The whore stepped forward. ‘This girl is like me, like Joan. She’s a victim of your husband’s passions. She deserves the same consideration as I do, that Rose does, that your Joan would have.’
‘You think to claim that you deserve my sympathy?’ Matilda asked, her tone rising to a shriek. ‘After this? Go! In God’s name, leave me! And don’t return!’
Baldwin and Simon took seats at a bench while Nicholas toyed with a tankard of wine opposite them. Rather than enter the tavern, they had chosen to sit outside in a shaded part of the alehouse’s yard. Here Simon gratefully stretched his legs while Baldwin radiated discomfort.
His hangover had returned: his body was heavy, slow and hot; he felt sweaty in the sunlight and his hands wanted to shake. He had to keep flexing them to stop them from clenching into claws – and all the time his belly bubbled and spat bile up into his throat.
To forget his ill-ease, he turned his attention to Nicholas. The merchant had long fingers, he noticed, with carefully cleaned nails and almost perfect smooth skin which showed no calluses or warts. He was the image of the wealthy, well-to-do merchant.
‘Well, Sir Baldwin. What do you want from me?’
‘First, where were you on the night before last?’
‘Me?’ Nicholas was unsettled by the knight’s pale, angry-looking glower and short manner. ‘I was here in the tavern. Ask the landlord.’
‘I will. You know that Sir Gilbert’s man was killed that night?’
‘I had heard.’
‘Did you know him?’ Simon pressed.
‘I don’t believe so, no.’
‘We have heard that you met with Sir Gilbert the night before he died,’ Baldwin said. ‘I want to know how you knew him and what you found to talk about.’
‘I have met many people in my life. Some I have met about Exeter, others further afield while I travelled.’
‘And Sir Gilbert?’
Nicholas stared into his pot. ‘I knew him many years ago when he and I lived far from here. When we saw each other in the tavern, was it surprising that he and I should speak?’
‘I don’t know. That depends upon how you last separated.’
Nicholas’s eyes rose to meet Baldwin’s steady gaze. ‘We separated as honourable friends, men who had done many things together, and who had experienced hardship and privations.’
‘You’re wearing a sword today,’ Simon commented.
‘Should a merchant go undefended? Why should I not wear a sword?’
‘I’ve not seen you with one before.’
‘There’s not been much need for one.’
‘And you feel there is now?’ Baldwin pressed.
Nicholas snapped, ‘What do you think after the news from London?’
Baldwin could not disagree with that. He continued more mildly, ‘What did Sir Gilbert speak to you about?’
‘He was happy. He’d come to speak to Lord Hugh and had seen an old friend, Father Benedict, the cleric at Templeton.’ Nicholas drained his pot. ‘He wanted to know all about the politics of the town. Who supported whom, who could be bribed, how expensive such men would be. Especially Sir Peregrine, whether he could be bought.’
‘I see. And you were able to help him?’
‘I have some experience, Sir Baldwin.’
‘I expect you have. What did you tell him about Lord Hugh?’
‘He wasn’t interested in our lord. He wanted to know about other folks, especially those who supported Earl Thomas of Lancaster.’
Baldwin frowned slightly. ‘Why?’
‘To be honest I think he was himself wondering whether to look for a new master. Despenser is exiled and Sir Gilbert didn’t want to follow him.’
‘I see. How long was he with you?’
‘A good hour – perhaps more.’
‘And then he left to go in which direction?’
‘Down the hill. I thought he was heading towards the stables near the castle.’
‘That would make sense,’ Baldwin agreed. ‘Did he give you any clue as to his reasons for being here?’
‘He made no bones about it. The Younger Despenser had sent him to try to sound out Lord Hugh and the townspeople. And if possible bribe them to support the Despensers’ return.’
Simon interrupted. ‘With what?’
‘Eh?’ Nicholas hesitated.
‘I said: “with what?” The man had nothing on him.’
‘His purse was stolen by that little shit Dyne, yes, but he must have had more.’
‘Where is it, then? There was nothing on him or at his camp.’
Nicholas turned his hands palm-up in a gesture of indifference. ‘How should I know where it is?’
Simon said slowly, ‘You are the first person to have hinted that Sir Gilbert had any money with him. Yet there isn’t any.’
‘Do you mean to suggest that I stole his money?’
‘No,’ Simon said after a moment’s consideration. ‘Not then, because his man, William, said that Sir Gilbert returned from town cheerful. I suppose that was because he had seen you, and he was more confident of succeeding in his mission to help the Despensers. So you didn’t take his money then. And although you met up with him later, when Sir Gilbert followed you into the woods and died, William must have had the gold with him in the camp.’
Baldwin scowled thoughtfully at the table. ‘Unless the gold had gone the day before.’
‘Eh?’ Simon drained his pot and held it up to a serving-girl.
‘You want more?’ Baldwin cried disbelievingly. ‘Ah, your belly must be made of leather!’ He watched with near disbelief as the jug was brought and Simon served. It was with an effort that he brought his mind back to the present. ‘What I wondered was, whether Sir Gilbert could have disposed of the money before he came here.’
‘Why would he do that?’ Nicholas asked doubtfully.
Simon took Baldwin’s point. ‘He wouldn’t want to leave temptation in the way of his servant, a man he scarcely knew if William’s evidence was honest, and yet who would want to wander around a town like this, alone, with a fortune on his back? It would have meant selecting the lesser of two evil courses. Of course he might have brought the money into town and delivered it to someone for safe-keeping…’
Nicholas paled with anger. ‘So you do mean to insult me? I could have you indicted for this kind of villainous talk.’
‘No, no, Nicholas,’ Baldwin murmured dismissively. ‘The fact that from all we have heard Sir Gilbert didn’t know anyone to speak to in Tiverton means he would hardly have brought the money with him. He had not expected to meet you.’
‘Well, if it’s not here and it’s not at his camp, where is it?’
Neither answered. After a moment Simon asked, ‘It was the day after you saw him here that the felon abjured, wasn’t it?’
‘Yes,’ said Nicholas, shooting him a curious look, wondering what new avenue of questioning he was being led down.
‘Was the Coroner keen to let him escape? Not all felons are permitted to abjure.’
‘Andrew and I offered money.’
‘Why?’
‘Bailiff, if it was your niece, your daughter, wouldn’t you want a chance to win justice? I went to the priest and gave him a large purse for the Coroner…’
‘Why go through the priest?’ pressed Baldwin.
‘Father Abraham is fond of winning rewards here as well as in Heaven.’
Baldwin nodded and motioned for him to continue.
‘The Father agreed to ensure that Dyne was released to go and seek exile. It was all Andrew and I wanted. We were there when he was freed, with a few men from alehouses, but the Coroner stopped us killing him there and then. He said we’d have to leave him alone, the hypocrite! All he meant was, we’d have to wait until he was outside the town.’
‘And as soon as he’d gone, you rode off after him,’ Simon continued.
‘Yes. We gave him a while, then cantered down the road to Exeter. And there he was. We almost killed him on the spot. It would’ve been so easy, just a knife and that was that, but a group of fools were on the road and could see us. I pulled Andrew off him, and forced him to keep on going. We went down some way, keeping an eye on the travellers wending their way to the Fair. As soon as there was a good gap, we cantered on a way. It was late, and I think most people had decided to halt at the last inn, so we had a clear field.