The Pillars Of The Earth Page 0,204

wore ordinary everyday clothes, a dirty undershirt with a brown tunic, and clogs.

"Father Ralph?" said Richard dubiously.

"What if I am?" he replied.

Aliena sighed. Why did people manufacture trouble when there was already so much of it in the world? But she had no energy left for dealing with bad temper, so she left it to Richard, who said: "Does that mean yes?"

The question was answered for them. A voice from outside called: "Ralph? Are you in?" A moment later a middle-aged woman came in and gave the priest a hunk of bread and a large bowl of something that smelled like meat stew. For once the smell of meat did not make Aliena's mouth water: she was too numb even to be hungry. The woman was probably one of Ralph's parishioners, for her clothes were of the same poor quality as his own. He took the food from her without a word and began to eat. She glanced incuriously at Aliena and Richard and went out again.

Richard said: "Well, Father Ralph, I am the son of Bartholomew, the former earl of Shiring."

The man paused in his eating and looked up at them. There was hostility in his face, and something else Aliena could not read-fear? Guilt? He returned his attention to his dinner, but mumbled: "What do you want with me?"

Aliena felt a tug of fear.

"You know what I want," Richard said. "My money. Fifty bezants."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Ralph said.

Aliena stared at him incredulously. This could not be happening. Father had left money for them with this priest-he had said so! Father did not make mistakes about such things.

Richard had gone white. He said: "What do you mean?"

"I mean, I don't know what you're talking about. Now piss off." He took another spoonful of stew.

The man was lying, of course; but what could they do about it? Richard pressed on stubbornly. "My father left money with you-fifty bezants. He told you to give it to me. Where is it?"

"Your father gave me nothing."

"He said he did-"

"He lied, then."

That was one thing you could be sure Father had not done. Aliena spoke for the first time. "You're the liar, and we know it."

Ralph shrugged. "Complain to the sheriff."

"You'll be in trouble if we do. They cut off the hands of thieves in this city."

The shadow of fear briefly crossed the priest's face, but it was gone in a moment, and his reply was defiant. "It will be my word against the word of a jailed traitor-if your father lives long enough to give evidence."

Aliena realized he was right. There would be no independent witnesses to say that Father had given him the money, for the whole idea was that it was a secret, money that could not be taken away by the king or Percy Hamleigh or any of the other carrion crows who flocked around the possessions of a ruined man. Things were just as they had been in the forest, Aliena realized bitterly. People could rob her and Richard with impunity, because they were the children of a fallen noble. Why am I frightened of these men? she asked herself angrily. Why aren't they frightened of me?

Richard looked at her and said in a low voice: "He's right, isn't he?"

"Yes," she said venomously. "There's no point in our complaining to the sheriff." She was thinking of the one time men had been afraid of her: in the forest, when she had stabbed the fat outlaw, and the other one had run away in fear. This priest was no better than the outlaw. But he was old and quite feeble, and he had probably counted on never having to face his victims. Perhaps he could be frightened.

Richard said: "What shall we do, then?"

Aliena gave in to a sudden furious impulse. "Burn down his house," she said. She stepped to the middle of the room and kicked the fire with her wooden clogs, scattering burning logs. The rushes around the fireplace caught immediately.

"Hey!" Ralph yelled. He half rose from his seat, dropping his bread and spilling the stew in his lap; but before he could get to his feet Aliena was on him. She felt completely out of control; she acted without thinking. She pushed him, and he slipped off the chair and tumbled to the floor. She was astonished at how easy it was to knock him down. She fell on him, landing with her knees on his chest and winding him. Mad with rage, she