A Twisted Vengeance
- Автор: Робб Кэндис
- Серия: A Kate Clifford Mystery #2
- Год: 2017
- Язык: английский
- Год: Pegasus Books
- ISBN: 9781681774756
- Жанр: Исторические детективы
Электронная книга - «A Twisted Vengeance». Краткое содержание книги:
As the fourteenth century comes to a close, York seethes on the brink of civil war – and young widow Kate Clifford, struggling to keep her businesses afloat, realizes that her mother is harboring a dangerous secret…
1399. York is preparing for civil war, teeming with knights and their armed retainers summoned for the city’s defense. Henry of Lancaster is rumored to have landed on the northeast coast of England, not so far from York, intent on reclaiming his inheritance – an inheritance which his cousin, King Richard, has declared forfeit.
With the city unsettled and rife with rumors, Eleanor Clifford’s abrupt return to York upon the mysterious death of her husband in Strasbourg is met with suspicion in the city. Her daughter Kate is determined to keep her distance, but it will not be easy – Eleanor has settled next door with the intention of establishing a house of beguines, or poor sisters. When one of the beguines is set upon in the night by an intruder, Kate knows that for the sake of her own reputation and the safety of her young wards she must investigate.
From the first, Eleanor is clearly frightened yet maintains a stubborn silence. The brutal murder of one of Eleanor’s servants leads Kate to suspect that her mother’s troubles have followed her from Strasbourg. Is she secretly involved in the political upheaval? When one of her wards is frightened by a too-curious stranger, Kate is desperate to draw her mother out of her silence before tragedy strikes her own household.
“Until we know what happened, and whether our households are safe, you will stay close to home,” said Kate. “If Sister Brigida is willing to tutor you and Petra this morning, she may do so in the hall. But you will respect her decision about whether or not she wishes to do so.” She looked pointedly at Marie. “Is that clear?”
Marie nodded and pushed aside her bread to lay her head down on her folded arms. Petra whispered, “Clear,” and went to sit by Ghent, resting her hand on his back. He sighed and sank lower into rest.
Kate smiled at Petra and smoothed Marie’s hair. “Bless you,” she whispered, before turning back to Berend and the others. “I want to know who frightened Dina last night,” she said, as if the interruption had not happened. “It might have been quite innocent. Soldiers spilling out of the taverns drunk, brawling … One might have lost his way.”
“Except that he was so quiet,” said Jennet.
Kate agreed.
“You mentioned a boat,” said Matt. “Someone bleeding so badly, would they be able to row?”
“So he had an accomplice.” Berend nodded.
It seemed likely to Kate as well. “Whoever it was,” she said, “they might pose a further danger to the sisters, or to some other household in the city. We need to know.”
“We might talk to the knights who are now your tenants on High Petergate,” said Berend.
Kate owned a pair of properties on High Petergate, near the minster, two houses side by side. One she operated as a guesthouse, managed by her late husband’s former factor, Clement, and his wife, Griselde. The other house had been empty for a while and was now leased to a knight, Sir Alan Bennet, who was sharing it with some of the other well-to-do knights arriving in the city.
“They will be watching for any trouble that might suggest Duke Henry has spies in the city,” Berend continued. “They will have men watching the rivers and the gates. They might have seen or heard something last night.”
Kate disliked the current use of the house, but the enterprising knight who had leased it to accommodate his fellows, at a fee, of course, had laid down a handsome deposit against damage and assured her that he would say nothing to anyone of the comings and goings next door at her guesthouse. The truth was, with Edmund of York’s call to arms, the house would have been requisitioned had she not made her own, undoubtedly more lucrative, arrangement, and perhaps the guesthouse as well, robbing her of income and the worthies of York of a venue for distraction from their mounting anxiety. “You’re quite right, Berend. I will pay them a call.”
“Or if Brigida comes for the little ones, I might do it myself,” he said. “The men might be more likely to talk to me.”
“Or they will be too busy recruiting you,” said Jennet.
Berend was laughingly assuring them that was not his purpose when out the window Kate saw Thomas Holme, her neighbor and business partner, come out of his house, glance toward hers, then hasten down the adjoining alley toward Castlegate. He had dressed with care, in the sort of attire he wore as alderman, or for guild events.
Guild events. “I almost forgot the guild meeting called for this morning.” Collecting Jennet, Kate hastened across the garden to the hall and up to her bedchamber to dress for the occasion.
It bothered her that Thomas had glanced this way but hurried on. It was their custom to walk to the guildhall on Fossgate together. More cause for unease on a morning when Kate’s world was tumbling down around her.
“I shall go directly from the meeting to High Petergate.” Kate cursed as they discovered a tear in the hem of the dress she wished to wear.
“Quickly mended.” Jennet helped her step out of the gown so she might work on it.
“We know so little about any of this. My mother and her cursed secretiveness.”
“She is skilled in dancing far from the point,” Jennet muttered as she worked.
“They say that mothers and daughters are always in conflict. Did you and your mother agree?”
“I never knew her.”
Kate felt herself blush. Jennet had been abandoned as an infant. “Forgive me.”
“It was an honest mistake, on a morning when you have much on your mind, Dame Katherine. Ready.” She held the gown up for inspection.
“You are a wonder.”
A pleased shrug as Jennet helped her with the small silver buttons. “Your mother would approve of this one.”
“She would find some fault with it, you can be sure.”
Jennet stepped back with a satisfied nod. “It should not take long to discover whether or not Nan has been sitting with an ailing mother. What else might I do while you are at the meeting?”
Kate thought while Jennet brushed out the tangles in her hair. “It would be good to know with whom Dina has had contact. Who has brought sewing to her. Women sometimes forget that a sempster has ears, or, in Dina’s case, knowing her troubles with our speech, they might have spoken freely in her presence thinking she would not understand. Too freely. About something that must not be repeated.”
“Do you think it likely a customer sent a man to silence a sempster?”
“Now that I hear it in your words, no. But we cannot dismiss any ideas, however unlikely. I want to know the names of her clients.”
“I will snoop,” Jennet agreed. “Though we might already know the answers to many of our questions if only you and Dame Eleanor were able to talk.”
“We would, I know. But life is never so simple.”
“No.” Jennet finished tucking Kate’s hair into a silver crispinette and gave her an encouraging hug. “We will find out what happened in that room last night. And Dame Eleanor need never know it was us. Her man Griffin can take all the credit.”
“That would require our working together – Griffin and our household.”
“It would make sense, would it not?”
“Of what use is he? He knows York little more than do the sisters.”
“Not entirely true,” said Jennet. “It is said he has family both in the city and a day’s ride from here. He was away visiting them in the countryside for almost a week. Just returned. And he has explored the city.”
“You have been following him?”
Jennet grinned. “Asking about him, that is all.”
Kate was very curious about the man. As Ulrich Smit’s retainer, he must know something of her mother’s experiences in Strasbourg. And he might know, or at least guess, why she left in such haste upon Ulrich’s death. “You have a point. Family in York, you say? But he sounds Welsh.”
“I know nothing more.”
“I will talk to him at the first opportunity. How will you approach Nan’s mother?”
“I shall take her a gift of Berend’s bread.”
“You are inspired! Who would not be grateful for that?”
Jennet stepped back. “Dressed!”
Kate spun round. “Am I all that a merchant of York must be?”
“That and more.” Jennet smiled.
Rushing down the steps and out into the garden, Kate almost collided with Sister Brigida. The beguine gave a startled cry, then apologized for lurking so close to the door. Kate had glimpsed a frown on Brigida’s expressive face before she had cried out and stepped aside.
“Has something happened?” she asked.
Brigida’s pale eyes lit up with a warm smile. “No, Dame Katherine. Sister Clara has set Sister Agnes and Nan to work on cleaning the blood from Sister Dina’s room and the kitchen, and Dame Eleanor is resting. I thought the best use of my time would be to distract Marie and Petra.”