Read Online The Butchers Funeral: A Medieval Murder by C. M. Harald - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: C. M. Harald
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was a story that they had discussed many times. Unlike many people, they could simply not accept that the Plague was simply a curse from God, 'I've tried everything I've got, but nothing's touched it.'
'Anything unusual happened to you recently?' They both immediately discounted the idea of divine retribution and the Plague. Neither particularly believed in the God, and if this illness were the Plague, more obvious symptoms would already be showing or Anna would have been dead by now.
'Well, I bashed my ribs yesterday. Got good and proper knocked over.'
'Who on earth would knock you over? Nobody would dare.'
'Normally they wouldn't, but there was some sort of chase, a thief. Ran into me while I was doing some shopping and I went straight down. He probably didn't even realise what had happened. So I then caught my ribs on a bench as I went down.'
'I heard there had been a chase. How bad were you hurt?'
'Winded me. Didn't break anything, I think. Probably got a lovely bruise by now, but I've not checked.' She winced as she placed her hand on the area, 'Still hurts mind. Hope they caught the miserable sod.'
'Oh, they caught him all right. Constable's holding him.'
'You mark my words, once I'm better, I'll go and give him a piece of my mind.' Alvin had no doubt that she would, although she may not want to wait around as the punishments for theft could be quite severe and quite quick when it was not referred to a higher court.
'Mind if I have a look?' He knew it would be best to check the damage was not more severe than she thought.
Anna carefully removed her clothing. Neither stood on ceremony, both were practical and knew that there was no point being prudish or excessively modest. If that meant people wanted to gossip, well that was tough. A fresh bruise was spreading from Anna's side and around her back. Alvin tutted.
'Get on with it. I know you want to give it a poke.' Anna was impatient. She wanted to get the pain she expected out of the way. When Alvin pressed one of the ribs she yelped, 'Be gentle!'
'So are you having much trouble breathing?'
'Of course. It hurts like bloody mad.'
'Lots of phlegm or blood coming up? No, no point asking about that. You can't hold in any food anyway and I wouldn't expect the degree of purging you've undergone with just damaged ribs. No other rashes,’ Anna shook her head, but Alvin could see for himself, 'I'd say that part of your problem is a cracked, maybe broken rib. The rest of the problem, I'm not sure about. Have you breathed in any unusual miasmas?'
'Only the miasma you smell now, nothing else.' Anna could not think of any unusual air she had been in contact with, certainly not anything from the marshes. For that matter, the smell in her room did not really count.
'Come into contact with any unusual illnesses, fevers or anything like that?' Alvin was working his way through the logical causes, trying to find what had unbalanced her Humours.
'Well, there was removing pebbles that got stuck up a toddler's nose. That's unusual, but probably not going to be something I could catch.' She sometimes wondered if stupidity was contagious with the way some of the people lived in the city. Maybe stupidity was something she could catch?
'So no contagions, no miasmas, no unusual illnesses. What could have unbalanced your Humours? Food?'
'Now you mention it, maybe it was something to do with my food last night.' She thought back, something had struck her as odd at the time, but nothing that had really stood out, 'It didn't taste quite right. I put it down to me not eating that much meat, so not being used to it. Anyhow, I had a bit as a treat last night, bit o'rabbit. Thought I had boiled it up good and proper, but now I think about it, it was a bit off. It didn't look odd when I bought it, but wasn't quite as good when I took it out to cook.'
'Hmmm, could be the cause. You can usually get
'Anything unusual happened to you recently?' They both immediately discounted the idea of divine retribution and the Plague. Neither particularly believed in the God, and if this illness were the Plague, more obvious symptoms would already be showing or Anna would have been dead by now.
'Well, I bashed my ribs yesterday. Got good and proper knocked over.'
'Who on earth would knock you over? Nobody would dare.'
'Normally they wouldn't, but there was some sort of chase, a thief. Ran into me while I was doing some shopping and I went straight down. He probably didn't even realise what had happened. So I then caught my ribs on a bench as I went down.'
'I heard there had been a chase. How bad were you hurt?'
'Winded me. Didn't break anything, I think. Probably got a lovely bruise by now, but I've not checked.' She winced as she placed her hand on the area, 'Still hurts mind. Hope they caught the miserable sod.'
'Oh, they caught him all right. Constable's holding him.'
'You mark my words, once I'm better, I'll go and give him a piece of my mind.' Alvin had no doubt that she would, although she may not want to wait around as the punishments for theft could be quite severe and quite quick when it was not referred to a higher court.
'Mind if I have a look?' He knew it would be best to check the damage was not more severe than she thought.
Anna carefully removed her clothing. Neither stood on ceremony, both were practical and knew that there was no point being prudish or excessively modest. If that meant people wanted to gossip, well that was tough. A fresh bruise was spreading from Anna's side and around her back. Alvin tutted.
'Get on with it. I know you want to give it a poke.' Anna was impatient. She wanted to get the pain she expected out of the way. When Alvin pressed one of the ribs she yelped, 'Be gentle!'
'So are you having much trouble breathing?'
'Of course. It hurts like bloody mad.'
'Lots of phlegm or blood coming up? No, no point asking about that. You can't hold in any food anyway and I wouldn't expect the degree of purging you've undergone with just damaged ribs. No other rashes,’ Anna shook her head, but Alvin could see for himself, 'I'd say that part of your problem is a cracked, maybe broken rib. The rest of the problem, I'm not sure about. Have you breathed in any unusual miasmas?'
'Only the miasma you smell now, nothing else.' Anna could not think of any unusual air she had been in contact with, certainly not anything from the marshes. For that matter, the smell in her room did not really count.
'Come into contact with any unusual illnesses, fevers or anything like that?' Alvin was working his way through the logical causes, trying to find what had unbalanced her Humours.
'Well, there was removing pebbles that got stuck up a toddler's nose. That's unusual, but probably not going to be something I could catch.' She sometimes wondered if stupidity was contagious with the way some of the people lived in the city. Maybe stupidity was something she could catch?
'So no contagions, no miasmas, no unusual illnesses. What could have unbalanced your Humours? Food?'
'Now you mention it, maybe it was something to do with my food last night.' She thought back, something had struck her as odd at the time, but nothing that had really stood out, 'It didn't taste quite right. I put it down to me not eating that much meat, so not being used to it. Anyhow, I had a bit as a treat last night, bit o'rabbit. Thought I had boiled it up good and proper, but now I think about it, it was a bit off. It didn't look odd when I bought it, but wasn't quite as good when I took it out to cook.'
'Hmmm, could be the cause. You can usually get
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