'Why's that unfortunate?' Elizabeth asked.
'Judith told Catherine her unborn child was Guy's not Harald's.'
'How do you know?'
'Ralph Knowles has been making inquiries.'
'Who's he?'
'The monk who's painting the sign for the Julian Inn. He says that Catherine is prepared to testify in court.'
Harald scrutinised the document.
'Are you sure the date is correct?'
'Catherine is only a few years younger than me. I knew her as a girl. She would be about the same age as Judith.'
'Would she be regarded as a reliable witness?'
'I remember her as a flighty sort of girl.'
'So one flighty girl told another flighty girl about her sexual adventures,' Elizabeth smiled. 'My advice is that you dismiss it as girls' talk … something that shouldn't be taken seriously.'
'That might not be prudent,' Harald cut in.
'Why's that?'
'Our case rests on the premise that William is a true and proper heir, incontrovertibly born in wedlock, in accordance with the stringencies specified in the marriage contract. My parents insisted that a clause to that effect be included when the contract was drawn up. Knowing the sexual dalliances of the Knowles family, it seemed a sensible thing to do at the time.'
'But Roger Knowles surely doesn't doubt that William is his nephew.'
'He doesn't care. He has no interest in the boy. The marriage was to strengthen a partnership. My father and Roger's father were once good friends. Later, they fell out. As far as Roger is concerned, William is Judith's bastard and he wants her dowry back.'
'What are these stringencies you talked about?'
'My parents wanted to be sure that the heir would be a true Gascoigne and not the offspring of some casual acquaintance of my wife. So they specified that if she behaved in any way that cast doubt on the legitimacy of her child then the child would be denied the right to inherit. The Knowles inserted a clause to say that if Judith died without legitimate issue then her dowry would be returned to them.'
'That does make it rather difficult,' Elizabeth agreed.
'It makes it extremely difficult,' Harald's voice hardened. 'That is why it is so important to discredit the testimony of any witness Roger Knowles might bring before the court.'
A movement outside caused Alice to leave the table. She walked quietly to the door and threw it open. An old woman stood there.
'What are you doing, Sarah?'
'I didn't mean no harm.'
'That's not what I asked.'