Page 320 of The Pillars of the Earth

He shouted: “Open up to the sheriff!”

After a pause the kitchen door opened, and Philip came out again. He looked down at William, now standing unarmed in the courtyard; then he looked at the men-at-arms clustered around the gateway on the far side of the close; and finally he looked back at William and said: “Well?”

“You are harboring a murderer in the priory. Release him to me.”

Philip said: “There has been no murder in Kingsbridge.”

“The earl of Shiring murdered Alfred Builder four days ago.”

“Wrong,” Philip said. “Richard killed Alfred, but it wasn’t murder. Alfred was caught in the act of attempted rape.”

Aliena shuddered.

“Rape?” William said. “Who was he attempting to rape?”

“Aliena.”

“But she is his wife!” William said triumphantly. “How can a manrapehis wife?”

Aliena saw the direction of William’s argument, and fury bubbled up inside her.

Philip said: “That marriage has never been consummated, and she has applied for an annulment.”

“Which has never been granted. They were married in church. They are still married, according to the law. There was no rape. On the contrary.” William turned suddenly and pointed a finger at Aliena. “She has been wanting to get rid of her husband for years, and she finally persuaded her brother to help her get him out of the way—by stabbing him to death withherdagger!”

The cold hand of fear gripped Aliena’s heart. The tale he told was an outrageous lie, but for someone who had not actually seen what happened it fitted the facts as plausibly as the real story. Richard was in trouble.

Philip said: “The sheriff cannot arrest the earl.”

That was true, Aliena realized. She had been forgetting.

William pulled out a scroll. “I have a royal writ. I am arresting him on behalf of the king.”

Aliena was devastated. William had thought of everything. “How did William manage that?” she muttered.

“He was very quick,” Jack replied. “He must have ridden to Winchester and seen the king as soon as he heard the news.”

Philip held out his hand. “Show me the writ.”

William held it out. They were several yards apart. There was a momentary standoff, when neither of them would move; then William gave in and walked up the steps to hand the writ to Philip.

Philip read it and gave it back. “This doesn’t give you the right to attack a monastery.”

“It gives me the right to arrest Richard.”

“He has asked for sanctuary.”

“Ah.” William did not look surprised. He nodded as if he had heard confirmation of something inevitable, and took two or three steps back. When he spoke again his voice was raised so that everyone could hear clearly. “Let him know that he will be arrested the moment he leaves the priory. My deputies will be stationed in the town and outside his castle. Remember—” He looked around at the assembled crowd. “Remember that anyone who harms a sheriffs deputy harms a servant of the king.” He turned back to Philip. “Tell him that he may stay within the sanctuary as long as he likes, but if he wants to leave, he will have to face justice.”

There was silence. William walked slowly down the steps and across the kitchen courtyard. His words had sounded to Aliena like a sentence of imprisonment. The crowd parted for him. He threw a smug look at Aliena as he passed her. They all watched him walk to the gate and mount his horse. He gave an order and trotted away, leaving two of his men standing at the gate, looking in.

When Aliena turned around, Philip was standing beside her and Jack. “Go to my house,” he said quietly. “We must discuss this.” He went back into the kitchen.

Aliena had the impression that he was secretly pleased about something.

The excitement was over. The builders returned to work, talking animatedly. Ellen went to the house to be with the grandchildren. Aliena and Jack walked through the graveyard, skirting the building site, and went into Philip’s house. He was not yet there. They sat on a bench to wait. Jack sensed Aliena’s anxiety for her brother, and gave her a comforting hug.

Looking around, Aliena realized that year by year Philip’s house was slowly becoming more comfortable. It was still bare by the standards of an earl’s private quarters in a castle, say, but it was not as austere as it had once been. In front of the little altar in the corner there was now a small rug, to save the prior’s knees during the long nights of prayer; and on the wall behind the altar hung a jeweled silver crucifix that must have been a costly gift. It would do Philip no harm to be easier on himself as he got older, Aliena thought. Perhaps he would be a little easier on others too.