The Lady Chapel (24 page)

"I don't know. What's the matter, Captain? Do you know Martin?"

"He may be someone I've been looking for. He may be in danger and not know it."

That was different. "What kind of danger?"

"Do you know where he lives, Jasper?"

"I don't think he lives anywhere. He hides around the city, like I did. What kind of danger is he in, Captain?"

"Some people may be looking for him." Owen glanced around.

"Maybe he knows already and that's why he's hiding."

"That could be, Jasper. Let's hope so. Does he ever use the name Wirthir? Has he ever called himself Martin Wirthir?"

"Not to me. So maybe he's not the man you're looking for?"

"Perhaps not." But the frown stayed on Owen's face as he straightened up and searched the crowd.

Owen had made light of the incident to Jasper, but it bothered him. Was it mere coincidence that someone who sounded so much like Martin Wirthir was in hiding? But what was his connection to the boy?

He told Lucie about the incident when they went up to bed.

Lucie sat up in bed and looked down at Owen. "Do you know who that sounds like?"

"Don't tell me you know this man."

"It sounds very much like the man who helped John and me get the cart out of the ditch on my way from Freythorpe Hadden."

Now Owen sat up and stared at Lucie in the dim light from the spirit lamp. "Are you telling me that you've known Martin Wirthir all along?"

"I knew him only as Martin. And this is the first time you've described him. It sounds so much like him, Owen. And he knew Will Crounce, remember? He told me to watch for him in the pageant of the Last Judgment."

"If that's true, he's been in York since the first murder."

"I don't understand."

Owen shook his head. "Neither do I."

Sleep eluded them both for a long while.

17/ Jasper's Quest

"Stop wiggling," Tildy cried, digging the wooden comb into Jasper's scalp to make him hold his head still.

Jasper sighed and closed his eyes. His head throbbed from Tildy's attempts to comb through his hair after

washing. "Why do you hate me?"

"I don't hate you, you nit. I'm doing this to help you."

Jasper rolled his eyes, which made his head move, forcing Tildy to dig the comb into his scalp again. "Ouch! You're giving me a head full of splinters. My mother had a comb made of horn. It didn't have splinters. And it was smoother and didn't catch on my hair."

"Well this is the best I've got."

"If you hadn't rubbed my hair so hard with the cloth, it might've been wetter, and it would've been easy to get through the tangles, even with that comb."

Tildy snorted. "You remind me of my brother William. Always full of opinions on things he knows nothing about." She jabbed at Jasper's hair.

Jasper gave up the argument. "How many brothers and sisters do you have?"

"Living? Four brothers, three sisters."

"What's it like to have brothers and sisters?"

"Noisy. And there's never enough food. The boys eat it all."

"Still, I'll bet you were never lonely."

Tildy laughed. "No chance of that, to be sure. Captain Archer had a house full of brothers and sisters, too. He says that one of his brothers decided to be a monk because he heard that in a monastery each monk had his own little cell. He thought he could stay in his cell all the time and think in peace. When he found out he had to spend most of his time in church, praying with all the other monks, he ran away without taking his vows."

Jasper was fascinated. "Captain Archer told you about his family?"

Tildy tugged and smoothed away the last snarl. "There," she said with satisfaction, and sat down beside Jasper. "Yes, Captain Archer talks to me a lot, just like 1 was part of the family. He's a kind man."

Jasper nodded. "I wish I were his son."

"You could do a lot worse than have him for a father, to be sure."

Behind them, the door from the garden opened. Jasper saw Tildy blush as she turned toward the door. He knew even before he turned that it must be John.

"Well, now, what a cozy couple you make." John brushed snow-flakes from his shoulders and moved a stool close to the fire. "I saw the Captain and the Mistress over the tavern supping and thought I might come round." He smiled, showing the gaps in his teeth. He looked at Jasper's wet hair, the comb in Tildy's lap. "So you're making him pretty, are you, Tildy?"

Jasper flushed at such a comment from his new friend.

Tildy giggled. "Nay, John, you trouble maker. Mistress Lucie put

henna in Jasper's hair to disguise him so he could go out yesterday. But now he's got a rash on his scalp, so she had me wash his hair with rosemary water to soothe it. If you'd take a look at Jasper's face you'd know he wasn't happy about it."

John squinted at Jasper and nodded. "Poor lad. And all for naught, I'd say. I told you to trust no one. Captain Archer's a good man, but he's the Archbishop's man first. I think he's using you to lure the murderers. He knew they'd recognize you, even with the hair. That was to comfort you. And now they know you're to be found near the Captain."

"What do you mean?" Jasper asked, confused. "I asked the Captain to take me."

John nodded. "And you gave him the idea, see?"

"What're you about, John?" Tildy demanded. "What are you accusing the Captain of?"

John grinned at Tildy's tone. His eyes were teasing as he faced her. "So you've lost your heart to the Captain, have you, Tildy?"

"I never!"

John shrugged. "You know the Archbishop left Captain Archer in charge of finding out who killed those two merchants, Will Crounce and Gilbert Ridley. That's why they have Jasper here. To protect him from the murderers. But maybe to lure them, too."

Sweet Jesu. Jasper had never thought-- Would the Captain betray him?

Tildy looked irritated with John. "Captain Archer wouldn't let anything happen to Jasper."

"No," Jasper said in a tiny voice. "He's been good to me."

"And besides, Mistress Lucie wouldn't let the Captain put Jasper in danger." Tildy squeezed Jasper's shoulder to reassure him.

John stretched his long legs out toward the fire. He smelled of stables. "I'll be more than happy to be wrong in this. But I told you to trust no one, Jasper. That's the only sure way of being safe."

Jasper suddenly had an awful thought. "You didn't tell them my secret, did you, Tildy?"

Tildy looked askance at Jasper. "Of course I didn't tell them. Mistress Lucie told me a secret's all right to keep as long as it doesn't hurt anyone." She glanced over at John to see whether he believed she'd betray Jasper.

John had his eye on a jug of ale that sat near him.

"Go ahead," Tildy said. "Have some."

John rose to get a cup.

"I'm glad you didn't tell, Tildy," Jasper said softly.

"I promised you, didn't I? Though I still think it might be better to tell the Captain everything."

"If John's right, I'm glad I didn't."

Tildy gave Jasper a hug. "The Captain would never let them hurt you. I don't understand why John's stirring you up." She said it loud enough for John to hear.

John sat down again, pouring himself a cup of ale. "I meant no harm, Tildy. Just wanted Jasper to understand that he must be careful. And that going out yesterday was foolish." John leaned toward Jasper. "But since you did go, tell me about it."

Jasper frowned up at John, not so sure he was such a good friend after all. "Why don't you go with us next time? I don't see you practicing of a Sunday. You're old enough. Older'n me."

John held up his right hand, displaying the stubs of his middle three fingers. "Can't hold the arrow right with this mess, else I'd be there. I'd like to shoot a bow." He was not smiling now.

Jasper didn't know what to say. He'd wanted to challenge John, not to hurt his feelings; he'd forgotten John's hand. "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking."

John shrugged. "No matter. The Lord God set me in the way of honest work. I've nothing to complain about." He took a drink of the ale. "So. Tell me about St. George's Field."

Jasper thought a moment, deciding where to begin. "They bring the butts out from a lean-to next to the chapel, and they set them up so the sun's not in your eyes. That's important. And Captain Archer walks around and tells them what they're doing wrong. Some can't shoot right even after he tells them what to do. He says it's because they were never trained. But they try, and no one argues with him. Everyone respects him. He's a great man."

"You don't have to tell me that, Jasper," John said. "I like Captain Archer well enough. I'm just warning you that Archbishop Thoresby's a powerful man. He's not just the Archbishop, he's the Lord Chancellor of all England. And if he tells the Captain to find some murderers, the Captain had best do it no matter what. And

if the only way's to lure the murderers with you, since you're the only one saw them, well..." John closed his eyes and tipped back his head to drain his cup.

Jasper said nothing. He didn't want to believe that the Captain might put him in danger.

John set the cup down and leaned over to Jasper. "I've been thinking about how you had to leave your Dad's bow behind, and how it was special because he painted it."

Jasper shrugged. "I'm too small for it anyway."

John snorted. "Well you won't always be, Jasper de Melton. You're growing every day. So what I'm thinking is we go see early some morning if it's still there."

Jasper frowned. "But you just told me how stupid I was to go out yesterday."

John nodded. "Parading you around like that, sure. But this'd be just you and me, sneaking out, taking the alleyways. Who's going to notice us? And wouldn't you like to get your Dad's bow if you could?"

Jasper folded his arms and frowned down at his stockinged feet as he thought about it. "I don't know that I should go. But you could go over and ask Mistress Fletcher. It's her house. She would have the chest it was in if she's got new tenants. And no one's looking for you, John."

Tildy nodded. "That sounds like a better idea. Even I could go."

John rolled his eyes. "So why should Mistress Fletcher give me, a stranger, your things, Jasper?"

"You could give him a note to give Mistress Fletcher," Tildy suggested.

"Mistress Fletcher can't read. Nor can any of her family," Jasper said. Nor could Jasper or Tildy or John, for that matter.

"Right," John said. "So we'll go and see what's what. Even if someone's watching you, who's going to be on the lookout early in the morning, Jasper? And if we don't find the bow where you left it, then maybe Tildy can go ask Mistress Fletcher. She'd probably trust Tildy."

Jasper studied John's face. His eyes were burning as if he were about to embark on a quest.

"Why do you want me to do this?" Jasper asked.

"Because I wish I'd gone back. Seen to things. That's all."

"That doesn't seem like much of a reason," Tildy said.

John groaned. "Girls don't understand such things. You haven't had any experience to know what it's like."

Tildy opened her mouth as if to speak, then froze, her face red, angry tears glittering in her eyes. "You're wrong, John," she said finally. "You're going to get Jasper in trouble just because you want an adventure. That's what you don't understand." She threw down the comb and stomped out of the room.

"Girls," John sighed.

Jasper didn't understand, but that was nothing new. He didn't understand a lot of what went on between Tildy and John. They had a peculiar friendship. They smiled while calling each other unpleasant names and taunting each other. But this seemed more serious. "Maybe you should go make up to Tildy. You hurt her feelings."

John grinned. "I'll go talk to her. She's just going to be out in the shop, pretending she's busy. But first, what do you think? Should we sneak out tomorrow morning and see if we can get your Dad's bow?"

Jasper shrugged. He didn't want to seem a coward. And he very much wanted to see if his things were still there. But what if Tildy was right?

"Well, what do you say?" John squinted at Jasper.

Jasper looked down at John's right hand, the stubs that had taught him how dangerous the world was. John wasn't foolish. John had been out there and survived. Jasper nodded. "We'll do it. Tomorrow morning. Now go apologize to Tildy."

Jasper found John asleep in the stable of the York Tavern, wrapped in several blankets and nested in hay. Matins had rung a while back and Jasper, who could not sleep, had judged it a good, dark time in which to have their adventure.

John was tough to wake up. And when Jasper roused him and told him that matins had been rung perhaps an hour past, John declared Jasper crazy. "What would the Fletchers think to hear us clunking up the steps in the middle of the night? They're sure to think we're thieves and come after us with clubs."

"But we are being thieves. Even in daylight, we'd be thieving to sneak up to the room."

"Give it more time." John opened his blankets. "Come on, snug up with me and sleep a bit more."

"You just want to go back to sleep. You never meant to go with me."

"That's not true. But I tell you, I know what I'm talking about. We must wait till just before dawn."

"Then I'll go alone."

John grabbed Jasper as he started to get to his feet. "No you won't go alone." He sat up beside Jasper, rubbing his eyes. "Is it still snowing?"

"No, it's stopped for now."

"Well, that's one blessing. Why do you want to do this in the middle of the night?"

"In case someone's watching the house. Or the apothecary."

John yawned and stretched. "You're probably right." He stood up. "So. We stick close together, stay in the shadows, and keep as quiet as possible. We creep up the stairs-- Does the door creak?"

Jasper closed his eyes and thought about opening the door. It seemed so long ago he'd been there. "No, it doesn't creak, but it doesn't hang right, so it drags on the floor."

"Then you open it--you'll know how to hold it up."

Jasper nodded. His stomach felt fluttery, now that he was really thinking about retrieving the bow. "What if someone's sleeping in there?"