A Mortal Bane(36)

Winchester flushed slightly. For all his worldliness, he kept the rules: He was abstemious in food and wine; he never touched a woman. Magdalene did not know whether he had ever had a woman, but if he had, it must have been when he was very young and not yet consecrated as a priest.

“That is not according to common knowledge or theological precept,” he said.

“No.” Magdalene laughed. “That is from a whore’s own experience, my lord. I assure you I never lusted after men, and as soon as I could, I ceased from receiving them. I am afraid your authorities rest more on the desire of men to justify themselves than on the perception of reality. We are all sinners, my lord, but whores more than any others are totally free of the sin of lechery.”

[page]Henry frowned and glanced away. “They commit the act of lechery.”

“Yes, my lord.” Magdalene sighed. It was not worthwhile to continue to press her point and perhaps strain the bishop’s friendship. He might think about what she said and find some compassion for her poor sisters—or he might not. “And as for what you said of William of Ypres,” she said, “you are quite right. William is not a patient or gentle person, although he has always been very kind to me. He does not suffer correction gladly. He would be more likely to burn down the priory than to give up his satisfactions if Brother Paulinus preached at him. Oh, he would be sorry later…perhaps….”

Winchester laughed, then sobered. “I am no condoner of sin. I do not like what you do, Magdalene. I do not like my part in it—” He uttered a small self-derisive snort. “Although I like the rent you pay well enough. But it is not for the rent that I look aside from your trade. Worse might follow if great men like William—or others—seized by force what they desired. Feud would follow. War. The destruction of all hope of peace and order in which men can look to God.”

“Lesser men need a vent, too, my lord. If they had not the common stews, there would be many more honest maidens seized and raped.”

The bishop sighed. “That, too, is true. But body as well as soul is endangered; men die in or near the stews—”

“But not in or near my house!” Magdalene said firmly. “That is why my clients pay many times the rate of a common stew, because they know their persons, their purses, and their secrets are safe with us. We are sinners in sins of the flesh, but not in other ways.”

“So I have heard from my bailiff, and from the sheriff also. Your house has a good reputation. Not a single complaint has been lodged against you, at least not by men who have used your services. There have been some complaints by those who were not accommodated.”

Who? Magdalene wondered, suddenly worried. Who had complained against her? But she dared not spend any time in thought just now. She would keep the matter in mind. Her middle felt hollow. Surely it could not be someone wishing to injure her that had killed Baldassare?

She forced the idea out of her mind. “I promised you, when you offered me the Old Priory Guesthouse, that there would be no noise, no brawling, no scandal of any kind. Those who are refused are men who would beat my women, desire unnatural acts, disturb my other clients with gross drunkenness, or cause a riot in the street.”

“I agree it is in your interests to keep a quiet, orderly house. How far would you go—”

“Not as far as murder, my lord!” Magdalene exclaimed indignantly. “And I would not choose such a man as Messer Baldassare to kill. My woman, Sabina, wept when she heard he was dead. She said he was gentle and merry. That means a great deal to such as we. She said it was unfair that the murderer should escape scot-free while the blame was placed on the easiest scapegoat. I swear on my life, on the soul I may yet redeem by contrition, that neither I nor any member of my household is guilty of this abomination.”