‘Edric?’
‘Yes,’ said Arnulf with mild embarrassment. ‘I am sorry to have to report this to you. Your son has shown disapproval but it is your steward who has been openly hostile. On the few occasions when he has come to collect Bristeva from a choir rehearsal, Edric has been very resentful of the time she spends here. When I asked him why, he told me that your daughter had no place in the choir of a garrison church.’