Prince of Darkness

noble family disgraced some forty years earlier. How many nuns at Godstowe, never mind barons at the King's court, would recognise the Deveril motto?'
    'But this Marie would speak fluent French.'
    'As do you,' Corbett replied. 'As well as others in this benighted place.'
    Agatha stepped closer, covering her head with her hood against the drops of rain which dripped from the overhanging branches of the oak tree.
    'Oh, Hugh,' she whispered, 'the King was right. You may be squeamish but always so logical.'
    'Perhaps I am not,' Corbett answered tartly. 'Marie Savigny or Deveril was murdered in the forest of Godstowe and you appeared in the priory at the same time. Perhaps I should have deduced something immediately from that coincidence. But, of course, Marie Savigny was awaited. She arrived and Godstowe expected no one else.' Corbett's voice trailed off.
    'Oh, come, Hugh,' she murmured. 'Don't blame yourself. The woman was a foreigner, travelling under a false name, with no clue as to her real identity. Who would suspect that a pious nun like myself could be guilty of such an act?' She tossed her head. 'And if they did, who would care? Marie planned treason, whilst I enjoy the King's protection.' She smiled. 'I never intended to stay long enough for anything to threaten me. So there's no real mystery!'
    Corbett raised his hand and touched the ruined oak behind him.
    'You are right. This is where the real mystery begins. You came here to watch the Lady Eleanor and make sure she did nothing foolish, such as escape or cause scandal at the English court. How alarmed you must have been to discover she was receiving secret messages from some mysterious adviser, who also promised he would arrange her escape from Godstowe! Now, on the Sunday she died, Lady Eleanor abruptly broke with custom, refusing to go to Compline, and someone as alert as you must have seen the secret preparations she had made.' Corbett's hand went back beneath his cloak to the dagger. 'So you went along the corridor to her room. The door was locked but the Lady Eleanor could trust Dame Agatha, who was ever solicitous for her happiness. She let you in, and the rest…' Corbett stared up, noting how the autumn sun was beginning to pierce the heavy mist 'Like the professional assassin you undoubtedly are, you broke her neck. Quite simple, I understand, for a skilled murderer. A matter of touch, of knowing where to hold and quickly turn,'
    The woman's hands suddenly appeared from beneath her cloak. Corbett steeled himself but Agatha only moved the wisps of blonde hair from her forehead. She cocked her head slightly to one side, staring at Corbett, a slight smile on her lips as if he was telling her some merry jest or interesting tale.
    'You are a clever clerk,' she replied with an air of mock innocence. 'You really are. But you forget – I was in the sacristy preparing for Compline.'
    'Oh, I am sure you were,' Corbett retorted brusquely.
    'And remember,' she quipped, 'Dames Martha and Elizabeth recalled seeing Lady Eleanor walking in the grounds below their window just before Compline.' Agatha's eyes rounded in wonderment 'So,' she murmured, 'how can a woman be dead and at the same time walking, waving her hands and talking?'
    'They saw someone. They thought they saw the Lady Eleanor cloaked and hooded, but of course it was you. After you bad slain the lady, you took one of her cloaks as well as the ring from her finger. Now suitably disguised, you went downstairs and into the grounds towards the priory church. Dame Martha indeed, as I suspect you were hoping she would, saw you and called out You turned, shouted something back and waved your hand. Both Dames Elizabeth and Martha were deaf, so whatever you said or how you said it would not cause any alarm. Moreover, being old and poor-sighted, they could not distinguish you from Lady Eleanor. After all, you and the dead woman bore a passing resemblance, being young, fair-haired, and of course you wore her cloak and ring.' Corbett smiled. 'Remember, people see what they think they should see.'
    'But what would have happened if someone had met me?'
    'But who would dare approach the aloof Lady Eleanor? The Lady Prioress was in church, the other nuns preparing for Compline, and it was only a short walk. Once you reached the sacristy door at the back of the church, you took off and hid both robe and ring and entered the sacristy as Dame Agatha, the dutiful nun. You have established, at least in the eyes of others