The Nun's Tale (32 page)

Owen nodded towards Ned, who came forward with a leather money pouch, shook it.

Edmund tilted his head, considering the weight. ‘Show me.’

Ned opened the pouch, shook a few gold coins into his hand.

Edmund raised an eyebrow. ‘The King is so generous to a would-be traitor?’

Ned put the coins back in the pouch. ‘The King allows that the captain might not realise this is a treasonous act,’ Ned said. ‘And, in truth, Captain Sebastian and his men are of more use to the King fighting for Don Pedro than hanging from a gibbet.’

Edmund took a deep, shuddering breath. ‘The King is wise.’

Ned grinned. ‘So you admit to knowing Captain Sebastian?’

Edmund wiped his forehead. ‘What would it be worth to me?’

Owen leaned back, looked up at the ceiling, scratched his tidy Norman beard. ‘Your life?’ He brought his eye back down to Edmund. ‘Would that suit you?’

Edmund hunched his shoulders, looked down at his hands. ‘I do not know how this game is played.’

Dangerously honest for the role he had taken on. Owen stood, looked out of the high, recessed window, hands clasped behind him.

Louth, uncomfortable with silences, took over. ‘You killed one of the archbishop’s retainers as he was escorting you to a meeting with the archbishop, Edmund. Your life was not threatened. So you murdered a man for no cause, a man who wore the livery of the archbishop, who also happens to be our King’s chancellor. Such a deed is punishable by death. But if you assist us in the matter of Captain Sebastian, we shall perhaps spare your life.’

Edmund’s eyes shone with fear. ‘I tell you I did not kill him. I merely ran to the men who were to help me if I got caught.’

‘You
led
him to his death then,’ Owen said quietly.

Edmund hung his head.

Owen resumed his seat, leaned towards Edmund confidentially. ‘What was it you wanted at St Clement’s that you did not dare speak with the archbishop?’

Edmund crossed his arms, clenched his jaw.

Owen smelled his fear. ‘Why did you attack Jack? Was he with you in York?’

‘What will you do with me?’

‘That depends. Will you help us, Edmund? For the freedom to walk down into the town on your own?’

Edmund, eyes still fixed on his feet, sighed. ‘That you cannot do for me. Once Jack tells the captain that I attacked him, I will be marked for death myself.’

‘Why did you attack him?’

‘He is a murderous devil.’

‘Some folk might say the same of you.’

Edmund shrugged.

‘So what do you want from us, Edmund? Protection from Jack?’

The expressive eyes slid sideways. ‘I no longer know whom to trust.’

Owen decided to change the subject for now. ‘Where is Will Longford?’

Edmund’s eyes shifted from Owen to Louth to Ned and back to Owen. ‘You do not know where he has gone either?’

Owen ignored the question. ‘When did you last see him?’

‘Last time I saw him in Beverley.’ Edmund tried a smile.

‘You think to charm us with your wit?’ Owen did not smile.

‘When did you last see Longford in Beverley?’ Louth asked.

Edmund stared at his shoes.

‘Who owns the house we followed you into last night?’ Owen changed tack.

‘Captain Sebastian.’

Owen cheered up. ‘Indeed. Does he ever stay there?’

‘The captain is no fool.’ Edmund studied his dirty nails. ‘What is your interest in Will Longford?’

‘Sir Nicholas found a letter in his house from Bertrand du Guesclin, the French king’s constable. I should like to talk to Longford about du Guesclin.’

‘As I said, Longford’s disappeared. I don’t know where he’s gone.’

‘When did he disappear?’

Edmund pressed his hands together to keep them still. ‘Longford and his man Jaro were expected here in late April and they never arrived.’ He took a deep breath. ‘Captain Sebastian sent me to Beverley to remind them. But they were not there. No one had seen them.’

Owen caught Louth’s eye, motioned for silence, turned back to Edmund. ‘So you went to Longford’s house. Did you search it?’

A pained look passed over Edmund’s face. He nodded. ‘After –’ He dropped his head, put a hand to his forehead. ‘Yes. I went through the house.’

‘After what, Edmund?’ Louth’s voice was sharp with tension.

Edmund sat there for a few minutes, head in hand. The guard opened the door to a servant carrying a pitcher and four tankards. A table was set up between Edmund and his questioners, the pitcher and tankards placed on it. The servant bowed and backed out, the guard closed the door. And still Edmund sat. Owen poured the ale, offered one to Edmund.

Edmund took it with shaking hands, held it up to his mouth with both hands, drank, set it back down, wiped his mouth on his sleeve. ‘The maid. Jack killed her.’ Louth moaned. ‘Acting on no one’s orders. To clear the way for the search, he said. She was not important, he said.’ Edmund’s eyes were haunted.

‘Who is this Jack?’ Owen asked.

‘That bastard you let flee last night.’

‘And he was your partner?’

‘No. Well, of late I have worked with him. I did not know him well, and I sent him in first, never thinking –’ Edmund grabbed up the tankard, took another, long drink.

‘It was not because Maddy was wrapped in a mantle and mistaken for Dame Joanna?’ Louth asked.

Edmund shook his head. ‘How do you know when such a devil crouches in the shell of what seems to be an ordinary soldier?’

‘Captain Sebastian sent him with you?’ Ned asked.

Edmund nodded.

‘Have you told him what Jack did?’ Owen asked.

‘I have. He said that it was in the nature of a good soldier to act ruthlessly when needed, that I was too womanly in my aversion to such acts.’

‘The unfeeling bastard!’ Louth hissed.

Owen had heard such theories before. The old Duke had not tolerated such captains; he’d said that such an attitude was an incompetent captain’s substitute for good sense and courage. In Owen’s experience, it might also hide a deeper motive. Perhaps it
had been
the mantle that signed Maddy’s death warrant. Perhaps Captain Sebastian had ordered Jack to kill Dame Joanna; no need for Edmund to know. ‘Did you find what you sought in Longford’s house?’ Owen asked.

‘No.’

‘What was it?’

Edmund was silent.

Some loyalty to Captain Sebastian remained? ‘And then you followed Dame Joanna to St Clement’s?’

Edmund drew himself up, looked Owen in the eye. ‘I have been thinking all night. As you see, the captain is unhappy with me. And will be more so when Jack gets to him. I cannot bring Captain Sebastian to you. But I will tell you what I can.’

‘What do you ask in return?’

‘Information about Joanna Calverley.’

Owen cocked his head to one side. ‘What do you want to know?’

‘Has a man been to see her in York? Fair-haired. Handsome.’

‘No.’

‘No one has been to see her?’

‘As far as I know, the only one who tried was you, Edmund. Why do you ask?’

Edmund watched a spider moving towards him, reached out with his foot, crushed it. ‘She disappeared with my partner.’

Ah. Now they made progress. ‘And would this partner’s name be Stefan?’

Edmund looked surprised. ‘How did you know?’

‘Did you and your partner bring Joanna to Scarborough?’

Edmund fidgeted uneasily. ‘What has she told you?’

‘Very little.’

Edmund frowned. ‘She is a strange one. I cannot see why Stefan is so taken with her.’

‘Was it Stefan who gave her the blue mantle, told her it was the Blessed Virgin’s?’

Edmund smiled a little. ‘I did. We thought we would have a bit of fun. That was when Stefan was still playing with her. You could get her to believe anything.’

‘Did you take part in the false funeral?’

Edmund rubbed his face, threw his head back.

Owen recognised the signs of exhaustion. Good. ‘How did she get you to help her?’

‘Longford got us to help.’ Edmund shook his head. ‘I have done strange things in my time, but when he came up with the idea to playact her death and burial . . .’ He shook his head.

‘So it was Longford’s idea?’

Edmund thrust his chin out in a defensive pose. ‘She asked for it, make no mistake. She wanted the trail to end in Beverley. Didn’t want her kin or the Church to come after her. I don’t know whether it was the relic she’d stolen or what, but she wanted to vanish.’ Edmund fidgeted, rounding his back, then straightening and stretching his arms out in front of him, pulling on his hands.

‘And Joanna liked the idea of the burial?’ Owen asked.

‘By that time she had no choice. Longford had a use for her, so she would do as he said or else.’

So she had not been pleased with the scheme. Probably frightened. ‘Tell me about the burial.’

Edmund shrugged. ‘Little to tell. Stefan and I slipped her out of the shroud while Jaro got the gravedigger drunk. The gravedigger passed out, we filled in the grave, rode off with Joanna hidden in a cart.’

‘Was she drugged?’

Edmund nodded. ‘Jaro concocted something. I think he gave her too much. It took a while to wake her.’

‘So Jaro was still alive when you left?’

Edmund frowned, looked round at the solemn, intent faces. ‘Why? He isn’t now?’

‘Jaro is buried in the grave you filled in on Joanna’s shroud,’ Ned said. ‘Neck broken.’

Edmund fell silent over this news. He scratched his knee. ‘I knew nothing of this.’

And why would he say otherwise? ‘Who would want to kill him?’ Owen asked.

Edmund rubbed his temples wearily. ‘I hardly knew him. He was a good cook, seemed loyal to Longford. They were not gentlemen, Captain Archer. I am sure they made enemies wherever they went.’

From what Owen had heard from Louth and Ravenser, that seemed true. Enough of that. ‘How did you first meet Joanna Calverley?’

Edmund straightened up. ‘She came to Longford with a relic to sell. We arrived the next day.’

‘This was another trip ordered by Captain Sebastian?’

‘Yes. To summon Longford.’

‘Summoning Longford was a regular task.’

Edmund nodded. ‘The way grew familiar.’

‘And he introduced you to Joanna?’

‘Not immediately. He had given her something to keep her asleep while he thought how best to use her.’ Edmund looked round at the men. ‘You see why I say they made enemies.’

‘How did he involve you?’ Louth asked.

‘He had come up with a plan. We’d use her to get to her brother. Longford was obsessed with Hugh. He thought since he had once made a fool out of Hugh, well, Hugh being so crazy, he must be just biding his time, plotting his revenge. So Longford wanted us to get Hugh out in the open where Captain Sebastian could find him.’

‘And you agreed?’ Owen asked.

‘Stefan and I, we thought we might have some fun with it, see what Hugh would do. And we did not want to leave any young woman with Longford.’

‘What did you mean to do with Joanna after Hugh was sufficiently teased with her?’

Edmund shrugged. ‘Abandon her, I suppose. She is very fair. She would not be without a protector for long. As it turned out, Stefan wanted to keep her by him.’

Owen winced at the cold-bloodedness of it. ‘So what happened?’

‘She was trouble from the first. She cast a spell over Stefan. He has been a fool since we took her from Beverley.’

‘So where is Stefan now?’

‘That is what I want to find out. Joanna is back in York and Stefan’s gone. I want to know what happened.’

‘What do you think happened?’

Edmund shrugged. ‘The fool’s gone off to fight a dragon for her, that’s what I think. He cannot do enough for her. Fine clothes. Feather beds.’

Owen frowned. ‘Fight a dragon?’

‘He saw himself as her defender. Got funny about the Hugh Calverley part of the plan. Told her not to go near him, that Hugh would be blamed for her escape from the convent and the sham burial, that either Sebastian or the Percies would punish him severely. Stefan knew she would not wish to hurt Hugh. He told her they would find some other way to reunite her with her brother.’

‘You had nothing to say about that? Seems to me he was going against your plan.’

‘He kept assuring me he had a new, better one.’

‘And you believed him?’

Edmund hesitated, shook his head.

Owen settled back, stretched his legs. ‘So Joanna did not know Stefan before she met him at Longford’s?’

‘No.’

‘Are you sure of that? Strange that you would arrive the day after she did. A rendezvous?’

Edmund shook his head. ‘Stefan and I have been partners a long time, Captain.’