Crown in Darkness

would have made sure of that when you visited him.' 'So where are these gloves?' jibed Benstede. 'Oh, you made sure they disappeared,' Corbett replied. 'I looked at the list of goods and chattels belonging to Seton. There was no mention of any gloves. I am sure you had them removed. The rest is quite simple,' Corbett continued. 'The poison was transferred to Seton's fingers and, when he ate, the poison acted quickly. You are right to say that poison leaves little trace upon a body but it does halt the corruption of the corpse and I noticed this when I opened Seton's tomb in St. Giles' graveyard. Of course,' Corbett said emphatically, 'you wanted to remove any interference in your plan and that included me. When I arrived in Edinburgh you immediately became suspicious, so you showed me the draft of your letter to King Edward. You wanted to find out if the King had sent me, that is why you told him about me. If I had objected to such an innocuous statement then you would have had immediate satisfaction. Even so, the King would be curious and puzzled and probably order Burnell to recall me. As matters stand, I suspect the Chancellor has intercepted your letter and, if Edward ever gets to know that I am in Scotland, Burnell will fabricate some acceptable and reasonable explanation. Naturally,' Corbett added, 'you were alarmed at my interest in Alexander's death, so you brought along that old fool of a royal physician, MacAirth. He had examined the royal corpse and found nothing amiss. You thought he would calm all my anxieties. Of course he did not. The old fool, carried away by his own arrogance and a skinful of wine, babbled on and left me more curious. Even so, before this happened, you had already decided I was too dangerous. The night the Council held a banquet in the main hall of the castle, you, or Aaron, used the fight which broke out there as a cover to assassinate me. You have never taken a drug, I suspect, and neither have I, Master Benstede, until I arrived in Scotland.' Corbett looked at Benstede's pasty face but continued remorselessly. 'I was given a drug miles away from here but in a place you might feel at home in. Under its influence, I remembered standing by the pillar at that banquet and seeing Aaron glaring at me through the crowd, I now know he tried to kill me and when you saw me talking to Erceldoun, you decided he would have to die as well. Just as you tried to kill me on four occasions.' 'That is preposterous!' broke in Benstede. 'Erceldoun was a soldier. He was strangled, garrotted in St. Giles Church! No one would suspect me of having the strength to kill such a man, even if you imply that Aaron was my accomplice!' 'Oh, you are right,' Corbett smilingly replied. 'The coroner's report stated that Erceldoun was going down to St. Giles to see a priest. You are that priest, Master Benstede. A good friend of the late Patrick Seton, Erceldoun would not expect to meet his death at your hands. That wretched man entered the church of St. Giles and you were awaiting him at the entrance to the chancel. You possibly suggested that you wished to talk to him about the events on Kinghorn Ness? Perhaps a prayer for the late King or for the unfortunate Patrick Seton? Erceldoun would kneel, close his eyes, you would begin to pray aloud while you slipped the garrotte round his neck. It would not take you long. When I opened his grave I inspected the weal round his neck and saw the indentations caused by the very cord you now wear round your waist!' Benstede looked down in surprise and nervously fingered the knotted, tasselled cord round his middle. 'Very few people,' remarked Corbett, 'wear such a cord with similar knots. I noticed it the night of the banquet. You used that on Thomas Erceldoun and it left its own unique imprint upon his throat.' Corbett looked at Benstede, who was beginning to regain his composure as he realised the Scots could do little whilst he answered to no one except the English king. 'Really, Master Corbett,' he said softly, 'the only person who should have died was you with your searching questions and inquisitive ways.' 'You certainly tried,' Corbett tartly replied. 'In fact your attempts, or rather one of them, convinced me of your guilt. The dagger thrown in the hall could have been an accident or the work of the French.The attack on the road from Leith and later near Dalmeny Ford might also have been the work of outlaws, the French or the Bruce faction. But the same could not be said