‘The chaplain talked about you. He has a high opinion of your daughter. Having heard her sing, I share that opinion.’
‘Thank you.’
Gervase introduced himself and the two fell easily into conversation.
The old man watched his daughter with a smile but there was a wealth of sadness in his eyes.
‘Bristeva has a gift,’ observed Gervase.
‘It comes from her mother. She, too, could sing.’
‘But not in any church choir, I suspect.’
‘No, sir. That would have been out of the question.’
‘Arnulf has wrought many changes here.’
‘He is a good man,’ said Ordgar readily. ‘We did not have to come to him. He went out into the town and beyond, looking for choristers and making no distinctions. He would take anyone who was willing to learn.’
‘It was a wise policy. Bristeva is proof of that.’
‘I refused to let her come at first,’ admitted Ordgar. ‘This is a garrison.
I know how crude soldiers can be. I did not want my daughter exposed to ribald comments and worse.’
‘What changed your mind?’
‘Arnulf the Chaplain. He promised me faithfully that no harm would come to the girl and none has. Arnulf has shielded her from any unpleasantness. Here in the church, she and the others are perfectly safe.’
‘It has been a delight to listen to them,’ said Gervase. ‘And I look to hear more of Bristeva when she sings at the banquet on Saturday.’
‘If indeed she does so.’
‘But it is all arranged. The chaplain has already chosen the two songs which she is to sing. You have heard her, Ordgar. Your daughter is more than ready for such a test.’
‘It is not my daughter who is the problem, sir,’ sighed the old man.
‘It is my son, Amalric.’
‘Your son?’
‘I have tried to overrule him but he is too headstrong. Amalric hates the idea of his sister performing in front of revellers at a banquet in a Norman castle. He has sworn to me that somehow or other he will stop Bristeva from singing here on Saturday night.’
Chapter Ten
His horse was saddled and his men ready to depart from the castle with him but he first had to take his leave of his wife. Golde had come down into the bailey to wave Ralph Delchard off. He strode swiftly across to her to collect a farewell kiss.
‘I thought you might have gone by now,’ she said.
‘Bertrand Gamberell detained me.’
‘I have heard that name a lot in the last day or two.’
‘So have I, alas!’
‘He is very popular with all the ladies in the castle.’
‘Yes,’ said Ralph, ‘and he knows how to trade on his popularity. A backstairs man, if ever I saw one. A smiling, soft-voiced predator of the bedchamber. A sly, dangerous, devious satyr with the fiendish good looks to seduce a holy nun and turn her into a rampant harlot.
No woman is safe while Bertrand is on the loose.’
‘Are you warning me?’ she teased.
‘Only if you feel in need of a warning,’ he said with a grin. ‘And I doubt that. No, you would be more than a match for Bertrand Gamberell.
You are too strong and self-possessed to fall for his tricks. He finds his victims among the weak and unprotected. You are neither.’
‘I am still interested to meet this man.’
‘You will, Golde. He will be back in time. He is leading the hunt for his missing horse again. A black stallion named Hyperion. One stallion is searching for another.’ He stole a second kiss. ‘But I must away.’
‘Where are you going?’
‘To Wallingford.’
‘As far as that?’
‘I want to speak with Milo Crispin,’ explained Ralph. ‘He was another witness of the race at Woodstock. He may furnish me with details which others forgot or were too distracted to notice. Milo is a shrewd man. I met him briefly yesterday but we had no time for conversation.’
‘My lady Edith adores him.’
‘She would. He is her son-in-law.’
‘She says that he is a cool and capable man.’
‘I saw something of his coolness in the courtroom,’ said Ralph. ‘It is certainly not shared by Bertrand Gamberell. Still less by Milo’s father-in-law. Robert d’Oilly is a peppery sheriff when he is crossed. I am glad that I am not one of his underlings. A man with such a vile temper can be vicious.’
‘We both saw evidence of that.’
The two of them looked involuntarily at the dungeons.
‘No more brooding on that,’ said Ralph, trying to depart on a more cheery note. ‘What will you do while I am gone?’
‘Pine for your return.’
He laughed. ‘I’m sure you have other plans.’
‘I do, Ralph,’ she said. ‘There are still many decisions to be made about the banquet. My lady Edith wants me to help her. Last evening, we went down to the kitchen and discussed the fare to be served.
Today, we finalise the entertainment.’
‘You are entertainment enough for me, my love.’
‘I am talking about public performance,’ she scolded. ‘It is going to be the most wondrous feast. Almost everybody of consequence in the shire will be there. I am glad that our stay in Oxford has been extended so that we will be here for the occasion. My lord Maurice deserves our thanks for that.’
‘If for nothing else!’ said Ralph seriously. ‘Maurice Pagnal has much to answer for, I fear.’
‘My lady Edith tried to sound me out about him.’
‘What did you tell her?’
‘Nothing whatsoever.’
‘Good. Her husband obviously set her on to you.’
‘Surely not. She was simply being curious.’
‘He ordered her to question you, to see if she could find out from you what I would not divulge to him. Say nothing, Golde. Trust nobody.’
‘Would he really use his own wife as a spy?’ she said, mildly shocked by the notion. ‘Would he drag her down to that level?’
Ralph glanced around to make sure they were not overheard.
‘Robert d’Oilly would stop at nothing,’ he said bluntly. ‘And that includes having a man murdered during a horse race at Woodstock. I am almost coming to believe that our host may be the one who instigated this crime. What better way to cover his own tracks than to lead the inquiry into a murder which he himself set up?’
Bristeva was so full of girlish excitement that her father did not have the heart to mention the cloud on the horizon. On the ride back to their home, he let her talk about the rehearsal at the church and rhapsodise about Arnulf the Chaplain.
‘He is the kindest man in creation, father.’
‘A true Christian.’
‘Some of the boys snigger at him,’ she said, ‘but they don’t know him as well as I do. And they are jealous because he has chosen me to take over from Helene.’ She giggled with delight. ‘They were so angry when Father Arnulf told them that I was going to sing at the banquet in front of the Bishop of Coutances. Father Arnulf said such wonderful things about me. I know it is a sin to be vain but I could not help enjoying his praise. Out of the whole choir, I am the only one who will go to the banquet.’
‘It is a signal honour, Bristeva.’
‘I am so looking forward to it!’
‘Yes,’ he said with forced enthusiasm. ‘So am I.’
Ordgar was only half listening to his daughter. His mind was grappling with the problem of what to do about his son. Amalric had been quite adamant. Having thought it over, the boy had decided to do all he could to prevent his sister from taking part in what could be the most important night of her life so far. Bristeva’s joy was very fragile. It would be shattered beyond repair if her chance to sing at the banquet was taken away from her. Ordgar mused on the perils of fatherhood. There seemed to be no easy way to reconcile his children.
They were locked in conflict. The happiness of one directly depended on the unhappiness of the other.
They were close to home when Bristeva raised the issue herself.
She knew that deep disapproval awaited her.
‘Will you speak to Amalric for me, please?’ she said.