Late the next morning, just before midday, one of the two men-at-arms that d’Arderon had sent with messages to the northern preceptories returned. The preceptor and Emilius were in the open space in the middle of the commandery when he arrived, sharing information about fortifications and conditions in Outremer and Portugal with the men of the contingent. With the exception of the knight that had been in the Holy Land on Crusade, only three of the others, brothers who had been in the Order for some years, had been overseas, but none to the Iberian Peninsula. Emilius was able to impart details of the castles at Tomar and Almourol and the terrain of the surrounding countryside that would enable them to be well prepared on their arrival.
Bascot was systematically going through the enclave’s records in the chamber d’Arderon used as an office. The writing of the preceptor and Emilius was difficult to decipher. Both men had only a basic literacy and the words were a mixture of Norman French and Saxon English, and the spelling of some words varied in many places. It was not common for even highborn men to be skilled in the craft of reading and writing and, of the few that were, their scant training had usually been a few haphazard lessons given in their youth by a household priest or tutor. Bascot, not for the first time, realised how fortunate he had been that his father had placed him in a monastery during his formative years. The formal education he had received from the monks had stood him in good stead, not least because it had enabled him to pass his learning on to Gianni, who now was well on his way to becoming a clerk. The Templar wished the boy were beside him now, assisting him with his sharp eyes and quick intelligence, for poring over the often unintelligible writing with only the vision of one eye was making the task a cumbersome one.
When d’Arderon and Emilius came into the chamber with the missive from the preceptor of Temple Hirst, he pushed the sheets of parchment aside, and he and Emilius waited while d’Arderon scanned the letter. As they had expected, because of its closer proximity to Lincoln, the first reply had come from the preceptory at Temple Hirst. The information from this enclave was also the most important for, if a Templar brother was involved in the recent crimes, the commandery’s nearness to Lincoln might have enabled a brother stationed there to become familiar with the town.
When the preceptor had made his laborious way through the contents of the message, he looked up at his companions, and said, “During their time at Temple Hirst, none of the four men now in the contingent had been punished for consorting with harlots.” As Bascot and Emilius began to express their gratification, d’Arderon held up his hand. “As you are aware, we also asked for any background that was known about the newly come brothers. It seems that two of those previously stationed at Templar Hirst were born and bred close to, or in, Lincolnshire.”
The preceptor went on to name the two men, one a man-at-arms, Thomas, who had been designated to look after the contingent’s horses on their journey overseas, and the other the young lad, named Alan, who had been ill on the night Elfreda had been killed in the chapel.
“The Temple Hirst preceptor says he has no cause to doubt the horse-handler. Brother Thomas has been under his command for the last five years and has never given any reason for reprimand or an indication of dissatisfaction with the conduct of his other brethren. The preceptor cannot vouch for Brother Alan, because he is a recent initiate. But he does come from Barton, a village on the Lincolnshire side of the Humber estuary, and claims to be the youngest son of a man who weaves baskets and creels for fishermen in the area.”
Bascot recalled the callow young lad that had so shamefacedly told him of the embarrassing effects of his bilious stomach. “He seems an unlikely candidate to be either visiting prostitutes or conspiring at women’s deaths,” he remarked.
“I agree,” the preceptor replied. “He has a good ability with a bow-Hamo remarked on his skill and Alan told him that, as a boy, he used to practise regularly at the village butts-but other than that he seems a guileless youth. Beyond the odd fumble with a girl from his village, I doubt he has had any intimate contact with women at all, let alone a prostitute. And he certainly does not seem worldly enough to foster the deep hatred that seems to be inspiring this murderer.”
The preceptor rubbed a hand over the short grey hairs of his beard. Relief was on his face, and also on Emilius’s. It did not seem probable that any of the Temple Hirst men were involved in the crimes. The other preceptories, at York and Penhill, were much farther north, and because of the distance from Lincoln, it was unlikely that any of the men from one of these enclaves could be implicated. They could not be certain of the latter supposition, however, until the responses from the preceptors of both the northern commanderies had been received.
The second messenger returned late that afternoon, just as d’Arderon was sending Hamo to the castle with the purse of thirty silver coins that had been found with Elfreda’s body. He had told the serjeant that the money was to be given to Nicolaa de la Haye, and had enclosed a request that the castellan take responsibility for ensuring the coins were used for the benefit of Ducette, Elfreda’s little daughter, who was now, due to her mother’s untimely death, an orphan.
“You may leave the purse in the care of Lady Nicolaa’s steward, Hamo,” d’Arderon instructed the serjeant. “I hope that by putting the silver to such a charitable use, it will remove the taint of contamination that is attached to it.”
Just after Hamo left, the messenger that had been sent to the northern preceptories rode through the gate and delivered the pouch he carried into d’Arderon’s hands. “I made good speed, Preceptor,” the man-at-arms said. “Both of the commanders at York and Penhill wrote the replies with all haste, out of consideration for the gravity of the situation.”
As d’Arderon was giving the soldier permission to stable his horse and take a well-earned rest, another rider came through the gate, a Templar cross emblazoned on the front of his tunic and riding a mount that was flecked with foam.
The new arrival slid from his mount and strode to where d’Arderon stood. His face was lined with grime and sweat trickled from beneath the conical helm he wore on his head. In his hand was one of the despatch bags used for communications within the Order. He handed the bag to d’Arderon. “I am come from London, Preceptor,” he said in a voice tinged with weariness. “Master Berard bade me deliver this to you with all speed.”
Calling to Emilius, d’Arderon took both messages with him into the chamber where Bascot had almost finished perusing the records of the enclave. None of the documents had revealed any trace of a situation that could have caused animosity towards the preceptory and he was just preparing to collect them all together when the two officers came in.
The letter from the northern preceptories was put to one side as d’Arderon broke the seal on the letter from Thomas Berard. Inside the rolled up parchment was another letter, also bearing the Templar seal. The preceptor scanned the London master’s missive and tore open the other one, saying as he did so, “There is a letter from Master St. Maur enclosed with Berard’s. I am bid to read it with all haste.”
Amery St. Maur was Templar Master of England and, as such, a senior commander under the Grand Master of the Order, Philip of Plessiez. As the preceptor read through the letter, and Bascot and Emilius waited with barely restrained impatience to learn the contents, d’Arderon’s face became sombre.
“Master St. Maur has recently returned from Paris where he was attending a meeting with our French Master, de Coulours, and other senior brethren. He was in the London enclave when my message arrived.” D’Arderon looked at the two knights, his face wearing an expression of foreboding. “While St. Maur was in Paris, de Coulours gave him some information that he feels may be pertinent to the murders.”
The preceptor laid the letter on the table. “St. Maur says that de Coulours told him of an incident that took place in Acre a few months ago. A Christian man was killed in a brothel in a suburb of the town. The slain man was an Englishman, from Grimsby, and witnesses assert that he was killed by a Templar brother.”