Saint Peter's Fair
Edith Pargeter
 13 June 1139. The feast of Saint Peter is important for Shrewsbury Abbey. A meeting of the monks is interrupted by Geoffrey Corviser, the town provost, and a delegation from the town's merchant guilds. They appeal to Abbot Radulfus for a share of the money raised by the fair as the civil war has taken a heavy toll on the town, parts of which need rebuilding. Radulfus listens sympathetically but his responsibilities to the monastery force him to adhere to the exact terms of the fair's charter, granted to the Abbey by the crown. Cadfael meets Hugh Beringar and his wife, Aline, who is with child. They talk of the war. King Stephen has the advantage, the Empress Maud has strongholds in the west of England and is abroad building support for a renewed attempt on the throne. Hugh mentions Ranulf, Earl of Chester, married to a daughter of Robert of Gloucester. Robert of Gloucester is half brother to the Empress. Earl Ranulf is powerful in his own right, and has not yet chosen to stand with one or the other in this war for the crown of England. 31 July 1139. Traders arrive from far and wide for the fair. Cadfael is called to translate for Rhodri, a Welsh merchant who speaks no English. While discussing the civil war Rhodri points out a glover, Euan of Shotwick. Euan, Rhodri says, is an "intelligencer" working for Earl Ranulf. Soon afterwards a boat arrives carrying Thomas of Bristol, a wealthy and important wine merchant. Rhodri notes that Bristol is in the west country, that Thomas is in "good odour" with Robert of Gloucester. Young men from the town arrive to cause trouble with the visiting merchants. Philip Corviser tries to convince them to support the town's cause. Thomas of Bristol dismisses the young men of the town as rabble. Pursue the debate, Philip places his hand on Thomas's arm, and Thomas strikes him with a staff. A riot breaks out. Philip regains his senses after the blow. He sees Thomas's niece, Emma, and is smitten by her beauty on the spot. Philip and his friends flee. Thomas and Emma are endangered by some rolling barrels. Emma is saved by Ivo Corbière, with whom she immediately falls in love. Hugh Beringar complains about his lot in life; dragging silly but basically good young men to prison. Cadfael speaks in defence of Philip Corviser, noting that he came only to speak, never threaten. They are interrupted by Emma searching for her missing uncle, Thomas of Bristol. Hugh, Cadfael and Ivo Corbière search for Thomas of Bristol as it is too dark for Emma to be on the streets. Corbière stumbles across his drunken and unconscious archer, Turstan Fowler, and leaves the search to carry him back to the Abbey. The search ends when a boat arrives with the naked body of Thomas of Bristol, who has been murdered with a dagger. Hugh, Aline and Emma discuss Thomas's death. It appears he was killed and robbed by sneak thieves. The young men of the town did not commit this crime as most were already in prison. Emma decides to continue trading at the fair as she believes her uncle would have wanted. Cadfael is charged to investigate the death by Abbot Radulfus who fears his decision not to aid the town may have led to Thomas's murder. At the hearing, Emma, Cadfael and Turstan the drunken archer, give testimony about what they witnessed in the confrontation between the young men and Thomas of Bristol. Turstan claims Philip issued threats against Thomas after the riot. Philip is ignorant of the merchant's death until Cadfael specifically mentions it. Philip protests his innocence of murder, continuing as prisoner to Sheriff Prestcote. Cadfael accompanies Emma back to her boat, which has been broken into and searched by someone. Emma at first says nothing is missing, then says that several small items she did not at first notice as missing are gone from her boat. Thomas's expensive robes are found, making theft an unlikely motive. Thomas's stall is broken into. Warin the ineffective watchman is bound, blindfolded, and gagged, and the strongbox stolen. The day's takings are safe on Emma's boat; the strongbox contains Thomas's business papers. Cadfael deduces that the murderer seeks something they believe Thomas brought with him. Emma knows more than she is telling. Emma wants to visit Euan of Shotwick, but stays with Aline instead. She wants a pair of gloves but Cadfael thinks she has another reason. Corbière visits Emma, for whom he seems to have romantic feelings. Emma visits her uncle's coffin in the Abbey, placing a rose in full bloom with his body, before the coffin is sealed by the carpenter. That evening, Cadfael notices a petal on the floor from that rose. Someone has searched the coffin. Early in the morning, Emma seeks out Euan, for the gloves she desires. His stall is not open. Others succeed in opening it. Euan is found dead inside by Cadfael and Rhodri, his neck broken. Hugh investigates the scene, finding a dagger in Euan's hand. The blade yields clues. Cadfael and Hugh piece together the situation. Thomas of Bristol and Euan of Shotwick were partisans or compatriots who had come to the fair to conduct secret business, involving an item of great value. A third man arrives, killing both of them and searching in vain for the item. Cadfael considers Rhodri as a suspect but his lack of English makes the Welshman unlikely. Philip Corviser is released before noon. After his parents celebrate his return, he visits Emma to thank her for her honest witness on his behalf. She still wishes to see justice done for her uncle. Philip tells Cadfael that he intends to retrace his steps of the evening of the murder to see if anyone set him up as a scapegoat for the murder. Cadfael speaks with Brother Mark, who tells him of a man who received treatment for a knife wound to the arm. The wounded man is identified as Ewald, a groom in the employ of Ivo Corbière. Cadfael believes that Euan injured his killer in the fatal struggle the night before. Cadfael informs Hugh. Together with Sheriff Prestcote and Corbière they confront Ewald, who shows his neatly bandaged arm at Beringar's request. When asked to show his cotte, he throws it in their faces, jumps on Corbière's horse and tries to escape. Corbière orders Turstan, who gave evidence against Philip at the hearing, to loose an arrow at Ewald, who is killed. Corbière justifies his actions, saying that his villein Ewald was a murderer and as his master, he had the right to administer justice. Cadfael reports to the Abbot, confirming Ewald was a murderer but warning that he does not think Ewald acted alone. Later Cadfael comforts Brother Mark, who is sorely distressed that someone whose injuries he recently tended was killed so soon afterwards. Philip questions his friends seeking to learn what happened during the evening he cannot remember. After being with them, he went to Wat's Tavern. Wat, the proprietor, tells him that Turstan came twice to the tavern, first just to look at the patrons. Philip was among those patrons. On second visit, Turstan drank only a single measure of ale, purchased a large bottle of hard liquor to carry away, and was sober when he followed Philip out of the tavern. Further, he was dressed in his proper clothes. Philip recalls that this is not what Turstan claimed when he gave evidence at the hearing, and not how he appeared. Later, seeking the place where he passed out from drink, Philip stumbles across the scene of Thomas's murder. Philip tells Cadfael and Hugh about his discovery. They visit the scene of Thomas's murder. Ivo Corbière offers to provide Emma with transport to her home in Bristol, saying he will be escorting his sister to a convent near Bristol from their Shropshire manor. Emma accepts, with Aline's approval for the brief time when Emma will travel unescorted with this single man. At the riverbank, Cadfael makes sense of the events of the last four days: Thomas arrived bearing something for the glover Euan. Turstan the archer followed Philip; once ensuring that Philip had no alibi, murdered Thomas. He established his own alibi by dousing himself in strong liquor, feigning unconsciousness. They view the place where Turstan was found unconscious. Servants clearing up after the fair have found the empty flagon of strong liquor. Cadfael realises that Ewald and Turstan acted on the orders of Corbière. Turstan had overdone it with his liquor alibi. When Corbière learned Turstan failed, he sent Ewald to search Thomas's boat while everyone was at the hearing. That same night Ewald and Turstan broke into Thomas's booth, again finding nothing. The next night they tried Euan's booth, killing him when he defended himself. Cadfael and Hugh approach Corbière, telling him they have discovered Ewald's role in Euan's murder. They have figured out Corbière's scheme to fool Ewald and order Turstan to attack him. Cadfael and Hugh both believe Emma to be safe with Aline, but Philip knows that Corbière has been visiting her. He is so horrified by what he hears that he rushes off to protect her. Cadfael and Hugh realise Philip is right. By the time they arrive at the Foregate, Emma has left with Corbière and Philip has stolen a merchant's horse to give chase. Aline tells them he has three hours lead, and is concerned at her own error of judgment. At Stanton Cobbold manor Ivo Corbière locks Emma in a room while he searches her baggage. She hides in her hair the small packet hanging round her neck, feeling unsafe both by the locked door and the nonappearance of his sister. Corbière returns, locks them both in the room, pockets the key and instantly changes tone. He demands the letter Thomas intended to deliver to Euan of Shotwick, the glover and spy. He threatens to strip her naked, even to rape her, to find it. Stalling, Emma asks what letter? She never admits she knows of any letter, and keeps the braiser between the two of them. Then she asks, what could be so important in a letter? Corbière tells her the letter is from Robert of Gloucester to Earl Ranulf, urging him to support the Empress's cause and naming fifty nobles in Stephen's camp who secretly support her. Corbière hopes the letter is worth an earldom to him. That is the price he will charge the King in exchange for the list of traitors. In a tense scene, Emma carefully removes the letter from her hair, unseen by the lordling just in front of her, to destroy it by fire in the room's brazier. Her uncle told her nothing of the contents, only that if not delivered it must be returned, and failing that, destroyed. To assure it burns, she pushes it into the fire, with her coif net attached inadvertently, at the cost of burning her hand. The hair net took fire rapidly, then spread to the wax-sealed letter. Corbière fails to retrieve the letter. She knocks over the unstable brazier, setting fire to the tapestries. Emma moves to the door, doing what she can to keep the fire from reaching her. She knocks and shouts, but cannot escape, since the door is locked. She lowered herself to breathe the air coming in under the door,slowly losing consciousness. Philip arrives to finds Corbière's manor ablaze with no servant willing to attempt a rescue. Instead, they bring out what goods they can save. Using an antique battle axe from the walls of the manor, Philip breaks down the door and rescues Emma. Hugh and Cadfael arrive. Cadfael tends to Philip's and Emma's injuries. Hugh arrests Turstan. He had not fled, thinking no one knew his role in the murders. Corbière is killed by the fire, a satisfying end to such a viper. Philip takes Emma back to his parent's home in Shrewsbury. Emma has recognized the value of Philip, whose honest character is the opposite of the brutally selfish man whose good looks and good manners once charmed her. Further, she and he are both tradespeople. A man of Ivo Corbière's class would not have considered her seriously, she realizes in retrospect. Cadfael recounts the events to Abbot Radulfus. Radulfus summons the town provost, Philip's father, to the morning chapter meeting at the abbey. Radulfus notes that by adhering to the letter of the fair's charter he has secured the rights of future abbots, doing what he must. Now he is free to do what he will with the money earned by the abbey at the fair. He donates ten percent to the rebuilding of the town. Hugh Beringar and his wife return to their own manor. Cadfael continues to tend to Emma's burns. At one meeting, Emma confesses what she learned of the contents of the letter and asks whether she did the right thing. Cadfael tells her that if she has scars from these burns, she should "wear them like jewels" for the rest of her life". Emma asks Cadfael never to tell Philip the details behind the letter and her own actions, as she considers him too innocent to deal with such matters. Cadfael agrees and privately thinks Emma is correct in her assessment of Philip, and that this bodes well for their marriage. The novel concludes two months later with the news that on 30 September 1139, Empress Maud invaded England, establishing herself at Arundel Castle in West Sussex. Earl Ranulf of Chester did nothing to aid her cause.