The Way of the Wicked by Mel Starr

Author:Mel Starr [Starr Mel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781910674796
Publisher: SPCK

Chapter 8

Lady Joan was with her husband in the solar when I did so. She heaped scorn upon the idea. This was no new thing. She seemed to scorn most of my suggestions.

“We already have this fellow’s brats reading your book of hours. The lad I can understand. He will need Latin to take up studies at Oxford. But the lass . . . of what use is it to her to read Latin? Reading English is enough for any maid. It’s more than most can do, no matter how high born. I myself read little, and the lack has done me no harm.”

“Many men of Bampton and the Weald will lack a toe or two,” Lord Gilbert said. “Such impairment is often the result of laboring with sharp instruments. Some may have been at Poitiers and lost toes to a French poleax. But they’d likely be too old by now to fall upon a lady in a dark street. I must agree with m’lady. You will need to find another way to discover your toeless knave. Now, as regards the lads recently found dead, what progress have you made in finding the felons who did the murders?”

“I am not sure,” I replied, “that ‘felons’ is the proper term. There may be only one felon, and he is doing his best to interfere with my pursuit of him.”

“Abducting Bessie being one of the ways he has tried to frustrate your effort?”

“Aye. And mayhap causing worry for my Kate’s safety is another.”

“You think the toeless assailant who knocked Lady Katherine down may be the same one who took Bessie?”

“Why else would a man do such a thing? Kate has made no enemies in Bampton.”

“But you have,” Lord Gilbert chuckled. “’Tis the way of things. Bailiffs have few friends. ’Tis why I pay you well . . . to do those disagreeable things I wish to avoid.”

At the word “pay”, Lady Joan’s brow again furrowed to a scowl. This facial feature comes readily to her. I noticed that Lord Gilbert avoided her glare.

“Well,” Lord Gilbert said, suddenly serious, “you must seek your knave without removing his shoe. Unless you can find a way of doing so which does not require my sanction.”

Lady Joan seemed to approve. Her scowl faded and a look of triumph replaced it.

Next morning, Kate and I shared a maslin loaf and the last dregs of an ewer of stale ale. Responding to the empty ewer, Kate would normally have sought Milicent Baker to replenish our supply. But these were not normal days. I would not permit Kate to leave Galen House for any reason. I visited Milicent myself to fill the ewer, and whilst I was at this errand, I left Kate and Gilbert behind barred doors.

If Milicent was surprised that I was at Kate’s usual chore, she hid it well. Mayhap she had heard of the attack against my wife.

I returned with the foaming ewer, then sat at the kitchen bench to plan my day. A part of my duty this day was to devise some way of discovering the felon who had slain Kendrick Wroe.

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