Free The Tarnished Chalice by Susanna Gregory Page B

said Cynric gloomily, crossing himself. ‘Stabbed in this very room. Right there, in fact, and you can still see his blood to prove it.’
    Bartholomew looked to where the book-bearer was pointing and saw a sinister stain beneath one of the beds. He went to inspect it, noting that although an attempt had been made to scrub it away, not much effort had been put into the task. He wondered whether it had been left for a reason – perhaps as a warning to others, or because whoever had been detailed to clean the mess had had an aversion to the blood of a murdered man. People could be superstitious that way.
    Suttone continued his lecture on cathedral government. ‘And under Vicars Choral are Poor Clerks, who serve the altars, act as recorders for Chapter meetings, bring the dove and so on.’
    ‘Bring the dove?’ echoed Bartholomew, bemused.
    Suttone shrugged. ‘I am not sure what it means, either, but it is an official post, just like my cousin John’s proper title is Clerk to Rouse the People.’
    ‘I suppose that means stopping folk from falling asleepduring services,’ surmised Cynric. His expression was one of sympathy. ‘It sounds an onerous duty.’
    ‘Why did you appoint Aylmer as your Vicar Choral, and not your cousin?’ asked Bartholomew curiously. ‘I imagine a kinsman would expect to be promoted under such circumstances.’
    ‘I did not want to be accused of nepotism,’ explained Suttone. ‘However, Aylmer is just a family friend, which is slightly different.’
    ‘He seemed a decent fellow,’ said Michael, not pointing out that it was only very slightly different. ‘Your cousin John.’
    Suttone raised his shoulders in a shrug. ‘I barely know him. However, he belongs to a city guild, and I do not approve of those. They tend to condone debauchery.’
    ‘The Guild of Corpus Christi certainly does,’ said Michael. ‘When we were looking at Flaxfleete’s body, I saw at least three men slumped unconscious across the table.’
    ‘Dead?’ asked Suttone uneasily.
    ‘Drunk. I could hear them snoring – and Flaxfleete was the only one who imbibed from the toxic barrel, anyway. They were lucky he was a selfish fellow who declined to serve his friends before drinking himself. And they are fortunate that John took his time filling the jug. Had he been quicker, there would have been more casualties than just Flaxfleete.’
    ‘You said they accused Ursula de Spayne of tampering with the keg,’ said Suttone. ‘Do you think they were right?’
    Michael finished the tonic with a grimace. ‘It is possible, but it would have been a very stupid thing to have done on her part. The dispute between the Spaynes and the Guild seems very bitter, and Flaxfleete’s acquittal has done nothing to soothe the antagonism. Ursula and her brother will be the first suspects any sheriff will explore.’
    ‘Anger often drives people to do foolish things,’ saidBartholomew. ‘However, I can tell you that being afflicted with Holy Fire does not make people dash off and burn their enemies’ storerooms – and I am astonished Sheriff Lungspee thinks it did.’
    ‘So is Spayne, I imagine,’ said Michael. ‘We shall have to be careful when we go to see him tomorrow, and—’ He stopped speaking as someone came to hover near them, as if uncertain of his welcome. ‘God and all His saints preserve us! Is that Richard de Wetherset?’
    A heavyset man with iron-grey hair stood in the shadows. He was dressed in a habit that indicated he had taken major orders with the Cistercians, although the robe was of excellent quality and suggested he did not take too seriously his Order’s love-affair with poverty. He was also portly, indicating he did not practise much in the way of abstinence, either. Because it was not a face he had expected to see in Lincoln, it took Bartholomew a moment to place it. De Wetherset had been the University’s Chancellor before he found the duties too onerous and had fled to a quieter life in the Fens.