Read The Uninvited Guest Online
Authors: Sarah Woodbury
Tags: #female detective, #wales, #middle ages, #cozy mystery, #medieval, #prince of wales, #historical mystery, #british detective, #brother cadfael, #ellis peters
Tomos had a magic tongue. Gareth had noticed
it from the very first time he’d met him, years ago. Having spoken
to the boy, Pedr, Gareth sensed that it would have taken very
little to turn Pedr’s disgruntlement into rage. Had Tomos also
turned Enid’s mild dislike of Cristina into open scorn? For it had
to have been he who convinced her to dose the men who guarded the
assassin and Lord Goronwy. And then afterwards, when she’d done his
bidding, he killed her.
In the end, Gareth didn’t
have the skill to say all of this in a note. He could read well,
but had never truly mastered the art of writing. Instead he
scratched:
Spoke to assassin, found ring
and source of poppy juice. Suspect Tomos of Rhuddlan.
He signed the note, affixed his seal to the
outside, and gave it to the young man whom Prior Rhys had found to
make the journey.
“
Take this to Sir Madoc,
the captain of the garrison at Caerhun, and from there he is to
deliver it into the hands of Prince Hywel. If Prince Hywel cannot
receive it, Gwen, my betrothed and the daughter of the court bard,
may take it. Only if she too is absent should he give it to King
Owain. I’ve written that on the outside.”
“
Yes, my lord.”
“
Tell him that I will
follow in the morning.” Gareth handed the messenger the ring. “And
give that to him too.”
* * * * *
Morning came, and with it, Gareth found
himself more at ease than he’d been for many days. He’d taken what
precautions he could. He wasn’t looking forward to confronting
Tomos at Aber, but nonetheless, looked to his duty. He took leave
of the prior, mounted his horse, and turned its head towards home.
When he reached the crossroads that could have taken him north to
Rhuddlan, Gareth hesitated, but then passed it by. King Owain could
send a company of his men, if needed. Gareth imagined that
Rhuddlan’s accounts might take some looking into.
Gareth hadn’t gone more than two miles past
the crossroads, however, when a group of riders swung around a
curve in the road ahead of him. He’d heard the hooves, but the
clear winter air had disguised their number. Tomos of Rhuddlan rode
at their head.
Gareth gaped at him, his mind working
furiously, but he managed to school his expression before Tomos
approached closely enough to make it out.
“
Praise be to God, you’re
alive!” Tomos reined in at Gareth’s side. “Gwen will be so
happy.”
“
I hope so,” Gareth
said.
“
But what are you doing so
far from Aber?” Tomos said.
Gareth tried to think of what to say that
wouldn’t be an outright lie. He wasn’t a very good liar, and he
knew that Tomos, as an excellent one, might see right through it.
“Pursuing an inquiry for Prince Hywel.”
“
That’s just as well!”
Tomos said. “I have just come from Aber. After you left, Prince
Cadwaladr fled the castle, and then yesterday evening, I received
word that he’d sequestered himself at Rhuddlan.”
“
Really?” Gareth cursed
himself for his stupidity. That Tomos would leave Aber before the
king’s wedding hadn’t occurred to him.
“
Since you are here, you
must come with me to Rhuddlan and confront him,” Tomos
said.
While they’d been speaking, Tomos’ men had
encircled Gareth, boxing him in. Before Gareth could protest, one
of them caught Dewi’s bridle and turned his head to the east. He
shouldn’t have done it. Gareth had been wavering, wondering if he’d
gotten it all wrong, but that small act was not that of an innocent
man.
“
Of course.” Gareth thanked
the saints that he’d sent Pedr’s ring on to Aber. Perhaps Tomos
wouldn’t search him, but he had to be wary. Tomos couldn’t know
what Gareth knew, nor guess that he wouldn’t easily accept
Cadwaladr as the culprit, no matter how much he hated him. Someday
Cadwaladr would slip again and Gareth hoped to see him finally pay
for his crimes. But it was Tomos that Gareth was worried about
today.
Chapter
Twenty-Five
T
o
his credit, King Owain had given Cristina the wedding night she
deserved, but by late afternoon the next day, he left his bride
asleep in their room so that he could expend his rage on his sons.
He stormed around the hall, gesticulating and cursing to Rhun and
Hywel (though not at them)—and anyone else who had the fortitude to
withstand it, including Gwen. After every circuit of the room, he’d
stop in front of her, put a hand on her shoulder to look into her
eyes, and then storm off again.
“
What has that boy been up
to? Christ on the cross! He’s gotten himself into a pit of vipers
and now we have to go in after him.” King Owain stabbed a finger at
Hywel, who was so used to his father’s temper by now that he didn’t
shrink under the force of King Owain’s glare.
“
Gareth did only what we
asked of him,” Hywel said.
“
God damn it!” King Owain
turned on Madoc, the captain of the garrison at Caerhun, who’d
brought Gareth’s message to Aber personally. “You’re sure that
Gareth was supposed to ride for Aber this morning?”
“
Yes,” Madoc said. “It’s
thirty miles and he could have dallied, but …”
“
Gareth wouldn’t have
dallied,” Hywel said. “He could have reached here by noon if he
changed horses at Caerhun.”
“
If his horse went lame …”
Gwen said.
“
It’s possible,” Hywel
said. But Gwen heard doubt in his voice and her heart
quailed.
“
Are your men prepared,
Madoc?” Rhun said.
“
I warned them to be ready
to march, if need be, my lord,” Madoc said. “Just give the
word.”
“
The word is given,” King
Owain said.
Madoc pressed his heels together and turned
away, but not before glancing at Hywel, who nodded. They’d see to
it that they had enough men to threaten Rhuddlan.
King Owain turned on Gwen. “Explain to me
how Tomos could have done any of this.”
“
I know it’s hard to
believ—
“
He murdered two of my
subjects!”
Gwen took a step backward, and King Owain
threw out a hand to her. He took in a deep breath and added, “I am
sorry. He has been a trusted compatriot and a good friend for many
years and his treachery has taken me by surprise.”
“
He had opportunity,
Father. And he had motive, as difficult as it is to credit,” Hywel
said.
King Owain’s outrage was palpable. “What
motive? What would he gain by my death?”
“
Lord Tomos didn’t want to
kill you,” Gwen said. “He wanted to stop you from marrying
Cristina.”
“
What?” King Owain turned
back to Gwen. “Why?”
“
You were taking the estate
of Rhuddlan away from him,” Gwen said.
King Owain hadn’t understood—really
understood—until that moment. His face drained of all color and he
took a step towards Gwen. “He murdered two people over … over … a
few parcels of land?”
“
I don’t know for sure,”
Gwen said, “but I imagine the Rhuddlan accounts are in
disarray.”
All the heat left King Owain. He gazed at
the fire for a long count of ten. “I had arranged to bestow Nefyn
on him.” His bewilderment was plain.
“
It may be that he’s been
stealing from you for some time,” Hywel said.
“
My lord,” Gwen said, “may
I show you something?”
“
Of course,” he said, “if
it will help me understand.”
Gwen led the way to the small room in the
barracks where Enid’s body lay beside Ieuan’s. It had been cold
enough the last two days that the bodies hardly smelled.
Gwen picked up Enid’s wrist and showed the
king the brand on her palm. “Do you see this symbol?”
Hywel took the ring that Madoc had brought
from his scrip and handed it to his father. Carefully, the king
pressed the signet to Enid’s palm. It was a perfect match.
King Owain bent his head. “I’ve seen this
ring on Tomos’ finger many times. An ugly thing, I’ve always
thought.”
Gwen shook her head in disgust. As was often
the case, it was a matter of asking the right questions. Not that
King Owain might have believed any of this of Tomos before today.
He’d proved that with Cadwaladr, though his brother was much closer
to him and his betrayal that much harder to encompass.
Then, King Owain’s eyes narrowed. “Tomos
wasn’t wearing it the other day. I noted it specifically, to the
point that yesterday, I asked him where it had got to.”
Gwen’s throat tightened. “And because you
asked him an innocent question, Tomos fled, though not before
making one last attempt to postpone the wedding. He thought we were
closing in on him.”
“
We were,” Hywel said, “but
apparently not as quickly as Gareth was.”
King Owain handed the ring to his son. “We
ride within the hour. I will sleep tonight at Caerhun and tomorrow
I will honor the monks at St. Asaph with my presence.” He turned on
his heel and stalked out of the barracks. Cristina was about to
hear some bad news.
Hywel and Rhun began discussing the
logistics of the march as they left the room, but Gwen stopped
them. “I’m coming with you,” she said.
Hywel turned to look her. “Are you?”
“
Yes.”
The corner of his mouth twitched. “I’d be
disappointed if you didn’t.”
Gwen had prepared a list of reasons to
justify her demand, but his approval cut her short. “Really?”
“
It shouldn’t be
dangerous,” Rhun said. “Tomos will come quietly.”
“
No, he won’t,” Hywel
said.
“
Will Tomos really hold
Rhuddlan against King Owain?” Gwen said.
“
He will hold it until he
gets terms he can live with,” Hywel said. “With the emphasis
on
live
.”
“
The only way that Tomos
has a chance of living is if he surrenders,” Rhun said.
“
We will see.” Hywel and
Rhun each put their right hand on the other’s left shoulder in a
attitude of solidarity. Then, the two brothers turned in separate
directions, each to make their own preparations for the
journey.
But Gwen stopped Rhun before he could stride
away. “You’re angry. Is there something you haven’t said? Something
we should know?”
Rhun’s jaw clenched. “The ripples of deceit
spread ever outwards. I trusted Tomos myself. I appointed two
stewards on his recommendation. I entrusted them with a large
portion of my estates. What if they’ve been working for Tomos all
along, rather than for me?” He strode towards the stables, leaving
Gwen and Hywel looking after him.
“
Treachery among friends
and family is our birthright,” Hywel said. “We’d all be wise to
keep it in the forefront of our minds from now on.”
Chapter
Twenty-Six
“
Are you out of your
mind?”
That was Tomos’ voice, which Gareth had
always felt was smooth and rich, but now sounded harsh, grating on
Gareth’s ear.
“
What do you mean?”
Cadwaladr said.
Tomos modulated his tone. “Gareth has seen
you, Cadwaladr. He’ll go to the king and tell him where you are.
King Owain will come to Rhuddlan. He’ll take you and hang you for
sure.”
“
He’s my
brother—”
“
Your brother believes that
you were the one who tried to kill him! There’s a limit to King
Owain’s patience, even for you.”
“
So what should I do?”
Cadwaladr said.
“
If you want to live,
Gareth can’t leave Rhuddlan alive.”
G
areth lay slumped against the wall in a room off the stables,
chained at the ankles and limited in movement, though his hands
remained free. Like the cell at Aber, the room smelled of urine and
wet hay, but that was its only resemblance. This was a prison cell,
with solid walls and a hard-packed dirt floor that Gareth could
possibly tunnel under if he were given a shovel and three weeks of
effort. He had neither.
He’d known the moment Cadwaladr had appeared
in the courtyard to greet Tomos that he was in trouble. Gareth had
turned Dewi’s head, but the horse wasn’t Braith and hadn’t
responded to his touch as quickly as he needed. The gate closed
before he reached it and a moment later, Tomos’ men were upon him.
They’d worked him over thoroughly, too, even before Cadwaladr took
his turn.
Gareth had always known that Cadwaladr was a
cruel bastard. Up until now, however, Gareth had only seen him get
others to do the jobs that might cost him his soul. Gareth had
thought Cadwaladr didn’t like getting his hands dirty. Now he knew
better. And after overhearing that conversation in the foyer of the
cell, Gareth guessed he had very little time.
The door to the cell opened and Cadwaladr
entered. Two men followed, one with a chair and a three legged
table which he set by the door, and a second with a tray of food
and drink. Neither furniture nor food were for Gareth. Cadwaladr
gestured for the men to arrange what they’d brought and then he
dismissed them. They shut the door behind them, though Gareth
didn’t hear the bar drop. As his feet were in chains, getting
through the door would be only the first step in a very long
journey.
Cadwaladr unleashed a grin at the sight of
Gareth’s slumped figure. For Gareth’s part, his swollen and
blackened eyes could barely focus on the prince’s face.
“
Why do you let Tomos use
you this way?” Gareth said.
Cadwaladr had settled himself into his seat
and picked up his knife to stab at a turnip. He froze with the food
half-way to his mouth. “Even in your condition, you mock me?”
“
What do I have to lose?”
Gareth said.
“
Your life.”
“
You’re saying it isn’t
already forfeit?” The thought of never seeing Gwen again gave
Gareth a sharp pang in his chest. Or maybe that was a broken
rib.
Cadwaladr twirled his knife in his hand.
“That remains to be seen. For the moment, it looks like you are the
entertainment for this evening.”
“
Did you even think twice
about going along with Tomos? What happened to your sense of
self-preservation? It has clearly betrayed you.”
“
What are you talking
about?” Cadwaladr cut a piece of meat, stuck it in his mouth, and
chewed loudly.
“
Does Lord Tomos know that
you’re in here, talking to me?” Gareth said.
“
I can do what I like
without asking permission from anyone. Why should I?” Cadwaladr
gestured with his knife again. “Tomos is closeted with Caradoc. He
doesn’t control me—”
“
Tomos has deceived you.
King Owain Gwynedd knows I’m here,” Gareth said. “I am his agent
and I do his bidding.”
Cadwaladr’s mouth snapped shut.
“
How could you think you
could harm me with impunity? My death will not go unnoticed,”
Gareth said. “Tomos is lying if he suggested otherwise.”
Cadwaladr didn’t answer, just grunted
between bites of food. He acted as if he wasn’t paying attention.
Gareth didn’t believe that to be true—in fact, he was counting on
it.
“
Don’t you see? If I die at
your hands, it will be the final nail in your coffin. Tomos
is
using
you,
Cadwaladr.” Gareth wanted to shake his head, but it hurt, so he
rested it very gently against the wall at his back.
Cadwaladr scoffed. “Why should I listen to
anything you have to say?”
“
Have you noticed how small
Lord Tomos’ hands are?”
Cadwaladr looked up, proving how closely
he’d been listening. “What of it?”
“
The man who murdered Enid
had small hands—smaller than mine. Smaller than yours.”
Cadwaladr set down his knife. “Wait a
moment. What are you talking about?”
Now Gareth did shake his head because the
effect was worth it. “Oh, Cadwaladr. Do you still not understand?
It is Lord Tomos, not you, whom I suspected was the murderer. It
was Lord Tomos who sent the boy to assassinate your brother. It was
Tomos who killed Enid and the servant at Aber.”
“
He did not!”
“
When he was in here
earlier, he pushed up the sleeves to his shirt. Did you see the
long scratches on his left forearm?”
“
What of them?”
“
We found blood and skin
under Enid’s nails. She marked her killer.”
Cadwaladr sputtered, shooting specks of food
onto the floor of the cell. Rats would find them soon. Gareth had
heard them in the corners.
“
Think about it,” Gareth
said. “It
was
Tomos
who convinced you to hide in the chapel, wasn’t it? Was it he who
also arranged for your men to wait for you outside the postern
gate? And suggested that you’d be safe here, at
Rhuddlan?”
Cadwaladr’s jaw was clenched so tightly it
had to ache. “Yes.”
“
I’m surprised Tomos left
you loose in his castle, even for an hour,” Gareth said. “He must
know that I suspect him. And now, by allowing you to hurt me, he
confirms his guilt.”
“
You were already supposed
to be dead,” Cadwaladr said. “Nobody was more surprised to see you
on the road than Tomos. He told me so. You didn’t return from that
hunting trip …” He broke off as understanding dawned.
Gareth managed a wisp of a smile, though
even that hurt. Cadwaladr wore a ring—not the dragon one—and it had
caught the corner of Gareth’s mouth. The wound had bled on and off
all day. Mouth wounds were always the slowest to heal.
“
My brother let everyone
think you were dead on purpose, so you could more freely hunt down
the killer.” Cadwaladr scooted back his chair. Leaving his food, he
crouched in front of Gareth. “Is that right?”
“
Yes.”
“
And you think now that it
was Tomos?”
“
All evidence points to
him,” Gareth said.
Cadwaladr swallowed hard, his throat
working. He was fair-skinned like his brother and now he flushed
red to the roots of his hair. “Does the King know what you
know?”
“
Yes.”
“
So that means
…”
“
That means you have to get
me out of here. That means that if you continue to ally yourself
with Tomos, your brother will hang you alongside him.”
Cadwaladr straightened and stared at the
door.
“
If you aren’t to go down
with Tomos, you must free me so that I can speak to King Owain on
your behalf. Which I will do, God help me, if you assist in my
escape.”
Cadwaladr still didn’t
answer. His jaw spoke of anger, but at whom? Time was slipping
through Gareth’s fingers like sand. “What is your brother going to
think when he finds you hiding out at Rhuddlan with a man he
knows
has betrayed
him?”
Cadwaladr’s throat worked. He crouched again
in front of Gareth, grabbed his shirt, and pulled him closer, much
as Gareth had done to Pedr. But it wasn’t hostility that Gareth saw
in the prince, but fear. “You have to help me!”
“
Haven’t I said I
would?”
“
But how?” Panic rose
higher in Cadwaladr’s eyes. He’d never been much of a soldier and
his cowardice wasn’t serving him well now.
Gareth pointed with his chin to the door.
“You still have men who are loyal to you. You brought several with
you to Rhuddlan. Ensure that they guard my door for the night.”
Cadwaladr eyed Gareth
warily. Gareth would have laughed if his ribs didn’t hurt so much.
Was Cadwaladr wondering if he could trust
Gareth?
How did he think Gareth felt
about needing Cadwaladr? But he would die here if Cadwaladr didn’t
help him.
“
Tell me what you know,”
Cadwaladr said, turning the tables on Gareth. “If you don’t, I can
gather my men and leave within the hour without you.”
“
And where would you go?”
Gareth said. “Not back to Aberffraw; not if you left Aber before
the King’s wedding.”
Cadwaladr shrugged. “East.”
The word was a punch to the gut. “You mean
to Chester? You would go to the Earl Ranulf?”
Cadwaladr shrugged. “He and I have
spoken.”
“
I’ve just come from
Chester and the Earl is not in residence,” Gareth said. “Besides, I
doubt you’d find a safe haven there, not if it means creating
animosity between the Earl and the King of Gwynedd. I wouldn’t be
surprised if King Owain is on his way here even now—”
“
My lord!” One of the men
whom Cadwaladr had brought with him opened the door to the
cell.
Cadwaladr didn’t let go of Gareth’s shirt,
just turned his head. “What is it?”
“
Lord Tomos has called for
dinner in half an hour.”
Cadwaladr didn’t even blink. “Is he still
with Caradoc?”
“
Yes.”
“
Leave us.”
The man departed.
“
Tell me what you know,”
Cadwaladr shook Gareth once, “while there’s still time.”
Gareth licked his lips. “Give me something
to drink and I will.”
Cadwaladr didn’t want to let him go, but he
set Gareth down on the floor with remarkable gentleness and went to
the table. He took up the cup of mead and the carafe and brought
them back to Gareth. Gareth found when he tried to take the cup
that his hands shook so badly he couldn’t hold it.
Cadwaladr tsked through his
teeth, but held the cup with one hand and the back of Gareth’s head
with the other and helped him drink.
One
sip … two sips …
exhausted, Gareth nodded
and Cadwaladr eased away.
“
I believe it began when
your brother told Tomos that he would be transferring control of
Rhuddlan to Cristina upon their wedding,” Gareth said. “I don’t
know what Tomos has been doing, but I don’t think it’s treason as
much as theft.”
Cadwaladr nodded. “Tomos has never expressed
interest in my dealings with Earl Ranulf.”
“
Tomos’ first step was to
encourage the boy—I don’t know if he paid him, but I don’t think
so—named Pedr ap Marc, to assassinate your brother. He knew of
Pedr’s resentment against King Owain. At the same time, he coerced
Enid to come to Aber. She dosed Lord Goronwy with poppy juice.
Afterwards, he killed her, as well as the servant who had assisted
him in his activities. It was Lord Tomos, surely, who attempted to
kill me after the boar hunt.”
“
And all the while he was
whispering into my ear, making me think that my own brother
suspected that I was the killer,” Cadwaladr said.
“
I’m not saying your
brother didn’t suspect you,” Gareth said. “You were first on
everyone’s list without the need for Tomos to spread the rumor of
your involvement. Your recent behavior has done nothing to help
your cause. Still, why would you kill Enid?”
“
I wouldn’t have.”
Amusement showed in Cadwaladr’s voice. “Tomos suggested that it was
Hywel who was responsible for the deaths.”
“
Which you believed because
you already believe the worst of him,” Gareth said. “And of
me.”
Gareth didn’t know what made him say that.
He was in such pain that all his inhibitions were down. But
Cadwaladr didn’t shout or rant. He didn’t storm out swearing. He
just gazed at Gareth who peered at him through swollen lids.
“
I enjoyed hurting
you.”
Gareth shivered but didn’t answer. As
footsteps sounded in the entry way to the cell, Cadwaladr acted
swiftly. He stuck his finger in Gareth’s face. “You are an insolent
whelp.” He back handed Gareth across the face. Hard. It rocked
Gareth’s head against the stones behind him and Cadwaladr’s ring
opened up the wound in the corner of Gareth’s mouth again.
Cadwaladr stood to leave while Gareth bent
at the waist, his head nearly to the ground. He moaned. It was a
noise he didn’t have to fake.
“
I will see that you die in
here!” Cadwaladr said.
Tomos had arrived in time to see the blow.
“We could kill him now.” He made the comment as if it were a simple
observation.
“
I’d rather he suffered,”
Cadwaladr said.
“
We can see to that.” The
two men left the cell, Tomos closing the door behind them and
leaving Gareth in the dark—but not quite as much in the dark as
before Cadwaladr had entered.