A Chorus of Innocents by P. F. Chisholm Page A

too. I wish he wisnae dead. That’s about the size of it.”
    â€œHm. What do you think about how he was killed with an axe?”
    â€œIt wisnae an axe; it was a broadsword.”
    â€œHow do you know?”
    â€œWell an axe mashes up more of the flesh and that was a sharp edge that took him, right down through his skull at an angle, left to right. That’s not an easy blow forbye, it was an expert with a good sword.”
    â€œAnd stabbed from behind. Before or after?”
    Young Henry didn’t need to think. “Before. If ye get his kidneys or his heart, it’s all over. He probably didn’t even shout.”
    She thought about this and nodded.
    â€œAy,” Young Henry said judiciously. “So one man kept him talking and the other went round, drew his poignard, and struck from behind.”
    â€œThey didn’t want him to know.”
    â€œNo, well, he’s a Burn. They’re a’ good fighters.”
    â€œEven the one who got away and into the church.”
    A fractional pause. “Ay.”
    Elizabeth smiled brightly at Young Henry and left it. He went off to join the shouting crowd round the shove ha’penny board and started betting on it. Even without the murder, she was beginning to feel very interested in Jamie Burn and his history. What had he done before he went to St Andrews, and why had he decided to become a minister in the first place?
    It was a nuisance that Poppy Burn was at Widdrington and not here, thought Elizabeth. Blast the woman for taking it into her head to ride away. It gave a perfect opportunity for all the clacking nasty tongues to work.
    Looking at the problem from a man’s point of view, Elizabeth had to admit that the killers would have had an easy job of it if they had had Poppy’s help—and it was very difficult to show she hadn’t helped them. Elizabeth was sure she hadn’t, but who could be certain of anything like that? The bruises and the state of her showed it had been rape, but a man might say she was willing to start with, and then changed her mind and it wasn’t his fault if he couldn’t stop.
    Elizabeth shook her head and frowned. Lady Hume had been welcoming the headmen of the surnames coming in to the funeral, who certainly were an impressive bunch of killers and robbers. Now she was gathering herself up to go, and so Elizabeth went over to her and asked where she would advise Elizabeth to find lodging?
    â€œAre ye afeared of ghosts?”asked Lady Hume.
    â€œI’ve never seen one,” Elizabeth answered steadily.
    â€œWell I’m staying at the manse since it’s a ten-mile ride back to my Lord Hughie. You’re welcome to join me, Lady Widdrington, and your stepson as well, though your men will have to find space in the alehouse.”
    â€œThank you, Lady Hume.” Elizabeth was relieved at solving the problem so easily. She went back to Young Henry with the news and discovered that he’d rather find a space at the alehouse than the manse. Not that he was afeared of ghosts, oh no, but he felt he should stay with his cousins since there were a number of reivers come into the village and while none of his men had feuds with anyone likely to come that he knew of, it would be well if no feuds started up, especially with the Burns, who were dangerous that way.
    With the village full of reivers, she decided to bring the hobbies and Mouse and Rat into the manse with her. Lady Hume was agreeable and so Elizabeth went back to Young Henry who thought it was an excellent idea and sent the youngest Widdrington cousin with her to lead the horses.
    They went round the back to the stableyard where the hobbies shared two loose-boxes and Mouse and Rat shared another since they were friends. There wasn’t much horse feed there but all the horses got enough to tide them over.
    The manse was a small stone-built house, the chantry of St Cuthbert’s somewhat altered by the previous