The Tolls of Death: (Knights Templar 17) Read online

  THE TOLLS OF DEATH

  Michael Jecks

  Copyright © 2004 Michael Jecks

  The right of Michael Jecks to be identified as the Author of the Work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

  Apart from any use permitted under UK copyright law, this publication may only be reproduced, stored, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means, with prior permission in writing of the publishers or, in the case of reprographic production, in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency.

  First published as an Ebook by

  Headline Publishing Group in 2014

  All characters in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  Cataloguing in Publication Data is available from the British Library

  eISBN: 978 1 4722 1978 7

  HEADLINE PUBLISHING GROUP

  An Hachette UK Company

  338 Euston Road

  London NW1 3BH

  www.headline.co.uk

  www.hachette.co.uk

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  About the Author

  Also by Michael Jecks

  Praise

  About the Book

  Dedication

  Acknowledgements

  Cast of Characters

  Author’s Note

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Michael Jecks gave up a career in the computer industry to concentrate on his writing. He is the founder of Medieval Murderers, has been Chairman of the Crime Writers’ Association, and helped create the Historical Writers’ Association. Keen to help new writers, for some years he organised the Debut Dagger competition, and is now organising the AsparaWriting festival for new writers at Evesham. He has judged many prizes, including the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger. Michael is an international speaker on writing and for business. He lives with his wife, children and dogs in northern Dartmoor.

  Michael can be contacted through his website: www.michaeljecks.co.uk.

  He can be followed on twitter (@MichaelJecks) or on Facebook.com/Michael.Jecks.author.

  His photos of Devon and locations for his books can be found at: Flickr.com/photos/Michael_Jecks.

  Also by Michael Jecks

  The Last Templar

  The Merchant’s Partner

  A Moorland Hanging

  The Crediton Killings

  The Abbot’s Gibbet

  The Leper’s Return

  Squire Throwleigh’s Heir

  Belladonna at Belstone

  The Traitor of St Giles

  The Boy-Bishop’s Glovemaker

  The Tournament of Blood

  The Sticklepath Strangler

  The Devil’s Acolyte

  The Mad Monk of Gidleigh

  The Templar’s Penance

  The Outlaws of Ennor

  The Tolls of Death

  The Chapel of Bones

  The Butcher of St Peter’s

  A Friar’s Bloodfeud

  The Death Ship of Dartmouth

  Malice of Unnatural Death

  Dispensation of Death

  The Templar, the Queen and Her Lover

  The Prophecy of Death

  The King of Thieves

  No Law in the Land

  The Bishop Must Die

  The Oath

  King’s Gold

  City of Fiends

  Templar’s Acre

  Praise

  ‘Michael Jecks is the master of the medieval whodunnit’ Robert Low

  ‘Captivating … If you care for a well-researched visit to medieval England, don’t pass this series’ Historical Novels Review

  ‘Michael Jecks has a way of dipping into the past and giving it that immediacy of a present-day newspaper article … He writes … with such convincing charm that you expect to walk round a corner in Tavistock and meet some of the characters’ Oxford Times

  ‘Great characterisation, a detailed sense of place, and a finely honed plot make this a superb medieval historical’ Library Journal

  ‘Stirring intrigue and a compelling cast of characters will continue to draw accolades’ Publishers Weekly

  ‘A tortuous and exciting plot … The construction of the story and the sense of period are excellent’ Shots

  ‘This fascinating portrayal of medieval life and the corruption of the Church will not disappoint. With convincing characters whose treacherous acts perfectly combine with a devilishly masterful plot, Jecks transports readers back to this wicked world with ease’ Good Book Guide

  About the book

  The seventeenth novel in Michael Jecks’s medieval Knights Templar series.

  Summer 1323: in the Cornish village of Cardinham, a penniless young woman is found hanged alongside the bodies of her dead children. Passing through the village on the final leg of their long journey home, friends Sir Baldwin de Furnshill and Bailiff Simon Puttock are detained to investigate.

  Simon and Baldwin quickly discover the young woman’s death is not an isolated incident. And as the escape of a traitor threatens to embroil the country in a new civil war, they must look beyond friendships and family loyalties to find an evil killer – and secure the safety of Cardinham and all who dwell there.

  This book is for Mark, Sarah, Laura and Emilia with thanks for all the music.

  Acknowledgements

  First and foremost, I have to thank my wife Jane and my daughter, for tolerating my hibernation during the writing of this story, while all about me the house fell apart. Luckily my wife is an angel who is capable of controlling builders.

  My thanks also to the champion chippie, Kieran, the amazing disappearing plumber, Martin, the specialist sparkies, Andy, Laurence and Tony, and the perfect plasterers, Andy and Peter for all of them working so efficiently that I was able to work all the time they ripped my house apart around me.

  Finally I must thank Amy Philip for her help and support in the production of this book during the interregnum.

  Cast of Characters

  The Travellers

  Sir Baldwin de Furnshill Once a Knight Templar, Sir Baldwin is a keen seeker of truth and justice as a result of witnessing the destruction of his Order. He is married to Jeanne, whom he misses greatly on this journey.

  Bailiff Simon Puttock Baldwin’s oldest friend, Simon is responsible for law and order on the moors of Dartmoor, the tin-mining areas. He has been on pilgrimage with Baldwin to Galicia and is desperate to return home.

  Ivo A groom, Ivo has been sent with the two travellers to look after their hired hors
es and bring the latter safely back to the inn at Bodmin.

  Sir Jules This young knight is new to his duties as Coroner, and leans heavily on the experience of his older and wiser clerk, Roger.

  Roger Clerk to a succession of Coroners.

  Cardinham’s Inhabitants

  Adam A young and immature priest, Adam is nonetheless dedicated to his flock, and is alarmed when he learns there is a murderer in their midst.

  Alexander The Constable of the Peace for the vill of Cardinham, Alexander is determined to improve his own and his family’s wealth. He can never forget how devastated his father was when his mother died, and how the family lived in desperate poverty ever afterwards. Fond of children, his own marriage is sadly barren.

  Lady Anne Although her husband is not a knight or squire, Anne is called ‘Lady’ by all who know her, as though she was genuinely the lady of the castle. She arrived at Cardinham one day while on her way to Exeter, and as soon as Nicholas saw her, he set his heart on winning her hand.

  Aumery The older of Serlo and Muriel’s children, Aumery is nearly four years old.

  Gervase The steward at the castle, Gervase is responsible for the farming in the manor, as well as the courts and rents.

  Hamelin The younger of Serlo and Muriel’s children, Ham is eight months old.

  Iwan The old blacksmith, who has seen and heard much during his long lifetime.

  John Priest at the little church up at Temple, John owes his position to the help of Sir Henry of Cardinham, but he is a reluctant recipient of Sir Henry’s support.

  Julia A young widow, Julia cooks and cleans for the other priest, Father Adam. Although there is nothing in his or her behaviour to merit censure, she is looked down upon by some who assume she provides additional services.

  Letitia Alexander’s wife is of better birth than him, but his astuteness with business attracted her. Her only disagreements with him involve his brother the miller, Serlo, whom she considers a fool and a wastrel.

  Muriel Serlo’s wife, Muriel is a generous, calm woman who is devoted to her children. She is careful with her husband, because he can too easily flare up in anger, especially when he has been drinking, but she wouldn’t dream of leaving him.

  Nicholas While Sir Henry of Cardinham is absent, which he has been for many years, having other more profitable manors nearer the centre of power, Nicholas the castellan has responsibility for the defence of the castle and manor.

  Richer Born in Cardinham, Richer left in 1316 when his family all died in a fire. Now he has returned to work as a man-at-arms in the castle.

  Serlo Serlo was spoiled when young by his older brother Alexander: there was nothing he desired that Alex wouldn’t procure for him. Now he is a moderately successful miller, and is pleased with his two sons.

  Susan The alewife at the tavern in the vill, Sue is attracted to Richer and Warin, but keeps her feelings in check. She’s always nervous of falling in love with another wastrel like her husband – now, fortunately, gone. He ran away with a serving wench three years ago and she hopes he’s dead.

  Squire Warin Arriving with a letter of introduction from Sir Henry of Cardinham, Warin is viewed askance by other members of the castle’s team because he remains aloof from them, preferring the company of Richer. A quiet, observant fellow, he carries some authority but appears happier to listen than comment.

  Author’s Note

  I had great fun thinking of the possible routes by which Simon and Baldwin might have returned from the Scillies to their homes* in Devon, but the main thing for me was the idea that they might become embroiled in the turbulent politics of their times. Not the greater politics which are so often portrayed – the disputes between the King and his most senior advisers – but the lower level of politics i.e. how Edward II’s arguments affected his realm, and how people even hundreds of miles away from his court in London could get caught up in national affairs.

  These were fraught times. The famine was still a recent event, and all could remember the horror of it; everyone had friends or family who had died. In the aftermath, there was what we would now probably call stagflation, with economic failure. Many people fled from their old homes seeking new lives in towns and cities, although poor Richer in my story had a more pressing reason to leave his vill.

  For a more in-depth look at the period, I can heartily recommend Michael Prestwich’s excellent The Three Edwards: War and State in England 1272–1377 – a well-researched book which helped me no end, and Ian Mortimer’s superb The Greatest Traitor, which starts with one of the key events in my novel, the escape of Roger Mortimer from the Tower of London.

  For many centuries Mortimer’s life has been glossed over, with his period of control mentioned in one brief sentence between the death of Edward II and the accession of Edward III. Since Edward III had a much more interesting reign even than his own father – since it encompassed the plague, the beginning of the Hundred Years War, and his fabulous military victories – it’s possibly no surprise that Mortimer has been left as a footnote to history.

  But he was not merely some treacherous bandit who sought to overthrow his King and take power. Mortimer’s was a much more convoluted fall and rise. His ancestors had always been loyal servants of the Crown. It was his grandfather who, in 1265, found Hugh Despenser, a loyal supporter of de Montfort, King Henry III’s enemy, on the field of Evesham and killed him.

  In years to come, the Mortimers remained devoted supporters of their Kings, and were always included amongst the royal companions – a situation which came to an end during the dismal reign of Edward II.

  Early on, Mortimer had been a close associate of the King. His position was weakened when Edward grew infatuated with Piers Gaveston, but even during that period, Mortimer remained loyal, and was gradually given more power and authority. When the people of Bristol revolted during the Tallage of 1316, it was he who laid siege to the city and recaptured it. He was also shown to be a competent commander, both when he captured Llywelyn and halted the Welsh revolts, and during his Irish campaigns as well.

  While Mortimer flourished as Lieutenant of Ireland, the power of his worst enemy, another Hugh Despenser, was growing apace in England. By 1321 Despenser’s authority was pivotal to the whole realm. Any man who wished to speak to the King and petition him had first to win Despenser’s support. And that meant money. He was an atrocious man, utterly without mercy when seeking his own advantage.

  Mortimer, the monarch’s most loyal servant and warrior, was imprisoned in the Tower for raising his flag against Despenser along with the Marcher Lords. However, Despenser was not stupid enough to believe that he ever would be safe while his most bitter enemy lived. He persuaded the King that Mortimer must be executed. When Mortimer heard that he was due to die in August 1323, he broke free on the first day of that month.

  That famous escape led to a series of panicky messages, sent to all Sheriffs and other keepers of the law throughout the realm, to apprehend and hold Mortimer, whether dead or alive. On hearing of the man’s flight, the King had gone into a rage. Mortimer was one of his best generals – exactly the sort of man who could raise an army in rebellion and seek to wrest the kingdom from him. For Mortimer the spoils would be vast.

  This was the land to which Simon and Baldwin returned from their pilgrimage to Compostela in 1323. Their country was rent by divisions: the King and his friends seemed all-powerful and undefeatable, while they ravaged the nation. Despenser was rapacious, grabbing lands, castles and treasure. He would capture anyone, even widows, in order to extort what he wanted. He set himself up as the ruler of most of Wales, controlling vast swathes of land, and with his mastery of the King, he not only took plenty of money in bribes, he also prevented any news which reflected badly on him from reaching Edward’s ears. In an environment similar to the Soviet state, all were suspicious of each other. Few would dare to state their opposition to the King because to oppose him was to invite death and destruction. King Edward II had already slaughtered hi
s own cousin, Earl Thomas of Lancaster, and hundreds of others after the short-lived campaign leading to Boroughbridge.

  Yet in a place like Cornwall, so far removed from the politics of the court, the peasants wouldn’t have worried themselves quite so much. They had their own battles to fight, making sure that the harvest was safely brought in, keeping weasels and stoats from their chickens, protecting their piglets from foxes and their lambs from magpies and crows, praying, always praying, that God would not send another famine to devastate the land and kill off all their children.

  This was a time of total insecurity. The King was weak, his nation under attack from the Scottish, from his own people, and from the elements. He gave his support to one group of thieves for whom the law meant nothing, at the expense of another. Because, make no mistake, Mortimer was little better than Despenser, just as Despenser himself was no better than his own predecessor, Piers Gaveston. When Roger Mortimer later grabbed the reins of power, sadly he was just as greedy and vengeful as Despenser had been.

  However, at least he had the honour to have tried to live by his oaths to the King, until Edward himself turned his face to another. Who can tell what sort of a man Mortimer might have been if the King hadn’t first been disloyal to him?

  Cardinham is, thank heavens, by-passed by the A30. The village is a pretty little place in green and rolling countryside with views to the moors of Bodmin beyond. From the moors east of Temple, the real isolation of the place can be imagined. During the winter, this area would be more or less cut off from all the rest of Cornwall, and even in summer, the roads and lanes must have been atrocious. Only carts or packhorses would have been available for transport; nothing in the way of decent wagons could have coped with the hills and the mud.