that he continues to persecute Simon and others.’
‘At least we will soon be far enough even from him to be secure,’ the coroner said, satisfied with the thought.
‘I wish that were true,’ Simon said quietly. ‘Sadly, I don’t think it is. He is a fierce enemy. He has already bought my house
from under me.’
‘Eh?’ Sir Richard looked over at him, spraying breadcrumbs.
‘He bought my house’s lease. I had it for a seven-year term, and missed the most recent payment because I was in France with
the queen. So Despenser bought it.’
‘Why? Surely he has no need of a house such as yours,’ the coroner said.
Simon smiled. Sir Richard had never been to visit him at his house, but the man would be fully aware of the nature of a stolid
peasant’s home compared with the kind of fine property that Despenser was more used to. ‘You’re right. My farm is only a good-sized
longhouse with a small solar. But Despenser didn’t take it because he wanted to live in it himself. It was much more to do
with his desire to show me that he is my superior in every way, I think. He wanted to stamp out any rebelliousness to his
will that might have remained in me. He sent a man to evict my wife, and it was the purest chance that I had returned before
he could succeed. With Baldwin’s help, we caught the man and had him arrested for a while by the bishop.’
‘So you still have the house?’ Sir Richard asked.
‘No. We were forced out. I delayed matters a little by having a churchman take it, but I don’t know whether he’s still there
or not. My wife should have left and gone to our old home near Sandford.’
‘Sandford?’ the coroner said with a frown.
‘It’s also known as Rookford. A small hamlet north of Crediton,’Simon explained. ‘It is a good area. Rich red soil, good pastures, and some of the best ciders in the kingdom.’
‘You have some land there?’
‘Oh, yes. We have enough to live on. And perhaps my wife and I can live there quietly, away from the politics in that place,’
he added, jerking a thumb back over his shoulder.
Jacobstowe
Bill woke with a head that itched like a whole pack of hounds with fleas. He scratched at it with a rueful expression, but
it made little difference.
‘It’ll be the midges,’ his wife said without sympathy.
‘Agnes, you have a knack for stating the blasted obvious,’ he muttered.
‘Well, I didn’t tell you to go out there and wait with the bodies, and I didn’t tell you to go out again yesterday to search
for only you know what,’ his wife replied tartly. ‘What do you want from me? Sympathy? Faith, man, you should be so lucky.
If you will go out at night when it’s been raining for so many evenings, what do you expect?’
He grunted and clambered to his feet. ‘I told you what the coroner said, woman. If we can only find the men who were responsible,
perhaps we can visit some sort of justice on them.’
‘Oh, aye. And while you’re doing that, what about me and Ant?’ she asked.
Her back was to him, but he could hear the softness of a sob in her voice as she spoke. She was tearing up leaves for the
pottage, and now he saw that she was treating them with more violence than usual. ‘Agnes, woman, stop that for a moment,’
he said, pulling on a shirt and walking to her. He slipped his arms about her waist, resting his head on her shoulder.
‘It’s all right for you, Bill Lark. You go off and search for these murderers, and you have a purpose in life, don’t you?
But what of me? I am expected to wait here until you come home, but what if you don’t? You can wander about the place, and
if you are hurt I have to nurse you. If you die, you rest – but what of us? We will be wasted. Me, a widow, Ant an orphan.
Would you see us destitute?’
‘Woman, woman, woman, calm yourself,’ he said soothingly as she sobbed, open mouthed but quiet. ‘Be easy. Look, I will not
be gettingmyself into any
‘At least we will soon be far enough even from him to be secure,’ the coroner said, satisfied with the thought.
‘I wish that were true,’ Simon said quietly. ‘Sadly, I don’t think it is. He is a fierce enemy. He has already bought my house
from under me.’
‘Eh?’ Sir Richard looked over at him, spraying breadcrumbs.
‘He bought my house’s lease. I had it for a seven-year term, and missed the most recent payment because I was in France with
the queen. So Despenser bought it.’
‘Why? Surely he has no need of a house such as yours,’ the coroner said.
Simon smiled. Sir Richard had never been to visit him at his house, but the man would be fully aware of the nature of a stolid
peasant’s home compared with the kind of fine property that Despenser was more used to. ‘You’re right. My farm is only a good-sized
longhouse with a small solar. But Despenser didn’t take it because he wanted to live in it himself. It was much more to do
with his desire to show me that he is my superior in every way, I think. He wanted to stamp out any rebelliousness to his
will that might have remained in me. He sent a man to evict my wife, and it was the purest chance that I had returned before
he could succeed. With Baldwin’s help, we caught the man and had him arrested for a while by the bishop.’
‘So you still have the house?’ Sir Richard asked.
‘No. We were forced out. I delayed matters a little by having a churchman take it, but I don’t know whether he’s still there
or not. My wife should have left and gone to our old home near Sandford.’
‘Sandford?’ the coroner said with a frown.
‘It’s also known as Rookford. A small hamlet north of Crediton,’Simon explained. ‘It is a good area. Rich red soil, good pastures, and some of the best ciders in the kingdom.’
‘You have some land there?’
‘Oh, yes. We have enough to live on. And perhaps my wife and I can live there quietly, away from the politics in that place,’
he added, jerking a thumb back over his shoulder.
Jacobstowe
Bill woke with a head that itched like a whole pack of hounds with fleas. He scratched at it with a rueful expression, but
it made little difference.
‘It’ll be the midges,’ his wife said without sympathy.
‘Agnes, you have a knack for stating the blasted obvious,’ he muttered.
‘Well, I didn’t tell you to go out there and wait with the bodies, and I didn’t tell you to go out again yesterday to search
for only you know what,’ his wife replied tartly. ‘What do you want from me? Sympathy? Faith, man, you should be so lucky.
If you will go out at night when it’s been raining for so many evenings, what do you expect?’
He grunted and clambered to his feet. ‘I told you what the coroner said, woman. If we can only find the men who were responsible,
perhaps we can visit some sort of justice on them.’
‘Oh, aye. And while you’re doing that, what about me and Ant?’ she asked.
Her back was to him, but he could hear the softness of a sob in her voice as she spoke. She was tearing up leaves for the
pottage, and now he saw that she was treating them with more violence than usual. ‘Agnes, woman, stop that for a moment,’
he said, pulling on a shirt and walking to her. He slipped his arms about her waist, resting his head on her shoulder.
‘It’s all right for you, Bill Lark. You go off and search for these murderers, and you have a purpose in life, don’t you?
But what of me? I am expected to wait here until you come home, but what if you don’t? You can wander about the place, and
if you are hurt I have to nurse you. If you die, you rest – but what of us? We will be wasted. Me, a widow, Ant an orphan.
Would you see us destitute?’
‘Woman, woman, woman, calm yourself,’ he said soothingly as she sobbed, open mouthed but quiet. ‘Be easy. Look, I will not
be gettingmyself into any
Similar Books
