While Richard was praising John Baret for his handling of the bishop, John was on his way to the almshouse with his wife, Elizabeth, and Harald Gascoigne. John had agreed to accompany Harald to the Dorchester assizes and had asked to see the evidence Alice was gathering to refute the Knowles' case.
The old almshouse consisted of three buildings crammed on a small block. Alice occupied the smallest. It was where she had her infirmary and kept her records. On that cold winter's day, John and his two companions squeezed up the narrow stairs to her room. He found a place to sit with Elizabeth. Harald remained standing.
The Gascoignes were a tall family, like many members of their class, and ceilings of humble dwellings were rarely high enough for them. Harald crouched in the gap between two beams, removed his eyeglasses from their pouch and peered at the documents laid out for his inspection. While he was occupied, Alice provided a brief summary for Elizabeth's benefit.
'You will recall that the Gascoigne's insisted on a special clause in the marriage contract. It stipulated that no child of Judith's should inherit if it were born out of wedlock.'
'And, the Knowles claim that William is a bastard?'
'They claim he is the son of Harald's younger brother, Guy. If they are to be believed, fourteen-year-old Guy and fifteen-year-old Judith were lovers.'
'Can they substantiate that?'
'They have two witnesses. One is their nephew, Henry Knowles. The other is Catherine de Lambert, a relative of mine.'
'Can we refute them?'
'I think we can.' Alice produced a strip of parchment. 'This is a certified copy of an entry in the baptismal register of Saint Paul's Chapel on the Knowles' estate. It is dated three days before Christmas, in the third year of the reign of Henry the Fifth, and records the baptism of an infant. The names of the parents clearly identify the child as Henry Knowles. There is even mention of him being named in honour of King Henry and his victory at Agincourt.'
She handed the document to Harald who placed it in a leather folder.
'The baptismal record shows Henry was six or seven when Harald's former wife, Judith, allegedly told him she lost her maidenhead to Guy. The jurors will be asked to believe that a fifteen-year-old girl would somehow divulge such an intimate secret to a seven-year-old boy.'
Alice produced another strip of parchment.
'This refers to the baptism of Catherine de Lambert. Unfortunately, it shows that she was born in the same year as Judith.'