As soon as Alice had gone downstairs, he took Hilda into his arms and kissed her languorously, somehow being able to assure himself that this was merely brotherly affection. Eventually, she managed to draw breath and pushed him away gently, sitting down again on her chair and pointing him to the bench.
'And how is Nesta?' she asked pointedly, though with a smile that told him she was teasing. Mentally throwing the little devil of temptation from his shoulder, John said she was very well, though in fact he had seen little of his Welsh mistress these past few weeks, as a succession of deaths and court cases had kept him out of Exeter more than usual.
Evading the subject, though Hilda and Nesta had met a number of times and enjoyed each other's company, he made solicitous enquiries about Hilda's health and happiness.
Though he had cuckolded Thorgils for years, he had been very discreet about it and came to Hilda only when the older man was away on his voyages. He wondered now what the blonde beauty would do, as she was still comparatively young and, having inherited her husband's house, treasure chest and his three ships, was a rich enough widow to attract many suitors. Though her origins were humble enough, as the daughter of a manor-reeve, her marriage to a well-known and affluent ship owner now lifted her many rungs up the social ladder.
'I have no plans, John. I am content for now to live in this fine house. I attend the church diligently and spend much time with the families of those shipmen who died with Thorgils in the Mary and Child Jesus.'
The ship had been repaired after being wrecked and now formed part of the trio of vessels that Hilda had brought to John and Hugh de Relaga's partnership. De Wolfe was curiously relieved to hear that she was in no hurry to find a new husband, even though he had no thoughts of taking up with her again. At least, he firmly suppressed such thoughts, even though the nearness of such an attractive woman gnawed away at his self-control. They talked away pleasantly for some time, finishing the wine and pastries, until John reluctantly felt that he should drag Gwyn from the alehouse and make their way down to see his mother at Stoke-in-Teignhead. With a final hug and a long kiss, he broke away and, with a promise to see her again soon, left in a slight daze of amorous longing. As he loped back to the tavern, he had a rare moment of introspection, wondering how such a hard bastard as himself, veteran of years of campaigning, could become so soft and sentimental over women - or, to be more exact, two particular women.
CHAPTER FOUR
In which the coroner visits the Bush
John de Wolfe did not in fact get to see his family at their home manor that day. When he reached the alehouse, he found - wonder of wonders - Gwyn standing outside, staring at the small estuary where the stream poured out across the beach into the sea. The tide was now right out and the vessels were high and dry, tilted over slightly on their flat keels. He realised from the low water that he had been with Hilda much longer than he had anticipated.
'We could easily get across the ford at Teignmouth,' said his officer. 'But we'll not get back again! By the time you reach Stoke and have a decent talk to your kin there, the tide will be in full flood on the return journey. We'd never reach Exeter before curfew.'
There was no argument with this, as it would take too long to go up the Teign on the other bank to the first bridge and then find the inland road back to the city. Resignedly, John went with Gwyn to get their horses and soon they were back on the road. This time they avoided Kenton and went over the marshes to the ferry, where they and their horses were carried across the Exe to Topsham on what was little better than a large raft. They reached Exeter's South Gate much earlier than John had expected, and rode straight up to the castle, where de Wolfe decided to call on the sheriff and bring him up to date on events.
Henry de Furnellis was a veteran of even more wars than de Wolfe, a big man of sixty with a face like a sad hound, jowls hanging below his chin. He had been sheriff previously, as when Richard de Revelle was suspended two years earlier he had been appointed for a short time as a stopgap, until de Revelle was reinstated. After Richard's second dismissal, de Furnellis was again wheeled in, but he fervently hoped that it would be for a short time, as he wished to return to retirement at his manor near Crediton. Most of his time was occupied with sorting out the finances of the county, which was one of the sheriff's main responsibilities on behalf of the king. During his predecessor's shrievalty, de Revelle had deliberately obscured the true accounts, as part of his methodical embezzlement. The other prime task, the maintenance of law and order in Devon, Henry was content to leave to the coroner, even though it was not strictly his duty.
John found the grizzled knight in his chamber at the side of the large hall that occupied most of the lower floor of the keep. Below was the dismal undercroft, which was both the castle prison, storehouse and quarters for Stigand, the obese gaoler and torturer. Above the hall were various rooms for clerks and living accommodation for Ralph Morin, the garrison commander, for Rougemont had been a royal castle ever since it was built by William the Bastard after the 1068 rebellion.