The Abbot's Gibbet by Michael Jecks Page A

for free men to leave their masters and buy property in towns, to become tradesmen. Baldwin did not know how he would be able to manage his estates without Edgar by his side, chivvying the villeins and making sure the business of the estate proceeded smoothly. It was with a sense of impending doom that he watched his servant. They passed through the lines of gaily colored benches and trestles laden with cloths. Heavy, rough The Abbot’s Gibbet
    81
    burels were rare now, though poorer villeins still had uses for the cheap and hairy material. Several of the local traders were selling gray and russet-colored material alongside “dossens”—the cheaper bolts of twelve yards length and one yard in width. Baldwin saw a monk discussing the quality of bolts with a dealer, and assumed that the thoughtful-looking cleric, who shook his head in disagreement only to put in a counterbid, must be the Abbey’s almoner. Peter, when Baldwin caught a glimpse of the lad’s face, was enthralled, staring about him with wide-eyed fascination. The youth had never been to a fair. Never before had he seen such a variety of goods; it looked as if the produce of the whole world was here, and all in profusion. They walked past glove-makers, tailors, cordwainers and tanners. There were candles, soaps, herbs of all kinds, spices all set out in pots, and seeds from as far away as Constantinople. Each alley held new attractions and wonderful exhibits. It irked the young monk that Baldwin did not let them pause until they came to the cattle-market.
    Here they watched for a few minutes as a huge redbrown beast was led round the ring. Its mad black eyes glared at the spectators while they watched, and the bargaining began. Peter stood open-mouthed while the calls were shouted out. A deal was soon agreed, and the bidders all moved forward to pay for their share; under the fair’s rules it was illegal to hoard any provisions within the town in case a trader should try to gain a monopoly and thereby cause a dearth. Anyone who put in a bid for the meat of an ox must be allowed a share to prevent any single dealer controlling all meat. Peter was aware that the others were moving on again, and he trailed after them. He’d not realized how 82
    Michael Jecks
    diverse the world was, and he murmured a quiet prayer to himself as he hurried on. A short way along the street, he stumbled and dropped the leather packet holding his quills and inks. He had to stoop to pick them up, and when he stood up again, he found he couldn’t see the others any more. He stared about him with sudden anxiety.
    Peter had only been a monk for a short time, and was still serving his novitiate. He had been at the Abbey school for some years, but had spent little time outside the Abbey itself. Now for the first time he was alone in a fair, and the mass of humanity was fearsome. He gathered up his package, but then stopped. In front of him a young couple had appeared. He knew Pietro da Cammino from taking him to the inn the night before, but he’d never clapped eyes on Avice Pole.
    Peter was young and impressionable, brought up to revere and idolize the image of the Madonna, and to his eyes Avice Pole was an angel. She was as fine and beautiful as the Abbey church carvings of Christ’s mother. Her wide-set green eyes and a slightly tiptilted nose gave her an air of amusement, as if she could see the best in everyone and everything in the world. She looked a kind and generous soul, he thought.
    The novice watched as she passed. Pietro saw him but ignored him: he was only another monk, and there were enough of them at fair-time in Tavistock, especially with the mendicants, who spent their time alternately preaching and begging; but Avice beamed at Peter as she swept by, and that simple recognition melted his heart.
    Then two irritable men brushed him aside. One was The Abbot’s Gibbet
    83
    Antonio, but he didn’t know Arthur Pole. In their train came Luke, who cursed him, and then he was