The Holy Innocents

Thomas glanced at his brother, but Oliver folded his lips together and made no reply. Thomas shrugged and turned back to me.

‘He was Rosamund’s husband,’ he answered simply. ‘Everything she had was his. She would have inherited the money, a considerable sum, mark you, had she outlived her children, so, by default, it was bound to be Eudo’s. No provision was made in the will – I know, for Jasper showed me his copy of the document – for the money to revert to the Skelton family. Indeed, quite the reverse. In the event of the children’s deaths, it went to Rosamund or her heir! It was all wrapped up in lawyer’s parlance, but its intention was abundantly plain.’ Thomas cleared his throat and glanced sideways at his brother. ‘I recall thinking at the time that, in certain circumstances, it could prove to be a most dangerous clause, but Jasper seemed mighty pleased with it.’

Oliver was goaded into speech. ‘As things stood when the will was drawn up,’ he said huffily, ‘there was nothing to fear, and our concern was to ensure that the money stayed in the Crouchback family in perpetuity. It was a skilful piece of negotiation on my part, even Sir Henry and his lawyers admitted it. And may I remind you, Tom, that no one anticipated Sir Henry’s death. The rebellions of Robin of Redesdale and Robin of Holderness seemed very unimportant affairs in the beginning. No one could possibly have foreseen what would happen.’

Thomas Cozin gave an ironic little smile. ‘What you don’t say, but I will, is that Jasper, dear friend though he was, was undoubtedly a greedy man. He enjoyed getting the better of other people, and in this case, he saw an opportunity to acquire part of his son-in-law’s fortune to add to that of his own family. It was never to be allowed to return to Skelton hands. And, as is so often the case with grasping people, he was too shortsighted to see beyond his immediate objective, to guess at any chain of events which might endanger the lives of his grandchildren.’

Oliver rose abruptly from the table.

‘I warn you, Tom, to guard your tongue. No crime has been proved against Eudo Colet, and in my estimation, never will be, because there is nothing to prove. Andrew Skelton and his sister wandered out of the house, lost their way and were murdered by the outlaws. Now, let us leave it at that. And so will you, chapman, if you have any sense, or you may find yourself under arrest for spreading malicious rumours about my client. You may stay in his house for as long as you wish, but confine yourself to caretaking and tell Mistress Harbourne that you have thought better of your promise to meddle. She’s a sensible woman and will understand, much as she abhors Master Colet – and that without good reason from what little I could see on my infrequent visits to the house, for he always treated her civilly enough when I was about. And now, God be with you. I shall be here until Saturday, should you need me, but I will not undergo any more inquisitions nor listen to unfounded rumours.’ And he mounted the stairs with a slow, self-conscious gait.

Thomas rose from the table, and I with him. He leaned towards me, lowering his voice.

‘You mustn’t mind Oliver,’ he said. ‘He has a crusty way with him, but he has a good heart. We’re twins, as you can see, and I know him as well as I know myself. The death of those two children preys on his mind more than he’ll admit to, being as how he was the one who negotiated that clause in the will. At Jasper’s behest, it’s true, but it was a tricky business and wouldn’t have been accomplished without Oliver’s legal brilliance. He feels responsible, and that annoys him.’

‘Did he never suspect Master Colet of being implicated in their disappearance?’ I inquired.

Thomas shook his head. ‘Oliver was at home, in Exeter, when the children vanished, and by the time he had been sent for, and reached here four days later, it had been well established that Eudo Colet, short of sorcery, could have had nothing to do with Andrew and Mary leaving the house that morning. The man was here, in this very room, with me when it happened. Nevertheless, the rumours which persist about Eudo Colet, among the lower orders of townspeople, keep the gossip alive, and that, as I said, imbues Oliver with a false sense of guilt, which, in turn, makes him angry.’

‘Why did Master Colet come to see you?’ I asked. ‘If Mistress Harbourne is to be believed, you were no longer linked to him in business. You did not even like him.’

‘True, on both counts. But you cannot turn a man from your door simply because of personal prejudice. And I had no reason to believe that he had been a bad husband to Rosamund. On the contrary, she doted on him. It was those two poor, innocent children she neglected, but he could not be saddled with the blame for that. She left them to Grizelda’s care from the moment they were born, long before she met him. Much as it grieves me to speak ill of my old friend’s daughter, Rosamund was spiteful and selfish, never mindful of anyone’s comfort but her own.’