The Raven in the Foregate
Edith Pargeter
 December 1141 starts out with mild weather in Shrewsbury. Abbot Radulfus is called to Westminster for a second legatine council in one year. Henry, Bishop of Winchester turned his allegiance back to his own brother King Stephen, now released from imprisonment by the contender for the crown, his cousin Empress Maud in trade for her strongest supporter, Robert of Gloucester. As he called all the bishops and major clerics to announce the support of the church, and himself, for the Empress, he now calls them back to reinstate allegiance to the crowned King. Supporters of the Empress in areas strong for the King must now make themselves scarce or come to terms with the change. Shortly before, Father Adam of the Holy Cross parish church, in the Foregate, died after long years of service. Abbott Radulfus has the task of finding a replacement. On his return on 10 December, he brings a learned priest recommended by Henry of Winchester at the council. Father Ailnoth comes with a housekeeper, and her unskilled nephew Benet, seeking work near her. The monks agree to Ailnoth, previously clerk to Bishop Henry. They also agree to try Benet on approval. Hugh Beringar, Sheriff of Shropshire on the death of the appointed sheriff, is called to meet with the King, at his Christmas feast at Canterbury. King Stephen is now free to consider if the young man he appointed as Deputy three years earlier is the one he will choose formally as Sheriff in the King's name. Benet is assigned to help Cadfael with the heavy garden work needed before the first frost. The two get along well as Benet works hard and well. As the days pass, Cadfael notices that the young man presents one face to him, and a different one to the rest of the Abbey. In just eight days Father Ailnoth alienates or directly offends almost everyone in the Holy Cross parish. He refuses confession, absolution, and then communion to Eluned, a local girl who kills herself in despair at the rejection. He treats the children with the rod, especially when he is teaching them to read. He refused to baptize an infant born too sick to live above an hour, then refused the infant burial in blessed ground because it was not baptized. In the market, he accuses the local baker of short-weighting his loaves of bread. On the land, he pays no heed to property lines until he oversteps and is challenged. The provost of the town meets with Abbott Radulfus to share the complaints. The Abbot talks with the priest, who does not understand the change in his role, from bishop's clerk to someone with the 'cure of souls.' He does not see and will not see that the rites of daily prayers are not always more important than the baptism of an infant whose parents know will not survive, and justifies his hard-hearted decision on the letter of the rules. His treatment of the infant and the young woman rankle all, not just their own families. On Christmas Eve, Brother Cadfael walks out for a visit with Aline Beringar and his godson Giles; en route, he sees Ralph Giffard walking away from town. On returning to the Abbey, Cadfael sees Father Ailnoth walking out, staff in hand, in the first frost of the winter, so focussed he does not reply to a friendly greeting. Both Benet and Sanan appear for the Christmas Eve services (matins) at the Abbey, while her stepfather attended at Saint Chad, the parish church serving his town house. At this their second meeting, Benet and Sanan slip out separately to Cadfael's workshop for a warm, uninterrupted chat. The next morning, Christmas day, the housekeeper reports Ailnoth missing all night. She hoped he had gone to the all night celebration of the Nativity in the Abbey, but he had not. A search by the locals led by Cadfael finds his body in the mill pond, hit on the back of the head and drowned. Hugh's deputy initiates the investigation, expecting no co-operation because everyone disliked him for specific and often personal reasons. The Abbot is carrying a burden in this investigation, as he had judged this man a good vicar for the parish of Holy Cross. Two days after Christmas, Hugh returns from the meeting with King Stephen, who has formally accepted Beringar as his Sheriff in Shropshire. King Stephen is starting with fresh energy, and some desire for revenge on the supporters of Empress Maud. Hugh is given two names to hunt in Shropshire, two squires of FitzAlan in Normandy. One is Torold Blund, who Hugh knows has already left, rejoined his wife Godith. The other is Ninian Bachiler, a single man. Hugh has little interest in revenge, so does the minimum, which is to announce the names of men being sought by the King. A couple of days later, Ralph Giffard comes forward with his information on Ninian, forcing Hugh to mount a larger investigation. Giffard's action forced another action. Cadfael had confronted Benet with his true name, Ninian, ending that charade between the two of them. Ninian explained his plans now his original mission was of no use, and told his joy at learning Torold was safe home. He explained that the plan bringing him to Shrewsbury was set in motion by his resourceful childhood nursemaid, Diota Hammet, whom he had sought when the tide turned away from Maud in the south. He seeks now to escape through Wales to reach Gloucester, where the Empress's forces are gathered. On the day Giffard comes forward, Sanan meets Ninian at Cadfael's workshop, to explain the need for him to hide now, not be taken by the Sheriff. Cadfael, returning from tending the sick outside the Abbey, hears their discussion. He steps away before his presence was known, so they can go to the hiding place pronto. Cadfael did not hear that hiding place, so need not worry about lying to Hugh, who appeared at the Abbey before Cadfael went to his own little workshop. Thus Cadfael appears as astonished as the other brothers when told that simpleton Benet was in fact the young squire Ninian, who has fled with no trace. The coincidence of the suspected murder of Father Ailnoth and the disappearance of Ninian has raised Ninian's name as the murderer. Ralph Giffard told Father Ailnoth of the true identity of Benet, and the meeting place and time. Giffard sent neither yes nor no in reply to the message he got from Ninian, all of which Giffard reports to Hugh Beringar. The purpose of the righteous Ailnoth marching past Cadfael before Compline is now clear: to confront the boy for having used Ailnoth to travel north, being at the meeting place in Giffard's stead. Did they meet? Did others arrive before or after Ninian, resulting in the death of the hated priest? Hugh considers all the possibilities. In his rounds among the locals needing medical help, Cadfael is sent to the grandmother left tending the infant orphaned by her mother's death after rejection by the vicar Father Ailnoth. He is pleased to learn the thriving baby was named Winifred, for their local saint. Diota had been injured the night the priest disappeared. Cadfael treated her wounds, and checked on her days later, when Sanan Bernière was visiting. Walking out together, she tells him she plans to help Ninian escape and will escape with him. Cadfael ponders items that were not found with Ailnoth's body, but ought to have been with it. Ailnoth wore a small cap over his tonsure that cold night, not wearing his cowl, and he walked with a hard staff. This staff was brought to mind from a trip to the mill where he encountered Ninian, who hoped to find it as well. Ninian will not leave the area until his name is cleared of the murder charge, and Diota is safely set up; only then he will ride out with his love, Sanan, to be married in Gloucester. Cadfael set out to find these items. The cap was found by boys playing at the unfrozen river early Christmas morning, and then taken by Cadfael in trade for some apples. He found the staff near where the body was found. The ebony staff, with its stag's horn handle and band of silver, holds long, greying hairs in it, suggesting only one person. Cadfael again visits Mistress Hammet, pressing her for the full story of Christmas Eve. The priest's reaction to learning of the true identity of Ninian was to find sin in both his housekeeper and the boy. She tells how she followed the priest on his way to meet Ninian, begging him not to do harm to the boy. She clung to him, begging for mercy; Ailnoth's response was to beat her with his staff, leaving the wounds Cadfael had tended. This terrified and dazed her, so she let go of him, and made her way home. She did not see anyone else on her return, and left the priest alive. A thaw comes at the end of December, so Cynric can dig the grave for Ailnoth. Hugh has learned that the baker Jordan Achard was seen out early Christmas morning, and his wife will attest her husband was not with her, but with one of his "fancy girls." Hugh proposes to announce this after the funeral as a way to get the guilty person talking, a scheme Cadfael terms devious — why is he friends with such as Hugh? Hugh says, like calling to like. A week after Ailnoth was found dead, Father Abbot gives the eulogy at his funeral, both in penance and to assure only truth is told. It is mainly the men of the parish who gather for this funeral, in addition to the housekeeper Diota come with Sanan. Ninian came out of hiding, in fear his nurse will be taken at the Sheriff's announcement. As the baker loudly protests his innocence of murder and guilt of adultery, Ninian is mistaken for a servant boy by Ralph Giffard, asked to hold his horse. Ninian plays his role again, in a humorous turn. The verger Cynric steadily fills the grave, and proves to be the one witness who knows how Ailnoth came to his end. He speaks at the request of Abbot Radulfus, and the Sheriff, only because someone is being charged with this death. In Cynric's view, the man of violence died by violence, a judgment but no murder. Cynric witnessed the scene between Ailnoth and Diota from the place where the unforgiven young girl had killed herself. After Ailnoth beat her, Diota had grabbed the end of the staff, then he pulled it back as she let go and ran away. The priest reeled backwards hitting a dead willow then into the pond. Cynric walked close enough to see the man's face, his identity. Cynric walked away that evening, assured this happened at the very pond where the girl died for a reason, the will of God. Cadfael considered Cynric set all in foregate and town free of suspicion. Abbot Radulfus accepted Cynric's story, as did the Sheriff. Cadfael's evidence confirmed the story. Cynric finished the burial. Only Brother Jerome was upset at this ending. In his busy-ness afterward, he sees Ninian holding the horse, thinks he recognizes him. Then he sees Ralph come to claim his horse, pay a silver penny to the diligent peasant who then followed him away. Brother Jerome was disappointed he was not bringing in a malefactor, yet relieved he was not caught in an embarrassing error – Giffard's own groom! Sanan had watched it all, thinking how Ninian will laugh when she tells him the whole story.