38
Ralph lay awake all through the night before his trial.
He had seen many people die by hanging. Every year, twenty or thirty men and a few women rode the sheriff's cart from the prison in Shiring Castle down the hill to the market square where the gallows stood waiting. It was a common occurrence, but those men had remained in Ralph's memory, and on this night they returned to torment him.
Some died fast, their necks snapped by the drop; but not many. Most strangled slowly. They kicked and struggled and opened their mouths wide in silent, breathless screaming. They pissed and shat themselves. He recalled an old woman convicted of witchcraft: when she dropped, she bit right through her tongue and spat it out, and the crowd around the gallows had backed away in fright from the bloody lump of flesh as it flew through the air and fell on the dusty ground.
Everyone told Ralph he was not going to be hanged, but he could not get the thought out of his mind. People said that Earl Roland could not allow one of his lords to be executed on the word of a serf. However, so far the earl had done nothing to intervene.
The preliminary jury had returned an indictment against Ralph to the justice of the peace in Shiring. Like all such juries, it had consisted mainly of knights of the county owing allegiance to Earl Roland - but, despite this, they had acted on the evidence of the Wigleigh peasants. The men - jurors were never women, of course - had not flinched from indicting one of their own. In fact the jurors had shown, by their questions, some distaste for what Ralph had done, and several had refused to shake his hand afterward.
Ralph had planned to prevent Annet testifying again, at the trial proper, by imprisoning her in Wigleigh before she could leave for Shiring. However, when he went to her house to seize her, he found she had already departed. She must have anticipated his move and left earlier to foil him.
Today another jury would hear the case but, to Ralph's dismay, at least four of the men had been on the preliminary jury, too. Since the evidence on both sides was likely to be exactly the same, he could not see how this group could return a different verdict, unless some kind of pressure was put on the jurors - and it was getting very late for that.
He got up at first light and went downstairs to the ground floor of the Courthouse Inn on the market square of Shiring. He found a shivering boy breaking the ice on the well in the backyard and told him to fetch bread and ale. Then he went to the communal dormitory and woke his brother, Merthin.
They sat together in the cold parlor, with the stale smell of last night's ale and wine, and Ralph said: 'I'm afraid they'll hang me.'
'So am I,' said Merthin.
'I don't know what to do.' The boy brought two tankards and half a loaf. Ralph picked up his ale in a shaking hand and took a long draft.
Merthin ate some bread automatically, frowning and looking upward out of the corners of his eyes in the way he always did when he was racking his brains. 'The only thing I can think of is to try to persuade Annet to drop the charge and come to a settlement. You'll have to offer her compensation.'
Ralph shook his head. 'She can't back out - it's not allowed. They'll punish her if she does.'
'I know. But she could deliberately give weak evidence, making room for doubt. That's how it's usually done, I believe.'
Hope sparked in Ralph's heart. 'I wonder if she would consent.'
The potboy brought in an armful of logs and knelt before the fireplace to start a fire.
Merthin said thoughtfully: 'How much money could you offer Annet?'
'I've got twenty florins.' That was worth three pounds of English silver pennies.
Merthin ran a hand through his untidy red hair. 'It's not much.'
'It's a lot to a peasant girl. On the other hand, her family is rich, for peasants.'
'Doesn't Wigleigh yield you much money?'
'I've had to buy armor. When you're a lord you need to be ready to go to war.'
'I could lend you money.'
'How much have you got?'
'Thirteen pounds.'
Ralph was so astonished that for a moment he forgot his troubles. 'Where did you get all that?'
Merthin looked faintly resentful. 'I work hard and I'm paid well.'
'But you were sacked as master builder of the bridge.'
'There's plenty more work. And I rent out land on Leper Island.'
Ralph was indignant. 'So a carpenter is richer than a lord!'
'Luckily for you, as it happens. How much do you think Annet will want?'
Ralph thought of a snag, and his spirits fell again. 'It's not her, it's Wulfric. He's the ringleader in this.'
'Of course.' Merthin had spent a lot of time in Wigleigh while building the fulling mill, and he knew that Wulfric had married Gwenda only after being jilted by Annet. 'Then let's talk to him.'
Ralph did not think it would do any good, but he had nothing to lose.
They went out into the bleak gray daylight, pulling their cloaks around their shoulders against a cold February wind. They crossed the marketplace and entered the Bell, where the Wigleigh folk were staying - paid for, Ralph presumed, by Lord William, without whose help they would not have begun this process. But Ralph had no doubt that his real enemy was William's voluptuous, malevolent wife, Philippa, who seemed to hate Ralph, even though - or perhaps because - he found her fascinating and alluring.
Wulfric was up, and they found him eating porridge with bacon. When he saw Ralph, his face turned thunderous and he rose from his seat.
Ralph put his hand on his sword, ready to fight there and then, but Merthin hastily stepped forward, holding his hands open in front of him in a conciliatory gesture. 'I come as a friend, Wulfric,' he said. 'Don't get angry, or you'll end up on trial instead of my brother.'
Wulfric remained standing with his hands at his sides. Ralph was disappointed: the agony of his suspense would have been eased by a fight.
Wulfric spat a piece of bacon rind on the floor and swallowed, then said: 'What do you want, if not trouble?'
'To make a settlement. Ralph is willing to pay Annet ten pounds by way of recompense for what he did.'
Ralph was startled by the amount. Merthin would have to pay most of it - but he showed no hesitation.
Wulfric said: 'Annet can't withdraw the charge - it's not allowed.'
'But she can alter her evidence. If she says that at first she consented, then changed her mind when it was too late, the jury wouldn't convict Ralph.'
Ralph watched Wulfric's face eagerly for a sign of willingness, but his expression remained stony, and he said: 'So you're offering her a bribe to commit perjury?'
Ralph began to despair. He could see that Wulfric did not want Annet to be paid money. Revenge was his aim, not compensation. He wanted a hanging.
Merthin said reasonably: 'I'm offering her a different kind of justice.'
'You're trying to get your brother off the hook.'
'Wouldn't you do the same? You had a brother once.' Ralph recalled that Wulfric's brother had been killed, along with his parents, when the bridge collapsed. Merthin went on: 'Wouldn't you try to save his life - even if he had done wrong?'
Wulfric appeared startled by this appeal to family feeling. Clearly it had never occurred to him to think of Ralph as someone with kinfolk who loved him. But he recovered after a moment and said: 'My brother David would never have done what Ralph did.'
'Of course,' Merthin said soothingly. 'All the same, you can't blame me for wanting to find a way to save Ralph, especially if it can be managed without doing an injustice to Annet.'
Ralph admired his brother's smooth way of talking. He could charm a bird out of a tree, he thought.
But Wulfric was not easily persuaded. 'The villagers want to see the back of Ralph. They're afraid he might do the same thing again.'
Merthin sidestepped that. 'Perhaps you should put our offer to Annet. It should be her decision, surely.'
Wulfric looked thoughtful. 'How could we be certain you would pay the money?'
Ralph's heart leaped. Wulfric was softening.
Merthin replied: 'We'll give the cash to Caris Wooler before the trial. She will pay Annet after Ralph is declared innocent. You trust Caris, and we do, too.'
Wulfric nodded. 'As you say, it's not my decision. I'll put it to her.' He went upstairs.
Merthin let out his breath in a long sigh. 'By heaven, there's an angry man.'
'You talked him round, though,' Ralph said admiringly.
'He's only agreed to pass on a message.'
They sat at the table Wulfric had vacated. A potboy asked them if they wanted breakfast, but they both refused. The parlor was full of guests calling for ham and cheese and ale. The inns were crowded with people attending the court. Unless they had a good excuse, all the knights of the shire were obliged to come, as were most other prominent men of the county: senior clergymen, wealthy merchants, and anyone with an income over forty pounds a year. Lord William, Prior Godwyn, and Edmund Wooler were all included. Ralph and Merthin's father, Sir Gerald, had been a regular attender before his fall from grace. They had to offer themselves as jurors and transact other business, such as paying their taxes or electing their Members of Parliament. In addition there was a host of accused men, victims, witnesses, and sureties. A court brought a lot of business to the inns of a town.
Wulfric kept them waiting. Ralph said: 'What do you think they're talking about, up there?'
Merthin said: 'Annet may be inclined to take the money. Her father would support her in that, and perhaps her husband, Billy Howard, too. But Wulfric is the type who thinks telling the truth is more important than money. His wife, Gwenda, will support him out of loyalty, and Father Gaspard will do the same on principle. Most importantly, they'll have to consult Lord William; and he'll do what Lady Philippa wants. She hates you, for some reason. On the other hand, a woman is more likely to choose reconciliation over confrontation.'
'So it could go either way.'
'Exactly.'
The patrons of the inn finished their breakfasts and began to drift out, heading across the square to the Courthouse Inn, where the session would be held. Soon it would be too late.
At last Wulfric reappeared. 'She says no,' he said abruptly, and he turned away.
'Just a minute!' Merthin said.
Wulfric took no notice, and disappeared again up the stairs.
Ralph cursed. For a while he had hoped for a reprieve. Now he was in the hands of the jury.
He heard the sound of a handbell being rung vigorously outside. A sheriff's deputy was summoning all concerned to the court. Merthin stood up. Reluctantly, Ralph followed suit.
They walked back to the courthouse and went into the large back room. At the far end, the justice's 'bench' stood on a raised dais. Although always called a bench, it was in fact a carved wooden chair like a throne. The justice was not seated, but his clerk was at a table in front of the dais, reading a scroll. Two long benches for the jurymen stood to one side. There were no other seats in the room: everyone else would stand wherever he wished. Order was maintained by the power of the justice to sentence instantly anyone who misbehaved: no trial was necessary for a crime that the judge had himself witnessed. Ralph spotted Alan Fernhill, looking terrified, and stood beside him without speaking.
Ralph began to think he should never have come here. He could have made an excuse: sickness, a misunderstanding about dates, a horse lamed on the road. But that would only have brought him a postponement. Eventually the sheriff would have come, with armed deputies, to arrest him; and if he evaded them, he would have been declared an outlaw.
However, that was better than hanging. He wondered if he should flee now. He could probably fight his way out of the tavern. But he would not get far on foot. He would be chased by half the town, and if they did not catch him, the sheriff's deputies would follow on horseback. And his flight would be seen as an admission of guilt. As things stood, he still had a chance of acquittal. Annet might be too intimidated to give her evidence clearly. Perhaps key witnesses would fail to show up. There could be some last-minute intervention by Earl Roland.
The courtroom filled up: Annet, the villagers, Lord William and Lady Philippa, Edmund Wooler and Caris, Prior Godwyn and his slimy assistant Philemon. The clerk banged on his table for quiet, and the justice came through a side door. It was Sir Guy de Bois, a large landholder. He had a bald head and a fat belly. He was an old comrade-in-arms of the earl's, which might stand in Ralph's favor; but, on the other side of the balance, he was Lady Philippa's uncle, and she might have whispered malice in his ear. He had the flushed look of a man who has breakfasted on salt beef and strong ale. He sat down, farted loudly, sighed with satisfaction, and said: 'All right, let's get on with it.'
Earl Roland was not present.
Ralph's case came first: it was the one that most interested everybody, including the justice. The indictment was read, and Annet was called to give her evidence.
Ralph found it strangely difficult to concentrate. He had heard it all before, of course, but he should have been listening hard for any discrepancy in the story Annet told today, any sign of uncertainty, any hesitation or faltering. But he felt fatalistic. His enemies were out in full force. His one powerful friend, Earl Roland, was absent. Only his brother stood beside him, and Merthin had already tried his best to help, and failed. Ralph was doomed.
The witnesses followed: Gwenda, Wulfric, Peg, Gaspard. Ralph had thought he had absolute power over these people, but somehow they had conquered him. The foreman of the jury, Sir Herbert Montain, was one of those who had refused to shake Ralph's hand, and he asked questions that seemed designed to emphasize the horror of the crime: How bad was the pain? How much blood? Was she weeping?
When it was Ralph's turn to speak, he told the story that had been disbelieved by the jury of indictment, and he told it in a low voice, stumbling over his words. Alan Fernhill did better, saying firmly that Annet had been eager to lie with Ralph, and that the two lovers had asked him to make himself scarce while they enjoyed one another's favors beside the stream. But the jury did not believe him: Ralph could tell by their faces. He began to feel almost bored by the proceedings, wishing they would be over, and his fate sealed.
As Alan stepped back, Ralph was conscious of a new figure at his shoulder, and a low voice said: 'Listen to me.'
Ralph glanced behind and saw Father Jerome, the earl's clerk, and the thought crossed his mind that a court such as this had no power over priests, even if they committed crimes.
The justice turned to the jury and asked for their verdict.
Father Jerome murmured: 'Your horses stand outside, saddled and ready to go.'
Ralph froze. Was he hearing correctly? He turned and said: 'What?'
'Run for it.'
Ralph looked behind him. A hundred men barred his way to the door, many of them armed. 'It's not possible.'
'Use the side door,' Jerome said, indicating with a slight inclination of his head the entrance through which the justice had come. Ralph saw immediately that only the Wigleigh people stood between him and the side door.
The foreman of the jury, Sir Herbert, stood up, looking self-important.
Ralph caught the eye of Alan Fernhill, standing beside him. Alan had heard everything and looked expectant.
'Go now!' whispered Jerome.
Ralph put his hand on his sword.
'We find Lord Ralph of Wigleigh guilty of rape,' said the foreman.
Ralph drew his sword. Waving it in the air, he dashed for the door.
There was a second of stunned silence, then everyone shouted at once. But Ralph was the one man in the room with a weapon in his hand, and he knew it would take the others a moment to draw.
Only Wulfric tried to stop him, stepping into his path heedlessly, not even looking scared, just determined. Ralph raised his sword and brought it down, as hard as he could, aiming at the middle of Wulfric's skull, intending to cleave it in two. But Wulfric stepped nimbly back and to the side. Nevertheless, the point of the sword sliced through the left side of his face, cutting it open from the temple to the jaw. Wulfric cried out in sudden agony, and his hands flew to his cheek; and then Ralph was past him.
He flung open the door, stepped through, and turned. Alan Fernhill dashed past him. The foreman of the jury was close behind Alan, sword drawn and raised. Ralph experienced a moment of pure elation. This was how things should be settled - by a fight, not a discussion. Win or lose, he preferred it this way.
With a yell of exhilaration he thrust at Sir Herbert. The point of his sword touched the foreman's chest, ripping through his leather tunic; but the man was too distant for the blow to penetrate the ribs, and it merely cut his skin then glanced off the bones. All the same, Herbert cried out - more in fear than pain - and stumbled back, colliding with those behind him. Ralph slammed the door on them.
He found himself in a passage that ran the length of the house, with a door to the market square at one end and another to the stable yard at the other. Where were the horses? Jerome had said only that they were outside. Alan was already running for the back door, so Ralph followed. As they burst into the yard, a hubbub behind them told him that the courtroom door had been opened and the crowd was after him.
There was no sign of their horses in the yard.
Ralph ran under the arch that led to the front.
There stood the most welcome sight in the world: his hunter, Griff, saddled and pawing the ground, with Alan's two-year-old Fletch beside him, both held by a barefoot stable boy with his mouth full of bread.
Ralph seized the reins and jumped on his horse. Alan did the same. They kicked their beasts just as the mob from the courtroom came through the arch. The stable boy threw himself out of the way, terrified. The horses surged forward and away.
Someone in the crowd threw a knife. It stuck a quarter of an inch into Griff's flank, then fell away, serving only to spur the horse on.
They galloped flat out through the streets, scattering townspeople before them, careless of men, women, children, and livestock. They charged through a gate in the old wall and passed into a suburb of houses interspersed with gardens and orchards. Ralph looked behind. No pursuers were in sight.
The sheriff's men would come after them, of course, but they had first to fetch horses and saddle them. Ralph and Alan were already a mile from the market square, and their mounts showed no signs of tiring. Ralph was filled with glee. Five minutes ago he had reconciled himself to being hanged. Now he was free!
The road forked. Choosing at random, Ralph turned left. A mile away across the fields he could see woodland. Once there, he would turn off the track, and disappear.
But what would he do then?