The Elephants of Norwich Read Online Free PDF Page B

Richard. He is just as harsh in his judgement of you and it does him no good. If you must woo me, do so by telling me about your own virtues and not about the supposed vices of others.’
    ‘The lord Richard’s vices are established fact.’
    ‘I’m already aware of them.’
    Mauger Livarot pursed his lips to hold in any further comment. Taking a deep breath, he spread his hands in a gesture of apology. The lady Adelaide was right. He would make more headway by emphasising the positive aspects of his own character than by listing the negative attributes of his rival. Long before his wife died, the marriage had crumbled, not least because of his repeated infidelity and his long absences abroad. Though there were mercenary instincts involved as well, he saw a union with the lady Adelaide as a means of atoning for the mistakes of his first marriage. She would be altogether more outspoken and self-possessed than her predecessor. As he now reminded himself once again, she was also considerably more beautiful and gracious. Infidelity would no longer be a factor.
    ‘I offer everything that I have, my lady,’ he said. ‘And everything that I am.’
    She was direct. ‘I’d look for more honesty than you’ve so far shown.’
    ‘Honesty?’
    ‘Yes, my lord,’ she continued, pointing towards the window. ‘You claim that you’re on your way home from a day’s hunting yet none of your men have any carcasses with them. You travel empty-handed. Was it such a poor day in the forest or am I the only prey you seek?’
    ‘You’re no prey,’ he assured her.
    ‘Then why invent this tale about hunting?’
    ‘It was no invention. The truth is that we hunted this morning. I thought it a pretty excuse to gain admission to your home. Forgive me, Adelaide. It was a small deception.’
    ‘Small deceptions hold the seeds of larger ones.’
    ‘You’ll have no cause to doubt my honesty.’
    ‘None at all?’
    ‘You have my word on it,’ he said, rising to his feet. ‘Put me to the test.’
    ‘I will,’ she replied, watching him closely. ‘When you first arrived, you said that you’d heard about the theft from the lord Richard’s house but you didn’t know exactly what was taken. A little later, you mentioned that gold had been stolen and, when I told you about the elephants, you knew that they were two in number. How?’
    Mauger Livarot weighed his words carefully before replying. ‘If you want a straight answer, my lady, you shall have one.’
    ‘I’d appreciate that.’
    ‘My steward’s name is Drogo,’ he said airily. ‘He’s a resourceful man who acts as my eyes and ears. Drogo has a friend who’s employed in the household of Richard de Fontenel. By that means, I get to know almost everything that occurs under his roof. In short,’ he added with a smirk, ‘I follow the rules of combat.’
    ‘Combat?’
    ‘I keep a spy in the enemy camp.’
    ‘Oh,’ she said with astonishment. ‘I see.’
    ‘You did ask for honesty.’
    Ralph Delchard was impressed with the way that they were received. Everything was in readiness. As soon as they entered the castle, the sheriff himself greeted them. Servants were on hand to conduct the guests to their respective apartments while their escort was taken to lodgings in the bailey by one of the guards. When his wife was safely bestowed in their chamber, Ralph went off to speak at more length to their host. Gervase Bret joined the two men in the hall.
    ‘A fine castle,’ observed Ralph. ‘Well-sited and heavily fortified.’
    ‘Yes,’ replied Bigot. ‘Of necessity we keep our defences in good repair. Raiding parties have a habit of sailing up the River Yare. In time, of course, we’ll replace the timber with stone and make Norwich Castle into an even more impregnable fortress.’
    ‘There’s