by Shel Pais
“I must go now. May God be with you all.”
“And with you too,” they all replied.
After Bartholomew left, they sat in silence for a few minutes.
“What do you think this means, what the new prior has ordered?” Mordecai asked.
“It’s another indication of the deep separation we have with the Gentiles, or perhaps I should say they have with us. They do not respect us, and they believe that their way is the only way. Until that changes, we will always live with the fear that at any time they will turn against us. And, as history as shown, they will.” Ezra paused. “It’s time to pray. Let us prepare.”
ALWYN SAT WAITING FOR THE bishop to meet with him. Eustace greeted him coldly as usual but did offer him some refreshment. For the journey from Hedgestone, Alwyn left the two brothers at a dilapidated inn. He had told them they must be frugal. He, however, would stay at a much nicer inn, unless the bishop offered to let him stay in his palace. After what seemed a very long time, Bishop Basil appeared.
“Alwyn, nice to see you. I’m sorry to have kept you waiting. Church business.”
Alwyn stood, bowed, and kissed the bishop’s ring. “Thank you, Your Grace. It’s nice to see you as well.”
“How was your journey?”
“Other than the cold winds that kept blowing in our faces, we had no problems. Once the snows start, traveling certainly will be much more difficult.”
“I will not keep you long. Let us sit, so you can give me your report.”
They both sat at a small table on high quality, cushioned chairs.
“Hubert ordered the brothers to clean up Hedgestone, and it looks much better. He punished a few of them for their slothfulness, making them work extra duty. He also flogged two for socializing with the Jews.”
Basil’s eyes opened wide. “Flogged them?”
“Five lashes each. They said they were simply trying to convert them, but Hubert was following your ultimatum that no one but him was allowed to even speak to a Jew.”
Basil nodded. “I assume they all learned their lesson, then?”
“There have not been any other instances.”
“Good. Tell Hubert I approve. That’s one reason I wanted Hubert to reform, shall we say, Hedgestone. What about the improvements I asked for?”
Alwyn produced the parchment and handed it to the bishop. Basil took a few minutes to read it.
“Very good. This is exactly what I wanted. Now, when you return, I want Hubert to negotiate the largest loan he can. Do you know who the most successful moneylender in Northampton is?”
Alwyn thought for a moment. “I believe his name is Baruch.”
“Can he loan a large amount? Hubert’s list is quite extensive, and it will be expensive to complete everything.”
“Hubert had me make some subtle inquiries, and we believe this Baruch can without engaging any other resources.”
“Excellent. I will prepare a document giving Hubert my approval of his plans and to secure the loan. When he has received the money, I want him to hide it securely. He may take out a small amount to start work on a project so as not to arouse any suspicion. Then I want you to report to me this has been completed. I will then send for the balance.”
Basil stood up. “Do not tell anyone about this except Hubert, do you understand?”
“I will not, Your Grace. You can trust me completely.”
“I want you to return to Hedgestone tomorrow. I would like the transaction to be completed before the summer solstice. I am counting on you, Alwyn. Do this, and you will find me very grateful.”
Alwyn stood, bowed, and again kissed the bishop’s ring.
“Come back in the morning before you depart, and I will give you the approval document. Go then with God.” Basil turned and left the room.
Why does he need Hubert to obtain the loan for him? Alwyn thought. What are his plans? Why does he want it several months from now? Will he require Hubert to repay the loan? If he reneges on repayment, will Hubert be responsible? I do not know what he needs the money for, nor why he cannot obtain it himself. It sounds like Hubert’s assumptions may be correct. However, I must obey.
Alwyn went to the inn where the two brothers were staying and told them they would be leaving in the morning. He then returned to the much nicer inn where he was staying, ordered a supper of mutton and ale, and retired for the night. The next day he received the written approval from Basil and began the return journey to Hedgestone.
Even while at home, John de Oxenden, Sheriff of Northampton, remained obsessed with discovering the truth about Ronald the forester’s death and the missing weapons. He was not sure why. The forester was Baron Geoffrey’s cousin, and his death was mysterious, but the weapons were only a bow, some arrows, and a sword. However, John did not like unsolved crimes. If innocence could not be proven, then the party was guilty; it was as simple as that to him. At least the crime was solved, and his conscience was clear. His job was to uphold the law. As he pondered the situation, his wife Mary came into the room.
“What are you thinking about, John? The dead forester again?” she asked.
“You think I should give up, don’t you?”
“John, I understand you feel if you can solve this the baron will be extremely grateful to you, and perhaps reward you. Frankly, I don’t believe he still cares that much about it, so why should you?”
“I think you’re right. Perhaps one day the truth will be known. For now, I’ll concentrate on other matters. Did I tell you Abbot Hubert wants to meet with me?”
“Abbot Hubert? I thought he was Prior Hubert.”
“He’s an abbot who was asked by Bishop Basil to take over Hedgestone Priory from Prior Bartholomew.”
“I see. You haven’t met him yet?”
“No, my dear, I haven’t.”
“Do you know why he wants to meet with you? Do you know what he’s like?”
“Not exactly. I’ve heard he has already started to reform the monks, correcting Bartholomew’s mistakes.”
“Mistakes? Such as what?”
“I heard Bartholomew wasn’t a good administrator, and he also had become too friendly with the Jews, at least to Bishop Basil.”
“Too friendly? I wonder what that means.”
“I don’t know. I’m sure Hubert will tell me what he wants me to know.”
“What do you know about him?”
“Not very much. I believe he’s pretty much kept to the priory. I’ve never seen him in Northampton.”
“When is your meeting?”
“Tomorrow morning. I’ll tell you about it when I return.”
John kissed his wife. “Keep your ears open, just in case you do hear anything about Ronald’s death.”
“Of course I will,” she said, kissing him back.
The next morning, right after breakfast, John arrived at Hedgestone. He pulled the bell cord, and a young monk appeared. “Yes, can I help you?”
“I am Sheriff John de Oxenden of Northampton, and Abbot Hubert wants me to meet with him.”
The monk quickly opened the door. “Good morning, Sheriff. Abbot Hubert instructed me to wait for you here. Please come in. I will lead you to him.”
John followed the young monk, who he guessed to be only about twenty. John noticed the priory was quite clean. It looked like fallen leaves recently had been removed, and the grounds actually looked quite nice, he thought. He followed the monk into a room off the scriptorium. “Please sit,” the monk said. “Abbot Hubert will be with you shortly.”
The room was quite barren, except for the table and four chairs around it. There was a small window, but a candle on the table was the source of most of the light in the room. John grew impatient, as it seemed like he had been kept waiting too long when Hubert arrived.
“Hello, Sheriff. Thank you for coming. I’m sorry to have kept you waiting, but I was unavoidably detained.”
John rose and slightly bowed not believing him. “I’m honored, Abbot, for
your invitation. It’s good to finally meet you.”
Hubert saw the table was empty. “Were you not offered any refreshment?” John shook his head.
“Brother Dominic! Come here at once!” Hubert shouted. The young monk appeared almost immediately. “You neglected to offer our guest wine or ale.”
Dominic became nervous, seeing the abbot was angry with him.
“My apologies. What is your pleasure, sir?”
“Ale, if you please.” Dominic hurried out.
“Please sit down, Sheriff. May I call you John?”
“Of course.”
“Please call me Hubert.”
“So,” John began, “I understand you were sent here by Bishop Basil on, shall we say, a special assignment.”
“You understand correctly. The bishop was very unhappy with the conditions here, and I have been given the task of turning Hedgestone around.”
Dominic arrived with a large tankard of ale and carefully handed it to the sheriff. “Thank you, Dominic. You may go, and please close the door behind you.” Without a word, the monk left, ensuring the door was shut.
John took a sip of the ale. It was strong and quite tasty. “Very good ale, Hubert. Where’s it from?”
“I have it brought in from Normandy. Surprising, no? The French can make good ale if they want to. It is from a priory in Bayeux. Most think the French only can make wine.”
“You were saying you are charged with turning Hedgestone around.”
“Yes. Besides the physical changes, I must, shall we say, reeducate most of the monks here. They have strayed from the Church and must be properly returned.”
John took another sip of ale. “Strayed? How so?”
“Well, for one, they have become much too friendly with the Jews. Bartholomew actually attended some of their prayer services. Some of the other monks have as well. I have stopped this fraternizing.”
“Why should the prior or any of the monks attend a Jewish service?”
Hubert slightly raised his voice. “Their excuse was that in order to convert them we must show them how kind we are and convince them what the true way is. Going to one of their synagogues is heresy, do you not agree?”
“I suppose so. I don’t know many of the Jews here. They live in the West End section of Northampton. I only know one of their rabbis, Ezra, and Baruch, the moneylender.” At this, Hubert’s eyes widened.
“You know Baruch? Well?”
“Not well, but I’ve done business with him. He loaned the baron the money for expanding the cells in the castle, and I was the baron’s agent. The dungeon was too small for the number of criminals we find here.”
“I want to meet him. Would you be so kind as to arrange a meeting between us?”
“Of course, Hubert. Shall I say what the meeting is for?”
“No. Just tell him I may need his services in the future.”
“Very well. I will try to arrange a meeting for tomorrow. Where do you want the meeting to take place?”
“Tell him to come here tomorrow in the early afternoon. I will meet with him then.”
The sheriff left, reflecting on the meeting. Hubert is a cunning fellow, he thought. I do not get the feeling he can be trusted. He uses people for his own gain, I am afraid, and I will not let him use me.
John rode back to Northampton and stopped at Baruch’s house. He dismounted, tied his horse, and knocked on Baruch’s door. His housekeeper answered. “May I help you?” she asked. She looked to be an older woman of about fifty.
“I am John de Oxenden, Sheriff of Northampton. I must see your master, Baruch.”
“Please come in, my lord. I’ll get him for you.”
John entered, looking around at how the stone house was furnished. A fine oak table stood in the center of the large main room, with eight nicely cushioned chairs around it. There were some Jewish artifacts, mostly made of silver and quite exquisite. He noticed several candelabras, also made of silver, some with extensively detailed scenes. He guessed they may be from the Bible, but he was not sure. As he examined one, Baruch entered.
“Sheriff, welcome. I hope you have been well.”
“Hello, Baruch. Yes, I have. How have you been?”
“I am fine as well, thank you. Please sit down. Emma, please bring wine for our guest,” he ordered in a loud voice.
“So,” Baruch asked, “what brings you to me? Do you or the baron need another loan?”
The sheriff laughed. “No, neither the baron nor I need one. I am delivering an invitation to you.”
“An invitation?”
“Yes. You’ve heard Hedgestone Priory has a new prior?”
“Yes, I have. He’s an abbot, is he not?”
John nodded. “I met with him a short while ago, and he asked me to arrange a meeting so he could meet you.”
“No doubt he wants to negotiate a loan. Why else would he want to meet me?”
“I don’t know, Baruch. I’m only doing him a favor.”
“Can you tell me what kind of a man he is?”
“I just met him, so I can’t tell you much. I’ve heard, as you probably have as well, that he is very thorough.” Emma entered carrying a tray with wine and two silver cups. She placed the tray on the table and filled both cups.
Baruch handed one to the sheriff and lifted his own. “L’chaim, John,” he said as he drank. He saw John was uncomfortable with what he said. “It means, ‘to life.’”
“Oh, I see. Abbot Hubert told me he was charged by Bishop Basil of London to reform the priory and the monks, as they had strayed from their mission and the way of the Church.”
“Humph,” Baruch grunted. “I know what some of the reform means. I know he has forbidden Prior Bartholomew and the monks from associating with any Jew. I know he had two monks flogged for merely speaking to Jews. I cannot speak to what he is doing inside the priory, but I do know he is not interested in any relationship with my people.”
“Again, Baruch, I don’t know about such things. Will you meet with him?”
“Of course, John. How else can I conduct any business? If I refused to meet with any Gentile who did not like Jews, I would have almost no one to do business with.”
“Good. Then be at the priory tomorrow after the noon meal.”
“Very well. I shall be there. Tell me, have you learned anything more about the dead forester?”
“I’m afraid not. I don’t think I ever will. His missing weapons have not turned up, and there still is no evidence or information about what happened to him. I suppose you don’t know anything about it?”
“Now, Sheriff, what could I know?”
“Don’t you have a nephew who has a reputation for fighting?”
The question surprised Baruch. “Do you mean David, son of my brother Mordecai?”
“Yes, I believe that’s who I’m referring to.”
“Yes, he is my nephew, and he used to fight some. But he’s changed his ways and is a dedicated student now. What are you thinking? That he had something to do with the forester’s death?”
“Not really. It was just a thought. The Assize of Arms forbids Jews to have weapons. I don’t believe Jews can fight, and what on earth could a Jew do with a sword and a bow and arrows?”
Baruch ignored this. “Why such a long-running interest in a dead forester anyway?”
“He was Ronald, cousin to Baron Geoffrey. The baron would like to know exactly what happened to him.”
“I see. Well, I’m sure David had nothing to do with it. Seems preposterous to me. However, I hope you do find out what you want if it pleases the baron.”
“Thank you. If you do hear of anything, you’ll tell me?”
“Of course. I’m a law-abiding person, even if the law says I cannot be a citizen.”
“Thank you for the wine. I hope your meeting with the abbot is successful.”
“Thank you for coming, Sheriff.”
So, Baruch thought, refilling his cup, Abbot Hubert wants to see me. Any a
rrangement we make will have to be very well constructed, since I will not suffer any loss from him.
The next afternoon Baruch arrived at the priory and pulled the bell cord. Brother Dominic answered. As he heard Baruch identify himself, he opened the door and gestured him to come in. Baruch never had been inside a priory before, and he looked around to get a sense of the place. It was quite clean, he noticed, with several monks performing various duties around the grounds. “I am Brother Dominic. I will bring you to the abbot.”
Dominic led him to the small room off the scriptorium. “Please sit. The abbot will be with you shortly.”
Baruch noted how cold and lifeless the room was. He sat for a few minutes until the door opened. He rose and slightly bowed his head in respect.
“Baruch, is it not? I am Abbot Hubert, Prior of Hedgestone.”
“Yes, Abbot, I am Baruch. The sheriff said you wanted to meet me.”
“Please sit. Would you like anything?”
“No, thank you.”
Hubert studied the Jew seated in front of him. Baruch was well-dressed with a shirt, breeches, and a robe of a very high quality. He also wore nicely made shoes that looked like they were of the finest leather. Hubert was about to say something when Baruch started the conversation.
“So, Your Grace, how much do you want to borrow?”
Hubert laughed. “Is that why you think I invited you here?”
“Of course. Why else would an abbot want to speak to a Jewish moneylender, especially the most successful one in Northampton? I didn’t think it was to debate scripture or to establish a social relationship. In fact, I have heard you’ve forbidden the monks here to have any contact with a Jew.”
Hubert smiled. “No, you are correct. I did not invite you here to debate scripture. And, yes, I did give that order. It had nothing to do with you, Baruch. The monks have much to do here to restore Hedgestone, and no time for socializing with anyone. At this time, I don’t have any need for a loan. I merely wanted to make your acquaintance, so if I do have any need of your services, I’ll know who I’m dealing with.”
“I see. I must admit, Your Grace, no one has ever done this to me before. Previously, it was always just business.”