The Elephants of Norwich (16 page)

Ralph Delchard and Gervase Bret were still in the hall when Eustace Coureton joined them. Having taken off his armour, he now wore a fresh tunic and mantle. Though he had a contented smile, he moved rather stiffly and was grateful to lower himself on to a bench near his colleagues.
    ‘My old bones are starting to creak,’ he said with a chuckle. ‘I had difficulty climbing the stairs to my chamber.’
    ‘Have you been asleep?’ asked Ralph.
    ‘No, I refreshed myself by reading for a little while.’
    ‘Horace, no doubt.’
    ‘Cicero, actually. A more cunning politician.’
    ‘Too cunning for his own good in the end,’ noted Gervase. ‘He was executed.’
    ‘Not before he wrote some sublime speeches and essays.’
    ‘Spare us any quotations from them,’ said Ralph, holding up his hands. ‘Gervase and I have been comparing what each of us found out today. It’s mystifying to me.’
    ‘What is?’ asked Coureton.
    ‘The more information we gather, the further away we seem from the man we’re after. As for those tiny elephants, we might as well search for an ant in a cornfield. They’re so easy to conceal. They could be anywhere.’
    ‘I was musing on them as well, Ralph. We came to Norwich to settle a dispute between two human elephants. At least, that’s how Richard de Fontenel and Mauger Livarot seem to me. Big, strong, ungainly creatures who trample everyone in their way and who bellow aloud while they’re doing so. Instead of which,’ he said, resignedly, ‘we’re spending our time in pursuit of two small fourfooted elephants and I’m coming to the view that it might be safest for everyone if they’re never found.’
    ‘Why do you say that?’ asked Gervase.
    ‘I’ll tell you later. I don’t wish to upset Ralph.’
    ‘With what?’
    ‘Another Latin quotation.’
    ‘Oh, go on,’ sighed Ralph. ‘I’ll steel myself to bear it.’
    
‘Aurum irrepertum et sic melius situm.’
    ‘Cicero?’
    ‘Horace.’
    ‘I feared that it might be. Will someone tell me what it means?’
    ‘I’ll try,’ said Gervase. ‘My translation would be, “Gold undiscovered, and all the better for being so.” Is that close enough, my lord?’
    ‘I can’t fault it,’ said Coureton. ‘I know that those elephants were blessed by the Pope and brought all the way from Rome but they’re leaving havoc in their wake. Our friend, the anchorite, must be regretting he ever bought them.’
    ‘They’re holy treasures.’
    ‘That hasn’t stopped them being stolen.’
    ‘Twice, my lord. First from the abbey and then from the lord Richard.’
    ‘Did you tell him they’d have to be returned to Abbot Alfwold?’
    ‘Yes,’ said Gervase. ‘A look of panic came into his eyes. There’s no way that he can use them as a wedding gift now. Indeed, if we can prove that he ordered them to be stolen, he won’t be in a position to marry anyone.’
    Gervase went on to tell Coureton about his earlier visit, abbreviating detail that Ralph had already heard. The old soldier heard it all with philosophical calm. The three men were discussing the implications of what they had learned when the door opened and Roger Bigot came in. Hot, dusty and tired from several hours in the saddle, he gave them a weary greeting and stood with his hands on his hips.
    ‘I hope that your day has been more fruitful than ours,’ he said.
    ‘Very fruitful, my lord sheriff,’ said Ralph, cheerily. ‘We not only found Jocelyn the Anchorite, we spurred him into joining the search for those elephants.’
    ‘It was Gervase who made the most crucial discovery,’ said Coureton. ‘When he called on the lord Richard, he found out who stole the objects from the abbey.’
    Bigot was startled. ‘The lord Richard confessed?’
    ‘On the contrary,’ explained Gervase. ‘He swore that he bought the wedding gift from a merchant in France. But he unwittingly gave me the name I wanted. It wasn’t Starculf who spent the night at the abbey and made off with their treasures.’
    ‘Then who was it?’
    ‘Hermer.’
    ‘He used a false name?’
    ‘Yes, my lord sheriff. So that no trail would lead to his master. I don’t think that Starculf went anywhere near the abbey of St Benet.’
    ‘He did, Master Bret. That’s the one thing we did learn.’
    ‘Oh?’
    ‘Several sightings have been made of him in the county. Starculf is here without any doubt. I feel it,’ he said, ruefully. ‘Someone is hiding him.’

Gervase Bret was slightly concerned about his wife. When the visitors dined with their hosts that evening in the hall, Alys was unusually subdued and had little appetite for the rich fare that was served. Though she assured her husband that she was well, he sensed that she was putting on a brave face in order to conceal some malady. Once back in their chamber, however, Alys seemed to recover her spirits at once. She was bright, talkative and almost exuberant. Seeing the anxiety in his eyes, she gave him a kiss and squeezed his arms by way of reassurance.
    ‘Stop worrying about me, Gervase,’ she said. ‘I feel fine.’
    ‘You didn’t appear so in the hall.’
    ‘That was only because I was so shy. You must remember that this is in the nature of an adventure to me. I’ve never stayed in a castle before as the guest of a sheriff and his wife. I know they’ve both been very hospitable but I feel a little overwhelmed.’
    ‘You’ve no need to be, Alys.’
    ‘I’m taking time to get used to the honour.’
    ‘It’s no more than you deserve, my love,’ he said, fondly. ‘Make the most of it in the same way that Golde does. She’s always completely at her ease.’
    ‘I do admire her for that, but I’m more reserved than Golde. It was the same when we visited the lady Adelaide. Golde was quite relaxed while I found it an effort to join in the conversation.’
    ‘Why?’
    ‘The lady Adelaide has that effect on me, Gervase. She’s so beautiful.’
    ‘Beside you, she’s practically invisible,’ he said, loyally.
    Alys laughed. ‘That’s not what Ralph thinks–or any of those men who were at the banquet on our first night here. The lady Adelaide enchanted them all in a way that I could never match. It’s very sweet of you to flatter me,’ she said, beaming gratefully, ‘but I won’t pretend that I can compete with her. And it wasn’t just the lady herself. It’s the house where she lives. It’s sumptuous, Gervase.’
    ‘Golde found that ostentation rather tasteless.’
    ‘It overpowered me. I felt so small and insignificant.’
    ‘Well, you’re neither of those things to me,’ he said, enfolding her in his arms. I’ll admit I had grave doubts about asking you to join me on this visit but they’ve all faded away now. I’m so glad that you came.’
    ‘Are you?’
    ‘Very glad, my love.’
    ‘Does that mean I can ride out with you tomorrow?’
    ‘Tomorrow?’
    ‘Yes,’ she said, smiling. ‘Golde has offered to go with you to the Henstead hundred and I want to come as well.’
    Gervase hesitated. ‘That might not be such a good idea, Alys.’
    ‘Why not?’
    ‘To begin with, it’s a taxing ride.’
    ‘No more taxing than the ride from Winchester to Norwich.’
    ‘I don’t think you’ve fully recovered from that yet.’
    ‘Of course I have.’
    ‘I’d rather you stayed here and rested.’
    ‘But I don’t want to rest,’ she said, breaking away from his embrace. ‘I’ve seen little enough of you during the day since we got here. All that I want to do is to ride beside you, Gervase. If you can take Golde, why reject your own wife?’
    ‘It’s not a case of rejection.’
    ‘Then what is it?’
    ‘Diplomacy, my love.’
    ‘I don’t understand.’
    ‘But you were there when I explained it,’ he reminded her. ‘I have to speak to the Saxon woman Olova again.’
    ‘You don’t think she was responsible for the crime, surely?’
    ‘No, but I’m convinced she’s holding back information that may be valuable to us. She wouldn’t divulge it in the presence of lord Eustace but she may do so to another Saxon woman like Golde.’
    Alys grew petulant. ‘What you’re saying is that I’d be in the way.’
    ‘Not at all.’
    ‘Your own wife would be an embarrassment to you.’
    ‘That’s not the case at all,’ he insisted. ‘It’s just that you’re likely to make Olova feel uncomfortable and that wouldn’t serve our purpose at all.’
    ‘Then I’ll make sure that she doesn’t even see me. It’s easily done. When we get there, I’ll stay completely out of sight.’
    ‘No, Alys.’
    ‘You just don’t want me to go, do you?’ she challenged.
    ‘It wouldn’t be appropriate, that’s all.’
    ‘Is it more appropriate for me to stay here on my own?’
    ‘I’m afraid it is.’
    ‘So you’re forbidding me.’
    ‘Of course not.’
    ‘Then why do I feel so hurt and neglected?’
    Gervase fell silent as he struggled with the dilemma. To leave his wife behind on the morrow would make her upset and resentful. Taking her with him, however, involved a number of risks, not least of which was that she would distract him from the work in hand. Gervase knew that he would not be able to concentrate properly if he was worrying about his wife’s safety and comfort. He thought about the sad, pale, uncommunicative woman who had sat beside him in the hall earlier on. Alys might be in a more buoyant mood now but a long ride that began at dawn would be an ordeal for someone who never enjoyed the most robust health. His wife was putting him to the test. He had to be firm.
    ‘I’m sorry, Alys,’ he said calmly, ‘but you’ll have to remain here.’
    ‘Why?’
    ‘Because that’s what I’ve decided. You promised that you wouldn’t interfere with my work if I let you come to Norfolk with us and you’re been scrupulous in keeping that promise until now. There’s a conflict here between duty and pleasure. You know which one I must choose.’
    ‘Yes,’ she said, gloomily. ‘You’re always so
dutiful
.’
    ‘I have to be, Alys. This is no enjoyable ride into the country that we make tomorrow. It’s part of a search for the truth about a serious theft and a brutal murder.’
    ‘I know that.’
    ‘And since Olova is also implicated in one of the disputes that we have to settle in the shire hall, it impinges on my work as a royal commissioner. We were appointed by the King himself. He expects diligence and commitment from us.’
    Alys was deflated. ‘It might have been better if I hadn’t come at all.’
    ‘That’s not true.’
    ‘But I’ll be so lonely tomorrow.’
    ‘Visit the market again. Or take the opportunity to rest.’
    ‘If you say so,’ she agreed with a disconsolate nod.
    ‘And you won’t be wholly alone. Brother Daniel will be here.’
    ‘What about Ralph? Is he going with you?’
    ‘No,’ said Gervase with a smile. ‘He’ll be confronting another redoubtable woman. Ralph will be calling on the lady Adelaide tomorrow. He thinks it’s high time that she knew the truth about the wedding gift she was offered.’
    ‘The two gold elephants?’
    ‘The lord Richard didn’t buy them in France at all. They were deliberately stolen from the abbey of St Benet, much to the chagrin of the man who brought them back from Rome–Jocelyn Vavasour, soldier turned anchorite.’
    ‘He’s the man that Ralph and the lord Eustace tracked down today.’
    ‘Yes. He’s engaged in a hunt of his own now.’

When he first saw the visitor, Brother Joseph did not even recognise him. Hirsute and ragged, the man knelt in prayer in the empty church and looked more like a beggar than anything else. Compline had long since ended another day at the abbey and most of the monks had retired to their dormitory, but the sacristan had stayed behind to putaway all the vestments and holy vessels before sitting in contemplation beside the chest in which the valuables were kept. A scuffling noise had alerted him to the presence of someone in the abbey church. Taking the candle with him, Joseph went quietly into the church and walked silently down the nave. The circle of light suddenly included an unknown man, kneeling in submission before the altar and reciting a prayer to himself in Latin. It was only when the visitor rose to leave and turned to face him that the sacristan had an idea of who he might be.
    ‘Bless my soul!’ he said, holding up the candle. ‘Is that you, my lord?’
    ‘I answer to no title, Brother Joseph,’ said Vavasour. ‘I’m plain Jocelyn now.’
    ‘You’ve changed so since we last met.’
    ‘Outwardly, perhaps. Inwardly, I’m still the same miserable penitent.’
    ‘When did you arrive?’
    ‘Shortly after Compline.’
    ‘I should have been told,’ said the sacristan, flapping his arms like a black swan struggling to take flight. ‘I could have given you a proper welcome. Come. Let us talk.’
    He led the guest into the vestry and offered him a seat. Vavasour preferred to stand, making it clear that it was not a social visit. An outbreak of guilt sent Brother Joseph into a paroxysm of apologies.
    ‘I don’t blame you,’ said Vavasour, silencing him with a soft touch on his shoulder. ‘You couldn’t stand guard over those elephants twentyfour hours a day, Brother Joseph. What I wish to hear, from your own lips, is what actually happened.’
    The sacristan composed himself before relating details that caused him the utmost distress. Interweaving his account with more apology, he explained how they had no choice but to conclude that the traveller who stayed the night there had been the thief. Vavasour pressed him for a description of the man then shook his head.
    ‘Your guest was lying to you, Brother Joseph. I’ve met this Starculf and he’s not the man you just described to me. Someone was using his name as a convenient disguise.’
    ‘Who would do that?’
    ‘I don’t know, but I intend to find out.’
    ‘We were so dismayed that your precious gift went astray, Jocelyn. It grieves me more than I can say. My only consolation is that the lord sheriff is now aware of our loss. He sent a man called Ralph Delchard to the abbey.’
    ‘I’ve met the lord Ralph. He seems honest and capable.’
    ‘He assured me that the treasures would be found and returned.’
    Vavasour was emphatic. ‘I’ll make sure that they are, Brother Joseph. Nothing else would have torn me away from my little hut in the marshes.’ A distant smile showed through the beard. ‘I’m very happy there. It’s home and church to me.’
    ‘Abbot Alfwold will be delighted to see you.’
    ‘I’ll not be able to stay long. My search will begin early.’
    ‘Where will you go?’
    ‘Everywhere.’
    ‘But the lord sheriff and his men have searched in vain so far.’
    ‘I know people and places that they may have overlooked.’
    ‘Those elephants of yours have brought us such joy,’ said the sacristan, eyes moist with sadness. ‘It’s remarkable that something so small can occupy so large a place in our hearts. It’s not their value as gold pieces. It’s what they represent.’
    ‘The penance of a sinful man.’
    ‘Your pilgrimage to Rome purified you, Jocelyn.’
    ‘Not completely,’ sighed the other, ‘but I have a second chance of redemption now. If I can recover those little elephants and return them to the abbey, I hope that God will forgive my past misdeeds and offer me His succour. This isn’t simply a search for missing property, Brother Joseph,’ he declared. ‘It’s a mission.’

It was a dry morning but dark clouds obscured the sun and held the threat of rain. As he rode through the outer edges of the estate, Ralph Delchard looked up at the sky.
    ‘I hope that we’re not in for bad weather,’ he sighed. ‘Gervase and Golde have a long ride ahead of them this morning. They’ll be soaked to the skin.’
    ‘It may hold off,’ said Eustace Coureton. ‘If it doesn’t, we’ll get wet as well. It would be a great pity if two royal commissioners turn up at the lady Adelaide’s door looking like a pair of drowned rats. She’d refuse to admit us.’
    ‘She’s far too gracious to turn us away, Eustace.’
    ‘How gracious will she be when she has heard what we have to say?’
    Ralph grinned. ‘It’ll be interesting to find out.’
    With four men by way of an escort, they rode at a brisk trot so that they could take stock of the land through which they were passing. Dispensing with their hauberks for such a relatively short journey, they wore bright tunics under their mantles. Verdant pasture stretched out to their left, dotted with hundreds of sheep who were in skittish mood. Harvesting was taking place in the fields to their right, the men so busy with their scythes and sickles that they did not even raise their heads to look at the passing riders.
    The two commissioners continued on their way until the house finally came into view. Ralph emitted a whistle of admiration. ‘Now I can see what Golde meant when she said that it was magnificent.’
    ‘Yes,’ said Coureton. ‘Rather more so than the anchorite’s hut.’
    ‘That had a certain charm,’ observed Ralph with light sarcasm. ‘Not that it worked on me, I hasten to say.’
    ‘Doesn’t self-denial have any attraction for you?’
    ‘Only when it’s practised by someone else.’
    ‘I don’t think you’ll find the lady Adelaide is an example of it.’
    ‘I agree. At heart, I fancy that she’s something of a sybarite.’
    When they got closer, servants come out to take charge of their horses while they went inside. Concealing her surprise at their sudden arrival, the lady Adelaide welcomed them into the parlour as if they were expected guests. They were offered seats and refreshment soon arrived. The conversation had a neutral tone to it at first.
    The lady Adelaide occupied a chair that was built like a small throne. ‘I was so pleased that your wife could visit me yesterday, my lord,’ she said.
    ‘Yes,’ replied Ralph. ‘Golde had a very enjoyable time.’
    ‘I’m glad to hear that.’
    ‘She was impressed with your lovely house but even more impressed with you.’
    ‘Indeed?’ said the other with a self-deprecating laugh. ‘There was no reason.’
    ‘It was kind of you to invite her and Alys to call on you.’
    ‘I wanted to be able to speak to them both at leisure. It was a pleasure to get to know them a little better and, indirectly, to learn more about you and your colleague, my lord. You’re honoured guests in Norwich.’
    ‘Even though we came at an awkward time?’ asked Coureton.
    ‘A grisly murder is hardly a cordial welcome,’ she agreed, quietly.
    ‘That’s what brought us here today,’ said Ralph, becoming serious. ‘The murder and the crime that preceded it. I understand that you were present in the lord Richard’s house when those gold elephants disappeared?’
    ‘Yes, my lord. It was a great shock to both of us.’
    ‘Did you know where the gift actually came from?’
    ‘Somewhere abroad,’ she said. ‘The lord Richard brought them back when he returned from Normandy. They were exquisite.’
    ‘So we’re given to understand.’
    ‘I’m surprised that anyone was ready to part with them.’
    ‘They weren’t, my lady,’ said Ralph, choosing his words. ‘The lord Richard was correct to say that they came from abroad. The objects were made in Venice and sold in Rome before being presented to the abbey of St Benet at Holme.’
    She was astonished. ‘That can’t be true.’
    ‘I had the story from the abbot himself, my lady. Yesterday, we met the men who actually offered the elephants to the abbey as a gift. His name is Jocelyn Vavasour.’
    ‘The lord Jocelyn?’
    ‘He’s forfeited his lands and become an anchorite.’
    ‘I know. It caused us great amazement.’
    ‘Why was that?’
    ‘Jocelyn Vavasour was hardly the most devout Christian, my lord. He was only happy when he was fighting a battle or laying a siege. My husband and I entertained him here more than once. He was a strange, restless, uneasy guest. I heard tales about his going to Rome but I had no idea that he brought back a gift for the abbey.’ A thought made her sit up. ‘Is the lord Richard aware of this?’
    ‘He is now, my lady.’
    ‘I understood that he bought those elephants abroad.’
    ‘He may very well have done so,’ said Ralph, careful not to tell her too much. ‘He obviously didn’t realise that what he acquired in good faith was, in fact, stolen property.’
    ‘I see.’
    She retained her composure but her mind was racing. Profound disappointment surged inside her. The gold elephants she coveted might never be hers now. If they were taken from the abbey, they would have to be returned there. Anger soon followed. The wedding gift that was dangled in front of her was no more than the booty from a monastic house and she sensed that her suitor must have known that. What remaining appeal the lord Richard still had now withered swiftly away. Curiosity soon took over. Mauger Livarot had given a pledge to recover the objects for her. Was he trying to buy her affection with stolen goods or was he unaware of their true origin? If ignorant, would he still continue his search when he knew the facts of the case? In the space of a few seconds, her attitude to both of her wooers underwent a transformation.
    ‘How well did you know the lord Richard’s steward?’ asked Ralph.
    ‘His steward?’ She came out of her reverie. ‘Quite well, my lord. It was Hermer who brought the wedding gift in on a platter.’ She pursed her lips and shook her head. ‘It was the last time that I saw him alive.’
    ‘How would you describe him?’
    ‘He was a conscientious man who did his job well. The lord Richard wouldn’t have employed him in the office otherwise. He had complete faith in Hermer.’
    ‘Until the man’s corpse turned up, that is,’ said Coureton. ‘He lost all faith in his steward then, my lady, and accused him of stealing the elephants from him. I think he’s learned that Hermer was innocent of that crime.’
    ‘If not, perhaps, of others,’ resumed Ralph. ‘What about his assistant, my lady?’
    ‘Starculf?’
    ‘I believe that you recommended him to the lord Richard.’
    ‘That’s true,’ she said, airily. ‘I’d no use for the man’s skills after my husband died. I don’t hunt myself and I knew that Richard de Fontenel was looking for a new falconer so I put in a word for Starculf.’
    ‘Was he a good man?’
    ‘My husband always found him so. Strong, reliable and intelligent.’
    ‘He must have given sterling service if he was promoted by the lord Richard.’
    ‘Yes, my lord.’
    ‘And yet he was dismissed soon after.’
    ‘I was sorry to hear that.’
    ‘Do you know what caused the rift with Hermer?’
    ‘No, my lord. It was none of my business. Why should it be?’
    ‘Because it was you who recommended Starculf in the first place,’ said Ralph, noting the way her hands had tightened slightly in her lap. ‘I would have thought you’d show some interest in his fate. Indeed, I’d expect the man to turn to you for help.’
    ‘I can assure you that he didn’t,’ she said briskly.
    ‘Even though you were probably the one person who might assist him?’
    ‘Starculf was my husband’s falconer, my lord. I hardly knew him.’
    ‘You knew him well enough to suggest his name to the lord Richard and he’s the sort of man who expects the highest standards from anyone in his service. I can’t believe that you’d recommend someone you hadn’t met and liked.’
    ‘I had met him,’ she admitted. ‘And I knew his pedigree.’
    ‘What of his character?’ said Coureton. ‘Was he a violent man?’
    ‘Not to my knowledge.’
    ‘Did you see any change in him when he worked with Hermer?’
    ‘Why are we talking about Starculf?’ she said with irritation. ‘He left the area some time ago, my lord, for reasons that are quite unconnected with me. I’ve no opinion to offer on the man beyond the fact that he served my husband well.’
    ‘Let’s go back to the two gold elephants,’ suggested Ralph. ‘Until we met Jocelyn the Anchorite, we couldn’t understand their appeal. Then he showed us some replicas he was carving out of driftwood. They were adorable creatures.’
    ‘Prime examples of a goldsmith’s art.’
    ‘And blessed by the Pope,’ said Ralph, piously. ‘Did we mention that?’
    ‘No, my lord.’
    ‘That’s why they were presented to the abbey. As holy objects.’
    She inhaled deeply before speaking. ‘I was quite unaware of that.’
    ‘I’m sure you were,’ he continued. ‘If you had not been, you’d have been horrified when the lord Richard offered them to you as a wedding gift. You’d have demanded that they be returned to the abbey immediately.’
    ‘Of course.’
    ‘I can’t imagine that you’d accept anything that bore the slightest taint.’
    ‘That’s quite right, my lord,’ she said, levelly. ‘I, too, have high standards.’
    Her manner had become condescending. Ralph resorted to bluntness. ‘High standards, my lady?’
    ‘Extremely high.’
    ‘Then why did you consider marriage to Richard de Fontenel?’