A Murdered Peace

Jennet poured bowls of ale for herself and Kate, and sat down beside her near the kitchen fire. “You look weary. Did Parr and Sawyer give you trouble?”

“No.” By the time Kate and Elric sat down in the unheated shed to question the prisoners, they were so cold and hungry they were far more docile than she had expected. She had deferred to Elric, guessing that they would be more likely to talk to him.

At first they had tried to lie.

“We chose to leave Salisbury’s household,” said Sawyer. “When he was caught up in Chester Castle with King Richard we joined up with all the others riding for King Henry.” He nodded toward the jacket with the Lancastrian arms.

“Those are, at best, stolen, and, more likely, you murdered a pair of the king’s men to steal their clothing,” said Elric.

Kate had moved to one side, crouching between the hounds, watching Elric with interest. He stood with ease, speaking in a conversational tone, his expression pleasant. She noticed how Parr and Sawyer kept glancing at him, as if expecting that expression to change.

“We stole them while they were bathing,” said Sawyer. “Left them ours.” A shrug.

“Why?” asked Elric.

“Like he said. To join up with the others riding for King Henry,” said Parr.

Elric was shaking his head. “I will tell you why,” he said. “You knew that Salisbury entrusted to Merek Lacy, the spice seller, a casket of valuables, and you followed him here to steal it, slime that you are.”

Parr opened his mouth, but thought better of whatever he’d been about to say. Shrugged.

“What do you want from us?” asked Sawyer.

“I want you to answer my questions. Truthfully.” Elric smiled, flexing his hands as if itching to punch them.

“And then you’ll let us go?”

Douglas, who had been standing in the open doorway, chuckled. Elric kicked shut the door.

“My man has a peculiar sense of humor. Where were we? Ah, yes. Did Merek give you the casket? Is that why you murdered him?”

Interesting, Geoff whispered in Kate’s head, pretending he doesn’t know the whereabouts of the treasure.

But hardly necessary.

“Don’t you have–” Parr elbowed Sawyer, shutting him up.

“Here’s the truth,” said Parr. “We’d been searching for Merek, and there he was, pulling himself along the storefronts in the Shambles, bleeding. We had no reason to harm him before we had what we wanted from him. Someone had attacked him, though. I offered him my arm, but he stabbed it and jerked away. Stumbled backward and fell on his ass.” He nodded toward Sawyer. “Will bent to help him up and he got a boot in the groin. So he put a boot on him.”

“And then someone was coming and we thought we’d best leave him be or we’d be blamed. We meant to check on him later.”

Frustrating that they had not been curious about who was approaching.

Kate shook her head at Jennet. “Even Dame Eleanor was helpful.” She told her what she had learned. “And the girls were squealing with delight when we walked beneath the window of Sister Dina’s sewing room on the way out. All sorrow forgotten for the moment in the thrill of new clothes.”

“That they will wear once a year. White.” Jennet chuckled.

“No, Sister Dina will dye them afterward.”

She closed her eyes and leaned back against the wall, glad to be home, to have nowhere else she must trek until the morning. It had begun to snow as she walked down Stonegate. Blessed be the warm fire and strong ale.

“Was it difficult, with Berend, then?” Jennet asked, pulling up a chair.

“Like Petra, I want things to be as they were.”

“As do we all.”

He should be standing in the corner in his worn but always clean linen shirt, the sleeves rolled up above his elbows, his muscular forearms flexing as he kneaded the dough, attentive to Kate, sharing his thoughts. God in heaven how it hurt.

And she had lost Elric as well. She shook herself and straightened. “Elric and his men will see to Berend. Bess Merchet has devised a plan for sneaking Lady Margery downriver. Her grandson delivers ale to Bishopthorpe weekly. Rent for his small farm downriver, where he grows the hops. Lady Margery will be the lad helping him the day after tomorrow. The casket will be in the barrel. A special barrel.”

“A sound plan. Bess Merchet is a resourceful woman.”

“She says she learned much from Gwenllian Ferriby’s father, a spy for the archbishop and others.”

“The one-eyed Welshman?” A nod. “I’ve heard much of him on the streets. I thought him a legend until I talked to Brother Martin.”

“Yes. His foster father. We could use him now.”

“You have Sir Elric. He does not dare disappoint you,” said Jennet.

“He does it for Berend now, not me. He has said as much.”

“Wounded vanity,” Jennet said with a little laugh. “He will recover. So Lady Margery departs the day of your cousin’s feast?”

“Early that morning, yes.”

“Means of travel?”

“A small boat. Colin Merchet likes to row there. Times it with the tides so that it is not too wearing. Lady Margery won’t need to help downriver, they will be moving with the tide. Kevin will already be at Bishopthorpe to meet them, stay with Lady Margery until Berend arrives with Douglas and Harry.”

“And how will Berend leave the castle?”

“That is Sir Elric’s task. He has taken care to get to know the guards, and has recommended to the sheriffs that on the day of the mayor-elect’s feast they post specific ones he deems most trustworthy. Then the sheriffs will be free to enjoy the festivities.” Kate yawned.

“Forgive all my questions. Drink your ale and rest. You will be rising early for the Candlemas procession.” Jennet rose to assemble her own bed for the night, still the pallet near the fire, close to the door.

But there was so much they still needed to discuss. Kate asked about Cuddy, the new servant from her cousin William Frost’s household. The girls had met him before leaving for her mother’s house, and declared him most handsome but irritating.

A broad grin. “Eager to be considered a man, though he’s not much older than Phillip.” Kate’s ward was thirteen. “Needs guidance. Matt corrected his use of both shovel and broom. But he’s quick to learn, and nary a complaint so far. He has offered to walk the hounds. Seems his family had large dogs, and he’s been missing them.”

“Trustworthy?”

“Time will tell.”

Kate poured herself more ale and returned to brooding. There was a smugness about Parr and Sawyer that troubled her. She had come away from the interview uneasy about what they might know, how they might damage Berend and Margery.