Brother's Blood (26 page)

‘Please come out. We will not harm you, you have my word.'

‘Your word? What good is that to me?' Martin put his hand on the hilt of his sword, still turning this way and that.

Edwin sighed and his face took on that sad look again. He made the sign of the cross in the air. ‘I swear on the soul of my father, in his grave these two months past, that we will not harm you. Please, come out so we can talk.'

Anabilia appeared from the undergrowth, much closer to Martin than he would have thought possible, making him jump. He forced himself to let go of his sword. She was an old woman, in the Lord's name. What harm could she possibly do? But still he calculated the distance between them as she approached Edwin. If she tried to attack him, he could get there and stop her well before she could do any damage.

Edwin opened his arms wide. ‘Shall we sit?'

She folded hers. ‘No.'

‘Very well. I just have one question to ask you, and please, you must tell me the truth before God.'

She inclined her head. ‘Very well.'

‘Was it you who hid the monk's habit in the cave?'

To say that Martin was thunderstruck would have been an understatement. How on earth had Edwin worked that out? His start of surprise had frightened the horses and he moved to calm them as he listened to the conversation in the clearing.

‘Yes.'

Edwin nodded. ‘I thought so.'

The woman's curiosity had been aroused. ‘How did you know?' Now she indicated the space outside her home and the two of them sat down. Martin circled around the edge of the clearing, but quietly so as not to alarm her. He wanted to hear this.

Edwin settled himself. ‘Earlier today someone pointed out that his sister could not join the abbey community. Because she is a woman, of course. Which led me to think of another woman who has dealings with the abbey, another woman who ranks herself in holiness along with the monks there … another woman who might have wanted to get inside the abbey buildings?'

She laughed, a dry, croaking sound. ‘You're a sharp one, boy. So, why would I want to do that?'

‘I haven't quite worked that part out yet. To see what it was like? To see if you really would want to live there if you were given the chance? Or … no —' he snapped his fingers. ‘To save up the experience so you could offend them with it one day by letting them know that a woman had penetrated into their enclave?'

She was nodding. ‘Very good. Them with their holier-than-thou attitudes, just because they are men. There's as much sin in there as there is in the outside world – they just hide it better and call it by different names.'

Edwin leaned forward. ‘What did you see?'

Anabilia also bent forward, so that her face was very close to Edwin's. Martin tensed. ‘Nothing that I'm about to tell you.' She sat back and Martin unclenched his fist.

Edwin appeared calm. ‘Very well. But let us speak of when and how you entered. You could not have been in one of the services, or at Chapter, because someone would have noticed you.'

‘That is true. I went in one afternoon while they were all at their labours. There are more of them milling around then, so I thought it would be easier.'

‘And what did you do?'

She shrugged. ‘Nothing, really. Just walked around, had a look at everything – oh, and I went in the choir of the church, where they don't allow women at all, just so I could say I'd been there if I ever needed to. Then I left again.'

‘And the porter didn't notice?'

She snorted. ‘Him? Blind, deaf and stupid.'

Edwin acknowledged her point. ‘And how did you get the habit in the first place?'

‘Oh, they might hate women and not allow them to soil their fine religion, but they don't mind giving them their dirty laundry to wash, do they? Oh no, that would be too menial for a monk to do, even a lay brother, so they must lower themselves to find a woman to do it.' She was becoming more agitated, but Martin didn't think Edwin was in any danger. It was not him she was railing at.

‘So, you took this habit last wash day. And to start with you hid it here? In your cottage?'

She nodded.

‘So why did you move it? When we first went to the cave it was not there, I'm sure of it. We only found it the second time.'

Anabilia began to look more uncomfortable. ‘I was afraid.'

‘Afraid? Of whom? Of us?'

Anabilia looked directly at Martin, and he realised that she had known all along that he was there. ‘When armed men come visiting, they don't often stop to ask what's what or who's done what. They just kill, burn and move on.' Her eyes bored into him, and it was he who looked away first.

Edwin was continuing. ‘So, you were afraid of us, afraid we'd come back and find out about the stolen habit and about your visit. There's not much hiding place in your cottage, so you decided to move it elsewhere.'

She nodded. ‘I didn't know about the cave until the day I took you there. All I'd ever seen was Brother Alexander disappearing several times after he'd been to visit me, and once on a moonlit night last week. But when I saw you going back and forth into it and calling to each other, I decided to go and look, so I waited until you were gone and then went to have a look myself. There was nothing there and Brother Alexander was dead by then, so I thought it was as good a hiding place as any. How was I to know you were going to come back?'

There was silence for a few moments.

‘So, you're going to tell the abbot about this, are you? So he'll find an excuse to stop my corrody, throw me out to starve?'

Edwin shook his head. ‘No.'

She looked surprised. ‘No? And what's in it for you, this keeping silent?'

His voice was innocent. ‘Does there have to be something in it for me?'

Even Martin wasn't fooled by that, so he wasn't surprised when the sharp old woman snorted. ‘Just tell me what you want, boy, and have done with it. I have little enough to give you.'

‘Your prayers for my success, perhaps. Oh, and tell me what you saw while you were in the abbey.'

Her eyes narrowed. ‘All right.' She leaned forward again and whispered in his ear for some moments.

Edwin sat back with a slight smile on his face. ‘Thank you. That knowledge may come in useful.'

She started to rise. ‘All knowledge is precious. Now, if you've finished, go away and leave me on my own.'

She groaned her way to her feet and made her way inside the hovel. Martin looked at Edwin, who had not moved, and wondered why the smile had widened across his whole face.

Edwin wasn't quite sure how he found himself outside the abbey gates again. Had he really ridden all that way without noticing? He dismounted and led the horse through the gate once Brother Thurstan had managed to open it, and then stood in silence while Martin took the animals to the stables.

‘You've thought of something, haven't you?'

Edwin jumped. ‘How did you sort the horses out so quickly?'

‘I didn't. You've been standing here like stone for ages.'

‘Really?'

‘Yes.'

‘Oh.'

‘So, have you?'

‘Have I what?'

‘Thought of something. You've got that look on your face.'

Edwin considered. ‘Actually … yes, I think I have. But I don't want to speak too soon. I'd rather think about it overnight to get it all straight in my head before I do anything about it.' He looked around him, belatedly aware of his surroundings. ‘It
is
evening, isn't it?'

Martin clapped him on the back. ‘Are you that far gone? It is. Now come on, let's go and find something to eat.'

Edwin roused himself enough to think that Martin didn't sound as cheerful as he might at the idea of an evening meal and the possibility of getting out of the abbey if he, Edwin, was right about his suspicions. Indeed, Martin was looking about him now, as if searching for someone.

‘Who are you looking for?'

‘Nobody.'

There was no point trying to get more out of Martin once he set his jaw like that and Edwin had plenty else to think about, so perhaps they were better just going back to the guesthouse and eating. He led the way.

Once inside they were greeted by Aylwin, who was still at the table with a much drier-looking set of pages.

Aylwin met Edwin's questioning glance. ‘Oh, don't worry, I haven't been here all day. It was still too wet to look at this morning so I went to talk to the new master of the lay brothers – the abbot has finally appointed one – and I came back to it about an hour ago.'

Edwin and Martin sat down on either side of him. ‘What is it?' Martin came out of himself long enough to be curious.

‘A wool ledger.' Aylwin pointed. ‘Look, it got very wet and now it's dry again some of the pages are stuck together in a big lump, and a lot of the ink has run, but you can still make out some of it, if you know what to look for.' He grew enthused as he indicated various aspects.

Martin's interest faded as quickly as it had appeared and he ran his eyes over the pages without much enthusiasm as he turned to Edwin. ‘Is this important for what we need to find out?'

Edwin nodded slowly. ‘If I'm right, then yes, it could be the key to the whole thing.'

Aylwin looked puzzled. ‘Even though I can't find anything wrong with it?' He made a helpless gesture. ‘I mean, of course, I can't see all of it, or anything like all of it, but from what I can see it just looks like a perfectly normal wool ledger.'

Edwin reached for the bowl which Brother Amandus had obligingly put before him. ‘Oh yes,' he said, distantly, ‘its very normality is what gives the whole thing away.'

It was like being behind a veil, away from the rest of the world. He ate without tasting; watched without really seeing as Martin reached for the bread and passed some to Aylwin; listened without hearing as Martin spoke. ‘There's no point trying to talk to him while he's like this. I've seen it before. Just let him think it out and he'll be back to normal tomorrow.'

Edwin belatedly noticed that Sir Philip was also sitting at the table, although he was as far away from the rest of them as he could get. That awoke him from his thoughts and with some effort he pushed the veil aside. Now was as good a time as any to test one of his theories.

He addressed the knight directly. ‘Good evening, Sir Philip.'

He received a reply which was not much more than a grunt – the bare minimum of civility which might be accorded to a fellow guest. Aylwin made a surprised noise. ‘Come now …'

Without taking his eyes off the knight, Edwin reached into his purse, felt around for the metal chape, and placed it deliberately on the table in front of Sir Philip.

Aylwin leaned forward. ‘What's that?'

Edwin felt Martin shifting into a position of readiness beside him. Perhaps he should have told Martin first what he intended to do. Too late now.

Sir Philip had already reached for his scabbard, so he evidently knew what it was. ‘Where did you get that?'

‘I found it in the lay brothers' range.'

‘Well, you have my thanks, I'd been looking for —' he started to reach out for it.

‘On the stairs which lead up to the parlour there.'

The hand froze in mid-air.

Edwin continued. ‘A place you wouldn't expect to go, if you were just a knight who was staying here while his horse recovered.'

Sir Philip sat back and folded his arms. ‘What business is it of yours where I go? Who do you think you are?' His tone was scornful.

Edwin had sometimes watched the earl and Sir Geoffrey playing a game called chess. He didn't know exactly how it worked – although he thought he'd quite like to learn – but he had seen the way that they stared at each other while they were absorbed in it. He felt the same concentration now, gazing intently at his opponent as Martin and Aylwin almost faded from view. It was his move.

He kept his voice soft. ‘I am the man who is here to find a killer and bring him to justice.'

As he expected, Sir Philip lost his temper. He jumped to his feet and laid a hand on his dagger.

All was chaos. Aylwin cried out with shock. Martin threw himself between Edwin and the knight. Brother Amandus ran in and squawked as he saw the scene, rushing to try and placate anyone and everyone.

Edwin didn't move.

Sir Philip had not gone so far as to draw his dagger. He raised a pacifying hand to Brother Amandus and a threatening one to Martin before taking his seat again. Martin took up a position standing behind the knight.

Edwin looked in Sir Philip's eyes. ‘I never said that killer might be you, sir.'

‘Then what are you implying?'

‘Brother Amandus here told me that there are two reasons why a guest, an outsider, might go up there. The first is that it is used as an office where business can be discussed.'

Aylwin, who was looking a bit shaken, chipped in. ‘That's right. I have been up there myself on numerous occasions.' He frowned at Sir Philip. ‘But you're not a merchant.'

‘The hell I am!' If anything, Sir Philip looked more insulted by this than he had been at the thought that Edwin was accusing him of murder, but he didn't move.

‘And the second,' continued Edwin as if nobody had spoken, ‘Is that the brothers of the Order are allowed to receive guests there, so they can talk to them without disturbing the rest of the abbey.' He leaned forward. ‘Visits from relatives, for example.'

Sir Philip's expression now resembled the earl's when Sir Geoffrey made a move and then said ‘check'. He looked at the faces surrounding him. ‘Very well,' he said, grudgingly. ‘If it will put thoughts of murder out of your heads.'

Brother Amandus started to say that he should not listen to gossip, that he should clear the table and leave, but he didn't move.