The Glass Man by Joyce Lionarons

Author:Joyce Lionarons [Lionarons, Joyce]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-07-23T21:00:00+00:00

“There have been three deaths,” Hubert explained, looking at Ore. The three men still sat in the empty barracks, now with a second flagon of ale. “Two of the deaths were murders, one a suspicious accident, to say the least.” Hubert reached for the flagon and poured himself another cup. “That’s more than we’ve had in years.”

“Three?” asked Rownt. “I know of only two, the serving girl and Sir William. Who else has died?”

“One of my men fell from the motte wall to his death. He had no reason to be up there, he had an injured leg – his horse threw him a week ago, and I would not have thought he would want to climb so far.”

“Easy to slip with an injured leg,” said Ore as he picked up the flagon. He raised it to Rownt, who nodded and held out his cup. “Maybe that one was just an accident.”

“But what was doing there?” Hubert asked. “He was meant to do no more than stand as the household entered the great hall, with a stool to sit on if his leg pained him as they ate.”

Rownt looked up from his ale. “The great hall? When exactly did the guard fall?”

“After dinner two days ago, the day Lord Peverly attacked the family in his madness. You are right in thinking it was the same guard. I have wondered if he might have been despondent over giving Peverly his sword.”

“Who did he speak to after leaving the hall?” Rownt asked.

Hubert shook his head. “He spoke to no one, not that I could find.”

“He spoke to someone,” said Rownt. “He must have done – he would want to tell what he had seen. It’s possible he told the wrong person.”

Two soldiers entered the barracks laughing, then stopped short when Hubert stood. Murmuring apologies, they backed from the building. Hubert sat again and turned to Rownt. “You think someone pushed him from the wall because he’d enabled the attack?”

“Perhaps. Or perhaps because it didn’t succeed. If I had not been there, Peverly would not have failed.”

“My men are loyal!” Hubert snapped. “None would wish Lady Marianne or her son dead.”

“Your men are loyal to Lord Peverly,” Rownt replied. “If Peverly gave the order for Marianne or William to die, how many would refuse?”

“But Lord Peverly – ”

“ – is mad. He sees things that are not there, he believes he has been transformed into glass, he changes moment to moment in what he remembers and what he believes.”

Ore shook his head. “But since they know he is mad, surely they would refuse such an order.”

“They do not know,” Hubert replied. “Every effort has been made to insure that Peverly’s madness is kept secret.”

“Nonsense,” said Rownt. “Of course they know. Soldiers and servants always know much more than they are told. We need to discover how much they know, and we have just the man to find out.” He cocked his head at Ore.

Ore grinned. “Servant of the physician, perhaps?”

“No,” said Rownt. “You should not be associated with me in any way.

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