The Merchant's Partner

by Michael Jecks

  “What then?”

  “Then? I returned to my horse. Harold was there, and he gave me back my horse and I made my way home.”

  Greencliff stirred, and his hands fell from his face. Staring at her bleakly, he said, “No. That’s not how it was. She told me she was going there to get a potion to make a child - our child - strong and healthy. She said she believed the rumours about old Agatha.”

  “Harold!” she cried, suddenly scared.

  “She thought Agatha was a witch, she said. She said the old woman could help her to have a strong baby. I didn’t think she was right, but I wanted her to be happy, so I agreed. I held her horse for her while she went to the witch’s house, and I waited until she came back. But when she was there, she looked sort of smug, and I knew something was wrong!

  “Then she told me. She said she’d bought a draught and our baby would die. She’d always promised me we’d live together, that we’d run away to her family in Gascony, where her husband wouldn’t dare to come for us, and when she said she had gone there to drink a mixture that would kill our baby, I was horrified.”

  “What did you do, Harold?” asked Simon, angrily cutting off the sudden attempt at interruption by the woman, who now sat with her magnificent eyes wide in her horror as she stared at Greencliff, shaking her head slowly from side to side.

  “I tried to talk her out of the idea, tried to tell her we’d be all right, that we could get away and we’d be safe in Gascony, but she just laughed, and that was when she told me she’d already taken the potion. It was too late! She said that I was mad if I thought she was going to leave a wealthy husband to live the life of a pauper in another land. She rode off, and I was sort of struck dumb. Well, I had to do something, so I went to the inn and had a drink. I was mad, furious about the witch taking away my child. She’d killed him, sure as anything, because if she’d not given Angelina the mixture, she could have had our child.”

  “Harold!” she murmured softly with a catch in her voice. He ignored her.

  “Well, I hadn’t been there for long when a friend arrived, frozen from the weather. He had not expected it to be so cold and had left his surcoat behind. When he saw what sort of a state I was in, he asked what was the matter, and I admitted to him what had happened, and he said that I should see the witch and make sure she kept her silence, otherwise she could make great trouble for me and for Angelina. I still hoped that she might change her mind, you see, and thought that if we could make sure that there was no gossip about us, she might decide to come back to me.

  “We left straight away. It didn’t take long to get to the old hag’s place, and when we got there we went in…‘

  “Who went in first?” said Simon, frowning intently.

  After a moment’s consideration, he said, “Me. I went inside while he saw to his horse, and the… She was on the floor, covered in blood. The dog, this dog, was on the floor by her head, whining. I think he had been hurt too. That was when I realised… Well, I thought…‘

  “You thought Mrs. Trevellyn had killed old Kyteler to keep her mouth silenced permanently, didn’t you?” The boy nodded dumbly. “And you immediately thought that she must be suspected as the murderess?”

  “Yes, I thought that if the body was found there, there would be bound to be an inquiry, and someone may have seen her going there and then what chance would she have? They would be bound to guess it was her, and I didn’t want that. So I sent my friend away, and took the body to hide it. My friend, he was…‘ His voice trailed off uncertainly.

  “You might as well tell us it all. Your friend will not be hurt for trying to protect you,” said Baldwin.

  “I think he was sure that I must have killed the old woman. He thought I had done it while he was seeing to the horse. When he came in, he saw the body and stared at me, saying, ”Why, Harold? There was no need to kill her!“ He was very shocked. Anyway, he left me, shocked, and I took her body back to my house. It was too dark to do anything with her that night; the earth was solid, I would never have been able to bury her, so I was going to hide her the next morning. Then I went back to the inn as if nothing had happened. He was in Wefford, and I met him on the way, so we entered together. Next morning, when I was going to hide her somewhere in the woods, old Cottey arrived and found her before I could, and that was when you were called.”

  “I see,” said Simon, frowning as he concentrated. “And what of the night when Alan Trevellyn died?”

  “I bad been trying to see Angelina ever since the day that old Kyteler had died, but she always refused. Then my friend managed to get a note to her, and he told me we could meet. He came with me through the snow and when we saw her, he left me to speak with her alone. I swear I didn’t see Alan Trevellyn. Or kill him. I spoke with Angelina and tried to persuade her to come away with me, but she laughed at me. She told me she would never leave her husband while he was alive and told me to leave her alone.”

  “Then what?”

  “I went back home and tried to sleep. But no matter how much I tried, I couldn’t. I just kept thinking of her and how my life would be. I couldn’t face it. Knowing I would be always seeing her in the village, or out in the fields and the woods, it made me sick to think of it. So I decided I must leave. I decided to go to Gascony without her. At least there I could forget her and start a new life. I packed some things and went. I went… Well, you know the rest.”

  Simon was nodding. Certainly it matched the facts that they had so far managed to piece together. Shooting a look at the woman, he said, “Well?”

  She started. For the last few minutes she had seemed to lose herself in her thoughts, staring into the fire roaring close by. “Yes? Oh, I suppose it’s true. It is how I remember it. But I didn’t know it at the time. After I had been to see that old hag, when I heard she had been found dead, I was sure that it must have been Harold who killed her. Especially when I heard that she was found in his field. It was obvious. I was scared to see him after that. I thought he might try to kill me. That was why I insisted that he came without a weapon when he came to see me.”

  “You insisted he came without a weapon?” Simon said.

  Greencliff said, “Yes. She took my dagger and gave it to my friend before we met. She refused to see me alone while I had my dagger with me.”

  Simon leaned back in his seat, both hands on the table top, and stared wide-eyed at the youth. For a moment he was silent, but then he spoke with a voice slow and deliberate. “When did you get it back? When did your friend give you your dagger back?”

  “My ballock knife? When we left the Trevellyn house, I suppose. Oh, no. No, he must have set it down at my house. That’s right, I found it on the floor in the house when I was packing. He must have put it there for me.”

  “Tell me one last thing. This friend, it was Stephen de la Forte, wasn’t it?”

  The misery in his eyes was plain to see as the boy answered simply, “Yes.”

  After they had checked the story to make sure that they understood it, Baldwin told Tanner to hold both Green-cliff and Mrs. Trevellyn at Furnshill, and then led the way out. Simon and he quickly donned thick jackets and cloaks. The bailiff also grabbed a woollen scarf which he wrapped round his neck before tugging on his gloves. Then he went back to the hall to see his wife before leaving. Having given her a hug, he turned, and caught a glimpse of Baldwin.

  He was standing by the doorway, and Mrs. Trevellyn had crossed to his side, as if expecting to receive a similar farewell to that which Simon and his wife had exchanged. It felt as if his heart would stop when Simon saw the knight look at the woman without recognition, only to turn dismissively on his heel and make his way to the front door. Not from sympathy for the woman, but because he could see how much his friend was hurt at the story he had just heard. As if recognising the knight’s despair, the thin figure of the black and brown dog followed at his heels.

  Outside, Edgar was already mounted on his horse, and Hugh stood nearby, holding Baldwin’s and Simon’s
. They swung up, took their reins, and made their way down the driveway towards the lane. The dog followed behind as, once on the road, they turned their faces to the south and set off to Wefford.

  Whenever Simon glanced at his friend, Baldwin’s face was set as solidly as the brass plate on a tomb. Although he maintained an expressionless demeanour, Simon could see the pain in his eyes. It was too clear, and it made him try to think of something to lighten his friend’s mood. But what can soothe a wounded heart? In the end he gave up the struggle and stared ahead glumly, sadly aware of his inability to offer any comfort.

  Chapter Twenty-five

  They clattered up to the entrance of the house in the early afternoon, halting and dismounting before the front door. Soon hostlers appeared and took their horses while Baldwin tied the dog to a hook by the door. Then they entered. In the hall they found the lady of the house, sitting alone in front of her fire and looking up at them with fear in her eyes.

  “Yes?” she said, her voice quavering.

  Baldwin stepped forward, but Simon interrupted him quickly and, pushing in front, bowed quickly to the lady. “Madam, we need to speak to your son. Is he here?”

  She shot a glance at Baldwin and Edgar, her eyes wide and fearful, before they rested on the bailiff once more. “You want to speak to Stephen again? But why? He told you all he knew the last time you were here, what more do you want of him?”

  “I’m sorry, madam, but we need to ask him some questions. Is he here?”

  “No… No, he’s in Crediton. He left some time ago. He should be back tomorrow, though, so if you want to come back then.”

  “No, I think we’ll wait.”

  “But why?”

  Simon looked at her sympathetically. He was beginning to feel that all he could do today was try to offer support to those he was bound to upset. Trying to smile, he said as soothingly as he could, “We have to ask him about the death of Agatha Kyteler and Alan Trevellyn. We think that…‘

  He paused at the sight of her pale, terrified face in which the eyes appeared to have grown to the size of plums, huge and startling against the pallor of her skin. “Are you all right? Can we get you anything?”

  Waving a hand in irritable dismissal of the offer, she held his gaze, and to his sudden distress, he saw a large tear roll down her dried and wrinkled cheek. It was as if he had upset his own mother, and he felt her pain like a band constricting his chest. Yet there was nothing he could do to make it easier for her. If her son was, as he believed, responsible for the two murders, she would live to see her only son die, and in a cruel and degrading manner.

  He averted his gaze and settled to wait, but he had only just made himself comfortable in a small chair, while Baldwin and Edgar stood lounging against the screens, when Walter de la Forte came in, closely followed by the thin and perpetually anxious manservant.

  It was apparent that he had not seen the knight and his man to his left as he entered, because he immediately strode to the bailiff and stood before him bristling with rage.

  “What is this? I understand you’re here to question my son again? What gives you the right to invade my house? You may be an officer, but you’re not an officer here?”

  “I am an official. I can…‘

  “Not in my house, you can’t. I’ve a good mind to teach you not to molest a man in his own home. I could kill you now, and all my servants would swear that you attacked me and…‘

  At the sound of Baldwin clearing his throat from behind, he underwent a sudden transformation. His anger disappeared to be replaced by a kind of cunning sharpness before he risked a quick glance over his shoulder and found Baldwin and Edgar to be close behind him. He slowly turned back to Simon, who did not move or respond, but merely sat and stared up at him with an expression of faint disbelief. When it became apparent that the man was still wondering what he could say, Simon softly spoke. “You just threatened an officer in the presence of two other men of high honour. You will sit and be silent. We shall deal with you later.”

  At first it looked like he was going to attempt an attack on Simon. His eyes bulged with his emotion, and his hands clenched, but then the fire died. His shoulders dropping, he looked as though he recognised defeat. Turning away, he stumbled to a bench and sat, his face in his hands.

  Looking up at Baldwin, Simon saw that his eyes were on the fire. However, Edgar was aware that the man could be a problem, and when the bailiff gave a quick nod, the servant walked round to take up a position behind the merchant.

  On Simon’s cloak there was a twig caught among the threads. Reaching down, he lifted the heavy cloth and studied it. Pulling at the stick, he murmured softly, “It must have been hard, having to be suspicious of your own son. I don’t suppose you really wanted your partner killed so that your son could take over his position. It sets a rather unpleasant precedent to have partnerships dissolved by death. I must admit, though, I don’t understand why he wanted to kill old Agatha Kyteler.” He plucked the twig free and gazed at it ruminatively for a moment before tossing it into the fire.

  The older man stared at him for what seemed a long time, then he turned to gaze at the fire, as if debating with himself whether to tell his story or not. After a minute or two, looking up, he said to his wife, “You had better leave us.” She stared at him, and appeared to be about to say something, but then thought the better of it, rose, and swept out.

  It was some more minutes before Walter de la Forte began to talk, it was so long ago, we never thought it could hurt us. You don’t worry like that when you’re young, do you? You think you’re immune to any problems caused by your actions. You don’t realise that they can return to haunt you in your later life. In our case, we thought the past was far behind us, but it was lying dormant, waiting until we should be so arrogant as to think ourselves safe. Then it pounced.“

  The room was silent apart from the crackling of the logs on the fire, but even they looked subdued, as if the flames too were listening.

  “When Alan and I were much younger, when we were beginning our business, we set up as traders from the money we made during the evacuation from Acre. There were no English knights to take over our ship, Alan and I did it ourselves. Our captain had died in the city. He was hit by shrapnel from a catapult’s stone. We took charge of the ship. It was so easy!

  “There were people thronging the docks, trying to escape, looking like ants swarming over all the land, streaming on to any old cog or carrack that would carry them. We were careful, we took on board only those who had money or gold. With the wealth in the city we could afford to be choosy. We had no need of furs, so if that was all the people had, they stayed. We took men and women and children. The children were best. They took little space and the mothers were often glad to see them sent away safely.

  “There was one couple, a mother with her boy, who tried to persuade us to take them. She was a little older than us, a strong girl, but what a beauty! The boy was only a baby. Well, I was happy enough to take her for the jewels she carried, but Alan took a fancy to her. He was adamant. He wanted her, and that was to be her price for freedom. He always was a randy fool. I think it was because he had never managed to father a child. If it had been me, I would have taken her on board and then raped her, but he always was a fool about that sort of thing. He told her what the price of her passage would be and she refused. And with obvious loathing. So! He refused to take her or her child, no matter what she said. That was that!” He glanced up bleakly.

  Sighing, he continued, now holding the bailiffs eyes as he spoke. “Later, another woman came, one who was not the same in looks or in position. She had a young child, and she had money. We let her aboard. How were we to know that she had the son of the first? And we could not tell that the first was the woman of a powerful man in Gascony, the Captal de Beaumont, who had been in Acre to help defend the city.

  “The boy was his son - his bastard, apparently. The woman was his nurse: Agatha Kyteler, curse her! When we let her off the ship a
t Cyprus, she managed to make her own way back to Gascony and delivered the boy to his father. The mother must have died. To our shame!” His head dropped into his hands, and although he did not weep, his emotion was all too clear.

  Sighing, Baldwin tried to keep the contempt and disgust from his face as he watched the man. That any Christian man could have condemned a woman to the mercy of the Egyptians was horrific enough, but for so paltry a reason? It would have been kinder to have simply killed her. He sighed again as the man began talking again.

  “And there the affair ended, as far as we were concerned. Alan and I began our new lives. We had made plenty of money in the escape from Acre, and we used it wisely. We bought new ships - heavy cogs for bringing wine over the channel - and spent years trading peacefully between Gascony and England. But then, of course, the troubles began to get worse in France, and our ships started to get attacked. We lost one ship sunk by pirates and another captured, with all the men aboard murdered. That only left us the one, and we needed finance to keep it going, which is why we had to go to the Genoese. Doing that we managed to survive until about ten years ago.”