The Devil's Domain

to exploit any weakness. The St Sulpice and St Denis were captured by good luck and God’s good fortune. But, as the House of Secrets knows, Mercurius has done terrible mischief to our cause both here and abroad. A spy and an assassin, I wondered if he could be lured out into the open? When the prisoners began to die I knew I was correct. The French would kill them all, or some of them, until they believed they had avenged the insult. But the deaths themselves?’ Gaunt shook his head. ’They are a mystery to me.’
    ’Has Aspinall the physician arrived?’ Athelstan asked.
    ’Yes,’ Sir John replied. ’I asked for him to be confined in one of the upper chambers. He protested but he looks frightened enough.’
    ’Bring him down,’ Athelstan ordered. He patted the table next to him. ’Ask him to sit here.’
    Sir John left and, a short while later, brought in the physician. The man was visibly agitated, even more so when he realised whose presence he was in. He bobbed and scraped but Gaunt ignored him.
    ’Brother Athelstan,’ he gabbled. ’Is there anything wrong? I mean ..
    ’When a man is poisoned,’ Athelstan asked, ’how does the noxious substance work?’
    ’Why, Brother.’ Aspinall swallowed hard. ’It goes down to the gut and seriously disturbs the humours of the heart and the brain.’
    ’And is there any poison that I can take which will not harm me but, if you eat it, would kill you?’
    Aspinall wiped a bead of sweat from his upper lip.
    ’If there is, I have never heard of it, Brother.’
    Athelstan took out a small leather pouch from his writing-bag. He opened it and shook a number of very small, hard peas out on to the table.
    ’This is the paternoster pea,’ he explained. ’Also called the rosary pea. In Latin I understand they call it the Abrus precatorius. Master Aspinall, I would like you to take one.’
    Aspinall sat, hands in his lap.
    ’Take it!’ Gaunt urged.
    Aspinall, trembling, picked up a pea.
    ’Now, put it into your mouth.’
    ’Is it poisonous?’ the physician asked.
    ’What are you doing to do?’ Athelstan asked. ’I mean, when you put it in?’
    ’I’ll break it between my teeth.’ Aspinall swallowed hard. ’But, Brother, I beg you, for the love of God!’
    Athelstan smiled and took the pea back.
    ’Don’t take it,’ he said quietly. ’But, if you stay here, Master Aspinall, I am going to teach you something about medicine. Sir John. Bring the two prisoners down.’
    They sat in silence, Aspinall moving further up the table. There were sounds of footsteps outside and the two prisoners were led into the hall. Athelstan scooped the peas up and put them back into the leather pouch.
    ’Ah gentlemen, I wonder if you can sit beside me. I wish to share some information with you.’
    ’Are we in danger?’ Vamier asked.
    ’Pierre Vamier,’ Athelstan said, ’Jean Gresnay, would you please sit down.’
    The latter flounced down like a sulky girl. Vamier, his dark face wary, sat on the bench opposite. They glanced along the table. Sir John must have told them who was waiting in the hall but, apparently, they had both decided to insult Gaunt and his henchmen. Gresnay dismissed the physician with a contemptuous flicker of his eyes.
    ’You are both sailors,’ Athelstan began. ’Monsieur Vamier, where are you from?’
    ’Originally my parents hailed from Rouen . My father owned a boat. I fought against the Goddamns. I found it easy to take their ships at sea, as well as raid their coastline. It’s good to see towns like Winchelsea engulfed in flames.’
    ’And you, Monsieur Gresnay?’
    Gresnay simpered. ’I was raised by the sea. A small village outside Montreuil. My father was a wealthy fisherman. The English sank his craft and I was raised to do two things: plough the sea and kill Goddamns.’
    ’But you were captured,’ Athelstan taunted. ’Sir Maurice sank one of your ships and took the other captive, which is why you are here at Hawkmere.’
    ’Only through treachery,’ Gresnay sneered.
    ’I am afraid not,’ Athelstan replied. ’My Lord of Gaunt will take an oath that it was simply the fortunes of war.’
    ’That’s a lie!’ Vamier shouted.
    ’I am afraid, Monsieur, it’s the truth,’ Gaunt replied languidly. ’Your ships were taken in fair fight and you are prisoners here because the Goddamns beat you.’
    ’So, why murder us?’ Gresnay sneered.
    ’But no Englishman murdered you,’ Athelstan said. ’You see, both of you are