Canon Simon stood by the window in the abbot's chamber and looked down into the cloisters below. It was a pleasant sunny day. The birds were chirping and the monks were sitting on the grass, reading and chatting amongst themselves. Simon wished he could go out and join them but William was obsessed by finance. He was muddling through the bursar's report, trying to make sense of it.
'People refusing to pay heriot. Where's the problem? That's owed to us. Whenever a householder dies, his estate has to pay dues. The law is very clear on that.'
'Richard Vowell does not agree.'
'What's that got to do with it?' William's face reddened. 'The man is of no significance.'
'The point he is making is that heriot refers to the return of military supplies loaned to a knight by his lord. Vowell argues that it is reasonable for a knight's widow to return things loaned to her husband but the same does not go for his own property. He claims that Duke Humphrey is sympathetic to that argument.'
'Humphrey is a spent force.'
'He's still a very powerful man.'
'Aye, Simon, but not for long. He does not have the king's ear and that Cobham woman hangs round his neck like a touch of the pox. She'll ruin Humphrey just like that Lambert woman will ruin the almshouse. They're as alike as two peas in a poxy pod.'
'Have you got any further evidence against the matron?'
'I'm building up a case and when the time's right I'll present it. We'll have Alice de Lambert on a charge of heresy before I'm finished.'
'It will be May Day soon,' Simon observed. 'That is a favourite time for witchcraft and other abominations.'
'Aye,' William smiled. 'And, of all the abominations, the maypole is the worse. It attracts the followers of Satan … those who seek to defile the sacraments of Holy Mother Church and put its teachings to nought.'
'The maypole dance could provide some excellent opportunities to learn the identity of these people,' Simon said. 'Perhaps some loyal members of the community could be encouraged to attend and report back to us … for a suitable reward, of course.'
William rocked back in his chair. 'Don't worry about that. My spies will be there in various guises. I don't doubt they'll gather enough information to keep the summoner busy for a long while. I've told them to keep a special lookout for prominent members of the town, particularly those associated with the almshouse.'