Brother Cadfael 16: The Heretic's Apprentice

deliberation, "to help us in a certain matter which has arisen here this morning. Wait but a moment, there is one more has been summoned to attend."
    He came in at that moment, circumspectly and in some awe of the tribunal before him, but not, Cadfael thought, ignorant of its purpose. There was no open-eyed but unintimidated wonder in Conan's weathered, wary, rosily comely face, and he kept his eyes respectfully upon the abbot, and never cast a glance aside at Elave. He knew what was in the wind; he came prepared for it. And this one, if he discreetly showed no eagerness, displayed no reluctance, either.
    "My lord, they told me Conan is wanted here. That's my name."
    "Are we now ready to proceed?" demanded Canon Gerbert impatiently, stirring irritably in his stall.
    "We are," said Radulfus. "Well, Jerome, bring in the man Aldwin. And Elave, stand forward in the centre. This man has somewhat to say of you that should be said only in your presence."
    The name alone had jolted both Fortunata and Elave, even before Aldwin showed his face in the doorway, and came in with a resolution and belligerence that were not native to him, and probably cost him an effort to maintain. His long face was set in lines of arduous determination, a man naturally resigned and timorous bent on going through with an enterprise that called for courage. He took his stand almost within arm's length of Elave, and jutted an aggressive jaw at the young man's shocked stare, but there were drops of sweat on his own balding forehead. He spread his feet to take firm grip on the stones of the floor, and stared back at Elave without blinking. Elave had already begun to understand. By her bewildered face Fortunata had not. She drew back a pace or two, looking searchingly from one man's face to the other, her lips parted on quickened breath.
    "This man," said the abbot evenly, "has made certain charges against you, Elave. He says that last night, in his master's house, you gave voice to views on matters of religion that run counter to the teachings of the Church, and bring you into grave danger of heresy. He cites these witnesses present in support of what he urges against you. How do you say, was there indeed such talk between you? You were there to speak, and they to hear?"
    "Father," said Elave, grown very pale and quiet, "I was there in the house. I did have speech with them. The talk did turn on matters of faith. We had only yesterday buried a good master; it was natural we should give thought to his soul and our own."
    "And do you yourself, in good conscience, believe that you said nothing that could run counter to true belief?" asked Radulfus mildly.
    "To the best that I know and understand, Father, I never did."
    "You, fellow, Aldwin," ordered Canon Gerbert, leaning forward in his stall, "repeat those things of which you complained to Brother Jerome. Let us hear them all, and in the words you heard spoken, so far as you can recall them. Change nothing!"
    "My lords, as we sat together, we were speaking of William who was newly buried, and Conan asked if William had ever taken Elave with him down the same road that got him into straits with the priest, those years ago. And Elave said William never made any secret of what he thought, and on his travels no one ever found fault with him for thinking about such matters. What are wits for, he said, unless a man uses them? And we said that it was presumption in us simple folk, that we should listen and say Amen to what the Church tells us, for in that field the priests have authority over us."
    "A very proper saying," said Gerbert roundly. "And how did he reply?"
    "Sir, he said how could a man say Amen to damning a child unchristened to hell? The worst of men, he said, could not cast an infant into the fire, so how could God, being goodness itself, do so? It would be against God's very nature, he said."
    "That is to argue," said Gerbert, "that infant baptism is unneeded, and of no virtue. There can be no other logical end of such reasoning. If they are in no need of redemption by baptism, to be spared inevitable reprobation, then the sacrament is brought into contempt."
    "Did you say the words Aldwin reports of you?" asked Radulfus quietly, his eyes on Elave's roused and indignant face.
    "Father, I did. I do not believe such innocent children, just because baptism does not reach them in time before they die, can possibly fall through God's hands. Surely his hold is more secure than that."
    "You persist in