Read Online An Order for Death by Susanna Gregory - Free Book Online
Authors: Susanna Gregory
Ads: Link
Richard from
his bed before noon?’
She smiled. ‘I have come to collect butter for our dinner tomorrow celebrating Richard’s return. You are still coming, I hope,
Matt? He will be disappointed if you do not.’
‘Of course I am coming,’ said Bartholomew, looking away, so that she would not be able to read in his face that he had forgotten
all about her invitation. ‘What time did you say?’
‘Evening,’ said Edith. ‘But before sunset. You do not need me to tell you that outlaws make the roads unsafe for a lone man
at night.’
‘What are you having to eat?’ asked Michael keenly, in a brazen attempt to inveigle an invitation. The students were not alone
in becoming bored with the endless Lenten fare of bean stews and stale bread, and the monk knew that Edith would prepare something
special in honour of her beloved only son. ‘Fish? Lombard slices?’
‘River trout stuffed with almonds, raisin bread, and I have been baking pastries most of this week,’ she replied, a little
unsettled by the monk’s intense interest. ‘Meat is still forbidden, of course, but fish can be made interesting with a little
imagination.’
‘It certainly can,’ agreed Michael vehemently. ‘What kind of pastries?’
‘There are your Benedictine friends,’ said Bartholomew, uncomfortable that Michael was quizzing his sister about what was
supposed to be a family occasion. ‘Janius and Timothy.’
‘I will see you tomorrow,’ said Edith to Bartholomew. She nodded to the two Benedictines as they approached, and then was
gone, carrying Michael’s hopes for a good meal with her.
Timothy and Janius greeted Michael warmly, and Janius sketched a benediction at him. Both carried large baskets and said they
had been distributing bread to the town’s poor.
‘Have you found your killer yet?’ asked Timothy. ‘The scholarly Faricius did not deserve to die in such a manner.’
‘It is not pleasant to think of a killer walking the streets of our town,’ agreed Janius. ‘I hope it will not be long before
he is apprehended.’
‘So do I,’ said Michael. ‘Matt and I are going to the Dominican Friary now, to see whether he can identify the students who
were near Faricius yesterday afternoon.’
‘Can we do anything?’ offered Janius. ‘We remembered Faricius in our prayers, of course, but if we can do anything else, you
must let us know.’
‘I tried to help yesterday,’ said Timothy, sounding uncomfortable at mentioning something that might sound boastful. ‘Because
I was keen to do all I could to avert bloodshed, I accompanied Beadle Meadowman to the Carmelite Friary to ensure that Prior
Lincolne would admit him – I was afraid a beadle would not be granted an audience with an important man like a Prior.’
‘I would fine any friary that denied access to my beadles,’ said Michael. ‘But thank you. I suppose the Carmelites could have
declined to open the door.’
‘Fortunately, Lincolne was wiser than that,’ said Timothy. ‘I heard Meadowman deliver your order that all Carmelites were
to remain within their friary until further notice, and then returned to my own hall as quickly as I could. I did not want
to add to your troubles by providing a loneBenedictine for the Dominicans to vent their ire upon.’
‘Actually, the Dominicans and the Benedictines have a truce at the moment,’ said Janius. ‘We both accept nominalism as a basic
truth. But I do not think most students really care about the realism–nominalism debate. It is just a convenient excuse for
a good fight.’
‘That is certainly true,’ said Michael. ‘But I will have these six Dominicans under lock and key today, if I think they are
responsible for Faricius’s death.’
‘Good,’ said Janius. ‘We will pray that justice is done. Now, in fact.’
He crossed himself vigorously and his blue eyes lit with pleasure as he sensed a cause that was worthy of his religious attentions.
He
his bed before noon?’
She smiled. ‘I have come to collect butter for our dinner tomorrow celebrating Richard’s return. You are still coming, I hope,
Matt? He will be disappointed if you do not.’
‘Of course I am coming,’ said Bartholomew, looking away, so that she would not be able to read in his face that he had forgotten
all about her invitation. ‘What time did you say?’
‘Evening,’ said Edith. ‘But before sunset. You do not need me to tell you that outlaws make the roads unsafe for a lone man
at night.’
‘What are you having to eat?’ asked Michael keenly, in a brazen attempt to inveigle an invitation. The students were not alone
in becoming bored with the endless Lenten fare of bean stews and stale bread, and the monk knew that Edith would prepare something
special in honour of her beloved only son. ‘Fish? Lombard slices?’
‘River trout stuffed with almonds, raisin bread, and I have been baking pastries most of this week,’ she replied, a little
unsettled by the monk’s intense interest. ‘Meat is still forbidden, of course, but fish can be made interesting with a little
imagination.’
‘It certainly can,’ agreed Michael vehemently. ‘What kind of pastries?’
‘There are your Benedictine friends,’ said Bartholomew, uncomfortable that Michael was quizzing his sister about what was
supposed to be a family occasion. ‘Janius and Timothy.’
‘I will see you tomorrow,’ said Edith to Bartholomew. She nodded to the two Benedictines as they approached, and then was
gone, carrying Michael’s hopes for a good meal with her.
Timothy and Janius greeted Michael warmly, and Janius sketched a benediction at him. Both carried large baskets and said they
had been distributing bread to the town’s poor.
‘Have you found your killer yet?’ asked Timothy. ‘The scholarly Faricius did not deserve to die in such a manner.’
‘It is not pleasant to think of a killer walking the streets of our town,’ agreed Janius. ‘I hope it will not be long before
he is apprehended.’
‘So do I,’ said Michael. ‘Matt and I are going to the Dominican Friary now, to see whether he can identify the students who
were near Faricius yesterday afternoon.’
‘Can we do anything?’ offered Janius. ‘We remembered Faricius in our prayers, of course, but if we can do anything else, you
must let us know.’
‘I tried to help yesterday,’ said Timothy, sounding uncomfortable at mentioning something that might sound boastful. ‘Because
I was keen to do all I could to avert bloodshed, I accompanied Beadle Meadowman to the Carmelite Friary to ensure that Prior
Lincolne would admit him – I was afraid a beadle would not be granted an audience with an important man like a Prior.’
‘I would fine any friary that denied access to my beadles,’ said Michael. ‘But thank you. I suppose the Carmelites could have
declined to open the door.’
‘Fortunately, Lincolne was wiser than that,’ said Timothy. ‘I heard Meadowman deliver your order that all Carmelites were
to remain within their friary until further notice, and then returned to my own hall as quickly as I could. I did not want
to add to your troubles by providing a loneBenedictine for the Dominicans to vent their ire upon.’
‘Actually, the Dominicans and the Benedictines have a truce at the moment,’ said Janius. ‘We both accept nominalism as a basic
truth. But I do not think most students really care about the realism–nominalism debate. It is just a convenient excuse for
a good fight.’
‘That is certainly true,’ said Michael. ‘But I will have these six Dominicans under lock and key today, if I think they are
responsible for Faricius’s death.’
‘Good,’ said Janius. ‘We will pray that justice is done. Now, in fact.’
He crossed himself vigorously and his blue eyes lit with pleasure as he sensed a cause that was worthy of his religious attentions.
He
Similar Books
