The Bloodstained Throne Read online

‘Life will be difficult for me now,’ said Philippa, bringing the discussion back to herself. ‘I am a young widow, whose husband has been ripped away in untimely fashion.’

  ‘Vitalis was rather old,’ remarked Ulfrith tactlessly. ‘But now you can choose a younger man.’ He glanced hopefully at her out of the corner of his eye.

  ‘I should like a younger man,’ said Philippa, smiling at Geoffrey.

  But Geoffrey was not paying attention to her; he was concentrating on the curious movements of the green-hatted man and his friend, who had started to follow the party. Besides, Hilde had aroused in him an odd sense of affection and loyalty he had rarely felt towards women. If he did break his marriage vows, it would not be with a simpering girl.

  ‘Sir Geoffrey is married,’ said Ulfrith with a hint of triumph. ‘However, I am unattached. And I have fair prospects, being a fighting man – loot, you understand.’

  ‘But you are only a squire,’ said Philippa in distaste. ‘I am used to being wed to a knight.’

  ‘I understand Edith was wed to him, too,’ said Ulfrith sanctimoniously. ‘Such situations are frowned upon in England. It is called bigamy, and we Saxons disapprove. Of course, Denmark is different.’

  ‘Not that different,’ said Juhel, laughing. ‘The only countries that countenance multiple wives are those that follow the teachings of Mohammed – and then only if they can be afforded.’

  ‘Well, Sir Vitalis could afford me and Edith,’ said Philippa sulkily. ‘I cannot imagine what I will do now he is dead. Edith has wealthy kin, but I am friendless and alone. Who will care for me?’

  ‘I will,’ called Edith from where she walked with Roger. ‘As I keep telling you. You need have no fears for your future, Philippa.’

  Philippa smiled back at her, then tripped over a stone. Ulfrith’s clumsy attempt to catch her resulted in the inadvertent grabbing of a breast, and her squeals of outrage were loud enough to draw the attention of several villagers. Growing exasperated, Geoffrey took her hand and set a cracking pace that had the others running to keep up. After a while, the villagers lost interest and turned back towards Fingar’s salvage. When he next glanced around, the green-hatted man was also moving in the opposite direction.

  ‘The Church dictates that a man may not have more than one wife,’ said Edith, when Geoffrey slowed a little, allowing breath for conversation again. ‘But the Church is full of celibates, who are hardly in a position to appreciate the needs of normal men. A knight should be allowed to take more than one wife if he feels like it. And a woman should be allowed more than one husband, too.’

  ‘I have been happier than I ever thought possible with Vitalis and Edith,’ said Philippa wistfully. ‘Damn those wretched pirates! They have lost me more than they could ever imagine.’ When she saw Geoffrey glance behind again, she misunderstood the object of his wary attention and lowered her voice conspiratorially. ‘You do not approve of that nasty man coming with us. Neither do I. He is a killer!’

  ‘I know,’ said Geoffrey, recalling how the Saxon had sacrificed his servant to save himself.

  ‘And he talks all the time,’ said Philippa.

  ‘You refer to Juhel?’ asked Geoffrey in surprise. ‘I thought you meant the Saxon.’

  ‘No,’ said Philippa in disdain. ‘I would not waste my breath talking about an arrogant stick of a man who would not even tell my husband his name. I meant that garrulous Juhel. He might be witty and clever, but he is a murderer!’

  ‘Is he now?’ said Geoffrey, paying her scant attention.

  ‘I saw him kill his friend,’ Philippa chatted on. ‘Do you remember how distressed he was, rushing all over the ship the morning Paisnel disappeared?’

  ‘I remember,’ said Ulfrith, keen to show he was interested in her tale, even if Geoffrey was not. ‘He wept bitterly when we realized Paisnel must have gone overboard during the night.’

  Philippa continued to address Geoffrey. ‘Well, his tears were not of grief, but of guilt. I saw him throw Paisnel overboard with my own eyes, and I heard the splash as his body hit the water.’

  Geoffrey did not believe a word Philippa said, and assumed she was telling spiteful tales to win the sympathy of the men who were most likely to care for her. He smiled at that notion: Philippa was a poor judge of character if she imagined she would be safe from Roger. The big knight already had her companion in an inappropriate ‘protective’ embrace, but would shift his attentions to Philippa once Edith had fallen to his charms.

  ‘We will see you settled in a convent,’ Geoffrey said, planning to be rid of them both as soon as possible. ‘And I will write to Edith’s kinsmen, so they will know to come and fetch you.’

  ‘I do not want to stay with nuns!’ cried Philippa, aghast. ‘I want to be left with some rich nobleman. Preferably one in need of a wife.’

  ‘Did you really see Juhel throw Paisnel overboard?’ asked Ulfrith, whose slow wits were still coming to terms with her accusations.

  ‘I did,’ said Philippa, still looking at Geoffrey. ‘But I see you do not believe me.’

  ‘I do!’ declared Ulfrith. ‘I believe anything you tell me, dear lady.’

  ‘Your master does not,’ said Philippa sulkily. ‘He thinks I am lying to gain his attention.’

  ‘I am merely curious as to why you have waited so long to tell anyone,’ said Geoffrey with a noncommittal shrug. ‘Why not when Paisnel first went missing?’

  He glanced behind and saw that Juhel had abandoned Roger and Edith to take advantage of the Saxon’s taciturn nature and natter at him. Geoffrey wondered whether Philippa had only made her accusations because Juhel was safely out of earshot.

  ‘Because Vitalis told me not to,’ replied Philippa. ‘I was obliged to get up in the night, you see. For natural purposes.’ She lowered her voice and pursed her lips prudishly.

  ‘You mean to take fresh air?’ asked Ulfrith innocently.

  This drew a reluctant smile. ‘You could say that. It was a night when the seas were too rough for the deck, so everyone was sleeping in the hold. I finished my business and was making my way down the ladder again when I heard voices. I thought it was sailors at first, but then I realized they were speaking Norman-French.’

  ‘And it was Juhel and Paisnel?’ asked Ulfrith politely.

  Philippa nodded. ‘Juhel was doing all the talking, of course. They were huddled at the back of the ship, where they thought they would not be seen or overheard. I was bored, so I made my way towards them – for company.’ Her eyes filled with tears, and Geoffrey could not decide whether it was genuine distress, a ploy for sympathy or the effects of the cold wind.

  Ulfrith was less cynical. ‘Poor lady,’ he said kindly.

  ‘There was blood,’ Philippa whispered brokenly. ‘A lot of it. Paisnel had been stabbed in the chest, or perhaps the neck. Juhel was sobbing when he tossed him overboard. I ran away at that point, but when Juhel returned to the hold, he was wet: he had washed off the blood.’

  Geoffrey regarded her sharply as something jarred in his mind. He had also noticed that the parchmenter’s tunic had been wet the morning after Paisnel’s disappearance. Philippa continued when she saw she had his attention at last.

  ‘But the truly vile thing is that Paisnel was not dead. I saw him raise one arm as the ship sailed on and left him to his horrible fate.’

  ‘They were friends,’ said Geoffrey, not sure what to believe. ‘They had travelled together from Dublin, and Juhel was going to stay with Paisnel’s family in Ribe. Why would he kill a friend?’

  Philippa shrugged. ‘Not every man can be as gentle as poor, dear Vitalis. There are some dreadful brutes around, and Juhel is one of them.’

  ‘Vitalis was not always gentle – he accused Sir Geoffrey of some awful things,’ said Ulfrith, clearly unsure where his loyalties should lie. ‘Truly wicked things.’

  ‘He did not,’ objected Geoffrey. ‘He said—’

  ‘Everything he said was true,’ interrupted Philippa. ‘He whispered them again as he l
ay dying on the beach, his lungs all gurgling and full of water. You will have to do penance for them, Sir Geoffrey, perhaps in the nunnery where you plan to leave me.’

  ‘I cannot believe Juhel killed Paisnel,’ said Geoffrey, preferring to discuss her story than the old man’s accusations. ‘They never even had a cross word . . .’

  But that was not true, he recalled. He had caught them quarrelling the day before Paisnel went missing. They had kept their voices low, so he had not heard the nature of the disagreement, but there was no mistaking the angry gestures. But did it mean anything? Geoffrey frequently argued with Roger, and their friendship was as robust as any. Companions often fought, and surely there was nothing significant in Paisnel squabbling with Juhel?

  ‘He threw Paisnel’s bag overboard, too,’ said Philippa, seeing the doubt in his face and pressing her point. ‘I saw the poor man flap towards it, probably hoping it would keep him afloat. But Vitalis told me not to tell anyone, because he was too seasick to protect me from Juhel’s inevitable anger. You are not seasick, though, and—’

  ‘But why would Juhel do such a thing?’ interrupted Ulfrith, bewildered. ‘Paisnel was so nice and polite. He even tried to make friends with that rude Saxon. Of course, even Juhel’s chicken detested him – she scratched him cruelly, if you recall. Animals are seldom wrong when they take against people. But why did Juhel throw Paisnel’s pack overboard?’

  Philippa shook her head. ‘I do not know! It made no sense, because, as his friend, Juhel would have been entitled to keep it. But he threw it in the sea with great haste. Perhaps it contained something he did not want to see again.’

  ‘Such as what?’ pressed Ulfrith.

  Philippa was becoming exasperated with him. ‘I do not know! Perhaps those documents that were tied up with red ribbon. That braid would have looked rather well with my best kirtle; I asked Paisnel if he would exchange it for a green one, but he refused.’

  ‘Sir Geoffrey uses red ribbon when he writes to his wife and sister,’ said Ulfrith. ‘I am sure I can persuade him to give you a little.’

  ‘I shall persuade him myself, thank you,’ said Philippa with a sultry smile.

  ‘Paisnel had a medallion,’ said Ulfrith thoughtfully. He was thinking about Philippa’s story and did not notice the smouldering look she shot Geoffrey. ‘It was a large gold one. Perhaps Juhel wanted to get rid of that, although I cannot imagine why. You would think he would keep it, especially if it was valuable.’

  ‘What kind of medallion?’ asked Geoffrey.

  Ulfrith shrugged. ‘A big gold one, with writing on it. You know: a medallion.’

  Geoffrey’s thoughts were in turmoil. He had noticed Paisnel’s bag was missing the day after the man had disappeared; he had thought it odd at the time that Juhel had failed to mention it. And then there were the ribbon-bound documents. Geoffrey had seen Paisnel reading them once and had passed close enough to see they were official deeds of some kind. And the day after it had been decided that Paisnel must have fallen overboard, Geoffrey had seen Juhel with them. Had Juhel thrown away the pack so no one would notice the documents were no longer in it? But that made no sense, because, as Philippa pointed out, Juhel was Paisnel’s companion and would have come into possession of them anyway. Or was he afraid Fingar might have his own views on the distribution of a dead man’s property?

  Geoffrey shook himself impatiently. It was not his concern. Nevertheless, he decided he could not be rid of his travelling companions quickly enough and began to look forward keenly to the time when he would be alone.

  They had not gone far before Edith, unbalanced by the weight of Roger’s arm about her shoulders, took a tumble and twisted her knee. She wept piteously but declined to allow Geoffrey to inspect it, claiming it would be improper for a married man to see her bare flesh. Roger offered his services instead, pointing out that he had no wife, but Edith was angry with him for making her stumble in the first place, and his offer was repelled with equal iciness. Philippa obliged in the end, and the men were ordered to move a respectable distance away.

  ‘She is irked with me,’ said Roger, dismayed. ‘I was only trying to help.’

  ‘I would be careful, if I were you,’ advised Geoffrey. ‘Their relationship with Vitalis was odd, and Philippa has been making accusations of murder against Juhel.’

  ‘Be careful of what?’ demanded Ulfrith, leaping to defend the woman who had captured his heart. ‘They are decent ladies who will not even reveal a knee to a man.’

  Usually, Geoffrey would have boxed the lad’s ears for his impudence, but the previous month Ulfrith had saved Geoffrey’s sister by killing a wild boar that was about to attack her. Ulfrith could do no wrong in Joan’s eyes, and she had extracted a promise from Geoffrey to be gentle with the lad. Jerosolimitani took vows seriously, and Ulfrith had been permitted to overstep the mark on several occasions.

  ‘They are lucky they have you to watch over them,’ was all Geoffrey said.

  Ulfrith nodded stiffly. ‘I will protect them.’

  ‘So will I,’ said Roger with a leer. ‘I will protect Philippa next, as Edith seems out of sorts.’

  ‘No!’ cried Ulfrith, who was not so naïve that he did not know where that would lead. ‘She should walk with me.’

  Roger gazed at him in astonishment, amazed that a squire should presume to argue with him. Then he saw the fiercely ardent expression, and his face creased into a grin of understanding.

  ‘Very well – you go for her, lad, and good luck to you! It is about time you cut your teeth on a decent wench. I shall persist with Edith. We were getting along famously until she took her tumble.’

  ‘Vitalis was lucky to have two such women,’ said Bale sadly. ‘I would like a wife, but ladies do not seem to find me very attractive. Perhaps they will like me more when I have some money.’

  ‘It is the bald head, man,’ said Roger bluntly. ‘They do not like the way you shave it. You would do better if you had a bit of hair.’

  ‘If I had hair, it would only be at the back and sides, and it would be grey,’ said Bale mournfully. ‘I would look like a monk, and no woman wants to bed one of those.’

  Geoffrey tried to imagine what his squire might look like with a tonsure, but found he could not do it. However, he certainly did not think patchy grey locks would make Bale resemble a cleric – unless it was a very debauched and violent one.

  ‘Lady Hilde cried bitterly when you left,’ Bale went on, still thinking of female companions. ‘I wish a lady would weep for me.’

  Geoffrey regarded him in surprise. ‘She did not! She had no interest in marrying me, and I imagine she is only too pleased to be left on her own. My estates will do well under her and my sister, and they were both relieved when I said I was leaving.’

  ‘They were not,’ contradicted Roger immediately. ‘Joan was furious, and Hilde was hurt. They like you better than you think, lad. They will be pleased when you return so soon – and you have to go home now, because you cannot travel without money.’

  ‘Perhaps Lord Baderon will give you some,’ suggested Ulfrith. ‘Your father-in-law is a wealthy man. You can offer to pray for his soul when you reach the Holy City. In fact, you can persuade him while Sir Roger and I deliver Philippa and Edith to their home.’

  Geoffrey smiled at Ulfrith’s transparency. He was also amused by the notion that Baderon would pay for his visit to the Holy Land: his kinsman had been dead set against the journey in the first place. Geoffrey’s sole duty, Baderon had claimed angrily, was in the marriage bed until he had produced a son to ensure the succession. Geoffrey had done his best, but Hilde was old to be a first-time mother. Moreover, he could tell from their time together that he was not the first man to enjoy her favours, but she had not conceived before. It was entirely possible that their union was destined to be childless.

  ‘You were not married a month before you mentioned travelling east,’ said Roger. ‘What is wrong with Hilde? She is a nice, big lass – better than the other weaklin
gs that were on offer.’

  Geoffrey had not taken to any of the local heiresses presented to him, and that had included Hilde at first. Almost as tall and broad as Geoffrey – and he was taller and broader than most – Hilde could wield a variety of weapons with devastating effect and was not afraid to practise her military skills in the skirmishes that often broke out in the volatile Marches. Roger admired her greatly, but Geoffrey wished she was gentler. He was still pondering her idiosyncrasies when his dog growled. The aloof Saxon was approaching.

  ‘It is too dangerous to linger here,’ he declared. ‘If the women cannot continue, we shall abandon them. It is imperative that you convey me to a place of safety.’

  ‘Is it indeed?’ asked Geoffrey, as Roger gaped at the presumption.

  ‘Yes,’ stated the Saxon with finality. ‘And do not tell me you plan to continue your journey east instead, because you barely have enough to take you to Hastinges, let alone Jerusalem.’

  ‘How do you know?’ demanded Roger. Geoffrey might be penniless, but he himself had enough to travel to the Holy Land and back several times in comparative luxury.

  ‘Because I overheard you talking. You were right: it was folly to have undertaken your journey when there were double moons portending disaster and blood bubbling from the ground in lieu of springs. God’s message to you is clear: stay in England. Now we must find the church you saw from the ship. It cannot be far, and I want to reach it before it is completely dark.’

  ‘I shall go when it pleases me,’ said Roger dangerously. ‘It is not for you to tell a Jerosolimitanus what to do.’

  ‘Ah, but it is,’ replied the Saxon enigmatically. ‘Your father is only a Norman bishop, but your mother was a true Saxon lady, and you have a fine Saxon lad as your squire. You are a Saxon at heart, and that is why I have decided to trust you.’

  ‘Trust him for what?’ asked Geoffrey suspiciously, knowing that Roger was far more Norman than Saxon, especially in his love of other people’s property.

  ‘To help me in my quest. But I do not need you. I am only interested in recruiting Saxons. Now, if we walk along this beach for just a little longer, we should reach that church.’