that she carried it everywhere.'
'Anything else?' Corbett asked.
'Once, just once, I went out after her on the moors. Amelia began complaining about the villagers. I told her they were poor people. Amelia looked at me and laughed. She said Hunstanton might be richer than I thought.' He shrugged. 'I didn't know what she meant. Do you, Sir Hugh?'
'No.' Corbett got to his feet and held out his hand. 'Master Fourbour, I thank you for seeing me. And, if necessary, I will come back to you again.'
Fourbour heaved a sigh of relief and left the hall as Gurney's steward ushered Robert the reeve into the room. Robert looked surlily at Corbett, who waved him to the empty stool. The reeve pulled his cloak about him, his fat face suffused with a malicious arrogance.
'I am a busy man, Sir Hugh. Ask your questions but, before you threaten me, may I remind you that Gilbert and his mother were found guilty of murder by the court. And we did not intend to kill her.'
Corbett leaned across. 'Master Reeve, you are an assassin and a bully. A man full of his own pride who acts to hide his own secrets.'
The reeve paled.
'What do you mean?' he stuttered.
Corbett smiled to himself. The reeve had forgotten the insults he had thrown at him in his alarm at being accused of harbouring a secret. The reeve's black button eyes watched Corbett anxiously.
'Secrets!' he exclaimed. 'What secrets?'
'Your newly found wealth.'
'It was a bequest. A legacy.'
'From whom?'
'A distant relative.'
'Where did this distant relative live?'
The reeve looked away.
'Master Robert,' Corbett murmured, 'I can order your arrest and send you south to be questioned before the King's Bench. Now, you do not wish that, do you? Your wife has recently given birth to a child and you are, quite rightly, an important man in this community. You could spend months in London.'
The reeve looked sullen and bit at a dirty fingernail.
'I was given the money honestly.'
'Who by?'
The reeve sighed.
'I want the truth, Robert,' Corbett persisted.
'A pedlar came to Hunstanton. He brought a message from Edward Orifab, a goldsmith in Bishop's Lynn, saying that he held certain monies for me. 1 went there and was given five silver coins and one gold piece.'
Corbett narrowed his eyes. 'And you didn't ask who would bestow such wealth on you?'
Robert shook his head. 'The goldsmith was most insistent. He would tell me nothing.'
Corbett watched the reeve carefully. You are lying, he thought.
'You are sure of that, Robert?'
'As God made little green apples, Sir Hugh.'
'And your daughter, Blanche?'
Robert smiled. 'She joined the Pastoureaux and left.' 'You seem pleased.'
'I miss her, but I have seven mouths to feed and what could Blanche do? She was too poor for the nunnery and whom could she marry? Someone like Gilbert? I am a poor man, Sir Hugh. Blanche will be happy.'
Corbctt nodded. He thanked and dismissed the reeve, then sat staring at the wall. 'Bishop's Lynn! Bishop's Lynn!' he repeated to himself.
'Master?'
Corbett looked up. Ranulf was standing over him.
'Sit down, Ranulf. Do you feel better now?'
'Aye, it's a wonder what a walk in God's fresh air will do.'
'Good! Listen, Ranulf, we are just whistling in the dark here. Monck scurries around the countryside doing God knows what. It's time we did a little work ourselves. I want you and Maltote to go to the village tomorrow and see what you can find out. And talk to Gilbert – he roams the moors and may have seen something.'
Ranulf pulled a face. Secretly, though, he was delighted at the prospect of working independently, for once not under the eye of old Master Long Face.
'Anything else, Master?' he asked innocently.
'No, just use your native wit and discretion,' Corbett said. 'Help me to clear up this mystery because, I assure you, the devil stalks the moors of Hunstanton!'
'And you're going to Bishop's Lynn, Master?'
Corbett shook his head. 'No, not yet. I'm off to Walsingham. If Monck won't tell me the truth then
'Anything else?' Corbett asked.
'Once, just once, I went out after her on the moors. Amelia began complaining about the villagers. I told her they were poor people. Amelia looked at me and laughed. She said Hunstanton might be richer than I thought.' He shrugged. 'I didn't know what she meant. Do you, Sir Hugh?'
'No.' Corbett got to his feet and held out his hand. 'Master Fourbour, I thank you for seeing me. And, if necessary, I will come back to you again.'
Fourbour heaved a sigh of relief and left the hall as Gurney's steward ushered Robert the reeve into the room. Robert looked surlily at Corbett, who waved him to the empty stool. The reeve pulled his cloak about him, his fat face suffused with a malicious arrogance.
'I am a busy man, Sir Hugh. Ask your questions but, before you threaten me, may I remind you that Gilbert and his mother were found guilty of murder by the court. And we did not intend to kill her.'
Corbett leaned across. 'Master Reeve, you are an assassin and a bully. A man full of his own pride who acts to hide his own secrets.'
The reeve paled.
'What do you mean?' he stuttered.
Corbett smiled to himself. The reeve had forgotten the insults he had thrown at him in his alarm at being accused of harbouring a secret. The reeve's black button eyes watched Corbett anxiously.
'Secrets!' he exclaimed. 'What secrets?'
'Your newly found wealth.'
'It was a bequest. A legacy.'
'From whom?'
'A distant relative.'
'Where did this distant relative live?'
The reeve looked away.
'Master Robert,' Corbett murmured, 'I can order your arrest and send you south to be questioned before the King's Bench. Now, you do not wish that, do you? Your wife has recently given birth to a child and you are, quite rightly, an important man in this community. You could spend months in London.'
The reeve looked sullen and bit at a dirty fingernail.
'I was given the money honestly.'
'Who by?'
The reeve sighed.
'I want the truth, Robert,' Corbett persisted.
'A pedlar came to Hunstanton. He brought a message from Edward Orifab, a goldsmith in Bishop's Lynn, saying that he held certain monies for me. 1 went there and was given five silver coins and one gold piece.'
Corbett narrowed his eyes. 'And you didn't ask who would bestow such wealth on you?'
Robert shook his head. 'The goldsmith was most insistent. He would tell me nothing.'
Corbett watched the reeve carefully. You are lying, he thought.
'You are sure of that, Robert?'
'As God made little green apples, Sir Hugh.'
'And your daughter, Blanche?'
Robert smiled. 'She joined the Pastoureaux and left.' 'You seem pleased.'
'I miss her, but I have seven mouths to feed and what could Blanche do? She was too poor for the nunnery and whom could she marry? Someone like Gilbert? I am a poor man, Sir Hugh. Blanche will be happy.'
Corbctt nodded. He thanked and dismissed the reeve, then sat staring at the wall. 'Bishop's Lynn! Bishop's Lynn!' he repeated to himself.
'Master?'
Corbett looked up. Ranulf was standing over him.
'Sit down, Ranulf. Do you feel better now?'
'Aye, it's a wonder what a walk in God's fresh air will do.'
'Good! Listen, Ranulf, we are just whistling in the dark here. Monck scurries around the countryside doing God knows what. It's time we did a little work ourselves. I want you and Maltote to go to the village tomorrow and see what you can find out. And talk to Gilbert – he roams the moors and may have seen something.'
Ranulf pulled a face. Secretly, though, he was delighted at the prospect of working independently, for once not under the eye of old Master Long Face.
'Anything else, Master?' he asked innocently.
'No, just use your native wit and discretion,' Corbett said. 'Help me to clear up this mystery because, I assure you, the devil stalks the moors of Hunstanton!'
'And you're going to Bishop's Lynn, Master?'
Corbett shook his head. 'No, not yet. I'm off to Walsingham. If Monck won't tell me the truth then
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