The Midwife's Tale(80)

“We’re fine,” Will called to them. “Help me get Lady Hodgson inside.”

Martha met us at the door and cried out in shock at my appearance. I caught a glimpse of myself in a mirror and understood her reaction, for I looked as if the attempt on my life had succeeded. Mud and blood covered my clothes, my hat was gone, and my hair hung down in strands around my face. Hannah heard the commotion and raced down the stairs, still in her shift. She paled when she saw me and raced back upstairs for towels. Martha took me by the arm and led me to the parlor.

“What happened?” she asked urgently.

“Lady Hodgson was attacked,” Will said. “She’s fine, but it was close.”

Before we could say any more, Hannah returned with the towels. Will retreated to the front entry hall as she helped me out of my clothes and dried me off. Hannah told Martha to fetch me a glass of wine and went upstairs for a clean shift and bandages for my hand.

“Martha, I’d rather have barley water. I think I’ve had enough wine for tonight.”

Once Hannah had finished binding my hand and getting me dressed, she allowed Will back into the room. He had dried off as well, and Hannah had found him a change of clothes that had belonged to Phineas. He sat on the sofa next to Martha, and the three of us tried to make sense of the evening’s events.

“Did you see who it was?” Martha asked.

“He attacked us from behind, and between the rain and dark, it could have been the devil himself and I’d not have recognized him. As I told Lady Bridget, he could handle a sword tolerably well.”

“Do you think you hurt him?” she asked.

“Maybe,” he said. “My sword had some blood on it, but thanks to the damned pig I don’t know whose it was. Whoever it was could be dead already or in an alehouse plotting against us.”

“And even if you wounded him seriously, we might not be any safer,” I said. Will looked at me in confusion. “It could also have been a paid assassin. Between Charles Yeoman, the Lord Mayor, and Rebecca Hooke, there are plenty of people who might be behind this attack, and all of them have the means to hire a killer.”

“What are you talking about, Aunt Bridget?” Will cried. “Charles Yeoman? The Lord Mayor? Why would they want to kill you?”

As quickly as I could, I explained the course of our investigation into Stephen Cooper’s death and the variety of suspects we’d found. “Mr. Yeoman admitted that he would not have hesitated to kill Stephen if he thought it would save the city. Lorenzo Bacca said that the Lord Mayor would be furious if I did not agree to change my judgment on Esther, and he as much as told me he’d attack me away from my house. And with the garrison overflowing with mercenaries, the Lord knows that neither Mr. Yeoman nor Rebecca Hooke would have to look very hard to find a murderer for hire.”

“We also need to ask if it might have been Tom,” Martha said.

“Why would he want to kill me?” I asked. “He came to York for you.”

“You humiliated him, and he needs no reason beyond that. Also, if he killed you, I would have no protection and would be an easy target. Perhaps he thinks that if you died at his hands, I might rejoin him, and the two of us could loot your estate. He has several reasons and needs only one.”

“It might not have been any of these people,” Will said.

“Surely you don’t think it was a common robbery,” Martha objected.

“Of course not. But how many people know you are looking for the apothecary who sold the ratsbane that killed Stephen Cooper?”

“We spoke to a few of apothecaries but then asked them to tell others of our search,” I said. “Richard Baker is smart enough, so he likely knows. By the time everyone finished talking, half the town would have known.” I sat back, dismayed. “Whoever killed Stephen Cooper now knows we are close to finding him. We spent the afternoon tying nooses around our own necks.”

“And it won’t get better soon. If Stephen Cooper’s murderer is willing to attack you on a city street, he must be desperate. They can’t hang him twice, so he has nothing to lose. He’ll try again,” Will said.

“Then the best thing we can do is see him hanged as quickly as possible. Will, you should stay here tonight. Tomorrow morning we’ll return to Penrose’s shop and catch him when he is still abed.”

* * *

I awoke early the next morning and went downstairs. Hannah and Martha had already begun their day’s work, and I slipped into the parlor to read in my Bible without disturbing them. I heard heavy footsteps and a man’s voice and knew that Will had risen. I finished my portion and found Will in the kitchen, wolfing down oatmeal and bread with butter.