They were in the Julian. Richard had just joined them from All Hallows where the vicar had posted a bill, issued by Bishop Neville, announcing a public meeting. Parishioners were invited to voice their grievances. The bishop named certain persons as dissidents and said he would determine what measures should be taken to resolve their differences with the abbey.
'Why are we listed as dissidents?' John asked.
'Because you put up that font and paraded round it,' Betty said. 'You didn't make a secret of what you was doing.'
'What about Jonnie Baret and his lot?'
'They're helping the bish put things right.'
'How do you know that?'
'Sister Alice told me.'
Betty pulled Richard's copy of the bill away from the pool of wine that was spreading towards it.
'Alice said she'd discussed it with the mole. He reckons the bish is none too impressed by Billy Bradford ... thinks he's a bit of a dill.'
'Alice and the mole are seeing a lot of one another,' John grinned. 'Do you think they're having it off?'
'Their relationship is purely Platonic,' Betty said.
'What does that mean?'
'It means they are not having it off ... they're just good friends.'
The reply produced a chorus of laughter.
Richard brought it to a close.
'We have to decide what we're going to do.'
Walter Paskuly looked up from his drink.
'You mean ... do we present ourselves at the inquiry?'
'Right first time.' Richard slapped him on the back. 'Is there anyone else who would like to add to Master Paskuly's penetrating observation?'
Thomas Draper raised a hand.
'What will it involve if we present ourselves?'
'Not much.' Richard grinned across the table. 'You'll just have to go up to the lord bish and whisper in his ear "I'm a poor shopkeeper. For reasons you'll never understand, I got it into my head to buy a font and erect it in All Hallows so we could baptise babies and cheat you and your mates out of a whole lot of money." '
'I don't think I'm prepared to do that.' Thomas said. 'There's too many ways they can get back at us.'
'Quite right.' Richard flicked a crumb at him. 'For the moment, they've got the upper hand. They make the laws and set the taxes. We'd be stupid to meet them head on. We'll send observers and keep well out of it.'
***
Harald scraped a fungus from a fallen branch and placed it in a basket. He wasn't accustomed to manual work and it was a novelty to help Alice collect medicinal herbs. Elsewhere, beneath the trees, servants of the almshouse and the more active residents were helping with the autumn harvest. It was late afternoon and the sun was low in the sky. Alice joined him with a basket of hips that she had gathered from a nearby hedgerow.