A Murdered Peace
- Автор: Робб Кэндис
- Серия: A Kate Clifford Mystery #3
- Год: 2018
- Язык: английский
- Год: Pegasus Books
- ISBN: 9781681779270
- Жанр: Исторические детективы
Электронная книга - «A Murdered Peace». Краткое содержание книги:
England still in tumult at the start of the fifteenth century, as Kate Clifford finds herself working to prove the innocence of her longtime confidante.
It is deep winter in York, 1400, the ground frozen, the short days dimmed with the smoke from countless fires, the sun, when it shines, low in the sky. It is rumored that the Epiphany Uprising, meant to relieve the realm of the Henry the usurper and return King Richard to the throne has, instead, spelled his doom. As long as Richard lives, he is a threat to Henry. So, too, the nobles behind the plot. The ringleaders have been caught, some slaughtered as they fled west by folk loyal to Henry, and the king's men now search the towns for survivors.
A perilous time, made worse for Kate Clifford by the disappearance of Berend, her cook and confidante, shortly after Christmas. Her niece saw his departure in a dream – he said he was honor bound to leave. Honor bound – to a former lord? One of the nobles who led the uprising? Is he alive? She is hardly consoled when Berend reappears, wounded, secretive, denying any connection to the uprising, but refusing to explain himself. When he is accused of brutally murdering a spice seller in the city, Kate discovers a chest of jewels in his possession. Some of the jewels belong to her old friend Lady Margery, wanted by the king for her husband’s part in the uprising. For the sake of their long friendship, and the love she and her wards bear for him, Kate wants to believe his innocence. So, too, does Sir Elric. And he has the powerful backing of the Earl of Westmoreland. All she need do is confide in him. If only she trusted her heart.
“Did he ask for anything to clean a wound?”
All the men shook their heads. One mentioned his limp, and the cut beneath his eye. “But it was already healing when he arrived.”
Nothing new. “Bless you for giving him sanctuary,” she said.
“He’s a good man,” said the one who had offered to show her Berend’s spot.
“Skulker is a dead lad,” muttered one of the others.
Kate imagined so, either Berend’s friends in York or Parr and Sawyer would see to that. The lad would be smart to run away.
“The pair Skulker brought – have they been here before?”
Nods. “A few days past. Claimed they’d come on Merek’s behalf to collect what he had stored here. We’d never seen them before so we told them to return with proof Merek had given them the authority.”
“I commend you.”
A shrug. “There was little left. Merek had sold most of the spices and such. He was moving on, he told us.”
Moving on, now Berend had returned? “And you thought it odd they were here to collect his wares?”
“We had a laugh about it. For all their livery and fine speech, they were easy to foil.”
Or they like people to think so, catch them off guard.
“Can you show me where Merek stored his wares?”
They led her to a shelf that held a sack, a few jugs. Certainly nothing the two men would have gone out of their way for. “This is it?”
A nod.
“I see why you found it amusing. Did you see the direction they took?”
“Back down Castlegate, toward the city.”
She signaled to Lille and Ghent to rise from where they had been resting and gave them a good whiff of Berend’s pack, then told them to look about. Just in case.
“We might’ve done better,” said one of the men. “Bloody Paris.”
“How did he find Berend?” Kate asked.
“Had a barrel got loose, Berend was helping us get it in hand and Paris saw him. Ran out into the street screeching like he’d seen the dead rise up.”
“Why didn’t Berend run?”
All the men shrugged. “He seemed to just give up,” said one.
“Paris tells a different story about how he discovered Berend.” She told them what he’d said.
They exchanged guilty glances. “We did ask for one of his stews.”
“Course he smelled it. That’s why he came in when he did and caught him.”
“We’re as guilty as Skulker.”
“No. You did make a mistake, but so did Berend. He was grateful, wanted to repay you, and he forgot that the scent would linger.”
They hung their heads. Their friend had been taken, and they realized they were, in part, to blame.
Going in search of the hounds, Kate found them sniffing round a crate tucked in a dark corner. She called for some light. The dogs circled, ears pricked, sniffing, then Lille stood on her hind legs, paws on the top of the crate, licking her lips and glancing back at Kate. Ghent also rose, then leaped up atop it, pawing at it. The men, one of them holding up a lantern, began to argue about what was stored there.
Signaling the hounds to come sit, Kate rubbed their backs as she listened to the men, learning that Berend had borrowed a tool and disappeared in this direction in the early morning, shortly after they had relieved the man on night duty.
When she had heard enough, she asked for a tool that would open the crate, preferring not to reveal the battle axe in her skirt.
One of the men unhooked a long iron bar from his belt and handed it over. She considered its heft, balance. It would do. As she turned back toward the crate, she kicked something that went skittering. “Bring the lantern closer.” Several bent nails lay where they must have fallen when someone else opened the crate.
“Two of you, watch the doors,” she said. “Call out if anyone approaches.”
She fell to, prying up a corner.
“The earl’s knight approaches,” one of the watchers called out. “He is with the one who saved Sister Dina.”
Elric and Kevin. Damnable timing.
That is habit, Kate, Geoff whispered in her mind. You need Elric to help Berend.
But will he?
He said he would. And you seemed to believe him then.
Habit. Of course it was. He seemed sincere about helping. Pray God he did not blame Berend when he learned she’d hidden Margery all this while. “Bring them to me.”
She went back to work, prying another corner loose, and had just engaged the one who had stayed with her in lending a hand to pull it open when Elric and Kevin reached them.
“Can we help?” Elric asked.
She motioned to her companion and they both backed away. Elric and Kevin finished the task with ease.
“What do you see?” Kate asked as they peered in.
The man with the lantern stepped closer, shining it inside. “Jars of oil, those are.”
“Large jars, standing upright, cushioned by straw,” said Elric.
“Looks like one has been removed,” said Kevin. “Just a pile of loose straw in that far corner.”
Kate poked at the straw with the tool she had borrowed, raking some of it away until she saw what looked to be leather. “Something’s hidden beneath the straw.”
“If you will permit me.” Elric lifted out a pouch. It was small, but clearly heavy. “There is a box of some sort inside.” He set it on a barrel near them and stepped back.
Kate untied the leather thong holding the pouch closed and drew out a small carved wood traveling casket secured with leather straps, the sort used to carry valuables.
Elric leaned close and whispered, “I don’t know what has happened here, but this might be something the warehouse workers should not see?”
Kate looked round at the men who had been such a help. “I need you to guard the doors. We do not want to be surprised.”
As they dispersed, she unbuckled the straps. The casket was secured with a small but strong lock. “I should have brought Jennet.”
“I knew her lessons would be of benefit someday,” said Kevin. “Might I try?”
He drew a small pick out of his scrip, and, leaning close, one ear to the lock, he worked it. In but a few moments he stepped back with a proud grin.
“Your time in Dame Katherine’s household was well spent,” Elric said softly. “I pray you, Dame Katherine, do not keep us in suspense.”
Hoping against hope that it was nothing incriminating – a bloody dagger, a blood-soaked shirt – she held her breath as she lifted the heavy lid. “Holy Mary, Mother of God,” she breathed. “A treasure.”
She lifted up a gold ring set with rubies and diamonds, a chain on which hung an exquisite pearl swan with sapphire eyes. The casket was filled with such jewels. She lifted out a small pack, opened it, “Gold and silver coins.”
“A hoard,” said Elric.
What was Berend doing with this? Geoff whispered in her head.
Or was it Merek’s hoard? Kate prayed God it was.
“How did you find this?” asked Elric. “To whom does it belong?”
She told him how the hounds had sniffed it out. “Berend must have been the one to open and then secure the crate,” she said. “His scent must have been all over it for Lille and Ghent to lead me to it. He hid this in the crate. But whose hoard it is, and why he had it, why he would hide it here, in this warehouse …” She shook her head. It made no sense to her.
“Someone will be back to search for this,” said Elric. “We must not linger here.”
Closing the casket, Kate wrapped it in the leather pouch. “One of you must carry this, and Berend’s pack. I have the hounds.”
“Your remarkable hounds,” said Elric. “Did the warehousemen know of this?”