Figure of Hate

by Bernard Knight

  'What about this silversmith, Crowner?' asked Gwyn.

  'Do you really think this damned armourer is one of the men we seek? His lord has given him a good alibi.' John stopped and turned to face his officer. 'Would you trust the word of such a man as Hugo Peverel, after the way he's behaved? No, as soon as we have a free day, we'll ride up to Sampford for a few words with them - taking Gabriel and a couple of his men if necessary!'

  Fate was to decree that de Wolfe's visit would occur sooner than he expected.

  Chapter Five

  In which a manor-lord goes missing

  On the second Monday of every month, Sampford Peverel held its manor leet, a court where a wide variety of issues were heard, from accusations of drunkenness, theft and assault, to disputes over ploughing boundaries in the strip fields. For centuries past under the Saxons, these leets were the main arbiters of disputes and dispensers of justice within the little kingdoms that made up the manorial system of medieval England. The lord was master in almost every sense.

  He owned his bondsmen - the villeins and cottars and even the freemen had little real freedom, except the choice of starving if they chose not to heed the master's wishes.

  Though the vast majority of issues before the manor court were domestic and relatively trivial, serious crimes could be prosecuted, and if he so wished the lord possessed the power of life and death by hanging.

  Since the arrival of the Normans, however - and especially since the relentless reforms of old King Henry, known as 'The Lawgiver' - the more serious offences were progressively being swept into the royal courts, bypassing the manor and even the county courts. In fact, part of the new coroner's function was to divert as much legal business as he could to the King's judges and commissioners, to the advantage of the Lionheart's ever eager purse. His very title came from the phrase custosplactorum corona- 'Keeper of the Pleas of the Crown'.

  For several generations at Sampford, it had become traditional for the lord himself to preside over the court, unless he was absent on some campaign. In most manors, the task of running the monthly leet was usually left to the steward, the most senior of the lord's servants, but here, wherever possible, one of the Peverels sat in dictatorial judgement over his subjects.

  This morning, at the October leet, there was some consternation among the steward, bailiff and reeve, as an hour after the appointed time for the court to begin there was no sign of Hugo Peverel in the large barn that was used for a courthouse.

  Most other places used the hall of the manor house for the proceedings, but Hugo's late grandmother had objected to the despoiling of her home by a crowd of uncouth, smelly villagers who trampled her clean rushes with their muddy feet, spitting and peeing against the walls. She persuaded her husband to build another barn for use as a court, though it found other useful functions such as a shelter for farm animals and as a village hall, a place where ales and dances could be held on saint's days.

  Now there were three score villagers standing aimlessly outside the high doors of the thatched wooden building, waiting for something to happen.

  Every man over fourteen had to attend the court, unless some vital farming duty detained him, for the leet was the parliament of the manor and in theory decisions depended on a consensus of opinion among the.

  villagers. The established customs of the manor traditionally overrode the whims of the lord, as in return for the endless work they performed for him, he was under an obligation to organise their lives and defend them against the feudal uncertainties of starvation, natural disaster and the predations of robbers and civil war. In practice, the will of a strong lord or baron prevailed over this primitive democracy, especially in manors that were ruled by such a tyrannical dynasty as the Peverels.

  The bailiff, Walter Hog, came striding across the courtyard, scattering chickens, pigs and small children from his path as he made for the steward, who was leaning against the weathered oak of the door post.

  'Still no sign of him, Roger! Sir Odo refuses to come, says it's none of his business any longer, but Ralph promises to attend when he's finished in the privy. He says you are to start the hearings to avoid any more delay.'

  Roger Viel was a heavy-featured man with fleshy jowls and loose skin under his neck like a cockerel's wattles.

  A born pessimist, he gave the impression that life was a burden to be borne stoically until death released him into a better place. He sighed as he turned into the gloomy interior of the court. Though Ralph Peverel was not so hot tempered and arrogant as his elder brother, he" tended to be sarcastic and to show off his cleverness when put into any position of authority.

  Where the hell had Hugo got to?, wondered Roger sourly.

  Followed by a shuffling, muttering crowd, he took his place on a heavy oak chair, the only furniture in the place apart from a trestle table and stool where the manor-clerk occasionally sat when some more important issue required a record to be taken down. Along with the parish priest, the clerk was the only literate person in the manor, but today there was no need for his services, as the issues were all ones that could be dealt with summarily. Leaving the steward to get on with the business of dispensing justice, the bailiff walked quickly back to the manor house, a square, two-storeyed stone building. This was farther up the slightly sloping bailey, a two-acre compound within a stockade that defended the lord's residence. Like Rougemont, it had not been besieged since the last civil war between King Stephen and Empress Matilda half a century earlier, but with the present unrest between the King and his brother John, and the growing threat of a French invasion, the Peverels saw to it that their stout fence and gateway were kept in good repair.

  Walter Hog clattered up the wooden steps to the main door, set well above head height in the wall. These steps could be thrown down in the event of an attack and a stout iron grille dropped across the heavy oaken doors. There was no communication between the floors above and the undercroft below, so the house was virtually impregnable against anything short of a siege engine.

  Today the problem was less military than diplomatic, thought Walter wryly. The Peverels were a quarrelsome lot, always ready to take offence, bickering among themselves and hurling abuse and even blows at anyone in the vicinity. The bailiff had been at Sampford for only two years and was won'dering whether he had done the right thing in moving here from his previous post in Taunton, even though it paid a few pence a day more.

  Inside the hall, he found Warin Fishacre, the manor-reeve, waiting for him. He was a thin, reedy man with a stoop and a hacking cough, who permanently wore an expression of irritation verging on anger. His mousy hair was pulled back tightly to a clump on the back of his neck, where it was tied with a piece of cord.

  'Any sign of him out there?' Fishacre asked in a rough, throaty voice. The bailiff had no need to ask whether he was talking about Hugo Peverel.

  'None at all - the bastard's vanished off the face of the earth,' answered Walter in a low voice, his eyes swiveling to the stairway that led to the upper floor where the family lived.

  'Some hope of that!' snarled the reeve, though his eyes too scanned for any sign of someone who could overhear them.

  'Roger Viel is starting the court now,' said Walter. 'I suppose I'd better wait for Ralph before going back there.'

  The bailiff was a much younger man than the reeve, though well above him in status, as reeves were representatives of the bondsmen and thus unfree themselves. This was not necessarily reflected in their wealth, as there were pauper freemen and rich villeins, but Warin Fishacre was neither, just an average villager with a comely wife, a pretty daughter and two strong sons.

  Walter Hog was a compact man of twenty-eight, with cropped fair hair and a round, pink face that bore an earnest expression. He was a conscientious worker and was determined to better himself, either by becoming a steward to some other lord or working for a rich merchant in Exeter or Southampton. But at the moment he had other problems on his mind, and one of them now appeared in the entrance to th
e staircase.

  'Walter, did you tell them I'll be over directly?' Ralph Peverel was the third son of the William who had died neat Salisbury the previous spring. He was a younger version of both his father and his brother Hugo, though rather slimmer and better looking, clean shaven with red-blond hair cut short on the neck and sides to leave a thick circular cap on his crown. He wore a thigh-length tunic of green woollen cloth, with hose pushed into ankle-length leather boots with pointed toes. A surcoat of brown linen swung open to reveal a wide leather belt that was dotted with silver studs and carried a long dagger in an oriental sheath.

  'Yes, Sir Ralph, I told them you were on your way. Roger Viel has started already. Shall I come with you now?'

  Ralph shook his head and moved towards the outside door.

  'Better that you two carry on looking for my brother. Mary, mother of God, but he was drunk last night! He's probably sleeping it off in a hay-loft, on top of some wench!'

  It was as well that the speaker was moving away from the two servants, as the expression on Fishacre's face was one of undiluted hate, though whether at Ralph's words or some private inner thought, the bailiff could not determine.

  'So where are we going to look again?' demanded Walter, as Ralph vanished down the steps. 'We've had all the house servants and the lads from the stables scouring the place for hours, without seeing so much as a whisker of him.'

  'I never want to see the sod again, other than lying dead from some very painful disease,' snarled Warin Fishacre. 'But I suppose we had better look as if we're doing something. The swine will no doubt turn up in his own good time.'

  There were lighter steps on the staircase, which was built into the thickness of the wall, and a woman appeared, dressed in a flowing kirtle of white samite.

  Her blonde hair was braided into two long plaits which hung down over her bosom, the tips confined in gilded metal tubes. A voluminous mantle of blue silk hung from her shoulders and fell almost to the ground, secured across her neck by a gilt cord. About twenty-five years of age, Beatrice Peverel was undoubtedly beautiful, her fair skin and large blue eyes complemented by full red lips.

  The two men bobbed their heads and touched a finger to their temples in respect to the lady of the manor, waiting to be spoken to first.

  'Have you found my husband yet, Walter?' she asked in a soft, melodious voice which conveyed more annoyance than concern for Hugo's disappearance.

  'Not yet, my lady. All the servants are out and about, searching for him.'

  His hand swept around the hall to emphasise the fact that the usually bustling chamber was deserted.

  Behind her, in the shadows of the stairwell, her maidservant hovered uncertainly, not sure whether her mistress needed a chaperone when the two men with whom she was alone were only the familiar bailiff and reeve. Beatrice sighed, her fingers playing with several large gold rings that adorned her small hands.

  'Very well, I suppose he'll appear eventually, as he usually does.'

  'Yes, my lady. I don't think he can be far away - his horse is still in the stable,' said Walter reassuringly.

  She smiled faintly and turned to climb the staircase, which led up to the solar where she and Avelina spent their days, as well as to four other rooms where various members of the family slept. The two men went to the farther end of the hall, which was a large square chamber lit only by a pair of slit embrasures in each wall. Here a corner was partitioned off by wooden screens, behind which was the bottler's domain, containing kegs and crocks of ale, as well as skins and flasks of imported wine. Food brought from the kitchen hut behind the house was served up here and some remnants of the early morning meal were still lying around. In the main body of the hall, which had a hearth and chimney instead of a central fire-pit, tables and benches were provided for eating and drinking, which was what the bailiff and reeve now had in mind.

  As the place was deserted, they went behind the screens and helped themselves to some bread, cold bacon and cheese, then drew ale from a cask supported on wedges against the wall.

  'I reckon I deserve this. I've been looking for that bloody Hugo for nigh on four hours!' muttered Fishacre, taking his food and jug to the nearest trestle.

  As they sat champing at the coarse bread and savouring the salt bacon, Walter Hog ruminated on what might have happened to their lord and master.

  'I can't see that it's connected to that affair in Exeter last week, but he's been like a boar with a sore arse since he came home!'

  Though Hugo Peverel had not mentioned a word of the shameful incident at the tournament, everyone in Sampford was well aware of what had happened - even if Hugo's squires had kept their mouths shut, there were the armourers, several varlets, carters and a couple of body servants who would have whispered the gossip as soon as they got back.

  'You know what I think of the sod!' grunted Warin Fishacre. 'It's God's burden that I should be stuck as a bondsman under that evil swine! If it wasn't for my wife and children, I'd be tempted to make a run for it to Exeter.' If a villein could escape to a town and remain uncaptured there for at least a year and a day, he could gain his freedom.

  Walter laid a warning hand on the reeve's arm.

  'Hush, man, keep your opinions to yourself in here, for your family's sake, if not your own.'

  'Family!' snarled the gaunt man cynically. 'That's where the trouble lies, as well you know, Walter Hog.' He buried his face in the earthernware mug of ale and sucked as if it were Hugo's very blood that he was drinking. It was just as well that he stopped his ranting at that moment, for feet clattered on the steps outside and a new figure came into the hall. It was the armourer, Robert Longus, who was one of their lord's favourites and who would have been happy to take the reeve's rebellious words back to his master.

  'Any news, Robert?' asked the bailiff, as the man came across to them.

  'One of the pig boys, the simple one with the harelip, now says he saw the master late last night with one of the Servant girls, though he doesn't know who it was.

  The daft bugger kept it to himself until he came back from the waste just now.'

  The waste was the rough ground at the extreme edge of the manor lands beyond the pasture, where assarting was slowly driving back the forest edge to provide extra arable land. It was good enough only for grazing pigs and goats until it had been put under the plough.

  'No surprise there, he's been through half the girls in the village,' growled Warin under his breath.

  'Where did this lad see him?' asked Walter.

  'Behind the churchyard, soon after dark last night.

  We've been over that area several times, without a sign of him.'

  The armourer looked questioningly at the bailiff.

  'Are you going to tell her ladyship? And Lady Avelina?' Walter looked uncomfortable - this sounded like a direct challenge to his courage. Lady Avelina was Hugo's stepmother, a formidable woman at the best of times, which this wasn't.

  'Let's wait until we find him - then he can tell them himself, if he wants to!' he countered.

  'Be no surprise to either of the ladies to hear that he's been riding the young serving girls again,' sneered Fishacre. He seemed about to enlarge on this theme, but under the table the bailiff gave him a surreptitious kick on the ankle.

  They finished their ale and went out into the pale autumn sunshine. With most of the men attending the court, the bailey was quiet, though almost all the female servants were wandering about the village, looking into chicken sheds, pigsties and hay bytes in case their lord was lying somewhere in a drunken sleep. It would not be the first time, but usually he sobered up during the night and found his way back to the manor house.

  Walter Hog led the way to the entrance in the stockade, where a drawbridge over a deep ditch protected stout gates, now wide open. He had lived here for a couple of years, but still found new sights to stare at, being a Somerset man from the hills of eastern Exmoor. Now he gazed down the rutted lane through the village to where he could see the bell
arch on the roof of the church. Sampford Peverel was built on a low ridge above a small valley, through which ran a stream. It was a crossing on this brook that gave the village its name, derived from the Saxon for 'sandy ford'. The small wooden church of St John the Baptist was on the eastern end of the ridge. Beyond it, the track went eastward to distant Taunton, joining the high road back to Exeter about a mile away.

  The manor house was a few hundred paces up the slope from the church, and between them was an open space that acted as the village green. Here the weekly obligatory archery practice took place, urchins played tag and passing pedlars and chapmen displayed their wares to the good-wives of the hamlet. Cottages and huts straggled around the green and along the track that led westward towards Tiverton. They were a motley collection, some mere shacks with rotting timber walls, others more substantial, being made of cob plastered between wooden frames. All had low thatched roofs, some of clean new reeds, others green with growing grass and moss. These toffs had a patch of croft around them where vegetables grew, and a few chickens, geese and maybe a house cow helped to feed the families within.

  One dwelling on the green was slightly larger than the others and had a bush hanging from a pole outside, marking it as an alehouse, though every household brewed ale for its own use. It was the only palatable drink available, given the quality of the water supply, which, apart from some wells, came mainly from the stream below the church. This was good enough to turn the wheel of the mill, but as the rubbish, offal and night-soil of most of the village were thrown into it, the brook was shunned as a source of drinking Water, though the women were content to use the mill-pond to soak their washing and beat it clean on the stones along the bank.

  'I'll go for one more look down there,' said the bailiff, pointing towards the church. 'You go again up to the top end of the village. We can do little more until the men have finished in the leet.' Grumbling under his breath, Warin Fishacre loped off in the other direction, determined to call in at his own toft for a rest, rather than pound around the village yet again. The more earnest Walter, determined to do the job as best he could, set off towards the green, his head swivelling from side to side as he went, in case Hugo Peverel suddenly staggered out of some shed or hay-loft. He nodded to the wives and girls he saw on the way, who were now only pretending to look diligently for their lord after several hours of futile searching.