Read Online A Play of Knaves by Margaret Frazer - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Margaret Frazer
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something to keep our ears out for, anyway.”
“If the Ashewells don’t like the thought,” Gil said, “why can’t Master Ashewell just say no to the offer and there’s an end?”
“A good question,” Joliffe said.
“If I was asked,” said Basset, “I’d have thought a marriage between young Nicholas and that Gosyn’s girl more likely, what with the families looking so friendly together yesterday.”
“That’s what Titha said, too,” Ellis said. “Seems that’s what most people have thought. More than that, a marriage to Medcote’s girl would do Ashewell’s friendship with Gosyn no good. Gosyn is on the outs with Medcote over sheep-grazing rights hereabouts. Medcote got the lease Gosyn has had for years. Out-bid for it to the abbey’s steward and took it right out from under Gosyn. So there’s bad blood there.”
“You must not have been much use to Titha if she did all this talking,” Joliffe said.
Ellis bristled. “I was use enough. It was between whiles of it that we talked.”
“Oh, ‘whiles of it,’” Joliffe baited. “What time was it you crawled to your bed, anyway?”
“Leave off, Joliffe,” Basset said, too used to them both to rise even to irk about it. “Ellis, what else did she have to tell?”
“What more do you want?” Ellis protested. “There’s an old murder between the Ashewells and Medcotes. Medcote maybe wants a marriage that maybe Ashewell doesn’t. Gosyn and Ashewell are friendly. Gosyn and Medcote aren’t. That’s something more than anyone else of you has gathered.”
“What about the priest?” Basset asked. “How does he figure into it all?”
“Not as a peacemaker, I’ll warrant,” said Joliffe.
“You don’t much talk of priests at a time like Titha and I were having,” Ellis said. Boasted. “There was only what she said about him and Medcote, and that we knew already. So. Is all that enough to satisfy this bailiff that we’ve done as Lady Lovell asked? Will it clear us of the business, do you think?”
Basset sat staring at the fire, rubbing the knuckles of one hand while answering slowly, “That Gosyn is angry over losing the grazing rights can’t be a secret to anyone. The marriage business, though, that’s something, since it seems Ashewell and Medcote are trying to keep it to themselves. That could well be what the bailiff was hearing rumbles of. Yes, Ellis, you may have done our duty for us. If we chance to hear more while we’re here, well and good. If we don’t, what you’ve brought us should serve well enough to go on with. Well done.”
“Which is what I trust Titha said to him, too,” Joliffe said.
“Leave off with her,” Ellis snapped.
Basset clapped his hands down on his knees and went on briskly, “But we’re still here for three more days and have yet to decide what we’ll do for the church ale.”
“Something short, sweet, and easy,” Ellis said.
“I don’t know,” Basset said thoughtfully. “I’m still thinking on it.”
Uneasy at what Basset might be thinking, Joliffe said, “Whatever we do, we’ll probably have little thanks from Father Hewwwwgo for it.”
Ellis snapped, “Leave off with the ‘Hewwwgo,’ too, will you?”
“That was probably the other thing Titha said,” Joliffe grinned, and added in a shrill girl’s voice, “‘Leave off, Ellis.’”
Ellis looked around for something to throw.
Not waiting for him to find it, Joliffe went to see how Tisbe did.
If Basset had not already planned for them to do more than be about camp all day, he would probably have come up with the thought now, as much to have Ellis away from Rose for the day as any other reason. As it was, he shortly announced that he and Ellis, Joliffe, and Piers should be on their way to Faringdon, to play at places along the way and there to draw folk to Sunday’s church ale. “The more there, the merrier,” he said.
“The more there, the larger our share of the take at the day’s end,” said Ellis.
Gil
“If the Ashewells don’t like the thought,” Gil said, “why can’t Master Ashewell just say no to the offer and there’s an end?”
“A good question,” Joliffe said.
“If I was asked,” said Basset, “I’d have thought a marriage between young Nicholas and that Gosyn’s girl more likely, what with the families looking so friendly together yesterday.”
“That’s what Titha said, too,” Ellis said. “Seems that’s what most people have thought. More than that, a marriage to Medcote’s girl would do Ashewell’s friendship with Gosyn no good. Gosyn is on the outs with Medcote over sheep-grazing rights hereabouts. Medcote got the lease Gosyn has had for years. Out-bid for it to the abbey’s steward and took it right out from under Gosyn. So there’s bad blood there.”
“You must not have been much use to Titha if she did all this talking,” Joliffe said.
Ellis bristled. “I was use enough. It was between whiles of it that we talked.”
“Oh, ‘whiles of it,’” Joliffe baited. “What time was it you crawled to your bed, anyway?”
“Leave off, Joliffe,” Basset said, too used to them both to rise even to irk about it. “Ellis, what else did she have to tell?”
“What more do you want?” Ellis protested. “There’s an old murder between the Ashewells and Medcotes. Medcote maybe wants a marriage that maybe Ashewell doesn’t. Gosyn and Ashewell are friendly. Gosyn and Medcote aren’t. That’s something more than anyone else of you has gathered.”
“What about the priest?” Basset asked. “How does he figure into it all?”
“Not as a peacemaker, I’ll warrant,” said Joliffe.
“You don’t much talk of priests at a time like Titha and I were having,” Ellis said. Boasted. “There was only what she said about him and Medcote, and that we knew already. So. Is all that enough to satisfy this bailiff that we’ve done as Lady Lovell asked? Will it clear us of the business, do you think?”
Basset sat staring at the fire, rubbing the knuckles of one hand while answering slowly, “That Gosyn is angry over losing the grazing rights can’t be a secret to anyone. The marriage business, though, that’s something, since it seems Ashewell and Medcote are trying to keep it to themselves. That could well be what the bailiff was hearing rumbles of. Yes, Ellis, you may have done our duty for us. If we chance to hear more while we’re here, well and good. If we don’t, what you’ve brought us should serve well enough to go on with. Well done.”
“Which is what I trust Titha said to him, too,” Joliffe said.
“Leave off with her,” Ellis snapped.
Basset clapped his hands down on his knees and went on briskly, “But we’re still here for three more days and have yet to decide what we’ll do for the church ale.”
“Something short, sweet, and easy,” Ellis said.
“I don’t know,” Basset said thoughtfully. “I’m still thinking on it.”
Uneasy at what Basset might be thinking, Joliffe said, “Whatever we do, we’ll probably have little thanks from Father Hewwwwgo for it.”
Ellis snapped, “Leave off with the ‘Hewwwgo,’ too, will you?”
“That was probably the other thing Titha said,” Joliffe grinned, and added in a shrill girl’s voice, “‘Leave off, Ellis.’”
Ellis looked around for something to throw.
Not waiting for him to find it, Joliffe went to see how Tisbe did.
If Basset had not already planned for them to do more than be about camp all day, he would probably have come up with the thought now, as much to have Ellis away from Rose for the day as any other reason. As it was, he shortly announced that he and Ellis, Joliffe, and Piers should be on their way to Faringdon, to play at places along the way and there to draw folk to Sunday’s church ale. “The more there, the merrier,” he said.
“The more there, the larger our share of the take at the day’s end,” said Ellis.
Gil
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