Chapter Seven #6
Bronwyn went up to the ramparts to find Tristan and instead found him in the courtyard, chatting with Lady Susanna. They held hands. He whispered something in her ear and slapped her rump as she laughed and walked away, shooting a look back at him.
Bronwyn crossed her arms and leaned against a wall in the shadows, watching.
So they were definitely romantically linked.
The question was: had they always been lovers, had they fought and separated and now were making up, or had Tristan been telling the truth, and they had only recently begun seeing each other?
Tristan grinned after Lady Susanna, but his expression grew stern when he looked at Bronwyn. “What do you want?”
“To tell you the empress wants you to share what you know about who is behind these accidents happening to her.”
He scowled. “You’ve been talking.”
“Someone put a nasty sketch of her in her prayer book. I was at church when she found it.”
“Always in the right place at the right time, aren’t you? You’re just a little opportunist, eh? Always making yourself available, just in case she might need you. Bet she’ll want her arse wiped too. Maybe you should go see.” Tristan rested a hand on the pommel of his sword.
Bronwyn’s face became heated. “She wants you to say what you’ve learned at dinner tonight. Be there.” She turned on her heel to go.
He called, “Haven’t you anything to say about my woman, Lady Susanna?”
Bronwyn said, “I’m very happy for you. Does she know you found her annoying at first, and wanted me to give her something to make her sick to her stomach?”
Suddenly, he gripped her braid and pulled hard, making her fall back. He said in her left ear, “Shut your mouth if you know what’s good for you. Don’t go spreading tales or it will be the worse for you. One of these days, you might wake up without your pretty braid.”
That comment shot fire through her veins. “And what does Lady Susanna think of your attention to me?” Bronwyn jerked and he gripped her braid tighter. She gritted her teeth.
“She’s a smart woman. She likes me fine. All ladies like me. And a man has needs.” He shoved her away and she stumbled. He laughed, and she walked on, her cheeks flaming.
That night’s dinner should not have been different from any other, except that Bronwyn’s stomach churned with unease.
She felt nervous and queasy. It was likely nerves, or it could have been the day-old fish mixed with potage she and the servants had dined on for luncheon.
She worked steadily and when the time came for dinner, she exchanged a look with Hugh.
He said, “Go on, girl. Don’t keep them waiting.”
Bronwyn unbound her dirty-blonde hair from her kerchief and pinned it back so it was long but out of her face.
She wore a plain, purple dress and removed her floury work apron, wiping her face and hands on it so she might look presentable.
She swallowed a quick sip of wine and as the pages came in to collect platters of food for the main dining hall, she picked one up and joined them.
Hefting a platter of preserved salt pork, she brought the platter out in the queue of servers and entered the dining hall.
The room was large, and the long tables were set up in a horseshoe arrangement, with the empress dining at the head of the tables, surrounded by those loyal men and women.
Bronwyn set down the platter on the nearest available space on the crowded tables and stood back, taking a place behind Lady Alice, Mistress Agatha, and the nuns.
Lady Alice glanced back and shot her a look as if to say, What are you doing here?
Bronwyn sent her a tight smile and looked straight ahead.
The empress began the meal, with the taster taking little bites of her food.
It was normal enough, and the empress kept up a good and regular conversation with the men-at-arms and nobles in attendance.
Then after a short time, she banged the table for silence.
Once satisfied she had their attention, she said, “It has come to my attention that someone here has been playing little tricks.”
Men and women glanced at each other.
“Someone has left little drawings of me around for me to find. And I have heard of other… disturbing incidents.” She swallowed.
Bronwyn realized she must have been thinking of the sheep’s head. She moved aside so that Lady Susanna could sit with the other women present. Lady Alice hissed, “Where were you? You’re late.”
“I was using the privy,” Lady Susanna whispered back as she sat.
The empress muttered under her breath then said, “As I was saying. I find that someone is behind these little tricks, and I have tasked just the man to find out who.”
Bronwyn’s eyebrows knit together. The man? But the empress had tasked her too. Or had she forgotten?
The empress said, “I call upon the squire of my dear Sir Miles of Gloucester, the First Earl of Hereford, Tristan Langforde, to tell us all what he has found. For I have learned this very day that he has figured out the true culprit.”
Heads looked around.
“Tristan?” the empress said.
There was silence. The empress waited a moment, then said, “Guards. Find Tristan.”
Bronwyn couldn’t ignore the empress’s unspoken command: to bring him here. Now.
As people began to whisper, the empress said, “Mistress Bronwyn. Whilst Tristan makes his way here, tell us what you have learned so far.”
Bronwyn gulped. Her? Talk in front of all these people?
Even as Lady Alice turned and motioned for her to step forward, Bronwyn felt a stab of fear in her stomach.
To speak in front of so many, whilst they all watched and stared at her…
What if she made a fool of herself? What if she slipped or forgot something? What if—
“I am waiting, Mistress Bronwyn,” the empress said.
Bronwyn swallowed. She had to act. What she wouldn’t have given to run and hide. But she couldn’t. Not now. She stepped forward, to a section at the corner of where the tables met, where there was a gap. People continued to eat and drink, but quietly. All eyes were upon her.
She opened her mouth and took a breath.
“Speak up, girl,” a voice called out.
Bronwyn turned to the empress. “Your Grace asked Tristan and me to look into the matter of these incidents and to find out who was behind them. The first was—”
“A drawing. A rude sketch of me,” the empress interrupted.
“Yes.”
“I have been receiving such horrid notes since my arrival in this city. It stands to reason that someone here at court does not like my being here. I wonder who?” The empress’s voice was clear as she gazed around the room. “Tell them of the note in my prayer book.”
Eyes went to Bronwyn, who said, “Her Grace found a rude sketch in her Book of Hours when she went to pray. We believe it was put there by someone who had access to her prayer book, and who tampered with it that morning. We know of only two people who could have done this.” She paused.
“Lady Susanna and Mistress Agatha, who argued over it that morning.”
Lady Susanna gasped. “I would never.”
“Nor I,” Agatha said. “You are mistaken, girl. Do not insult your betters. You deserve the switch.”
Bronwyn swallowed. “The sketch was written with black ink, and I could tell that whoever did it had clean hands, for there was no ink or soot on the book’s pages, or the sketch itself.”
“Then I’m innocent, for I hadn’t washed my hands this morning,” Lady Susanna said, rising to her feet.
“Yes. That’s right. But I also noticed that the sketch had a peculiar smell. Almost like… hops. Or oats. Or beer.”
“Call the brewer here at once,” came the imperial order.
Within minutes, a page had brought the brewer into the main dining room. Peter stood stiffly, his face a shade pale. He wiped his forehead with his sleeve.
“Master Brewer, a nasty note was found of me, and it smelled like beer. What do you know of this?” the empress asked.
“I had nothing to do with that. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Bronwyn turned to him. “Master Peter, when we met a few weeks ago, I found you writing away with a quill and ink. The ink was all over your fingers. They were black with it.”
He scoffed. “Many people use quill and ink. Or do you suspect everyone who can write?”
A few nobles chuckled at this.
The brewer took confidence at their reaction and added, “Do not insult me, girl, just because I can read and write, and you cannot.”
“Then can you explain why the sketch we found in the empress’s prayer book smelled like your brewery?”
His smile fell. “I cannot. Maybe someone visited the brewery or was stealing beer and later wrote the note. I don’t know. I only declare I am loyal to the empress, and that you are at fault.”
Bronwyn cocked her head at him.
“You go around, pointing fingers and sticking your nose everywhere when you are nothing but a kitchen maid. You don’t deserve the raised status she gives you. Your goodwill toward this charity case is misplaced, I fear, Your Grace.” The brewer addressed the empress directly.
Empress Maud’s nostrils flared. “Answer the question, Master Brewer.”
Peter frowned. He swallowed and hastily took a sip of wine. “I… I…”
“What about the knife in the pillow?” Lady Susanna asked. “Or the—” She stopped.
“There was a knife in my pillow?” the empress snapped. “Why did you not tell me of this before? Speak up, Lady Susanna.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t want to frighten you. But… What of the sheep’s head, found in your bedchamber, Your Grace?”
The empress frowned at her, and Lady Susanna’s cheeks turned pink. She sat down.
“A sheep was killed the other day. Beheaded,” Bronwyn said.
This was not new information, but a few men showed distaste on their faces and tutted in disgust, while some of the noblewomen present clapped their hands to their mouths and looked mildly scandalized. They already knew, but a reaction was merited.
“Forgive me, I do not mean to shock you all. But it was a cruel act, for the poor animal was slaughtered.” She didn’t mention that they were eating the leftovers from the crime. She added, “The man who did it left his clothes in the laundry to be washed.”
Master Peter snorted. “Next you’ll be saying it was me, when everyone knows I spend my time in the brewery. I never went near any sheep.”
“I did not say it was you,” Bronwyn said.
“But the sheep’s head was found in Her Grace’s bedchamber. We didn’t notice it until that night after we were asleep,” Lady Susanna said.
“Yes. Whoever did it had a means and a knowledge of the castle and knows it well. They know how to move about some of the rooms, even without the guards noticing.”
“Who?” the empress asked.
Bronwyn turned toward the head table, where the ladies-in-waiting sat beside the empress. She asked, “Mistress Agatha, being a taster for the empress requires a lot of experience, does it not?”
Agatha sat up straight. “It does. I have an excellent tongue. I must be able to detect any foreign tastes that could be harmful to the empress, or whomever I serve.”
“Have you served many nobles before?”
That earned Bronwyn a sharp look. “Some.”
“And you must have a very fine nose,” Bronwyn said.
Agatha looked at her askance.
“I mean,” Bronwyn said hastily, “you must be able to smell if a food isn’t right, pretty much straight away.”
“Ah. Yes, I can. I have an excellent nose and a strong sense of smell,” Agatha said.
Bronwyn said thoughtfully, “Then why did you not notice the sheep’s head in the room?”
Agatha’s mouth dropped open. “I…”
“You said it yourself, you have an excellent nose. Surely, you would have noticed something smelled odd?”
“Well, I didn’t. I mean—”
“And you mentioned the floor. Why would anyone have left food on the floor? Like you said, there’s the danger it would attract animals. Mice and rats are common enough, but in the empress’s bedchamber, I doubt anyone would leave food out.”
Agatha leaned back. “I don’t… That is…”
“I think you did smell something. You have a fine nose, don’t you? So how could you not have smelled a rotting sheep’s head from a few feet away?” Bronwyn asked.
“I…” Agatha gave a triumphant grin. “I didn’t sleep there that night.”
“She’s lying,” Lady Susanna said. “She did. And it was odd too. I’d slept there two nights ago, so it was my turn, but she said she’d do it, to be closer to the empress. I remember.”
Heads turned to Agatha.
“She’s confused. Such a sweet lady. She doesn’t know what she’s saying.”
“You’re wrong. I remember.” Lady Susanna’s face turned pink.
Lady Alice spoke up. “So do I. I was there too, if you recall. Agatha did volunteer to sleep in the empress’s chamber for a second night, which I thought was odd. How strange it was that the sheep’s head was put there and you never noticed a thing.”
The empress added, “I too, know Mistress Agatha was there that night. I awoke to her snores more than once.”
More heads turned toward Agatha, who paled. “I was asleep. Why would I notice something like when I was asleep?”
“That is exactly why I wished to have my ladies near me at all times,” the empress said. “So you would wake and catch someone if they were acting against me. Why did you not notice?”
“Especially when you said it yourself, you have such an excellent nose?” Bronwyn said.
“I… I… may have been mistaken, “Agatha started.
“Out with it,” Lady Alice snapped. “You killed that sheep, didn’t you? You stole the head and put it in the empress’s bed.”
“No. No, I didn’t! I swear,” Agatha said.
Bronwyn shook her head at Lady Alice.
“She didn’t?”
“No,” Bronwyn said.
“Then who?” Empress Maud asked.
“The same person who, like me, discovered Mistress Agatha was faking being sick that night with the so-called ‘poisoned’ chicken. But he demanded you help him, didn’t he?”
“No. You’re wrong. I was sick. It was poisoned. You all saw it. I was very ill,” Agatha said, her voice rising.
Bronwyn rounded on her. “You’re lying. The chicken was fine. I tasted it and didn’t get sick. I didn’t die. I’m still here.”
The empress glared at her taster. “Mistress Agatha? Is what she says true? You lied about being poisoned?”
“No. No, I didn’t. I didn’t,” Agatha pleaded. “I…”
“She decided to give you a scare,” Bronwyn said. “But it wasn’t her idea to put the sheep’s head in your bed. She was a pawn. It was on the order of someone else.”
“Who?” Empress Maud asked.
“It was—” Agatha said, just as a servant ran into the room.
It was a boy, his face pale. He cried, “We found the squire, Your Grace. He’s dead!”