Chapter 6

I was getting thoroughly fed up with someone smacking my face. First one side, then the other. This wouldn’t have been so bad if it had been in time with the thumping inside my head. There was also a fair amount of noise which eventually resolved into Dervla’s voice calling me a number of things that I am not sure I could spell.

“What the f ... stop that will you? What’s going on?” I mumbled, beginning to surface.

“Get up! The mistress wants you. Now,” Dervla’s dulcet tones grated on my ears. “I’ve been trying to wake you for the last five minutes.”

“What hour is it?” I asked sitting up.

“It’s half way through the morning. Now get out of bed. Good God if I were to spend as much time in bed as you do nothing would ever get done.”

“I was very late.”

“And I wasn’t referring to just your own bed. Now, up, you disgusting man.”

I swung my feet over the side of the bed.

“Well if you were more accommodating, I wouldn’t have to go elsewhere.”

“As if that will ever happen. Now, Gladys has some coffee brewing, that ought to waken you. But first you’re to attend the mistress.”

She dragged me to my feet and propelled me out of the door.

Tansy Halliwell was with Mistress Americk. She looked to be in a state of shock.

“My God, you look dreadful, Cillian,” said Mistress Americk. “What have you been up to?”

“I really would prefer not to say, mistress.”

“We’ll discuss it later. For now, Miss Halliwell has come to tell me that a body has been found at the entrance to the stable yard at the Manor.”

“May I guess that it is Harry Dibble, Mistress?”

“Well, at least you are alive enough to realise that, Cillian. We’ll go up to the Manor as soon as we have had a cup of coffee. Miss Halliwell needs something to calm her.”

I left for my room, and put on a fresh shirt, then went to the kitchen where Gladys gave me a mug of coffee. I cannot say that the coffee made me feel better, but it certainly made me feel more awake. Which meant I felt my aches and pains more keenly. And there is nothing better than that to keep you awake.

Within the half hour we were looking at the body of Harry Dibble. He was lying face down just outside the opening, and one of the eagles that had been on top of the wall had smashed his skull. The village constable was there already. I discovered that his name was Ray Grubb, and that he was Emily’s father. He pronounced loudly that Harry had died by accident.

I examined the corpse.

“Mistress,” I said, “the eagle didn’t kill him.”

“What do you mean, Cillian?” my mistress asked.

“His neck is broken, mistress. The eagle was pushed over onto him. I do not believe he was killed here. If we go down the path, I think we may find the place.”

We made our way along the path through the woods towards the village. Not far there was a particularly dense part where I stopped.

“See here Mistress, the grass is disturbed on both sides of the track. On this side it looks as though someone was standing, waiting for Dibble on his way home from the inn. Then stepped forward to swing a heavy club at his neck, breaking it. You can see where he fell here on the other side. Then there are drag marks leading towards the Manor.”

“I believe you are correct, Cillian. You think Sir Warburton might have done this?”

“It is possible, Mistress.”

“I still find it difficult to believe, Cillian.”

“Yes, Mistress.”

We returned to ‘The Cuckoos’ leaving Constable Grubb to deal with the corpse. I apologised to my mistress and retired to bed. I really wasn’t feeling up to scratch.

I did not sleep well. And yet I felt I slept deeply, but I was bothered by so many images running through my mind. I am not the world’s greatest thinker. Neither, to be fair, am I the world’s greatest do-er, but that is another matter entirely. After I know not how long, I awoke with a certainty in my mind. All the anomalies that had been rattling around in my mind were resolved. I almost leapt out of bed and ran to my mistress’s private room. She was not there. I went into the kitchen where Gladys was making something that smelled delicious.

“Do you know where the mistress is Gladys?” I asked.

“She went out not ten minutes ago, Cillian. She was going to the Manor.”

“Oh! Did she say when she would be back?”

“No, she had Mistress Merridew wi...”

“Oh shit!” I exclaimed.

I ran out the door and out to the woodland path that lead to the Manor. I kept running, my heart beating against my ribs, my legs still feeling like lead. I rounded a bend in the path and I could see two figures struggling with each other.

“Felicia!” I shouted.

One of the figures looked towards me, her undoing as the other picked up a stone and hit her on the head. As I came up to them, Felicia Merridew dropped to the ground, the knife she had had in her hand lay alongside her. My Mistress picked up the knife, and straightened up.

“You took your time, Cillian. And I notice it was your paramour you called out for.”

“To distract her so that you could take action, Mistress.”

“Hmm...”

I picked up Felicia, threw over my shoulder, and carried her back to the house. When we got there Mistress Americk sent Dervla to summon the constable.

“Make sure that woman stays exactly where she is,” she instructed me, and went into her private room.

Shortly Dervla arrived back with Constable Grubb in tow. It has to be said that he carried his drink well, but nevertheless he was clearly not sober when he arrived.

“What’s all this about?” he demanded.

Mistress Americk appeared.

“This woman is charged with murder,” she told him. “You will get the carrier and take her in his cart to Blackford to be locked up awaiting trial.”

“On who’s authority?” Constable Grubb blustered.

“Mine,” replied Mistress Americk. “as directed by the Lord Lieutenant of the county. Do you wish to question that?”

“No, Mistress.”

“Take this letter to the Coroner.”

Tansy Halliwell arrived during this exchange.

“He could take our trap,” she offered. “It might be easier.”

There was a loud groan from our prisoner.

“Thank you, but no. This woman is as devious as a barrow load of black monkeys. The constable will need to keep his eye on her at all times. Go with him, Cillian, and make sure she gets onto the carriers cart.”

It was not long before I returned. I did not want to endure the evil eye from Felicia for long.

Mistress Americk invited me into her private room. Dervla brought in a bottle of brandy and two glasses.

“I did enjoy waking you up earlier,” she said. “I’d like to do that more often.”

With a swirl of skirts she left. Bitch.

When did you realise, Cillian?” Mistress Americk asked.

I woke from a nightmare, Mistress. And I knew. I came to tell you, but you had already left. Gladys told me who with, and I started running.”

“As well you did. She had the strength of a mad woman. Hardly surprising because she is as mad as a hatter.”

“When did you realise she was the murderer, Mistress?” I asked.

“Difficult to say ... she just seemed to be always there, too interested in what we were doing. The only person who had a connection to all the murders was Sir Warburton, but it didn’t add up, because he didn’t have access to them all. She told me quite a lot whilst she was threatening to kill me, and some she screamed at me as we fought. I was lucky I caught her wrist or I’d not be here now.”