Gwen
While Rhys stayed behind with Iago, Aron, and Cadoc to finish digging up the treasure, Siawn, Saran, Gareth, Evan, and Gwen took Old Nan back to the monastery. Gwen was relieved the mass hadn’t ended, so they didn’t have to bring Old Nan through a crowd.
Once inside the main gate, Gareth and Evan led Old Nan towards the guesthouse, which had a large common room that would serve as their interrogation chamber for now, and Gwen ran to the entrance to the church. The vestibule was deserted except for men of Hywel’s teulu, and she approached Rhodri, who was standing guard at the entrance to the nave. “I’m looking for Meleri.”
“Who?”
Gwen gritted her teeth in frustration. Most of the people from Gwynedd who’d met Meleri yesterday had been left back at Old Nan’s place. Then Gwen spied Richard de Clare, who was standing just inside the entrance to the nave, rather than up at the front with the other lords. She sidled up to him. “Have you seen Meleri?”
Richard raised his eyebrows, giving every indication that he was ready for adventure once again, and tipped his head to the right. “She’s standing among Dinefwr’s servants.”
This group was clustered at the back of the nave, the few of them that were still alive, since their ranks had been hard hit by the poison. Gwen didn’t see Meleri at first, but then she turned her head, in the way people do when they’re being watched, even though Gwen had done nothing to draw attention. At the sight of Gwen, Meleri smiled beatifically and waved like Tangwen might.
Gwen waved back, motioning that Meleri should come to her, and when she reached Gwen, she whispered. “Do you like my dress? Caron gave it to me.”
“It’s lovely,” Gwen said sincerely. There was no point in disturbing Meleri’s equilibrium and a great deal to be gained by keeping it. The mass was ending anyway, and as Meilyr raised his voice in song, the people began to follow Abbot Mathew and a line of monks out the door that led to the graveyard rather than the courtyard. Gwen caught Meleri’s elbow. “Come this way with me.”
Meleri followed happily, crossing the courtyard to the guesthouse. Her cheerful demeanor remained until just across the threshold, when she faltered at the sight of Old Nan sitting in a chair pulled out from the long table.
Gwen, who was holding Meleri’s elbow, spoke to her gently. “It’s all right. She can’t hurt you.”
Old Nan glared across the room at Meleri, proving without a doubt she could see just fine.
“What’s going on here?” King Cadell spoke from behind Gwen.
Gwen turned to see the king with Richard, who gave Gwen a sheepish look, implying it was his fault the lords were here instead of at the burial.
“We’ve found your murderer, my lord,” Gwen said, moving with Meleri to one side to allow him to enter. “You’re just in time to hear the story.”
A quarter of an hour later, the guest hall common room was full of angry men suffering through various shades of disbelief as Gwen and Gareth took turns relating each step of the investigation, up to the finding of the treasure in Old Nan’s garden. Siawn, backed up by Saran, even came forth and spoke of the Daphne, the nature of its poison, and what would have been needed to turn the berries to poison.
All the while, Old Nan glared at all and sundry in angry defiance.
Cadell planted himself in front of her. “Who do you work for?”
She laughed up at him. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”
Cadell backhanded her across the face, an act that was met with shocked silence by everyone else in the room. She was a murderer and a liar, but everyone had spent years thinking of her as a blind old woman. “Tell me!”
Old Nan pressed her wounded cheek to her shoulder and didn’t answer. Her hands were tied behind her back, but if they hadn’t been, Gwen was sure she would have made a rude gesture at the king.
Gwen had sat Meleri in a chair by the fire, and after Siawn had finished his part of the story, he’d hurried off to his workshop to find the salve for her rash that Gwen had promised her earlier. Even Cadell, whose face was as red as the fire, knew better than to shout at Meleri, and so he allowed Gwen to put the first questions to her. “How did you hurt your hands?”
“There was a plant,” Meleri said immediately. The exchange between Cadell and Old Nan had widened her eyes, but the display of violence directed at Old Nan appeared to have made her less afraid of the older woman rather than more. “Old Nan had me help her collect the berries. She didn’t want to touch them.”
Gwen could see why. “What did she do with them?”
“I don’t know.”
“Did you do other things for her, Meleri?”
“I put a vial in Meicol’s pack.” She smiled, proud of herself. “And I gave him a tart.”
“A tart Old Nan made?”
She nodded. “I told him I made it, though.”
“Why would you tell him that?”
“Old Nan told me to.”
Gwen glanced quickly around the room. Several of the men were standing with their hands to their chins, well aware of the significance of what Meleri was telling them. “Did Meicol know about the treasure, Meleri?”
She frowned as she thought. “I don’t know.”
“How did Old Nan find out about it?”
“I don’t know.” Then Meleri smiled sweetly. “I did a good job helping her move it though.” She looked up at Gwen, her eyes bright. “She’s not really blind, you know.”
“So we gathered,” Gareth said dryly.
Gwen shot him a quelling look and then turned back to Meleri. “I’m sure you were very helpful. This was from Alban’s cellar to her garden?”
Meleri nodded. “So many pretty things.” She brightened again. “She gave me my own tart as a reward, but I don’t like currants, so I didn’t eat it.”
Gwen’s breath caught in her throat, knowing how close to dying Meleri had come.
Meleri went on, unaware of the horror in the room. “I didn’t tell her because Caron says when you tell people you don’t like something they give you, it makes them feel bad.”
“Caron is right.”
“She also says it’s wrong to take other people’s things or reveal their secrets.” Meleri smiled up at Gwen. “I keep everybody’s secrets, don’t I?”
“You do.”
Meleri’s innocence was unfeigned and had all the men in the room believing every word she said. Her story, though very different from Barri’s, made perfect sense.
Then Gwen saw Gareth whisper in Evan’s ear. Evan nodded and left.
What they needed now was Old Nan’s story, and maybe that would finally tell them why Meicol had died. Barri hadn’t even known he was involved. To that end, Cadell planted himself in front of Old Nan. “We have enough to hang you now, and believe me I will if you don’t talk.”
“You will anyway.”
“Perhaps.” Cadell canted his head. “You are a spy, and if your master wants you badly enough, I might have the need to ransom or trade you instead.”
Equally with hanging, that would be a Norman thing to do. Rhys moved to his brother’s side. “Tell us what you did, Nan. You kept yourself hidden all these years for a reason. For someone. Who?”
Nan’s eyes narrowed at the young prince. “I’ve always said you were too clever by half.”
“So are you, apparently,” Rhys said. “Come on. What do you have to lose? Tell us what you did and what you planned. Let us see how clever you were. You certainly pulled the wool over our eyes all these years.”
Nan laughed mockingly. “I did that.” Her eyes went past Cadell and Rhys. “Where’s that smart young man from Gwynedd?”
Gareth raised a hand from where he was leaning against the wall, out of the way. “I’m here.”
“You’re the only one who guessed. Are you proud of yourself?”
“People are dead. Are you?”
Old Nan burst into laughter. Then she gestured with her head. “Look at all of you. So serious! So blinded! Yes, I gave the tart to Meleri to give to Meicol. Yes, I poisoned a castle full of people. Is that what you wanted to hear?”
“We want to know why,” Gwen said from beside Meleri.
Old Nan snorted. “Because I could! I volunteered!”
Gareth unfolded his arms and came closer. “Who do you work for?”
“Who do you think? Walter FitzWizo!” Then she cackled at the looks of consternation that crossed the faces of the people looking back at her. “You didn’t see that coming, did you? I was sent to spy on you, Cadell. And I did.”
Cadell lifted his chin. “You couldn’t save your lord from defeat.”
For the first time Old Nan deflated a little. “You kept that close to your chest, didn’t you? Brought in men from the outside to do your dirty work and put out that you were off to Chepstow.”
“I knew I had a spy in my midst. I just didn’t know who.”
“You should be dead.”
Cadell ran a hand through his hair. “When did you learn about the treasure?”
“Meicol told me. He followed Alban to it. He wasn’t sneaking around Caron.” She snorted. “He found the treasure and stole some coins he hoped wouldn’t be missed. He gave a few to me out of pity. Pity!”
Gareth stepped closer. “Meicol told you about the treasure, and you poisoned him and everyone else for it. Why didn’t you leave with it the night of the feast?”
“I meant to.” She spat on the ground in disgust. “I’d arranged with Lord Walter for three of his men to help me move it, but they never arrived.”
Gwen’s eyes widened. “You overheard Prince Rhys telling me about their deaths. That’s why you left when you did.”
“Smart girl.” Old Nan nodded. “Instead, I fetched Meleri from where she was hiding, and we moved the treasure to my garden that night. I didn’t dare take it farther, not with so many patrols on the road.” She canted her head. “Besides, I wanted the rest of it.”
Cadell’s eyes narrowed. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“Silver and gold plates and candlesticks are all well and good, but where are the gems? The coins?”
Cadell turned to look at Gareth. “You found none?”
“Not in the garden,” Gareth said (disingenuously). “If there was more at one time, it’s gone now.”
“Perhaps Caron can tell us what happened to it.” Evan strode through the doorway with Caron in tow. Her eyes were puffy from weeping, though it was unclear whether that was from her husband’s burial service or from being hauled to the guesthouse for questioning.
Evan led her towards a seat near Meleri and sat her in it. She didn’t look up, instead gazing steadily at her hands in her lap.
“Where’s the rest of the treasure?” Cadell was clearly fed up.
“What are you talking about?” Caron’s eyes were wide.
With more patience than Cadell, Gareth related how they’d arrived at the conclusion that there was more wealth than what Old Nan had buried.
“I don’t know! I mean—” Caron hunched her shoulders, “—we took a few things and a few coins, but not many. It’s like Barri and Alban agreed from the first: we had to manage it.”
“How many coins were there last you saw?” Cadell said.
“A king’s ransom.” She shook her head. “So I was told. I never saw any for myself. Alban didn’t like me to look at it. He was afraid someone would come upon it by accident, so he allowed the shed to decay and went there rarely, usually just to make sure it was still there.”
“And gems?”
“A hundred?” She frowned. “That’s what Alban said. He made a necklace for me out of one.” Caron brought it out on its long chain and showed it to Cadell.
He harrumphed and turned away.
Caron looked pleadingly at his back. “You think it was easy, acquiring that kind of wealth? How does one keep people from knowing? It was a bigger burden to sell it than to keep it a secret all these years. Every new dress I wore was talked about from here to Aberystwyth! Barri spent most of his share on clothes and that dagger.” Then her rising defiance was dispelled by a sudden burst of tears. “Did he use it to kill Sir Robert or my husband?”
“No,” Gareth said. “Neither was stabbed, and Barri was wearing it when we captured him. He prized it too much to murder Sir Robert with it.”
“We’ve heard rumors that he is the father of your child,” Gareth said.
“Who, Barri?” Caron’s head came up at last, horror in her eyes.
Gwen scoffed. “Not Barri. Sir Robert.”
Caron gaped at her. “He was my uncle! What do you take me for?”
Gwen let it go. It was the least of their concerns. “Could the men have buried some of the treasure elsewhere and not told you?”
“If so, I don’t know where.” Caron glared at Meleri. “I can’t believe you took it without telling me! I can’t believe you didn’t confide in me at all! You ungrateful wretch! After we took you in and everything.”
Meleri cowered before Caron. “Old Nan told me not to tell anyone, so I didn’t.”
Caron sniffed her disapproval. “Look where listening to that woman got you.”