The Elephants of Norwich (7 page)

Roger Bigot lifted the lid of the rough-hewn wooden coffin and peered in. Wrapped in a shroud, Hermer’s corpse had been reunited with his hands but they were not attached to his wrists. They had been placed either side of the body.
    ‘Are you certain they belonged to your steward?’ asked the sheriff.
    ‘There’s no doubt about that,’ said de Fontenel, testily. ‘The left hand bears his ring and there’s a scar on his right palm that I recognise. Those are Hermer’s hands, my lord sheriff. Who else’s could they be?’
    Bigot took one last look at them before he closed the lid of the coffin. ‘When is the burial?’ he said.
    ‘This afternoon. There’s no point in delaying it.’
    ‘At least he’ll be whole when he’s lowered into his grave.’
    ‘That won’t be the case with his murderer,’ promised the other with a glint in his eye. ‘I’ll cut off more than his hands. I’ll gouge out his eyes for a start.’
    ‘You’ll do nothing of the kind,’ warned the sheriff. ‘When we arrest the villain,
I’ll
decide what punishment to inflict.’
    ‘Not if I get to him first!’
    They were in the tiny church on Richard de Fontenel’s estate, less than half a mile from his manor house. Since the building lacked a separate chamber, the coffin had been placed on trestles in the nave. The smell of incense filled the air. Summoned by a message from de Fontenel, the sheriff had ridden out to view the missing hands and to hear how they had reappeared. It was a puzzling development. Bigot waited until they left the church before he resumed his questioning.
    ‘Who found the hands, my lord?’
    ‘Clamahoc, one of my servants.’
    ‘Where were they?’
    ‘Left outside my front door in a box.’
    ‘Did this Clamahoc see who put them there?’
    ‘No,’ said the other, grimly, ‘and nor did anyone else. But I know who it was.’
    ‘I hope that you’re not going to say that it was the lord Mauger.’
    ‘It’s just the kind of taunt he would favour.’
    ‘How can you be sure that it was a taunt?’
    ‘What else could it be, my lord sheriff?’
    ‘An act of penitence.’ His companion snorted. ‘It could, Richard. Suppose that the killer repented of his savagery and returned the hands to lighten the burden on his conscience.’
    Richard de Fontenel scowled. ‘I don’t believe in penitent murderers. If the man was so conscience-stricken, why not confess his crime? No,’ he insisted, ‘this was a gibe at me. Those hands were sent back to give me a deliberate shock.’
    ‘Well, they weren’t placed at your door by the lord Mauger. That I can affirm. Not long before your servant found that box, I was talking to Mauger at his house. He would never have been able to cover the distance here in time.’
    ‘Then he must have sent that verminous steward of his.’
    ‘Drogo was present throughout my visit.’
    The other man was adamant. ‘Mauger had those hands delivered here somehow.’
    ‘I don’t agree,’ said Bigot, ‘and neither do Ralph Delchard and Gervase Bret. They came with me on my visit. Both are shrewd men, used to rooting out deceit and dishonesty. They came to the same conclusion that I did. Mauger is not the culprit.’
    ‘Then he fooled all three of you.’
    ‘My deputy is of the same mind. Olivier still believes that the most likely person is the man who was Hermer’s assistant. What was his name?’
    ‘Starculf.’
    ‘He left here under a cloud, it seems.’
    ‘We found him unreliable.’
    ‘Why was that, my lord?’
    ‘That’s a private matter. Starculf had to go.’
    ‘But he left embittered, vowing vengeance.’
    ‘True,’ admitted the other. ‘He did have cause to strike at Hermer, but why leave it so long? Why attack at this particular moment? Starculf has not been seen or heard of for months, my lord sheriff. I doubt that he’s even still in the county. It would be too much of a coincidence if he returned to take his revenge at the precise moment when I had those gold elephants in my possession.’ He gave a dismissive shrug. ‘How could he arrange to steal something he didn’t know I owned?’
    ‘We’d still like to speak with him.’
    ‘Only one other person was aware that I’d acquired those elephants.’
    ‘Mauger Livarot.’
    ‘Exactly!’
    ‘But how did he know, my lord?’
    ‘The way that he gets to know everything,’ sneered de Fontenel. ‘By means of bribery. My wedding gift vanished on the very day I showed it to the lady Adelaide. That was no accident.’
    ‘According to you, Hermer made off with it.’
    ‘He must have done.’
    ‘Why?’
    ‘Because he had the elephants on a platter when he left the room. The lady Adelaide and I talked alone at some length. Above an hour, probably. During that time,’ de Fontenel asserted, ‘Hermer must have sneaked off to deliver the takings to the man who put him up to the crime – Mauger Livarot.’
    ‘You really believe that your steward betrayed you?’
    ‘What I believe is that Mauger used him then cast him aside.’
    ‘Yet Hermer’s body lies in your church. It’ll be buried on your land.’
    ‘I couldn’t deny him that.’
    ‘Even though you suspect him of being party to a conspiracy?’ said Bigot. ‘I would have thought you’d want to burn the body or tear it to shreds.’
    ‘That rage has passed,’ confessed the other, solemnly. ‘Hermer gave me good service for many years. I owe him something for that. Besides, there’s an element of doubt. Not about Mauger’s involvement,’ he said, wagging a finger. ‘Only about Hermer. Part of me wants to believe that a loyal steward would never sink so low.’
    ‘Olivier Romain reached the same conclusion.’
    ‘All that your deputy can talk about is Starculf.’
    ‘With good reason, my lord. He was disaffected when he left your estate.’
    ‘The only way that he would have been drawn into this was as Mauger’s agent.’
    ‘Stop harping on the lord Mauger. He’s innocent.’
    ‘Not from where I stand!’
    Bigot sighed wearily as they walked towards their horses. Four of the sheriff’s men were already in the saddle. They waited while the two men exchanged their last words. Bigot recalled something that had been said earlier.
    ‘You claim that nobody knew that you had those gold elephants.’
    ‘Nobody except Mauger.’
    ‘What about the man who sold them to you?’
    ‘I bought them abroad. In a private transaction.’
    ‘Where did the transaction take place?’
    ‘That’s no concern of yours, my lord sheriff,’ said de Fontenel, sharply. ‘Just do your office and get them back for me.’

‘When are you bidden?’ asked Ralph Delchard, interested to hear the news.
    ‘Tomorrow,’ said Golde.
    ‘Did the invitation extend to me?’
    ‘No, Ralph. Nor to Gervase.’
    ‘A pity. I’d rather like to see where the lady Adelaide lives.’
    ‘Be honest,’ she teased. ‘All you’d like to see is the lady Adelaide herself.’
    ‘Not for the reason you think, my love. I enjoy her company, I won’t deny it, but that’s not why I’d seek it out. Two men are vying for her hand in marriage. One of them has been robbed of the wedding gift intended for her and his steward has been murdered. That’s why I’d like to speak with the lady Adelaide again,’ he said, kissing her on the forehead. ‘To find out more about her relationship with the lord Richard than she was prepared to divulge at the banquet.’
    ‘Does she still
have
a relationship with him? I’d have thought that his behaviour last night ended all hopes he had of marrying her. He was raging.’
    ‘
Ira furor brevis est
.’
    Golde was taken aback. ‘What did you say?’
    ‘“Anger is a short madness”,’ he replied airily. ‘It’s from the Roman poet, Horace. You didn’t know that your husband was a Latin scholar, did you?’
    ‘I think you’ve been talking to the lord Eustace.’
    ‘How did you guess?’ He gave a ripe chuckle. ‘As for the lady Adelaide, you’ll be able to judge for yourself if she’s cast the lord Richard aside as a suitor. He’s no worse than her other swain, the lord Mauger.’
    ‘A beautiful woman can’t always choose the men who’re attracted to her.’
    ‘Tell that to the lady Adelaide,’ he said, cheerily. ‘But I must away, my love.’
    They were in their chamber at the castle. Golde had just shown him what she had bought that morning and told him of the invitation. Ralph had no time to linger. After giving her another kiss, he moved towards the door. ‘You went to market this morning,’ he said, ‘and now it’s my turn.’
    ‘What are you after?’
    ‘Gold!’
    He let himself out and went down the stairs. Minutes later, he was riding alone through the main gate, with directions from the captain of the guard. There were three goldsmiths in Norwich and he intended to visit them all. The first could be discounted at once. He had been sick with fever for over a week and his shop was closed. The second had been offered nothing to buy or melt down and was a man of such patent honesty that Ralph wasted no more time questioning him. It was when he called on the last of the three that he sensed he might make more progress.
    Judicael the Goldsmith was a portly man with heavy jowls, rounded shoulders and flabby hands. He was older and more prosperous than either of his two rivals. His shop was larger, his apparel richer and his manner more confident. When he saw Ralph entering his premises, he rubbed his palms and gave an unctuous smile.
    ‘Good morning, my lord,’ he said.
    ‘Are you Judicael?’
    ‘Yes, my lord. What can I do for you?’
    ‘I’d like your help.’
    ‘Certainly. I keep a very large stock. Rings, brooches, necklaces, bangles.’ His voice took on a confiding note. ‘I take it that we’re talking about a gift for a lady?’
    ‘We are,’ confirmed Ralph.
    ‘Good. What would you like to see?’
    ‘Two gold elephants.’
    Judicael’s face went blank. ‘Elephants, my lord?’
    ‘Do you know what elephants are?’
    ‘Well, yes, of course. Not that I’ve ever seen one in the flesh. But I have an idea of what they look like. You want me to make two elephants? Is that my commission?’
    ‘No,’ said Ralph, irritated by his manner. ‘Your commission is simply to give me the answers I need. I’m not here to buy anything.’
    ‘Oh, I’m disappointed to hear that.’
    ‘My errand is more important than your disappointment.’
    ‘Is it, my lord? Why is that?’
    ‘I’ll ask the questions. Now, has anyone brought any gold elephants to you?’
    ‘No, my lord.’
    ‘I’m told they’re so big,’ explained Ralph, using his fingers to give some idea of dimensions. ‘Made of solid gold, with a crucifix on each head. Has anything like that been brought to your shop?’
    ‘Nothing at all, my lord.’
    ‘Are you sure?’
    ‘Absolutely sure.’
    ‘So you weren’t asked to melt them down?’
    ‘No, my lord.’
    ‘But you do buy the occasional gold item?’
    ‘Only if I have proof of ownership,’ said Judicael firmly. ‘Otherwise, I turn it away. I’m a respectable goldsmith, my lord. I don’t trade in stolen goods.’
    Ralph was not persuaded by the claim. Judicael was too sleek and plausible. There was an evasive look in the man’s eye. Ralph tried to press him.
    ‘Where is your stock kept?’
    ‘Under lock and key, my lord.’
    ‘Here on the premises?’
    ‘In my strong room.’ The unctuous smile returned. ‘You wish to buy something?’
    ‘No, my friend. I just want to know if you’d let me see what you have.’
    Judicael was cautious. ‘I’m sorry, my lord. That would be out of the question.’
    ‘What if I were to come back here with the sheriff?’ Ralph introduced
himself properly and stated the nature of his business. The goldsmith became even more circumspect. Although anxious not to impede a murder investigation, he was at first unwilling to take Ralph on trust. The commissioner grew impatient.
    ‘Will you open your strong room or do I have to break the door down myself?’
    ‘That won’t be necessary, my lord,’ said the other in alarm.
    ‘Then why dither, man? Are you hiding something?’
    ‘No, no. Of course not.’
    ‘Those two elephants are here. Is that it?’
    ‘I swear I’ve never seen any gold elephants.’
    ‘Then you have nothing to worry about, have you?’
    Judicael gave way. After first locking the door of the shop, he took Ralph into the room at the rear and approached a stout door. Two keys were needed to open it. Inside the strong room was a series of small boxes, each locked and chained to the wall. The goldsmith fumbled with his keys.
    ‘Which one shall I open, my lord?’ he gibbered.
    ‘
All
of them.’
    Ralph was certain that the missing property was not there but he was determined to make the goldsmith sweat a little. He looked into each box and examined each separate item of jewellery. Nothing even remotely like an elephant came to light. Yet the visit was not fruitless. The more time he spent with Judicael, the more he sensed that the man was holding something back from him. When the last of the boxes had been locked up again, he fixed the goldsmith with a cold stare.
    ‘Where are they, Judicael?’
    ‘I don’t know, my lord. As God’s my witness.’
    ‘Someone brought those elephants to you, didn’t they?’
    ‘No, I’ve never laid eyes on them.’
    ‘But you’ve heard of their existence?’
    The goldsmith squirmed helplessly. ‘I may have,’ he admitted.
    ‘Go on.’
    ‘If they’re anything like the objects you describe, they’re very unusual. Only an expert goldsmith could fashion such objects. They’re far beyond my skill.’ He squinted up at Ralph. ‘Where did you say they came from?’
    ‘Somewhere abroad. Brought to England only recently.’
    ‘I doubt that, my lord.’
    ‘Why?’
    ‘You mentioned that the elephants each had a crucifix on its head?’
    ‘According to what I was told.’
    ‘That jogged my memory,’ said the other. ‘What I said was true. I’ve not seen the pieces myself but I’ve heard tell of them. You were misinformed, my lord.’
    ‘Oh?’
    ‘They weren’t recently brought to England.’
    ‘How do you know?’
    ‘Because they’ve been in this country for quite some time.’

Alone in his chamber at the castle, Gervase Bret went patiently through the documents he had brought with him from Winchester. It was a task he thoroughly enjoyed. Ralph Delchard was at his most effective when confronting awkward witnesses in the shire hall. Legal niceties only exasperated him. They were meat and drink to Gervase who read the abbreviated Latin on the pages in front of him with continuous pleasure, knowing that his retention of detail would be vital when the commissioners sat in judgement on the various disputes. The name he was after was proving elusive. He knew that it was somewhere in his sheaf of papers but he could not recall the exact spot. Richard de Fontenel had separate holdings in the hundreds of Forehoe, Taverham, Blofield and Humbleyard and Gervase picked his way carefully through them all. It was amid land in the Depwade hundred that he eventually located the person he was seeking. ‘In Boielvnd. 1 car tre. Qua tenuit Olova.t.r.e.’
    ‘In Boyland, 1 carucate of land which Olova held in King Edward’s time.’
    His satchel contained only a fraction of the returns that were brought back to the Exchequer by the first team of commissioners to be checked and collated. All that concerned Gervase and his colleagues were patent irregularities and unresolved disputes. Olova’s claim was among them. She had definite cause for complaint. Not only had she lost a carucate of land in Boyland to Richard de Fontenel, he had also taken two carucates from her in Tharston. It was not clear by what means he had acquired the property but, since it amounted in total to over three hundred and fifty acres, Gervase could understand why Olova was eager to contest ownership of it. Others had also been dispossessed by de Fontenel but she had been deprived of most land. Her losses did not end there. Gervase noted that Olova had also been relieved of two smaller holdings in the West Flegg hundred by Mauger Livarot. It was a familiar tale. She was one of many people in Norfolk who had been ground down remorselessly between the mill wheels of de Fontenel and Livarot.
    Gervase was putting the documents away again when his wife opened the door.
    ‘Am I disturbing you?’ she said, pausing in the doorway.
    ‘No, no. Come on in, Alys.’
    ‘I promised that I wouldn’t get in your way while I was here.’
    ‘I know,’ he said, giving her a welcoming kiss and closing the door. ‘But I’ve just finished what I was doing. You could not have come at a more apposite time.
    ‘Good.’
    ‘Did you enjoy your visit to the market?’
    ‘Oh, yes!’
    Alys laughed with girlish delight and recounted the details of her visit to the town. Her voice saddened when she talked about the hostility that she and Golde had met. It had been the one small blemish on an otherwise pleasant morning. Gervase was glad that his wife had found so much to divert her and was interested to hear about the invitation that had arrived at the castle from the lady Adelaide.
    ‘You’ve no objection, have you?’ she said, eager for his approval.
    ‘None at all, Alys.’
    ‘Thank you. I’m so keen to go and so is Golde.’
    ‘Ralph will certainly not hold her back,’ he observed.
    ‘That’s what Golde said.’
    ‘He’ll do everything in his power to make sure that she calls on the lady Adelaide. It could help us. The more we can glean about her, the better. Look and listen, Alys.’
    ‘I will.’
    ‘She occupies a unique place in our inquiries. You might say that she holds the balance between the lord Richard and the lord Mauger.’
    ‘It must be exciting to have two men vying for your hand.’
    ‘Not if they happen to be those reprobates. Besides,’ he said, slightly nettled, ‘one honest suitor is enough for any woman, surely? Wasn’t I sufficient for you, Alys? Or did you want a whole pack of wooers banging on your door?’
    ‘I was grateful to have one.’
    ‘You had several admirers.’
    ‘None that I cared to notice,’ she said, sweetly. ‘Apart from you, that is. If there’d been a hundred suitors hammering on my door, it would only have been opened to Gervase Bret.’
    He smiled with relief. ‘Thank you, Alys.’
    ‘Could you ever doubt me?’
    ‘No, my love.’
    ‘As for the lord Richard, I wouldn’t look twice at such a man. I pity the lady Adelaide if she is forced to marry him. I’d be terrified of a husband who could work himself up into such a violent rage.’
    ‘You’re not terrified of me, are you?’
    ‘Only now and then,’ she teased.
    He took her by the shoulders to kiss her again, then stood back to appraise her.
    ‘You look much better now, Alys.’
    ‘I’ve got my strength back after the journey.’
    ‘So have I,’ he said, ‘and it’s just as well because I’m going to need it. We came here to act as judges but we’re deputies of the sheriff instead. That will take all the energy we can muster.’
    ‘Have you any idea who the murderer might be?’
    ‘Not at this point. We have a short list of names but we’ve yet to put faces to them. And the lord Richard is only muddying the waters by his wild behaviour. It could be some time before we manage to solve the crimes.’
    ‘Is there anything that I can do to assist you?’
    ‘You’re doing it by visiting the lady Adelaide.’
    ‘What would you like me to ask her?’
    ‘Nothing,’ he said, quickly. ‘Leave any questions to Golde. She’s played this game before. You haven’t. Just behave as you would on any other visit to a friend. Be polite to your hostess – and take note of every word she says.’
    ‘I’ll try, Gervase. What will you be doing, meanwhile?’
    ‘Paying a call on another Norfolk lady.’
    ‘And who’s that?’
    ‘Olova.’

Roger Bigot was astounded by the news. He pressed Ralph Delchard for more detail. ‘The elephants were stolen?’
    ‘So it appears, my lord sheriff.’
    ‘From whom?’
    ‘The abbot of Holme.’
    ‘Who told you this?’
    ‘Judicael the Goldsmith,’ said Ralph. ‘Except that he didn’t exactly volunteer the information. I had to prise it out of him like a pearl from an oyster.’
    ‘If this intelligence proves to be correct,’ said Eustace Coureton, ‘it will be a pearl indeed. Who is this man, Ralph?’
    ‘Not one that I could ever bring myself to like.’
    ‘Can his word be trusted?’
    ‘In this instance, I believe that it can.’
    The three men were in the hall at the castle. Bigot and Coureton were intrigued to hear what Ralph had learned from his visit to the goldsmith. It cast a whole new light on the disappearance of the two gold elephants.
    ‘No wonder that the lord Richard is so desperate to reclaim them,’ said Ralph. ‘It’s not simply a question of using them to dazzle the eyes of the lady Adelaide. He wants them back in his possession before anyone starts asking where they came from in the first place.’
    Coureton chuckled. ‘And now we know. He stole them.’
    ‘A thief is now the victim of theft,’ said Bigot.
    ‘We can’t be certain of that,’ suggested Ralph, ‘and it would be very foolish of us to show our hands before the facts have been verified. It may be that the lord Richard bought them in good faith, ignorant of their origin.’
    ‘Where did he say that they came from?’ asked Coureton.
    ‘Somewhere abroad,’ said Bigot. ‘The lord Richard went to Normandy recently to visit his estates. When he came back, he had those miniature elephants with him.’
    ‘That doesn’t mean that they actually
came
from Normandy.’
    ‘I agree,’ said Ralph. ‘Why should anyone bother to steal them from the abbey of Holme, take them across the Channel then sell them to someone who was returning to this country? That would be perverse.’
    ‘Had the goldsmith actually seen those elephants?’ said Bigot.
    ‘No, my lord sheriff. But they’d been seen and admired by someone who had dealings with Judicael. A man who’d visited the abbey. The pieces were so unusual that he described them in detail to the goldsmith. That description tallied with the one given to you by the lord Richard.’
    ‘Then they
have
to be the same miniatures.’
    ‘And I’ll wager that the lord Richard stole them,’ asserted Coureton.
    ‘That’s only a guess,’ Ralph reminded him. ‘We’ll need proof and the best way we can get that is by moving stealthily. Whatever we do, we mustn’t alert the lord Richard to the fact that we’ve uncovered an earlier crime relating to those elephants. We can rest assured that they were taken illegally from the abbey of St Benet at Holme. No abbey would part willingly with anything so valuable.’
    ‘Don’t forget the spiritual aspect, my lord,’ said Bigot. ‘Each animal had a crucifix on its head. The monks of St Benet will regard them as holy treasures.’
    ‘What will they think when they hear that their holy treasures have been waved in front of a beautiful woman to inveigle her into a marital bed?’
    ‘The abbot will be mortified.’
    ‘He must be aware of the crime. Why hasn’t he howled at the outrage?’
    ‘Perhaps he’s yet to discover it,’ said Bigot. ‘If they keep their valuables locked away in a chest, the abbot may not have realised that those elephants have vanished. On the other hand, he may know the truth yet not wish to report the crime for some reason. Abbot Alfwold is a venerable man. He’s far more likely to pray for the return of his treasures than to come running to me.’
    ‘That fact probably weighed with the lord Richard,’ said Coureton. ‘When he stole those gold elephants, he counted on the fact that you would not even get to hear of the theft. And if the lord Ralph hadn’t been so astute,’ he added, winking at his colleague, ‘you might never have known of the crime.’
    ‘I’m very grateful to him.’
    ‘And we’re grateful to you, my lord sheriff,’ resumed Ralph. ‘You sought our help and we’re pleased to give it. This inquiry has already thrown up some fascinating detail about one of the men we came to Norwich to investigate and I’m sure that it will yield far more. None of it, I suspect, remotely flattering to the lord Richard.’
    ‘He’s not a man to court popularity.’
    ‘Especially not in monastic quarters!’ said Coureton.
    Ralph grinned. ‘It’s just as well that Canon Hubert is not with us. He’d want to excommunicate the lord Richard on the spot.’
    ‘If he’s found guilty of theft,’ said Bigot, ‘there’ll be other punishment as well.’
    ‘All in good time, my lord sheriff.’
    ‘What should our next step be?’ Bigot asked.
    ‘To confirm that Judicael the Goldsmith was telling the truth,’ Ralph replied.
    ‘Shall I send a messenger to the abbey?’
    ‘He stands before you. This is an errand that I claim for myself. After all,’ said Ralph, cheerfully, ‘I won’t just be riding to Holme to see the abbot. I might well find the man who took those elephants there.’
    Coureton was doubtful. ‘Surely a monk wouldn’t steal?’
    ‘Some do little else,’ said the other, irreverently. ‘I’ve met too many grasping abbots and lying monks to put much faith in a Benedictine habit. In any event, it would not really be a case of theft. The abbey would simply be reclaiming something that was theirs in the first place.’
    ‘What about the murder?’ asked Bigot.
    ‘What about it, my lord sheriff?’
    ‘Do you expect to unearth a suspect in Holme for that as well?’
    ‘Of course,’ said Ralph. ‘It’s the main reason why I wish to go there.’

Expecting a visit from him, the lady Adelaide took pains with her appearance. Over a pure white chemise, she wore a light blue gown. Her hair was coiled neatly at the back and only the curls at the front peeped out of the white wimple. Around her waist was a gold belt that hung down between her thighs. She looked immaculate and dignified. When her visitor was admitted to the house, the lady Adelaide was posed on a bench that was carefully placed beneath a window so that it acted as a frame to her head. She rose to welcome Mauger Livarot.
    ‘Good day, my lord,’ she said.
    ‘You look more charming than ever, Adelaide,’ he remarked, crossing to place a kiss on her outstretched hand. ‘It’s wonderful to see you again.’
    She resumed her seat. ‘Have you been out hunting again today?’     ‘In a manner of speaking.’
    ‘What do you mean?’
    ‘I’ve been helping the lord sheriff in his pursuit of the murderer.’ He smirked down at her. ‘The first thing I had to do, of course, was to assure him that I was not responsible for Hermer’s death. For some reason, he seemed to think that I might be.’
    ‘The lord Richard is certain of it.’
    ‘Yes, I heard about his performance at the castle last night.’
    ‘It caused quite a commotion.’
    ‘I hope that it also showed you the kind of man that he really is.’
    Her tone was artless. ‘Forceful and strong-willed?’
    ‘Arrogant, bullying and headstrong,’ he said, curling his lip. ‘Those aren’t qualities that a lady should look for in a husband.’
    ‘I like a man who speaks his mind and the lord Richard certainly does that.’
    ‘Are you drawn to someone with a vile temper?’
    ‘No,’ she conceded. ‘That has little appeal.’
    ‘Then my rival must stand aside, for he has the vilest temper in the county.’
    ‘I think he could be taught in time to curb it.’
    ‘Would you take on such a monstrous task?’
    ‘If there were sufficient inducements.’
    ‘I, too, can offer inducements, my lady.’
    Mauger Livarot was wearing a green tunic with a floral pattern. His mantle was of a dark crimson hue that matched the belt at his waist, and his brimless cap was peaked in the centre. Hands on his hips, he gazed at her with an almost proprietary air. He lowered his voice to a caressing whisper.
    ‘Come, Adelaide,’ he coaxed. ‘Why choose a wild animal for a husband when you might have one who is already tame?’
    ‘Nobody would describe you as tame,’ she said with polite scorn. ‘Least of all, your tenants. You have a reputation for harsh treatment.’
    ‘Firmness is a virtue.’
    ‘Until it’s taken too far.’
    ‘Oh, I always know the exact point at which to stop,’ he boasted, leering at her. ‘Tenants are like children. To school them properly, you have to be firm or they’ll take advantage of your weakness.’
    ‘Isn’t that what you’re doing now?’
    ‘Perhaps, my lady.’
    ‘The lord Richard has been weakened by events. A serious theft from his house has been followed by a gruesome murder. He’s very preoccupied at the moment. You came here to take advantage of his weakness.’
    ‘Do you blame me?’ he said with another smirk.
    ‘Not at all,’ she replied, easily. ‘I knew that you’d visit me again sooner or later.’
    ‘I always choose the best time to strike.’
    ‘True.’
    ‘Isn’t that a recommendation?’
    ‘Yes, my lord, but I need rather more than that.’
    ‘You shall have it,’ he asserted, becoming more earnest. ‘Richard de Fontenel is mired in trouble. Spurn him, my lady, or you’ll share the same fate. Accept me instead.’
    ‘You mentioned inducements.’
    ‘You shall have whatever you want.’
    ‘Unfortunately, that’s not possible.’
    ‘Anything is possible when you say that you’ll be mine. Put me to the test.’
    ‘There’s no point.’
    ‘Why not?’
    ‘Because I’d ask for the one thing you could never give me, my lord.’
    ‘Then it doesn’t exist,’ he declared.
    ‘Oh, it does,’ she said with a nostalgic smile. ‘To be more exact, they exist. I’ve seen them and marvelled at them. I all but fell in love with them. That’s what I want more than anything else – those exquisite gold elephants that the lord Richard bought for me.’
    ‘Do they really mean that much to you, Adelaide?’
    ‘They do.’
    ‘Nothing similar would entice you?’
    ‘Perfection cannot be imitated. I want those particular elephants.’
    He was decisive. ‘Then you’ll have them, my lady.’
    ‘How?’
    ‘That’s for me to worry about.’
    ‘But they’re stolen property. They could be hundreds of miles away by now.’
    ‘Then they’ll have to be found and brought back, won’t they?’ he said, confidently. ‘I stand a far better chance of retrieving them than the sheriff, believe me. I have intelligencers all over the county. Before I set the search in motion, of course, I need to extract a promise.’
    ‘Of what?’
    ‘Discretion, my lady.’
    ‘It’s second nature to me.’
    ‘When I capture those elephants, you’ll be my accomplice.’
    ‘Nobody else will know that I have them, I promise you,’ she said with quiet sincerity. ‘I’ll keep them entirely to myself. I’ll feast my eyes on them in private. All that concerns me is the joy of possession.’
    ‘Then we share the same impulse, Adelaide,’ he said, taking her hand. ‘I, too, want to revel in the joy of possession. And it will be all the more sweet because of the means by which I accomplish it.’
    ‘In what sense?’
    ‘I’ll turn thief to give you another man’s wedding gift.’
    ‘The lord Richard would kill you if he ever found out.’
    ‘That’s a risk I’d willingly take for you.’
    ‘I’m impressed.’
    ‘Just think, my lady,’ he said, emitting a cackle of delight. ‘While the lord Richard is scouring the kingdom for his missing elephants, they’ll be right here all the time. They’ll be ours.’
    ‘No, Mauger,’ she said, softly. ‘They’ll be
mine
.’