for it.' Corbett nodded muttering his thanks and carefully unrolled it. The parchment was merely a list drawn up in a clerkly hand describing the effects and property of one 'Patrick Seton Esquire'. Corbett studied the list intently, grunted with pleasure, handed it back to Wishart and rose. 'My Lord,' he said, 'thank you for your time and assistance. I would like to ask one more question of Sir James Selkirk?' Wishart shrugged. 'Ask it!' he replied. 'I believe,' began Corbett, turning to Selkirk, 'that you were sent by Bishop Wishart early on the morning of 19th March to ensure that all was well with the King. You took the ferry at Dalmeny and then used the horses from the royal stables at Aberdour to journey to Kinghorn, and it was then you found the King's body lying on the beach?' The knight grunted. 'Yes,' he replied. 'That is what happened. There is nothing extraordinary in that, is there?' 'Oh, but there is,' Corbett said smoothly. 'Was it common practice for you to journey after the King to ensure all was well. And, if you were riding along the cliffs at Kinghorn, how on earth did you see the King's corpse lying on the rocks below?' Selkirk grasped Corbett hard by the wrist. 'I do not like you, English Clerk,' he muttered menacingly. 'I do not like your arrogance and your questions, and if I had my way I would arrange an accident or have you thrown into some deep dungeon until everyone had forgotten about you!' 'Selkirk,' Wishart snapped. 'You forget yourself! You know there is an answer to the clerk's questions, so why not give it!' Selkirk released his grip on Corbett and fell back in his chair. 'It was common practice,' he commented, 'for Alexander III to ride like a demon around his kingdom. This was not the first time and, if he had survived, certainly would not have been the last. The King was constantly on the move. It was almost as if there was a devil inside him. He could not rest. His Grace the Bishop,' he nodded towards his patron, 'often sent me after the King to ensure that all was well. On a number of occasions I found members of the royal household resting. Their horses blown and they themselves suffering some injury. I expected no different when his Lordship sent me out on the morning of the 19th. Accompanied by two men-at-arms, I crossed the Forth at Dalmeny and took horses from the royal stable at Aberdour. You know little about Scotland, Master Corbett, or about the sea. By the time we crossed the Forth, it was early morning, the tide was out, so we did not take the cliff-top path but rode along the beach. The storm had petered out, it was a good morning and our horses were fresh. We galloped along the sand, and I knew what had happened long before we reached the rocks where the King lay. I saw the white of Tamesin, the dead King's horse, as well as Alexander's purple cloak blowing in the wind. The King was lying amongst the rocks and it was apparent he was dead. He had fallen between two sharp jagged-edge boulders and the angry tide had battered his body between them. His face was a mass of wounds, his neck completely broken. If it had not been for his clothes and the rings on his fingers I would have scarcely recognised him.' 'And the horse?' Corbett queried. 'Not worth looking at,' Selkirk replied. 'Again, a mass of wounds, two of its legs broken, the head fully twisted round. We removed the harness from the horse and made a rough bier for the King's corpse. After which we returned to Aberdour where a royal barge later brought the King's body across the Firth of Forth.' 'So,' Corbett enquired, 'you never went along to Kinghorn Ness or examined the place where the King may have fallen?' 'No,' Selkirk replied slowly. 'Though we knew by the place where he had fallen that it must have been at the very summit just as the path runs down the cliff to Kinghorn Manor.' Corbett smiled tactfully. 'Then I owe you the most sincere apologies, Sir James,' he commented. 'I always thought you went along Kinghorn Ness and found the body below you and then had it raised by ropes.' Selkirk snorted with laughter. 'Why should I do that? I have already told you that the tide was out. Any traveller would have taken the same route as I did. You only use the path along the cliff in bad weather or if there is a possibility you might be trapped by the tide. But your question about ropes and tackle lifting the body is pure nonsense, man!'
Corbett nodded his acceptance. 'There is one further favour, your Lordship,' Corbett said slowly. 'But it needs to be done, even though it may give offence to the French.' 'Go on,' said Wishart wearily. 'I have been to Kinghorn Manor,' Corbett continued. 'I have attempted to see Queen Yolande to ask her why she did not send out a search- party for the King when he failed to arrive at Kinghorn Manor. I find it strange that a wife, a queen, a princess with responsibilities, who had been informed in no uncertain fashion that her husband was to join her, fails to do anything when he does not arrive. Any woman with commonsense would immediately become alarmed and send out some of her household to find the King. After all, he could have been thrown from his horse and been lying injured on the moors in the middle of a fierce storm. I must ask Queen Yolande why she acted as she did.' Corbett watched the old Bishop carefully. On the one hand he saw his own suspicions mirrored in the Bishop's eyes, on the other Wishart realised that such an interview might alienate the French and cause more trouble than it was worth. Corbett decided to press the point. 'For all we know, your Lordship, it is possible that Queen Yolande was involved in her husband's death. For her sake, for France's sake, for Scotland's sake, such suspicions must be cleared!' Wishart nodded slowly. 'Queen Yolande,' he replied, 'is to leave on tomorrow's tide just after dawn. A French galley will pick her up off the coast of the Forth and take her out to the sea where other ships are waiting to escort her back to France. I understand that the French envoy, de Craon, will be seeing her off.' The Bishop heaved a sigh. 'If the French ship leaves the Forth,' he continued, 'there is little chance that they will stop to answer your questions, Master Clerk. So you must stop her before her ship leaves the Forth.' The Bishop suddenly stirred himself. 'Do we have a ship, Sir James?' the Bishop asked. 'Of course,' Selkirk replied. 'I mean,' the Bishop retorted brusquely, 'is there a ship in the port of Leith we can use?' Selkirk rubbed his mouth with his hand. 'There is the 'St. Andrew',' he said, 'a cog we often use to protect our ships from English pirates.' He looked sideways at Corbett. 'It has a full complement, a crew, an armoury and is good for putting to sea at a moment's notice.' 'Ah well,' Wishart smiled. 'Sir James, take our English visitor to the port of Leith and order the captain to follow his directions
across the Forth. He is to stop the ship, speak to Queen Yolande and not allow her to leave the Firth of Forth until Corbett has satisfactory answers to questions which intrigue even me. I will give you the necessary warrants and letters.'
SIXTEEN
Within an hour Corbett and Selkirk, accompanied by a dozen mounted men-at-arms, were pounding along the muddy track which led from Edinburgh to the port of Leith. Their progress was fast, the ground had hardened after the rains while Sir James had unfurled the royal standard of Scotland to make it obvious to any others using the road to stand aside quickly and let them pass. They galloped into Leith, up its narrow winding streets, across the cobbled market-place where Corbett had met Bruce's retainers, and then down to the quayside. There was a mass of shipping in the port, small skiffs, boats, the huge heavy-bottomed sterns of Hanseatic merchantmen. Small cranes were dragging out or depositing bales, barrels, chests and huge leather bags. There was a confusion of sounds, strange oaths, cries and orders, while ships arrived or prepared to depart. Sir James paid no heed, leading his small party along the quayside, ordering people aside and ignoring the oaths and catcalls which followed them.
Eventually they found the 'Saint Andrew', a large warlike craft with a bluff tub-like hull. The body of the ship rose high above the quay, its stern crowned by small castles or crenellated fighting-platforms to protect archers and soldiers during battle. The huge single mast had its large sail furled under the platform used by the look-out. Sir James hailed the ship, telling the crew they were coming aboard and a large gangplank was lowered. Sir James ordered one of his retinue to stay and stable the horses while he and Corbett, accompanied by the remainder of his party, made their way carefully up the gangplank and into the busy ship. The crew moved about jostling each other; Corbett gathered that the ship had recently returned to port and the crew were busily cleaning the decks. He saw a vast patch of blood and guessed that the ship must have been in one of the many petty skirmishes which took place at sea, for ships of various nations, Norway, Denmark, England, Scotland and France used these waters for fishing, trade and piracy.
A young, red-haired man, dressed simply in a leather jerkin, leggings and boots, came up to Corbett and spoke in an accent the English clerk could not even hope to follow. Selkirk, however, made himself clearly understood. The man, curious, looked narrowly at Corbett and was about to refuse until Selkirk showed him Wishart's sealed warrant. The captain, for Corbett guessed it must be he, let out a litany of rich oaths in a variety of languages leaving Corbett in no doubt about his feelings concerning the mission. Nevertheless, the fellow began to bark orders. The decks were cleared; sailors began to run like monkeys up the rigging unfurling the great sail, while two more were sent up to the stern-castle to manage the huge tiller. After a while the captain, much calmer, took Selkirk and Corbett down to his cabin under the fo'castle, a small, dingy room smelling of tar and salt, and containing a simple cot bed, trunk, table and a number of stools. Corbett, unused to the gentle rocking of the ship and the low beams, banged his head as he straightened up. The pain was intense and though the captain laughed
