Bone of Contention (17 page)

“Nonsense,” the father said. “All cats look alike in the dark. Abed she will be soft and warm like any woman.”

“That may be true, but if St. Cyr had not been a filthy and brutal animal, I would have let him have her. As it is from what I heard him say of her…” His voice faltered. “God knows what that beast would have done to her, how long she would even have survived in his keeping.” He sighed.

“Tirell, where were you last night?” Reinhart asked, his voice now tinged with anger.

“You know where I was.” Tirell’s tone was bitter. “I could not bear the thought of that…creature…torturing poor Loveday, so…so I took care of the matter we spoke of. It is done. Over.”

“I am sorry.” Reinhart put a hand on his son’s shoulder. “It was the best solution I could think of.” He drew a deep breath. “Well, as you said, it is over. Go now and speak to Loveday.”

“No,” Tirell said, his voice thick. “My heart is too heavy with what I have done to bring to her now. Tomorrow or the next day I will go out to Noke and…and speak to her. Not now.”

On the words, he pulled free of his father’s hand and went out into the street heading north. Magdalene bit her lip. What in the world had Tirell Hardel done last night? Killed St. Cyr? But if he knew St. Cyr was dead and no longer a threat to Loveday, why did he still need to marry her?

Magdalene was so eager to know the answer to those questions that she would have pursued Tirell and drawn him into an alehouse, where a few jars of ale could have loosened his tongue. However, she could not move immediately without catching Master Reinhart’s attention and once that was fixed on her she would not dare go after Tirell. So she waited, and in a moment Master Reinhart shrugged and marched in a determined way back toward Loveday.

As soon as he moved, Magdalene stood up and picked up the empty ale cup. With that in hand, she started to cross the street—ostensibly to return the cup, but actually so she could slip away and follow Tirell. However, when she glanced up the street, she could not see him anywhere and a moment later Loveday called out to her.

After the briefest hesitation, Magdalene turned to walk back to the girl. Tirell was gone, possibly into the nearest alehouse to drown his sorrows but equally likely to the nearest church to confess a mortal sin. Either way he had escaped her. It would be easier for Bell to find him and question him. Meanwhile she could try to discover whether Master Reinhart had any idea what his son meant.

Loveday had acknowledged her approach with a smile and a nod, and then looked up at Master Reinhart with a mixture of determination and pleading. “Please do not be angry with me, Master Reinhart,” she said. “You know I could not reach Noke before dark, and with so many men-at-arms from different meinies abroad, it would not be safe for me to travel the roads after dark, even if you accompanied me. I swear I will be safer in the Soft Nest with Mistress Magdalene. You may come with us and see how quiet and private we are. And I promise I will return to Noke tomorrow morning.”

“I would far rather you came to London with me, my dear. If one man tried to seize you, another may. You will not be truly safe until you are married, but you will be much safer in London where few know you.”

“You are very kind, Master Reinhart,” Loveday said, “but I cannot leave Noke for so long. At this time of year the flocks must be watched with care for illness, the first haying must be done, the hay dried, bound and stored. I cannot be away from my lands just now.”

Magdalene had reached them and stood quietly beside Loveday. She cast a single, incurious glance in Master Reinhart’s direction, and when Loveday had finished, said, “As you said, Loveday, the light is starting to fail. I think we would be best off returning to our lodging before it grows much darker.”

“Very well, I am ready, but I would like to make known to you Master Reinhart, a dear friend of my father’s and a very good friend to me also. It was Master Reinhart who had the good sense to petition the king for my right to Otmoor after my father and brothers died so suddenly. God knows what would have happened to me if he had not decided to help me.”

“That was indeed a wise and kind action, Master Reinhart,” Magdalene said, “and I understand that you are concerned for Loveday. I am not certain how you know what I am, but I am sorry you do not know me better. If you did, you would also know that I have a reputation for dealing honestly, and you would understand that I would never force or constrain a woman to serve me—especially not a maiden who has a good livelihood and no need to enter into the life my women lead.”

Master Reinhart had the grace to flush. Magdalene pretended not to see that sign that he was, indeed, aware that she was known for her honesty, that her women were well paid, well cared for, and free to come and go as they pleased. She would not have bothered defending herself, guessing his reaction had been more one of shock at seeing Loveday in her company than of any real distrust of her motives, had she not wanted to show him that she would not betray how well she knew him to Loveday.

Since Reinhart was looking at Magdalene, Loveday took the chance to make a cheerful grimace behind his back. Magdalene swallowed hard to constrain an urge to laugh. It seemed that Loveday knew more about Master Reinhart than he thought she knew. Reinhart himself made a wordless noise that might have indicated acceptance.

So Magdalene continued without waiting for a more definite answer. “And as Loveday said, you are more than welcome to inspect our quarters.”

“No, no,” he said hastily, “I am sure Loveday will be safe. I hope that she will leave you and go back to Noke tomorrow, however.”

“I will see her on her way as soon as she has broken her fast, I swear to you.”

“Good. Good. I will be on my way then. Loveday, do not forget to veil yourself.”

“No, I will not,” Loveday said, pulling her veil around her face as she spoke.

Magdalene echoed her action and waited quietly as Master Reinhart took to the street in the direction of St. Martin’s Church. Loveday waved until he had mingled completely with the crowd that was snatching at last-minute bargains or hurrying off home.

“But I thought that you and Bell were going to accompany me home,” she said plaintively, as soon as Master Reinhart was lost to sight.

“Well, we are…if you want us. I just didn’t want to say that in front of Master Reinhart, who might take a new alarm.”

“Oh, dear. I hope you will forgive him…and me, too, Magdalene,” Loveday said. “He knows you. I know he does. How could he act and speak as if you were going to…to…do I don’t know what? And does he think me such an idiot that I would remain in your clutches? What bait does he imagine you set for me that could make me willing to give up my lands to go and be a whore in London?”

“Southwark,” Magdalene said, laughing as she fastened her veil more securely. “I don’t even have the bait of the great, exciting city of London to offer you.”

Loveday sighed. “I am glad you didn’t take offense.”

“I think Master Reinhart was just shocked to see you with me. Remember, he said he had been seeking you for two days. Then you suddenly appear in the company of an infamous whoremistress. I suppose he leapt to the conclusion that I had abducted you.”

“Yes, and that we were cozily sitting at a table eating sweet buns, the abductee and the abductor.” Loveday shook her head. “Oh, let it go. I will have to deal with him sooner or later because I think he wants me to marry Tirell—”

“Yes. I heard them talking about it.”

Loveday made a dismissive gesture. “It is out of the question. First of all because I cannot think of Tirell as other than a brother, and secondly because he will want to manage Noke and Otmoor and I will not have it. I wish it were tomorrow already. I must find out what happened to Niall.”

“Hmmm. Yes.”

They crossed the street to return the cups to the alehouse and then started back toward the Soft Nest. After they had walked in silence as far as St. Friedesweide, Loveday said anxiously, “You will come to Noke with me, will you not?”

“Oh, yes,” Magdalene replied much more positively than before. “There are some questions I want answered, like what has happened to William’s men. Why didn’t they insist the servants let Giles de Milland in? There are only two possible reasons I can think of. The first is that they did go off with Niall—but I can’t imagine him taking William’s men without permission—or else…Niall is hiding in Noke and told his men not to give him away to Giles.”

“Do you think that is really so?” Loveday asked eagerly.

“Why? Are you so eager to see a man who stabbed another in the back?”

“Oh, pish tush.” Loveday sniffed with disdain. “He did it for me. He cannot have had any other reason.” She was silent for a moment then said, “I wonder if I could convince Father Herveus to marry us at once. Then if Niall did have to go to a safer place until this stupid matter of St. Cyr is settled—and once the king and all his useless nobles are gone I am certain I can deal with the sheriff of Oxford—I will not need to worry about—”

“Loveday,” Magdalene protested, “have you forgotten you need the king’s permission to marry?”

What Magdalene was thinking, however, was if Loveday married Niall atop the murder of St. Cyr—and it was still not at all clear why Waleran de Meulan should favor a low beast like St. Cyr with a sweet plum like Loveday— Waleran might be roused to serious anger. He would surely accuse William of complicity in both the murder and the marriage. And Magdalene remembered suddenly that the last thing William had said to her was that he was going to ask in the Court about St. Cyr. A cold knot formed under Magdalene’s breastbone.

“So the king will fine me,” Loveday said, a small smile curving her lips. “I can pay. And I will be married…and safe.”

The cold spread across Magdalene’s chest and up her back. It was she who had given Loveday shelter from St. Cyr. William would be livid with fury.

Although Magdalene tried in several ways to divert Loveday from the idea of instant marriage, and succeeded so far before Loveday retired to bed that she was willing to consider waiting, Magdalene was not at all happy. She was intensely relieved to hear Bell’s rhythmic tap on the door, and she told him her deduction and presented the problem to him in an undervoice as he came into the room. While she closed the door and dropped the bar across to lock it, he watched her, and when she turned to him, he looked down at her and grinned.

“Trying to put me off?”

His words were slightly slurred and he smelled of ale, but his voice was as low as hers had been. Magdalene saw at once that slurred words or not, his eyes were well focused and clear. She shook her head and stepped forward into his arms. Bell’s grin widened.

“I think that’s the truth,” he said, leading her around the bed so they were sheltered by it if Loveday should peer through her bedcurtains. “If you were playing with me, you would have thought of a bigger puzzle. And you are right. Niall is far more likely to be at Noke than have fled to London or Rochester. As for preventing the marriage, that is easy. You told me Niall was a good man and devoted to Lord William. All you have to do is tell him the trouble the marriage will cause and he will refuse to marry.”

Magdalene sighed and turned her back to Bell who, without needing to be told, began to unlace her gown. “I thought of that myself, but you don’t know Loveday as well as I. It may take more strength and cleverness than Niall has to outmaneuver her. She is the most redoubtable girl.”

She pulled off the gown and untied the bows that held her undertunic closed at neck and wrists. Meanwhile Bell had unbelted his sword and propped it where he could reach it from the bed. Then he began to remove his clothing without assistance although more slowly than she, but that was because he would pause in what he was doing to caress her and murmur a litany of praise as he shed each garment. He seemed to forget he still had his shirt on when she was naked, and he might never have removed it at all, becoming instantly amorous after he pulled off his chausses and saw her, if she had not escaped from him and climbed into the bed.

Magdalene had intended to ask what he had discovered in the alehouse, but he had outsmarted her. All those kisses and touches, all those murmurs of praise and desire when she was half clothed had done their work. When he threw off the shirt and stood naked before her, his standing man as erect as it could get, red head bare and gleaming moistly in the light of the night candle, Magdalene simply pulled aside the light coverlet and held out her arms.

Later, she hoped that Loveday had been too soundly asleep to be easily wakened. They had both forgotten her completely, and Bell’s groans, which rose in climax almost to singing, had not been at all moderated. And then she chuckled softly and rubbed her head against his shoulder. No use blaming him. If Loveday had wakened, it was as likely her own cries that had done it.

“Can you talk?” she asked softly, “or shall we wait until morning?”

Bell yawned hugely. “No need to wait. I’ve little enough to tell you. The Broached Barrel was a total waste. No one had seen St. Cyr there last night and that was not because no one recognized him. He was fairly well known—not liked, but known. Apparently he was a quarrelsome drunk.”

“And Niall? Did you ask about him?”

“Of course. He was not there last night either. The landlord and alewife both knew him, but he had not been in the house for several days.”

“If neither murderer nor victim was seen at The Broached Barrel, why was St. Cyr’s body found there?”

“Because
neither had been seen there?” Bell asked doubtfully. “I even went out to look at the place where the body was found— I said I was curious and one of the servers took me out and showed me. I thought maybe the yard would have some feature that would make it peculiarly fitted for murder, but it was the same as the back yard of any inn or alehouse. Less fitted, really, because there are tables and benches there and anyone could come out of the alehouse at any time…” His voice faded and he yawned again.