The Bishop Must Die by Michael Jecks Page A

asked.
    ‘There is only one thing we can all do,’ Bishop Walter said, ‘and that is prepare for war. Do you return home and see to your men, sir. You may have need of armed force before long. When the array is commanded, I am sure that the king will ask Sir Hughde Courtenay to take charge with me of this part of the country, and I will wish to delegate the task to you, so that I myself can ride to the side of the king. It is where I should be,’ he added quietly.
    He could not meet Baldwin’s eyes.

Church of the Holy Trinity, Teigh
    Richard de Folville winced as he clambered upright. Kneeling to pray was painful since that bastard’s whelp had come to visit. Ranulf Pestel, he called himself. Well Richard called him Rancid Pestilence. The shit! Richard’s leg was sore, his chin ached where he had been knocked down, his belly was still bruised, and his back hurt where Ranulf’s men had kicked him as he lay on the ground, angry that there was no evidence of his guilt.
    ‘Little brother, you look as though you’re worn out after a long night’s swyving a bishop’s slattern.’
    Richard nearly jumped out of his skin. Turning, he saw his brother Eustace. ‘What are you doing here, you fool!’ he hissed. ‘Don’t you realise that half the country is looking for you? The men from Kirby Bellers have been here already. They half-kicked me to death, and if they find you, what will happen then?’
    ‘Calm yourself, little brother. You worry too much. If God wanted us to be caught, He’d have sent us to hell the day we killed Belers. That bastard deserved to die, and God Himself knows it.’
    ‘He may do, but Ranulf Pestel doesn’t.’
    ‘Who is he?’
    ‘A man-at-arms who served Belers. He was here two days after, and he threatened me, trying to find out where you were.’
    ‘And you didn’t tell him?’
    Richard looked at his brother with exasperation. ‘I didn’t know,’ he said, walking with a hobble to the door. Peering out, he could see Eustace’s horse, a few yards away, and two more men on horseback. ‘What will you do?’
    ‘Oh, I shall keep quiet, and when it’s safer I—’
    ‘Don’t you understand yet? It’s not just a local squabble! Belers was a king’s official – a baron of the Treasury! His men,and Despenser’s, are all after us now. There is nowhere to go in the king’s realm. Brother, you will be found and killed!’
    ‘And if that happens, so be it. Richard, you are the man who is supposed to be telling me of the wonderful life to come. What is the matter with you?’
    ‘The matter with me is that you should run away. Go abroad, perhaps. To France, or Flanders. There are many nobles who would be happy to have your sword at their side. Don’t stay here and get killed. It would be shameful.’
    ‘It would be more shameful to run and hide,’ his brother growled.
    ‘Better to live than die,’ Richard said. ‘Find a ship to take you over the water. You can make a new life.’
    ‘You are most keen to dispose of me, brother,’ Eustace said.
    ‘You haven’t seen these men. They have no respect for God’s House; they will kill even a priest for fun.’
    ‘They were harsh with you, then?’
    ‘Very. Look at this.’ Richard lifted the hem of his robe.
    The bruises stood out lividly against his pale flesh, and suddenly Eustace’s face altered. ‘They did this to you? What were their names?’
    ‘I only know the leader – Ranulf Pestel. A big man, strong and cruel. I thought that he was going to kill me when he started, but they only knocked me down and kicked me a few times. It could have been much worse.’
    ‘I will find him. And when I do, I’ll castrate the son of a whore for hurting you, little brother.’
    ‘Eustace! No! Look, he hurt me, yes – but it was only because he was frustrated in his search for you and the others. If you kill him too, you will have the full might of the king’s men on your backside. You will never be able to escape them. Just leave me