Heartstone (Matthew Shardlake #5)(128)

Everyone was looking at the family now, in puzzlement and fear. The women rose from their cushions. Fulstowe stood and addressed everyone.

‘There has been – ’ he paused – ‘an accident. To Mistress Abigail. I fear she is dead. Sir Luke, would you please come with me?’

There were gasps and exclamations. ‘Please,’ Fulstowe said, ‘Master Dyrick, Master Shardlake, come too.’

I stepped forward. ‘Fulstowe, are there any servants who have been on duty waiting on the women the whole morning?’

Fulstowe considered, then pointed to a boy Hugh and David’s age. ‘Moorcock, you’ve been here all the time, haven’t you?’

The boy nodded, looking frightened.

‘Lad,’ I asked, ‘when did Mistress Abigail leave the clearing?’

‘About twenty minutes ago. I heard her tell Mistress Stannard she needed to go to the pissing place.’

One of the ladies spoke up. ‘She did, but she went in the wrong direction. The appointed place is over there.’ She pointed to a little path some way off.

‘Who from the hunting party was back in the clearing by then?’ I asked the servant.

‘Hardly anybody, sir. Sir Luke had returned, then Master Avery, who said the stag had turned at bay. I think everyone else came back after Mistress Hobbey left.’

Mistress Stannard looked at Fulstowe. ‘What has happened to her?’

He did not reply. I said, ‘Master Avery, would you come too?’ He rose, brushing bloody hands on his smock, and followed us back into the trees.



IN THE DELL bluebottles were buzzing round the wound on Abigail’s brow. Corembeck’s mouth dropped open. ‘Murder,’ he breathed. Dyrick for once said nothing, staring at the corpse in horror.

‘I thought it best to keep that quiet for now,’ Fulstowe said. ‘You, Sir Luke, are the magistrate. What should we do?’

‘Who found the body?’

I stepped forward. ‘My clerk and I.’

‘We must send to Winchester, for Coroner Trevelyan. At once.’ Corembeck put a hand to his brow, where sweat stood out.

‘Why is Avery here?’ Fulstowe asked me, nodding to the bloodstained huntmaster. ‘This is hardly appropriate—’

‘Because he knows these woodlands,’ I answered curtly. ‘Master Avery, there is something I would show you if you would follow me.’

I led the way to the place where the half-footprint was. ‘Yes,’ Avery said quietly. ‘He fired from here.’ He bent to a branch just in front of me; a twig was broken off, hanging by its stem. ‘See, this was in his way. He broke it, quietly enough not to disturb her.’ He looked at me. ‘I think this man was an experienced archer. Not one of the household servants or the villagers I have been training up. He – well, he hit the centre of his mark.’

‘Thank you.’ I led the way back to the glade. Abigail, who had been constantly fidgeting in life, sat horribly still. But as I stepped into the glade I saw someone else had arrived there. Hugh Curteys was in the act of picking up the flower Abigail had dropped. He placed it gently in her lap, then muttered something. It sounded like, ‘You deserved this.’



WHEN WE RETURNED to the clearing the stag had been brought in on the cart. It was left with the does, and a long procession of shocked guests and servants filed back to the house. David, still weeping, was supported by his father. Hobbey’s face remained blank with shock. Behind them Hugh walked with Fulstowe, saying nothing.

‘It could have been Hugh or David,’ Barak said quietly.

‘Or Fulstowe. Why, almost nobody from the hunt was back when Abigail left the clearing.’

Dyrick fell into step with us. ‘Avery’s wrong,’ he said. ‘It could have been someone from the village. So many young men practise archery nowadays. Older ones too. Well, we won’t be leaving here tomorrow,’ he added bitterly. ‘We’ll have to wait for the coroner. Me as Master Hobbey’s lawyer, you two as first finders. We’ll be here till the inquest. Damn it.’

Did he feel nothing for Abigail? I stared at him. ‘I want to see my children,’ he snapped.

You could have done it, I thought, you flounced off alone after Hobbey snapped at you. And you are an archer: you were talking about teaching your son.

Barak’s shoulders slumped. ‘I begin to wonder if I’ll ever see my child born now,’ he said sorrowfully. ‘I must write to Tamasin.’

‘And I to Warner.’

We arrived back at the house. As we approached the steps to the porch, the front door banged open and Leonard Ettis marched out, a frown on his face. He stopped and stared at the procession, the weeping David supported by the pale, shocked Hobbey.

Fulstowe strode over to Ettis. ‘What are you doing here?’ he barked.

‘I came to see you,’ he retorted. ‘To find out if your men still intend to enter our woods this week. Or try to. But there was nobody here but that savage-mouthed old cripple sitting in the hall.’

‘Mind your tongue,’ Fulstowe snapped.

‘Oh yes, watch what I say.’ Ettis laughed. ‘It’ll be a different story when I lead the village militia to fight the French.’

Barak and I exchanged glances. ‘Priddis,’ I said. ‘I had forgotten all about him.’