Herald by Sarah Woodbury

Author:Sarah Woodbury
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: medieval mystery, medieval, middle ages, king, king edward, wales, earl, mystery series, series, women sleuth, female detective, welsh, cheshire, chester
Publisher: The Morgan-Stanwood Publishing Group Inc
Published: 2023-04-19T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-six

Day Four

Rhys

Rhys was halfway across Hartford’s green, a stone’s throw from the church, when he came face-to-face with a slender young man, dressed in green and brown, with a garnet ring on one finger and a silver brooch at his throat. “What are you doing here?”

From his tone, what he really meant to say was, “How dare you be here!”

The young man was obviously a lord, which prompted Rhys to take a guess, one that wasn’t all that wild, as to which lord he might be. “Hugh Venables?”

“Yes. And you didn’t answer my question.” The words were rude, but in keeping with Catrin’s earlier interaction with him. At least today it wasn’t raining, though a stiff breeze was blowing from the southwest. More rain was definitely coming.

“Why would answering your question be my obligation?”

Hugh’s eyes narrowed at Rhys’s parry, perhaps unused to ever being challenged, or at least not from the category of person Rhys represented. “This is my village.”

“Is it? I thought the salt works belonged to the abbey.”

“They have a right to a certain amount of salt. We still run the works.” His chin jutted out. “Or should do.”

Rhys had heard all about Catrin’s conversation with this noble heir and the reason he, his father, and his cousin had gone to speak to the abbot in the first place. Rhys was determined not to get involved in their warfare if he could help it. It would distract from his job, which was momentous enough as it was.

He’d felt the same in Windsor, where his role had been to maintain the middle ground between servant and lord, positioning himself in neither camp and striving to maintain a certain level of neutrality in order to investigate. Whatever was going on between the Venables and Vale Royal Abbey needed to be sorted out by the parties involved. Rhys’s concern, as always, was the king’s business, God help him.

So he decided to answer Hugh’s question with the truth. “We are looking for the missing chalice.”

“It’s in heaven.” Hugh snapped out the words.

“So the abbot says.”

Hugh’s eyes were steady on Rhys’s face, giving nothing away and making Rhys think he could learn a few things from him about controlling his own expression. “As you should know, my family is not interested in countering the abbot in any way.”

“Clearly.” The sarcasm spilled out of Rhys. He could have held it back, but he chose not to. Oddly, though the young man was very rude, Rhys found himself entertained rather than offended. That he was standing up for himself and his family was, in many ways, admirable.

“None of my people would be so foolish as to take such a valuable relic. To what end? They couldn’t sell it.”

“The thief could melt it down.”

Hugh pursed his lips. “The only man capable of such a thing is the one who made it, our silversmith, Nicholas.”

“Where might I find him? You’re right that he would be the place to start.”

Rather than argue, which Rhys honestly expected, Hugh simply canted his head in the opposite direction from the church.

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