Medieval Mysteries - Box Set I by Priscilla Royal

Author:Priscilla Royal [Royal, Priscilla]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781781859100
Publisher: Head of Zeus Ltd.

22

Sunlight had never quite won the battle over the stubborn murkiness of the day. The gray light, increasingly obscured by tumbling snowflakes, was now retreating into a twilight sometimes called the blue hour before black night once again took precedence over the land.

Thomas leaned against the hard cold stone near the window in the stairway between dining hall and living quarters and, lost in thought as vague as the dying light, looked down on the castle ward from his vantage point. The Baron Adam had been as good as his word and with impressive efficiency had gathered together those tradesmen and servants who had been in Wynethorpe Castle overnight. A few dark shapes were still leaving the hall, some singly and a few in pairs.

The townspeople had been brought to the dining hall where the crackling hearth had provided warmth for those waiting to be questioned. In addition, the baron had shown no meanness in providing all with warm, spiced ale, sufficient to increase comfort, foster good will and encourage a greater willingness to talk, yet not enough to promote an unprofitable jollity or querulousness. Perhaps the tradesmen saw this as more their due, being largely an English group of some affluence, but the mostly local Welsh servants sipped their unexpected bounty with silent appreciation of the equitable consideration this Norman lord had shown to his underlings.

Adam had asked Sir Geoffrey and Thomas to assist him in developing what would be asked and in what order so there would be consistency and equity in the investigation. As the baron said, each of them brought his own objectivity as well as self-interest to the asking that neither of the others did. Thomas had realized he had been chosen for balance between the two other men and, as a stranger to the castle, he took his choosing as a compliment. With some amusement, he noted how alike father and daughter were in the ways they used the abilities of those under their command. He wondered if they saw the similarity as well.

One English sergeant had been assigned to the questioning of the English tradesmen. Respect was shown for the needs of their businesses, a tactic that warmed a few hearts along with the ale. For those who did not know the King’s tongue, a Welshman, loyal to the family and one who served as the house steward, had been assigned the inquiry of local townspeople. Soldiers were held in the barracks and interrogated by the other trusted sergeant. The process had taken all day but was finally coming to an end.

A rank draft wafted under Thomas’ nose. He did not need to turn around to know who had just joined him in the stairwell.

“You missed a fine supper, monk,” Anselm observed with great cheer. “Baron Adam was most generous to those of us who remained for questioning.” He looked carefully at Thomas’ face. “Perhaps you have been fasting?”

“Thinking rather. I forgot the time, and, with this icy storm, night and day seem to have blended more than usual.

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