"(Bell tolls)" "Veni, Sancte Spiritus" "Mentes tuorum visita" "Amen" "If it's rough ground we'll have to move there!" "Push the stake hard!" "Follow the cross!" "Move that rope over here!" "Get on, Roger!" "Start unloading!" " Get the stock on the booth." " Yes, Master Thomas." "Well, my dear, we're here." " Is the carriage safe here?" " Yes" "(Horse whinnies)" "What's this?" "Tolls for the Abbey!" " Tolls for the Abbey!" " Are you with us, Master Cobbler?" "Yes, certainly." "Phillip." "Tolls for the Abbey!" "Master Glover." "If you want to trade, you must pay a toll to the Abbey." "Tell him, Master Cobbler!" "Lt's not right." " You must tell him..." " Calm!" "Calm yourselves, friends." "Do you want Abbot Radulfus to think we have no manners?" "Well?" "What is it you have to ask of me that will not wait until a reasonable hour?" "Abbot Radulfus, er... forgive this late intrusion." "We want to, on behalf of all the merchants of Shrewsbury, to discuss terms." "Terms, Master Cobbler?" "Yes." "Er, as you know, St Peter's Fair starts tomorrow." "Traders are arriving even now." "For those three days of the fair, which are, after all, the busiest of the year, all the shops of the town, our shops, must remain closed." "That is so." "Neither may we levy a charge on goods coming through the town as we do the rest of the year." "And all tolls from the fair must be paid to you" "The terms of the Royal Charter have been known to you for many years." "I have no authority to change them." "Last summer, King Stephen laid siege to our town." "And repairing the damage leff by His Grace has cost us dear" "And what help have we had from Holy Mother Church?" "None." "Shrewsbury chose to side with Empress Maud in civil war." "It must bear the cost of its choice alone." "It's not the Church's business to interfere in such worldly matters." "But you're not so unworldly as to pass up fat revenue from the fair!" " Forgive my son Prior Robert CADFAEL:" "Father?" "Brother Cadfael, you wish to add your voice to this counsel?" "Yes, Father." "I think, since we benefit from the protection the town affords, then surely it's only right that we should bear a part in maintaining its defences?" "We demand a tenth of the fair tolls." "A cobbler's son may demand nothing." "It is His Grace King Stephen's will, set down in this Royal Charter, that all - and, mark you, all - tolls from the fair come wholly to this house." "Your greed shames the name of Christ!" "There!" "What you refuse to give shall be taken from you." "And you will profit nothing!" "Nothing!" "MERCHANT:" "If you've a grievance see the Abbot" "COBBLER'S SON:" "You visiting merchants think you pay tolls to the Abbey while the Abbey denies any aid to the town" "If the Abbey turns a cold eye on the town's troubles should you side with them?" "MERCHANT:" "On your way, boy." "You have a choice." "Give us a tenth of the dues you pay to the Abbey, or suffer the consequences." "You threaten us?" "Honest men making an honest living." "Get home before you take a beating." "Well, let's see what song you sing when your wine is turned to water." "MERCHANT:" "Roger, my wine!" " Master!" " Go on Thomas!" " Break the beggar's nose!" " Send him packing!" "Come on, then!" "Defeat him Master Merchant" "(Shouting)" "(Horse whinnies)" "Enough!" "Stand off!" "Enough!" "Argh!" "Argh!" "No!" "No more violence." "Thank you, Brother." "Leave him be." "You have done enough, sir." "Oh, indeed!" "WOMAN:" "Uncle!" "No!" "How dare you strike my uncle?" "Unhand her, sir." "Unhand her!" "Yes!" "MERCHANT:" "I yield." "I yield!" "Teach your uncle some manners, girl." "Take care, Master Wine Merchant." "MAN:" "It's Beringar." "MAN:" "It's Beringar's men!" "MAN:" "It's Beringar!" "Goodnight, Mistress." "Come on, Falconer." " Sleep well, my Lord." " Father Abbot." "PRIOR ROBERT:" "There is no point denying it to me Brother Cadfael" "You were seen brawling and fighting in a manner that ill becomes a member of this house." "What do you have to say?" "Do you deny it?" "You had best come with me to Father Abbot." "I think you, whoever you are, had best consider the whole tale." "By his prompt action, this Brother prevented any serious disorder and injury along the riverbank." "Anyone who says otherwise is a liar." "And who, may I ask, are you?" "I am Ivo Corbiere, nephew to the Earl of Chester." "And, by Abbot Radulfus' good leave, guest of your house." "Now, Brother, my bowman and falconer are in the courtyard." "They are tired and weary from their journey." "I am sure they would be grateful of something to eat." "Now, if you would, show them to the stables." "It is an odd kind of monk who handles a quarterstaff like a born soldier." "Tell me, Brother, where did you serve?" "In the Holy Land, once, long ago." "I fought before the Cross." "From crusade to cloister." "Now I tend the herbarium and minister to the sick in the Abbey and town." "A strange choice after such adventures." "I am content." "And you, my Lord, what brings you to Shrewsbury?" " Ah, your fair." " Ah." "My family holds the manor at Stanton." "Disused these last ten years, it is in some disrepair." "I am here to replace all that is lost, see the cellars and kitchen restocked." "What a great pity, then, you crossed swords with the wine merchant, eh?" " But, of course, there are other wine merchants." " Oh..." "I doubt another with so pretty a niece." "She has an uncommon beauty, does she not, Brother?" "Indeed she has." "And an uncommon, ill-tempered uncle as well." "Goodnight, my Lord." "Oh, Oswin!" "Oswin..." "Look at my ulcer balm." "Almost burned dry!" "I thought you were meant to watch it for me?" "I did." "I was." "I mean..." "I'm sorry, Brother." "I'll start afresh." "My Lord Beringar." "Hugh." "A fine beginning, Cadfael, and the fair not even started." "Well, clear skies follow storms." "You believe that no more than I do." "No." "Two halves of a broken land made one by our fair." "I think it'll take more than trade to make them set aside their differences." "No, not until you've done the angelica water." "I didn't expect to see you tonight." "I thought you'd be busy at the fair for some hours yet." "It's quiet again... for the present." "Ah." "We caught the troublemakers, apart from the cobbler's son." "Ringleader, by all accounts." "Oh, no, no." "He's a hot-headed lad, with a just complaint, perhaps." "But he's no ringleader." "No, there's little real harm in him." "Harm or not, if I find him or anyone else abroad after curfew, without good reason, they'll be arrested." "I'm the Undersheriff of Shropshire, Cadfael." "I'll keep the King's peace." "You are the King's man." "That was your choice." "My choice was order over chaos." "You turned your back on the world I still live in." "So don't presume to judge." "(Abbey bell tolls)" "Well, er..." "Oswin, I think we must get to compline." "Cadfael, forgive me." "My words were ill chosen." "Hugh, old friends don't need to ask forgiveness." "You have much on your mind to trouble you." "You there!" " What's your name?" " Glover of Shotwick." "What business keeps you abroad after curfew?" "A man's business, if you follow me." "I've come from the stew house." "Perhaps you know it?" "Get to your bed." "Sergeant Warden?" "MAN:" "Is he dead?" "SERGEANT WARDEN:" "Dead drunk." "Help me lift him." "(Groans)" "Get away from me!" "Get away!" "You wait till Uncle gets home." "He'll have your hide for this." "Get out!" "(Cheering)" "Benedictus benedicartor inde festivale." "Trade in peace." "Let no further trouble mar the festivities." "(Cheering)" "WOMAN:" "Aargh!" "Aargh!" "He's in the water!" "He's dead." "Help!" "Uncle!" "Aaagh!" " Everybody, stay back." "(Screams)" "Lt's all right." "It's all right." "Let's get him out." "(Sobs)" "(Cries of horror)" "His rings were taken and his clothes." "It must have been robbery." "Now, we must always be wary of "musts"." "Nothing is certain." "There's nothing to be learned from his condition." "The river has washed him clean." "Well, then, we must work with what we have." "A single wound." "From a thin -bladed knife." "You see how his back is all torn and scratched." "And here, you see, there's a thorn." "He was dragged along the ground." "Help me to turn him." "This death casts a shadow on our house." "And on our fair." "Father Abbot, surely this man was taken by footpads." "Do footpads commonly cut out their victim's tongue?" "To my mind, such cruelty is born of something more than greed." "Then why was he killed?" "A man of Bristol, important in his trade." "Who knows, but he had enemies?" "At great fairs like ours such enemies may be brought together" "There are several thousand souls here at present." "Do you propose my Lord Beringar questions them all?" "Such a course would disrupt the fair beyond measure" "But in three days' time they will all be gone, guilty and innocent alike." "There's nothing to say that they haven't left already." "Nor that they have." "ABBOT RADULFUS:" "Brother Cadfael you have my commission to act for our house in this matter." "On your report, I shall set my trust." "Assist Lord Beringar as best you can" "Father Abbot..." "The men of Shrewsbury asked me for something I could not grant." "Today, a man is dead." "If he died as a result of my action..." "I must know it." "Mistress Vernold, why didn't you report your uncle missing?" "I didn't know that he was missing" "He was fond of his drink and company, and sometimes stayed away." "When he didn't return for supper I wasn't worried for him" "Mistress, is it true?" "Is Master Thomas murdered?" "Emma?" "Get away." "Get away from me!" "Now, come away, now." "She needs rest." "Oswin, you stay by Mistress Vernold." "When did you last see your master?" "Yesterday evening." "He came to the fair to see his booth stocked." "Once all was arranged to his liking, he left for the caravan." "At what hour?" "Not long before compline bell." "Which way did he go?" "What does it matter which way he went?" "You know who took his life." "Villains who fought with him on the riverbank." "Your townsfolk." "Where have you been since you quit the riverside, Phillip?" "I cannot tell you." "The wine merchant fetched me such a crack that I don't know where I was." "My Lord, he was at home and in bed before compline bell." "I had men patrolling the fair from afternoon till long past curfew." " How is it none of them saw you?" " I don't know." "Were you by the fair at any time?" " No." "CADFAEL:" "You remember that well enough" "Yesterday at the riverside, Phillip, you had your work blade with you." "Where is it now?" "Perhaps I dropped it in the fight." "Perhaps you did." "BERINGAR:" "Well, is he lying?" "Oh, certainly." "But, for all his lies, I can't believe him capable of such butchery." "You mean the tongue?" "Mm." "Such a vile deed could only spring from some bitter, long-standing hatred." "Phillip only met him yesterday." "Whoever murdered Master Thomas wanted the world to see and recognise the full horror of his act." "Are you saying it was intended as a message of some sort?" "Well, or a warning." "Perhaps Master Thomas's tongue had lent itself to insults once too often." "We must question anyone who may have seen Phillip about the fair last night." "We found him a couple of hours past compline, my Lord." "Dead to the world on drink." "The stench is on him still." "Geneva liquor by the smell of it." "Christ, God, you'll pay for this, Fowler." "CORBIERE:" "You had orders to stay within the Abbey precinct" "My Lord Corbiere, I take it this man is yours?" "In truth he belongs to my uncle, the Earl of Chester, but he gifted him to me for this journey." "Some gift you are!" "Aargh!" "We'd had a long ride, my Lord." "My throat was dry from the road." "BERINGAR:" "Where did you go?" " Tavern in the Abbey foregate" " How long did you spend there?" "When we found him, he was cold and damp from the night air." "He'd been there a good few hours, my Lord." "And from the state of him, incapable of anything long before that." "Why did you leave the tavern?" "To finish my liquor in peace" "Why such interest in my comings and goings?" "CORBIERE:" "A man has been murdered" "Answer my Lord Beringar directly or you may well find yourself suspect." "Me?" "I've done nothing." "Murder, you say, my Lord?" "Who is murdered?" "The wine merchant from the riverside." "Master Thomas." "The wine merchant." "I thought the boy was just talking violence through the ale." "Which boy?" "PHILLIP:" "No!" "No!" "You killed Master!" "My Lord, I did nothing." "I have a witness." "He says you were at Wat's Tavern swearing vengeance against Master Thomas." "That you left threatening to settle it before the night was out." "What witness?" "As God sees me, I did him no harm." "You must believe me." "Take him." "Is it certain this boy killed Uncle Thomas?" "He seemed to me only a townsman with a grievance." "That might make him a murderer, but not a thief as well." "It could occur to someone turned murderer by mishap to dress his crime as robbery." "Are you sure you won't stay at the Abbey?" "I don't think you should be here alone with your men." " Roger and Warrin are my uncle's servants." " Yet first and fore they are men." " I'll have them sleep at the booth." " Then you'll be unguarded." "I am in no danger." "You have been kind, Brother, and for that I am grateful." "But you may not tell me what to do." "You are not my uncle." "No." "But I am your friend." "Then stand by me." "There is so much to face, I fear my heart will break." "But I will keep the booth open and try and do everything as Uncle would have done." "I must, for his sake." "(Horse whinnies)" "(Owl hoots)" "(Snores)" "Roger?" "What happened, then?" "Someone stole Thomas's strongbox last night." " What was in this strongbox?" " Nothing." "I took yesterday's money back to the caravan." " And how many do you say attacked you?" " Three or four." "Three or four." "A moment ago you said it was two or three." " There was two, weren't there, Warrin?" " I think." "Maybe more." " When I came to, they'd gone." " I found him gagged and bound, see." " Otherwise, he'd have cried for help." " I would, aye." "Course I would." "At what hour was this?" "Well past midnight." "I heard the matins bell before I fell asleep." "If only I'd remained awake." "Then you might have been killed." "Just be thankful nothing was lost of any value to compare with a life." "Master Bellecote seemed very cheerful for one who spends so much time making coffins." "Ah, yes, well, you see, he also makes cribs." "Brother Cadfael, Uncle died without absolution." "So do many." "You mustn't let it fret you, child." "Penitence is in the heart, not in the words spoken." "God knows the record without need for gesture or word." "Mistress!" "Someone has been here." "First booth robbed and now caravan." " Booth robbed?" " Master's strongbox was stolen." "What of Warrin?" "He's bruised but alive." "I should have been there." "Then why weren't you?" "I understood you were both to sleep at the booth." "I stayed by the caravan to keep an eye on Mistress." "Yesterday's money, praise God." " Well, has anything been taken?" " No, nothing's been taken." "How can you be so sure?" "Best search thoroughly before we report this to Hugh Beringar." "Report it?" "But there's no harm." "Master killed, the booth robbed and now your caravan." "This is the work of some common thief." "A common thief?" "Who steals nothing?" "There have been some small things stolen that I should not have missed until I got home." "A girdle with a gold clasp, and a silver chain." "And the glove." "Yes." "A glove was taken." "Just one?" "Well, a one-armed thief should not be so difficult to find." "In his haste to leave, he dropped this one." "Well, at least he had the wit to take only trifles he could fit into sleeve or pouch." "Some chance thief." "No, I don't think a chance thief, not so soon after the booth was robbed." "You realise, of course, that this weakens your case against the cobbler's son?" "How's that?" "Well, he would find it rather difficult to rob booth and caravan while you still had him under lock and key in the castle." "He is being held for Master Thomas's murder, not these offences." "So the three are separate to your mind?" "Separate or not, I am the law, Cadfael, and have the good of the many to consider." "If I turn him loose, God knows how the traders might react or how many more deaths it could provoke." "Then you must prove Phillip's innocence to them beyond doubt." "How?" "I have neither men nor time." "Nor will!" "I have a fair to control." "Is this the sort of order you've chosen, hm?" "One where any suspect will do, guilty or innocent?" "What about justice?" "Or should we all know better than to expect justice from a King's man?" "Lf any other had spoken such treason, he'd find himself in the dungeon." "Do not presume too much upon our friendship, Cadfael!" "As you wish." "Of course, you must stay here, Mistress." "As Prior Robert said, your uncle paid his toll." "He was at the fair under our protection." "We have an obligation." "You're very kind, Brother Jerome." "If there is anything else that you require, Brother Hospitaller will be pleased to help you." "(Abbey bell tolls)" "OLD CRONE:" "Love charms Touchstones Wart cures" "A mirror in which you may see your true love's face." "Talisman to ward off curses." "Love charms" "Perhaps a piece of the true Cross might interest you, Brother?" "Not today, thank you." "(Clapping)" " Master Warrin?" " Yes, that's me." "I'm Brother Cadfael, herbalist to the Abbey." "Your mistress asked me to stop by and take a look at your head." "No need to trouble yourself, Brother." "I'm well enough." "You're manning the booth all on your own, I see." " Roger's away to get stock." " Ah." "And no doubt to offer comfort to his mistress." "He seems a devoted servant." "I'll not deny he follows after her like an old man shielding a candle from a gale." "But she leads him on." "Ah, yes." "And did that please your master?" "The boy that killed Master Thomas is a townsman of yours." "He is taken and will hang for it." "If you're here after shifting the blame to..." "No, no, I am here merely to examine your head." "I'd need it examining if I couldn't see through you, Brother." "Well, you'll get no help from me." "Ah." "Fine piece of stitching there." "Is Brother Cadfael so worried that he set you to watch over me?" "Well, all my chores at the workshop are taken care of." "If my patients want me, they know where I am." "I think I'll walk along the foregate later." "With all the upset, I've seen hardly anything of the fair." " You need not trouble yourself." " I am at your disposal, Mistress." "I mean to replace the gloves I lost." "They say there's a very good glover has a stall in the fair." " It'll be tiresome for you." " No, not at all." "Such a fine day should not be spent indoors." "And..." "And..." "I like gloves." "Roger, were you fond of your master?" "I was." "And of his niece?" " No more than is proper." " No." "No, of course not." "No, I meant only in the proper sense." "No, I can see you're no idiot." "But I pity the fool that falls for your mistress." "What a spoiled, vain, empty-headed creature she is." "Enough, I say." "You've no cause to say such things." "Why should you care what I say?" "I think she's a fickle, faithless, shrewish brat!" "I won't have you speak of Emma like that!" "Emma, is it?" "I don't understand." "I thought she meant nothing to you." "She's everything, damn you, and well you know it." "I'd die for her." "No doubt of it." "Would you also kill for her?" "VENDOR:" "Sausages!" "Sausages!" "Real meat sausages in a bun" "WOMAN:" "Buy my pies!" "Best meat!" "They're hot they're lovely!" "Best meat pies!" "Buy my pies!" "MAN:" "Live eels from the local river!" "Get them fresh!" "OLD CRONE:" "Love charms" "Potions" "Look, Brother Oswin, look!" "That man is eating fire, yet he does not burn." "No, Mistress." "Do not look." "It is..." "It is black deviltry." "MAN:" "Swords from the country of Milan." "Love potions, Mistress." "Charms." "I have elixirs here will sustain a man from dusk till dawn." "That sounds useful." "I often have to stay awake to tend to things in the workshop." "Could it truly keep me awake?" "Oh, yes, it'll keep you up, all right." "Do you drink it?" "You can, but it's meant as a lotion, Master." "A lotion." "One of my most popular." "A farthing, Master, is all I ask for these wonders." "Alas, I have no money." "Something for you, then, Mistress?" "Polished brass in which you may see the face of your true love reflected?" "To you, three farthings." "Here." "I'll take the brass and the elixir." "Potions." "Love potions Charms" "Thank you, Mistress." "Such a smell would keep anyone up, Mistress." "Mistress?" "Mistress?" "Mistress?" "Master Glover?" "Not now." "Tomorrow." "Come before opening." "Go!" "OSWIN:" "Mistress Vernold?" "Mistress?" "Mistress Vernold?" "Mistress!" "Good day, Master Glover." "Morning." "(Tuts)" "Hmm!" "No!" "No!" "No!" "Help!" "No!" "Now, what shall I do with you, vermin?" "ROBBER:" "Oh, my Lord, I meant no harm." "(lvo tuts)" "OSWIN:" "There you are Mistress Where did you get to?" "I went to the... to the glover's stall looking for you, but..." "Where have you been?" "No harm has come to her, I assure you." "But you should be more careful with your charge, Brother." "Fairs can prove... dangerous places." "They're pinching still, are they?" "Well, I have the very remedy for shoes that pinch." "Prayers, Master Baker, written down and blessed by Father Adam at Holy Cross." "Put one in each shoe, and you'll have no further troubles." "How much?" "Well, to a good customer friend - what shall we say - an extra loaf or two?" "Oh, Father Adam's shoe prayers, I see." "Just so, Brother." "In my experience, you know, a squeeze of onion juice applied to the sole and heel will often work miracles." "Truly, Brother." "Thank you." "Well, I'm not trading, if that's why you're here." "I've enough trouble without crossing Abbot Radulfus." "Master Cobbler, I do not believe that your son killed Master Thomas." "But neither do I believe that he came home that night." "Now, if I can find out exactly where he went when he left the tavern, it's possible I might be able to prove him innocent." "Do you know where he went?" "No Brother I don't" "Then he wasn't home last night." "You should not have lied." "If Abbot Radulfus had granted our request, there would have been none of this." "No fighting, no killing." "Are you saying..." "that you believe Phillip is guilty?" "L-I-I-I don't know." "I don't know and it hurts." "In drink, with a grievance, I cannot say what he might do." "But I'm his father." "If I don't stick by him, who will?" "Can't say as how I saw Phillip leave, Brother, what with being so busy." "Folks come and go." " But he was gone by compline bell, I reckon." " Was he drunk?" "I doubt I've ever seen a fellow down so much in the time." "There's a man called Fowler, a servant attending one of the Abbey guests." "He says Phillip was yelling vengeance against Master Thomas." "Well, a stranger's no cause to give false witness." "Well, no, I wouldn't doubt it." "But this Fowler would have been drunk himself when he left." "On Geneva liquor by the smell of it." "Geneva liquor?" "Oh, I remember him." "I warned him against it, but he was set on oblivion." "I sold him a quart bottle of the stuff." "Could he have exaggerated Phillip's raving?" "I doubt it." "Phillip weren't himself last night." "I've never seen him so fired up." "Well, er... thank you for your help." "Will you not stop for a drink, Brother?" "Oh, thank you, Master Wat, no." "No, I have some berries to gather." "I thought you had a fair to run" "What I have is a strong suspect for murder." "But I can't try him without evidence." "Thomas's body went into the river someplace." "I thought I'd find out where." "What have you got?" "Thomas's gown." "I saw him wearing it myself." "The tear fits the knife wound exactly." "No thief would discard so fine a garment Cadfael" "Even damaged, the cloth is worth a month's hunting." "You realise, of course, this is strong proof of Phillip's guilt?" "Lf Thomas wasn't taken by thieves, then..." "No." "What of the mutilations?" "Cutting out the tongue?" "I put that far beyond Phillip's scope." "Tell me this, why did he come to this place so far from caravan and fair, other than he was forced here by Phillip?" "He came to meet someone." "Someone he didn't want to be seen meeting openly." "By now, this someone could have quit the shire altogether." "No what about the strongbox in the booth?" "What about the robbery in the caravan?" "No, whoever this is, is still here close at hand." "Somewhere among your several thousand souls is a murderer" "And I'm afraid, unless we can catch him he will kill again." "(Abbey bell tolls)" "Cover him now." "Fine craftsmanship, Master Glover." "Unless you want something more than idle chatter, Brother, I'm very busy." "Forgive me." "I have come to seek your counsel on a professional matter." "It's a business of some delicacy." "It's odd how large these places appear from the inside, isn't it?" "But then size can be deceptive..." "You said you wanted my advice." "Oh, so I did, yes, so I did." "Erm... now, this here, you see, it's one of a pair of gloves given as a gift to a young woman I know." "Do you er... recognise the craftsmanship?" "Lt's none of mine." "Oh, no, I wouldn't for one moment think it was." "Yes, it's very shoddy work, very poor stitching." "I don't know it's so bad." "No?" "Well, perhaps you're right." "I mean, you know more about these things than I do." "Erm, well, this young lady that I mentioned, she's very fond of these gloves, but, unfortunately, she's lost the other one." "Would you be able to make a replacement?" "I could try, I suppose." "The only problem is that she has such small, delicate hands." "Much smaller than my fingers." "And yet..." "There you are, you see." "I was wondering, perhaps, if the person who gave her these gloves might have got the size wrong." "Come inside." " Do you play games with me?" " Oh, no." "I was never more serious." "I have it from the King's officer that you were seen abroad after curfew the night Master Thomas was murdered." "I went out." "What of it?" "I had a meeting with a woman." "Wife of one of the stallholders here." "We're old friends." "Since before she met her husband." "You understand?" " Can anyone vouch for you?" " She can." "But I'll not give you her name." "I'll ruin her back, but not her reputation." " No-one saw you together?" " We're very careful." "Well, I suppose for laying plots and stratagems and meeting people you'd rather not be seen meeting, there's nowhere quite so solitary as the middle of a crowded marketplace." "You left this glove in Thomas's caravan, didn't you?" " I did no such thing!" " Why?" "Speak plainly!" "What are you accusing me of?" "My novice tells me that Mistress Vernold visited you today." "What is your business with her?" "You may answer me or Hugh Beringar." "The choice is yours." "If the King's man set any store by your fancies, it's him who'd be here." "Now, get out!" "Your uncle - he'll be taken back to Bristol?" "Tomorrow, after the fair closes." "And you will not go with him?" "No, it would not be wise." "My uncle's journeyman, Roger, likes me too well." "But you do not care for him?" "No." "It must have been hard on this man." "Torn between loyalty to your uncle and his feelings towards you." "Would your uncle have ever entertained such a match?" "No, never." "What will you do now?" "Lf the Abbot allows, I will stay until there is some party riding for Bristol with women among them." "If there is anything I can do to ease your burden, you let me know of it." "Why should you help me?" "You've kept your distance until now." "You have been well friended." "I had no right to, after the start I had with your uncle." "That was not your fault." "Had I seen you first, I would never have struck him, but he threw a punch and, as you saw today, I'm quick to a fight." "It is all I know." "You did right by me at the fair." "That settled any score." "Come, then." "Let me take you away from this place of shadows and death." "Walk with me for an hour in the sun." "Oswin tells me that you visited the fair today to see the glover." "I thought to get a match for my stolen glove." "It would be difficult finding a match..." "when the remaining glove is in my keeping." "I saw and spoke with the glover myself today on your behalf." "That was very good of you." "There was only one problem." "The size of the glove." "Much too large for a girl's hand." "You answered me too quickly, child, back there in the caravan." "Hm? "Nothing has been taken," you said." "It was only when I insisted that Hugh Beringar be informed that you plucked those other fancies from the air." "I don't know what you mean, Brother." ""Nothing has been taken."" "That answer which you gave so unwittingly was, in fact, the truth." "Nothing had been taken." "To all intents, there had been a robbery and yet you knew... without even looking, knew that nothing had been taken." "That's nonsense." "How could I know for certain?" "Because you knew what was being sought." "And, more than that, you knew where it was." "And you knew that it was safe." "You are mistaken, Brother." "It was the glover who searched your caravan, and he left this behind as a signpost so that you should know where to come." "I will do all as my uncle would have wanted it." "Would he have wanted you to die, child?" "Whatever it is you're keeping safe you can be certain that the hunt for it cost your uncle his life" "I will do all as he would have wanted it." "Child my only concern is for your safety" "Now if this thing is intended for the glover let me take it to him" "And so remove you from further danger" "There is no thing, Brother." "Why won't you let me help you?" "I can trust no-one." "I beg of you, Brother, do not betray me." "Plainsong" "Pater et Filius et Spiritus Sanctus" "Amen" "(Rattling)" "GLOVER:" "Mistress is that you?" "Who's that?" "Who is it?" "A gentle gift." "You are sure this cannot have fallen when our daughter brought it as an offering?" "I'm sure." "The coffin looks as it did when the carpenter firmed it down." "Yes, Father." "Nevertheless, the coffin's been opened, searched and closed again." "This is vile." "You cannot put name to the man who would do this thing?" "No, Father." "Not yet." "Nor say if our disagreement with the townsmen has any bearing on Master Thomas's death?" "On that account you may set your mind at rest." "No, Father." "Behind this sequence of events, although it still eludes me, there's some dark purpose, a malign intelligence." "We're in the presence of great evil." "I can feel it, even now, reaching out to touch Mistress Vernold." "We must do everything in our power to protect her." "(Cockerel crows)" "And where do you think you're going at this hour, Brother?" "It is forbidden to leave the enclave" "Brother Oswin has been spying on that girl, Brother Prior." "No, you don't understand." "I knew that she would disrupt the orderly running of this house." "But Brother Cadfael would have his will." " Has she led you into temptation?" " No." " Then why have you been following her?" " Are you vexed by thoughts of her?" " Thoughts?" " Sinful thoughts." "No!" "No!" "I sought only to look out for her." "To protect her." "She's gone, Brother." "I tried to follow but..." "Mistress Vernold?" "You knew Brother Oswin was following her?" " Yes, so he has, at my instruction." " At your instruction?" "Do you mean that you encouraged Brother Oswin in this... this furtive and shameful practice?" "To what end?" "A young woman is in mortal jeopardy." "I set Brother Oswin to watch over her." " On whose authority do you give these orders?" " Father Abbot's authority!" "He'd entrusted the girl's safety to my care." "And now, when danger presses most, you've let her slip through our grasp!" "Come, Oswin." "Come." "MISTRESS VERNOLD:" "His eyes!" "Oh God help me!" "His eyes!" "Get her out." "Oswin, get her out!" "Well, this is one crime, at least, they can't blame on the cobbler's son." "The door was not forced." "No, he was expecting someone." "But, like Thomas, not the someone who came." "Cadfael, what aren't you telling me?" "Nothing." "Well, let's see what this poor wretch can tell us that we don't already know." "What looks like a right-handed blow to his temple." "Presumably dealt the moment he opened the door, and meant to stun him." "His neck's broken." "Perhaps we should have found him bound and alive, like Warrin, if he hadn't have fought back." "No, his ears, his eyes have been put out." "No." "This was like Thomas, this was meant." "Ah, he's a man of his hands." "He's marked somebody for us." "Much of scratch, would you guess?" "Well, likely little more than a graze, but it'll be there to be seen." "If we knew where to look." "Emma, you have done right by your uncle, but the fair ends today." "You must leave this place as soon as you can before any..." "I may be one or two days more, but Roger and Warrin will take the caravan back to Bristol later today." "You need not be troubled for me." "I'm in the best and kindest hands." "Mistress, your bath is prepared." "The warmth will revive you from the shock." "I'll take my leave." "Find me later." "I had news today will bring you home safer and sooner than you expected." "Brother Hospitaller, where are the drying cloths for Mistress Vernold?" "Or do you expect her to dry herself on the breeze?" "I shall fetch the cloths for you." "Oswin..." "Before you scold me, Brother," "I've finished making the balm for ulcers, and I have pressed the poppyheads." "What about the angelica water?" "I had it ready to prepare, but I had a patient to attend." " Oh, you had a patient, did you?" " A simple enough case." "I see." "And did he survive your ministrations?" "Now you're making fun of me." "Oh, Oswin, never." "Come on, tell me all about this curative miracle you wrought." "It was nothing more than a gashed arm, Brother, so er..." "I cleansed it and dressed it with goosegrass unguent." " It's very good for cuts" " Do you tell me?" " Apart from that, it's been a quiet afternoon." " And Mistress Vernold?" "Oh, I saw her safe back with my Lord Corbiere." "Oswin?" "This gashed arm." "Think carefully, now." "Could it have been done with a knife?" "No Brother lt was done by the claws of his falcon." "My Lord Corbiere..." "Can you tell me where your falconer was the night Master Thomas died?" "To my knowledge, within the Abbey." "And last night?" "He went out, my Lord." "A girl he met at the fair." " Where is he now?" " Brother, what is your interest in my falconer?" "Where is he?" "(Door opens)" "(Door closes)" "Please lay the drying cloths down on the side, Brother." "What?" "What is this?" "(Screams)" "MISTRESS VERNOLD:" "Help!" "Ahh!" "Stop!" "Falconer!" "Fowler, bring him down." "Give it to me." "He could have been taken without killing him." "He was my servant, Brother." "I have the power of high justice over my own." "This one had forfeited life." "You need make no defence." "We've seen that his wound was no tear from his falcon, but the stroke of a dagger." "I found these amongst his things, my Lord." "They're from the glover's booth." "They're new." "And far beyond his purse." "The shire has been saved a trial and a hanging" "What if he had accomplices?" "He can never now be made to name them" "Accomplices?" "We have two murders to account for." " He did them both." " No he didn't" "Lord Corbiere says he was in the Abbey the night Master Thomas died." "As far as I know." "I might have slipped out." "But if he did the killing, then what did he do with Master Thomas's rings?" "Bottom of the river?" "Sold on?" "Who knows?" "You are satisfied, I hope, that Fowler, my bowman, had no part with him?" "He has not set foot outside the Abbey since his first sorry misadventure." "That I can vouch for." "You said Glover was abroad the night Thomas was killed?" "That's right, my Lord." "Could he and Falconer have been in league?" "Perhaps robbing Master Thomas together and disagreeing over the division of the spoils." "A falling out of thieves!" "Makes sense." "You..." "You still have a prisoner in the castle - the cobbler's son." "If you're convinced that Falconer is the murderer, then you must release him." "My Lord Beringar!" "Is it certain this man was guilty?" "Certain articles stolen from the glover were found among his possessions." "Then, harsh though it may be, this was justice." "You are not satisfied?" "What, that he killed the glover?" "Yes, I am, but..." "Master Thomas..." "Where are his rings?" "Now, if two are guilty and only one bears all the blame, is that justice, Father?" "Have you made plain your reservations to Hugh Beringar?" "Yes I have" "He does not share my opinion." "Well, the fair is over." "The traders are leaving." "If this other man is among them, it may be God's will that this matter should be taken out of our hands." "Continue your vigil till the end of the day." "After that, others elsewhere must take up the burden." "Thank you, Father." "(Sniffs)" "Something wrong, Oswin?" "What's the use of mending a man if he's to be broken within a few hours past mending?" "Death falls upon the innocent and the guilty alike, Oswin." "And it's with us always." "Never let that shake your faith in the hereafter." "There is no arrow cleaves the soul." "What is this terrible smell?" "Lt's my potion, Brother." "Your potion?" "The one Mistress Vernold bought for me at the fair from a sweet old dame." "It's to sustain a man from dusk till dawn." "I broke the bottle as I opened it." "My habit reeks of the stuff." "It's belladonna I can smell." "And if I'm not mistaken... monkshood." "Oswin, you didn't take any of it?" "No, Brother." "Oh, praise God!" "I thought for a moment there that you'd drunk it." "I thought you'd drunk it." "When you found Fowler here, dead drunk, the night of Thomas's murder, was there any sign of his flask of Geneva liquor?" " No." " You didn't perhaps confiscate it?" "No." "If we'd found it, we'd have taken it to the tavern it came from and got a farthing for its return." "But it wasn't here." "He'd drunk it." "No, he hadn't." "I stooped over him, Brother." "I pulled the cloak from his face." "His breath would have felled an ox." "Wasn't that rather the smell that you'd unleashed by pulling back his cloak?" "The liquor was bought for his outside, rather than his inside." "Hugh, do you remember what Fowler said to you when you asked him why he'd left the tavern?" "Went off to finish his drink in peace." "Yes Well then where is his flask?" "A quart of Geneva liquor would kill a man." "Surely, he would have drunk his fill, then kept what was left to finish later." "Master Carter... didn't I see you at the Foregate Tavern yesterday?" "Weren't you returning discards to the landlord?" "Aye, and a tidy sum they brought." "Did there happen to be a quart flask among your findings?" "Aye, there was, but the only one we found all fair." " What did it hold?" " Nothing lt was empty." "But from the smell, it would have held Geneva liquor." "Where did you find it?" "Here in the fairground?" "Oh, no, Brother." "Not here." "We found the flask in the rushes the morning the fair opened." "Fowler was here?" "Well, who would suspect him?" "Thank you, Master Carter." "He was drunk, Brother." "Incapable of murder." "Sergeant Warden, if he reeked of Geneva liquor, it was because he'd bathed in it, not swallowed it." "He was sober." "Why should Fowler harm Master Thomas?" "You said it yourself, Hugh, right at the beginning." "He was killed for plunder." " I was right?" " In a sense, yes." "But this was no attack for random gain." "You see, I believe Master Thomas came to Shrewsbury on a mission." "A mission?" "Yes." "I think he brought with him something of considerable value." "Some chart maybe, or a map, a plan of some sort, which he was meant to deliver to another agent of his cause." "What do you say, Cadfael, that Thomas was a spy?" "Well, is that so very surprising?" "In a land torn by civil war?" "Our fair served as a battleground for the rival factions." "One side, desperate to protect whatever this item is, and the other side ready to stop at nothing to obtain it." "What do you think happened?" "I think Master Thomas, on that first night, came here to this remote spot, looking for somewhere quiet and private where he could safely hand over this secret to his contact." "But the enemy were waiting." "Fowler had followed him." "And Thomas's tongue, that had lent itself so readily to secrets, was silenced for ever." "So Thomas's death should have been the end of it." "Oh, yes, no doubt it would have been." "Yes, but you see, the murder was in vain because on that particular night" "Thomas did not have this valuable something with him." "So he was stripped." "The item was thought to be on his person." "Yes, so the search had to continue." "To his booth, even to his coffin." " And the caravan?" " No!" "Not the caravan." "No, that was the work of Thomas's contact, rather than his enemy." "BERINGAR:" "His contact?" "Well, once Thomas was dead, the contact's only hope was that the precious item itself was still safe somewhere." "And that someone... someone close to Thomas... knew where it was and what was to be done with it." "So the glover went to the caravan and left a clue to his identity." "A single glove." "So Glover was Master Thomas's contact?" "Yes." "Having searched the coffin and found nothing," "Thomas's enemies drew the conclusion that someone had slipped through the net and delivered the item to Glover." "So, Glover had to pay with his life, too." "But it was Falconer who killed Glover, not Fowler." "Both of them?" "Mm-hm." "Exactly." "By operating separately, but for the same purpose, they were able to throw us off the scent." "But how could they have done all that and yet..." "and yet their lord suspected nothing?" "Did I say that?" "Whose orders do you think they were following if not Corbiere's?" "But he's..." "The King's man, yes." " He killed Falconer." " Well, what else could he do?" "The glover's dagger had marked Falconer." "How soon before we got the truth out of him?" "A dangerous mouth, closed at no cost." "What is this thing so many have died for?" "That I do not know." "But you know where it is?" "Oh, yes." "It's where it's always been." "In Emma's keeping." "Lord Corbiere?" "He left the enclave for his manor an hour since." "Then perhaps we got it wrong." "Mistress Vernold is still within the precinct?" "No." "She left with Corbiere." "You let her go with him?" "I thought she was to wait for a party that included other women among the number?" "Messire Corbiere is taking his sister from his manor at Stanton to a convent by Bristol." "Mistress Vernold will travel with them." "She's gone with him alone?" "Of course not" "I sent Brother Jerome to watch over her as far as the manor." "Brother!" "My Lord!" "Praise heaven you've come." "What's happened?" "I dismounted my horse to make water, and I was attacked by rogues and brigands." "Mistress Vernold?" "My Lord Corbiere got her away to safety." "No!" "Don't leave me!" "Well, someone cut him down!" "Ow!" "I'd love to know..." "We can't find it, my Lord." "Very well." "Take what you will." "Come on!" "Lt's ours!" "You locked the door." "For your safety." "Why are those people going through my things?" "My servants." "Repacking your things for the journey." "That's kind." " I'm so looking forward to meeting your sister..." " Emma, the game is over." " What?" " Oh, a fine performance." "And played to the very end." "Now, give it to me freely and you will not come to any harm." "I do advise it." "I don't understand." "What is it you want me to give you?" "The letter Master Thomas was carrying from the Empress Maud to my uncle - the Earl of Chester." "The same letter he should have delivered to poor Master Glover, my noble uncle's eyes and ears." "But eyes and ears no longer, alas." "I don't know what you mean." "For what it's worth, I admire you." "But I shall not let that stand in my way." "But I don't have it." "It is not in your baggage!" "And every other possibility has been exhausted." "Therefore, it is here... on your person." "You brought me here under the pretext of conducting me to Bristol." "Do you intend to do as you promised?" "When you have given me what I want." "If I had it, do you think I'd refuse it to you when I'm in your power?" "Why does it matter to you so much?" "What can there be in a mere letter?" "Life and death." "You have failed as your pompous uncle failed before you." "Now, give it to me!" "Or have it taken from you by force." "Argh!" "That you will pay for." "Take them." "Take them!" "(Shouting)" "Stand!" "One step further and I fire." "You've only one bolt... and there are two of us." "Well done, Cadfael." "I'll deal with him." "(Emma screams)" "Where is it, girl?" "Where have you hidden it?" "(Emma screams)" " Give it to me!" "Give me the letter!" "What have you done with it?" "Leave her be." "I have it." "Here." "Give it to me." "Give it to me!" "No." "Stand off!" "Hugh." "Do nothing in haste." "I am on your side" "I am for the King." "Brother Cadfael holds in his hands a list of the King's traitors." "The Empress Maud has been courting my uncle the Earl of Chester for his support." "The fool demanded proof that he was not the only baron willing to rebel and turn to the Empress' cause." "A simple list of names." "Hugh, what will the King not give us for such a list?" "Give it to me." "And condemn how many more to certain death?" "No." "That I cannot do!" "Then die!" "Argh!" "BERINGAR:" "Cadfael?" "The list, if you please." "Cadfael!" "Will you kill me for it?" "Some days ago, you made a request of me which I could not meet." "The fair is now over" "As Abbot, it is for me to determine what use shall be made of these monies." "What I could not grant away in imperilment of the Charter," "I can give freely as a gift from this house." "Of the fruits of this year's fair, I give a tenth to the town of Shrewsbury." "This chapter is concluded" "(Laughter)" "You've come to take her." "Well, I've soothed her as best I can." "She's ready now to face your rope." "What else can I do?" "She's a traitor to the Crown." "Then you'd best arrest yourself on the same charge." "That list was yours for the taking." "All you had to do was kill me." "Your duty to the King demanded no less." "And yet you could not." "You're my friend, Cadfael." "And Thomas was her uncle." "And she loved him." "She had no sense of what was in the letter." "She knew only that her uncle had made an undertaking and, for his sake, she tried her best to see it through." "She acted out of love as you did." "I doubt the King will thank me for my choice - our friendship over my duty to the Crown." "Then he is King in name only." "And not worthy of your loyalty." "If I made such a choice, in all conscience and out of love I trust my King would forgive me." "Because He knows that, in the final reckoning, we're all of us traitors... to our heart." "(Bell tolls)" "Mentes tuorum visita" "Amen"