Bone of Contention by Roberta Gellis

Author:Roberta Gellis [Gellis, Roberta]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Medieval Mystery
Publisher: Belgrave House
Published: 2002-11-11T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

23 June,

Soft Nest

Magdalene heard William shout for his men as the door closed, and she slid out of the bed at once. She was annoyed with herself as she hastily pulled her clothing back on. William had been more relaxed than usual, less brutal, less in a hurry. She could have enjoyed him honestly instead of feigning a satisfaction she had not felt, if she had not been so sure Bell would walk in on them.

The thought made her shudder and she turned to look at the bed. Before she considered what she was doing, she began to straighten the tumbled bedclothes, then stopped and drew back her hands. Perhaps she should leave the bed just as it was to make unmistakably clear that she and William had coupled. If Bell flew into a rage…but was that fair? She herself would not like to get into an unmade bed that had hosted other coupling bodies.

It was doubly unfair after Bell had made a noble gesture in buying all that food. Magdalene compromised by straightening the bedclothes so they did not shout of what had passed there, but she was uneasy about what she had done until her eyes noted William’s purse lying on the table. What a fool she was to be wasting time worrying about what Bell would think and feel when she had a murder to solve and virtually no hope of doing it.

She bit her lip and took a deep breath. That was not true. Bell was out learning what he could, Bell…she jerked her mind away from him to William, who had reminded her that Florete had many of the opportunities to garner information in Oxford that Magdalene herself had in London. Not quite the same, Florete’s clients did not have the kind of trust in her that Magdalene’s did. They would not sit beside the fire with Florete and tell her all sorts of tales they should not, but men did talk to whores and what they said could be bought.

Magdalene took a half dozen silver pennies out of the purse William had left and dropped them into her pocket before she put the purse safely away. Then she covered the remaining food that needed to be protected, cleaned the bowls out of which she and William had eaten, and put their trenchers aside to carry to St. Friedesweide’s for the beggars. Nothing now gave any obvious hint of the service she had done William. She wondered again if she should make the bed, and then whether she wanted to spare Bell pain or feared too much to lose her lover.

Such weakness was very wrong in her, putting another man’s life at risk. Turning away from the bed, she went briskly to the door and out. The corridor was empty fortunately, and she made her way to where Florete sat.

“I need to talk,” she said.

Florete frowned. “This is a busy time, and—”

As if to give proof of her words, an altercation broke out behind one of the curtained doorways.

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