Read Online The Bishop Must Die by Michael Jecks - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Michael Jecks
Ads: Link
don’t you?’
Richard stood shakily, still rubbing his belly. ‘You are a fool. No doubt if you were guilty of a homicide
you
would remain at the scene, but any man with a brain would leave the area at once. Do you really believe I’d stay here after helping to kill a man so powerful as Sir Roger Belers? No! If I’d been involved, I would have bolted immediately.’
‘Like your brothers, you mean?’ the man sneered.
‘My brothers do not live here. You would need to ask them.’
The man gazed past him. ‘Well? Find anything?’
His men returned, shaking their heads. ‘Nothing in the church. No one here.’
‘You see?’ Richard said, emboldened. ‘I said that there would be nothing here.’
Suddenly the fist struck him on the chin, and he flew backwards, tripping over a loose tile in the floor and falling headlong. Dazed, he looked up and saw the man-at-arms holding a sword to his throat.
‘Look at me, little priest. My name is Ranulf Pestel – Squire Ranulf. Look on me carefully, little priest, because if I learn that there was a man in clerk’s garb at the killing, I will be back, and I’ll have you in irons. Then I’ll have you dragged to Sir Hugh le Despenser and the king. They were friends to Belers, and they want blood for his blood. So, rector, if you had anything to do with this, you should start praying
now
!’
Chapter Six
Rougemont Castle, Exeter
The steady tramp of feet along the corridor outside was followed by a muttered series of commands, and then the door was thrown wide and Paul de Cockington found himself being studied by his older brother, the sheriff. Paul grinned and rose from his brother’s chair, bowing and motioning to offer the chair.
His smile was not returned. ‘You’ve been a complete tarse, haven’t you?’ James said, glowering at Paul. ‘Do you realise how much trouble you’ve caused me? It’s a miracle the bishop isn’t here already. I’m half-tempted to have you taken back there again.’
‘There’s no need, brother,’ Paul said. ‘It’ll all blow over. I’ll pay the man back all the property he gave me, and tell him that if he keeps quiet, you won’t harm him. That’ll be enough.’
‘You haven’t been here long, have you, Cods-for-brains? This little city is Exeter, not some huge place like London, where a man could become lost among the teeming hordes. There aren’t all that many people here. What, six thousand all told? You will not be able to hide. This fellow Gydie will find you if he bothers to try – and he does have some small motivation. You stole his wife and raped her, and then you kept the ransom he offered you, as well as the wench. Dear God! I hope she was worth it.’
‘She was, brother – oh, she was! You don’t understand what it was like! I was a celibate for so long, and then that gorgeous woman started batting her eyelids at me during services. I couldn’t help but notice. No man with a heart and blood in his brains could have ignored her.’
‘It’s not blood in your heart or head that worries me.’
‘Very funny. She had the most incredible body though,’ Paul added reminiscently. ‘A pair of bubbies so large, it was hard to span one with both hands. Oh, brother, you should have—’
‘Spare me! No matter how you feel about her, the fact that you took her means that you will have trouble all the while you are in Exeter. You need to leave the city.’
‘Oh, come on! I don’t think—’
‘No, you don’t,’ his brother said directly. ‘You don’t think how the bishop may react to learning you’re free; you don’t think how Gydie will respond to finding you here; you don’t think how all this will make
me
look either, do you? No, you commit acts of pathetic theft and rape, and then leave it to me to pick up the pieces. But I am the law here, and if men learn I have shielded my brother from his punishment, I’ll not be safe either. I’ve spent the last months trying to convince the locals that
Richard stood shakily, still rubbing his belly. ‘You are a fool. No doubt if you were guilty of a homicide
you
would remain at the scene, but any man with a brain would leave the area at once. Do you really believe I’d stay here after helping to kill a man so powerful as Sir Roger Belers? No! If I’d been involved, I would have bolted immediately.’
‘Like your brothers, you mean?’ the man sneered.
‘My brothers do not live here. You would need to ask them.’
The man gazed past him. ‘Well? Find anything?’
His men returned, shaking their heads. ‘Nothing in the church. No one here.’
‘You see?’ Richard said, emboldened. ‘I said that there would be nothing here.’
Suddenly the fist struck him on the chin, and he flew backwards, tripping over a loose tile in the floor and falling headlong. Dazed, he looked up and saw the man-at-arms holding a sword to his throat.
‘Look at me, little priest. My name is Ranulf Pestel – Squire Ranulf. Look on me carefully, little priest, because if I learn that there was a man in clerk’s garb at the killing, I will be back, and I’ll have you in irons. Then I’ll have you dragged to Sir Hugh le Despenser and the king. They were friends to Belers, and they want blood for his blood. So, rector, if you had anything to do with this, you should start praying
now
!’
Chapter Six
Rougemont Castle, Exeter
The steady tramp of feet along the corridor outside was followed by a muttered series of commands, and then the door was thrown wide and Paul de Cockington found himself being studied by his older brother, the sheriff. Paul grinned and rose from his brother’s chair, bowing and motioning to offer the chair.
His smile was not returned. ‘You’ve been a complete tarse, haven’t you?’ James said, glowering at Paul. ‘Do you realise how much trouble you’ve caused me? It’s a miracle the bishop isn’t here already. I’m half-tempted to have you taken back there again.’
‘There’s no need, brother,’ Paul said. ‘It’ll all blow over. I’ll pay the man back all the property he gave me, and tell him that if he keeps quiet, you won’t harm him. That’ll be enough.’
‘You haven’t been here long, have you, Cods-for-brains? This little city is Exeter, not some huge place like London, where a man could become lost among the teeming hordes. There aren’t all that many people here. What, six thousand all told? You will not be able to hide. This fellow Gydie will find you if he bothers to try – and he does have some small motivation. You stole his wife and raped her, and then you kept the ransom he offered you, as well as the wench. Dear God! I hope she was worth it.’
‘She was, brother – oh, she was! You don’t understand what it was like! I was a celibate for so long, and then that gorgeous woman started batting her eyelids at me during services. I couldn’t help but notice. No man with a heart and blood in his brains could have ignored her.’
‘It’s not blood in your heart or head that worries me.’
‘Very funny. She had the most incredible body though,’ Paul added reminiscently. ‘A pair of bubbies so large, it was hard to span one with both hands. Oh, brother, you should have—’
‘Spare me! No matter how you feel about her, the fact that you took her means that you will have trouble all the while you are in Exeter. You need to leave the city.’
‘Oh, come on! I don’t think—’
‘No, you don’t,’ his brother said directly. ‘You don’t think how the bishop may react to learning you’re free; you don’t think how Gydie will respond to finding you here; you don’t think how all this will make
me
look either, do you? No, you commit acts of pathetic theft and rape, and then leave it to me to pick up the pieces. But I am the law here, and if men learn I have shielded my brother from his punishment, I’ll not be safe either. I’ve spent the last months trying to convince the locals that
Similar Books
