Read Online 16 - The Three Kings of Cologne by Kate Sedley - Free Book Online Page A

games, reading or simply chatting and bickering amongst themselves.
    Jonathan Linkinhorne shrugged off my hand and reached for his beaker, forgetting that he had allowed me to empty it. When he did remember, he slammed it back on the table in disgust.
    ‘Let me fetch you some more,’ I offered guiltily, half-rising from my seat.
    He shook his head.
    ‘You don’t understand, Master Chapman,’ he said fiercely. ‘When you live on charity, you don’t ask for more.’
    ‘I’m sure that if I explain …’
    ‘No!’
    I sank back on to my stool. ‘Very well.’
    ‘In any case, I hate the stuff.’
    ‘So you said. But if you’re thirsty—’
    ‘For God’s sake, fellow, do as you’re told.’
    Yes, I thought to myself, this is more like the man you once were before disaster and indignity blighted your life. I waited a few seconds to let reality sink in again, then asked neutrally (although I already knew part of the answer), ‘What happened after Isabella disappeared? Did you and your wife continue as you had before?’
    Jonathan gave a snort of mirthless laughter.
    ‘Use your imagination, man! If, that is, you have any! How could we? Our one and only chick had gone. Flown the coop. Everything we had done and thought and said for twenty years had been for Isabella. Now there was no one. Nothing! Of course, for a while, for weeks, months, we half-expected that she would return, bringing her husband – that is, whichever of the three men she had finally chosen – with her. But when a year had passed and we had heard nothing from her, we began to suspect that she was never coming home.’
    ‘But surely,’ I persisted, ‘in the early days, you must have made some push to find her? You must have made enquiries?’
    ‘Of course we did! The day she failed to come back from riding, we sent to Emilia at her cottage and I went myself to my cousin at the nunnery, to discover if either of them had seen Isabella. If, by chance, she was with one of them. The following morning, we took the hands from their work and sent them to scour the countryside in case our daughter had met with an accident. We sent both girls to Clifton village to find out if anyone there had seen her since she rode out the previous morning. Lord Cobham was away from home – he often was – but Amorette and I visited the house and made enquiries of the housekeeper.’
    ‘Without result? No one had seen Isabella at all the day she vanished?’
    ‘Oh, people had seen her. There had been several sightings of her in the morning near Westbury village, in the company of a man. But nobody could say which one. At least, there seemed to be disagreement about his identity. It was a wet March day, cold and windy, and with a hint of sleet in the air. It seems that both Isabella and her companion, whoever he was, had the hoods of their cloaks pulled well forward, making it difficult to see their features distinctly.’
    ‘In that case, how were your informants certain that it was your daughter that they’d seen?’
    ‘They knew her by her cloak. It was dark blue, lined with scarlet wool.’
    ‘Ah … And did you find out how late in the day it was when Isabella was last observed?’
    Jonathan Linkinhorne shook his head. I could tell by the shuttered expression on his face that suddenly he had had enough. He did not want to think or talk about the subject any more.
    ‘I’ve told you, Master!’ He slammed his open palm against the tabletop, again attracting the attention of his neighbours, but now past caring. ‘It’s too long ago. I’d like you to go.’
    I had often seen this happen with older people: for a while they were bright and energetic, then, without warning, they wilted like flowers in the summer heat, overcome by fatigue. I patted his gnarled and brown-spotted hand.
    ‘I’m leaving,’ I said. ‘Just one more question. This nurse, this Emilia … Virgoe, did you say?’ He nodded. ‘Is she still alive?’ He nodded again. ‘Do you know