Free The Poisoned Chalice by Bernard Knight Page B

visit Exeter. If we find a good suspect, then they will try him.’
    The sheriff scowled: it was the same dispute, over and over again. ‘If I find a suspect tonight, John, I will hang him tomorrow – that I promise you.’
    â€˜And I’ll put the noose around his neck myself!’ added Rifford, still quivering with emotion.
    John glowered at his brother-in-law. ‘Let’s leave this argument until we set it before Hubert Walter, shall we? There are more pressing matters at this moment.’
    They were standing in the main hall of the house, outside the door to the small room used by Christina. This opened and Dame Madge appeared. She beckoned to the coroner, who went in and half closed the door.
    The nun from St Katherine’s Priory at Polsloe was a forbidding woman, tall and gaunt with a hard, bony face that was at odds with her dedication to healing and the care of the unfortunate. She was the senior of the nine nuns who lived there under the rule of the prioress and, in spite of her stern appearance, was a fount of kindness and compassion. Though she acted as the infirmarer at the priory, dealing with any type of affliction, her main reputation was as a midwife. Her services were often sought by women in Exeter and the nearby villages, especially in difficult births. Now she pulled the coroner aside at the door and spoke to him in a low voice. ‘There seems little doubt that she has been violated, Sir John. I have not yet looked at her intimately, but what do you need to be proved for your legal purposes?’
    John looked across at the bed, then shut the door firmly on the sheriff, who was trying to eavesdrop. ‘We will have to ask her what happened, and if she knows who did this dreadful thing – but I must also have proof that she has indeed been ravished, by confirming a flow of blood from her private parts. That is the law.’
    The nun, in her black Benedictine robe topped by a flowing white veil, nodded gravely. ‘She will hate all men within sight for some time – perhaps even her father – so it is best if you stay outside and leave her to her aunt and myself. I will inform you of what I find.’
    John knew that Dame Madge had forgotten more about female conditions than he was ever likely to know, but he pleaded, ‘I must have some material proof of defilement, such as torn and bloodstained clothing.’
    â€˜I will see what there is to see,’ said the nun, gently pushed him out and closed the door.
    In the hall, Henry Rifford’s sense of hospitality overcame even his seething anger and distress, and he motioned that coroner and the sheriff to the great fireplace, where they stood and warmed their backs while he fetched some wine and Italian glasses for them. In a stilted imitation of normality, the three men sipped silently for a few moments, until Christina’s father suddenly slumped on to a bench and began to sob quietly, his head in his hands. John and Richard de Revelle stood in embarrassment, not knowing what to do or say, until the coroner went across and laid a hand on the leather merchant’s shoulder in an attempt to comfort him.
    Rifford raised his haggard face. ‘If only her mother had lived – she needs a mother at a time like this. My sister is well meaning, but she is a silly old fool. Letting the girl go out alone at night, damn her!’
    â€˜Shall I ask my wife to come to sit with her?’ asked John, confident that Matilda, for all her many faults, would not hesitate to come to the aid of a family in distress.
    Richard felt obliged to match his brother-in-law’s offer. ‘My lady, Eleanor, too, would undoubtedly be happy to help, Henry, but she is at our manor at Revelstoke, many miles away.’
    The portreeve wiped his eyes and gulped his thanks, agreeing that another mature woman might be helpful, after the nun had left. A servant was called and dispatched to Martin’s Lane with a