Athelstan went and stood over the priest. ‘You are steeped in mortal sin,’ he murmured. ‘Your soul is red, scarlet and wounded. You killed that man but you made a mistake! Why should Brampton walk up to the garret with his boots off. And, if he had worn them, he would have kicked them off in his death throes.’ Athelstan bent down, his face only inches from Crispin’s. ‘But let us say he did go up without his boots. The garret was dirty, there was broken glass on the floor, yet the soles of Brampton’s feet, even after his corpse had been cut down, were clean and unscarred. Why? Because his feet never touched the ground.’

‘Vechey was murdered too, wasn’t he?’ Lady Isabella stammered.

‘Yes,’ Athelstan replied. ‘And do you know why? When the door to your husband’s chamber was forced, Vechey came in. At one point he must have looked at the chess board after Crispin had removed the poisoned piece to clean it.’

‘Of course,’ Dame Ermengilde trumpeted. ‘That’s why Vechey kept talking about there being only thirty-one. He noticed the missing piece. Vechey always coveted the Syrians!’

‘And then the piece was returned,’ Athelstan answered, ‘which only perplexed him further. Nevertheless, Vechey’s sharp eyes cost him his life and he, too, was marked down for murder lest he voice his doubts.’

‘God knows how you managed that murder!’ Cranston bawled. ‘The red-haired whore may have been a lure in your pay. It may, cunning priest, even have been you in disguise. I wonder, a thorough search being made, if we wouldn’t find a red wig and dress in your possession. But, there again, you made a mistake. Vechey was probably drugged or knocked on the head. You hung him up under an arch of London Bridge, but the water level would have made such a death impossible. You hoped no one would notice that.’

‘Wait!’ Crispin cried. ‘You allege I had the poison, but you know a lady very similar to our Lady Isabella in dress and appearance bought the identical poison from the apothecary, Simon Foreman!’

‘Yes,’ Cranston said, ‘and that’s your third mistake. I did ask Lady Isabella about that but you were not in the room. Remember, we asked you to withdraw? Lady Isabella, Sir Richard, is that correct?’

Both nodded their heads.

‘And did you ever tell the priest about my question?’

Again, both shook their heads wordlessly.

‘You couldn’t have overhead!’ Dame Ermengilde snapped. ‘Because I stood near the door of the hall. I tried to listen but I couldn’t hear anything.’

‘The only way you could know,’ Athelstan murmured, ‘was because you dressed in clothes secretly borrowed from Lady Isabella’s wardrobe. Your head was hidden by a red wig as well as a hood. You went to Nightshade House and bought the poison.’ Athelstan sipped from his wine cup.

‘You would enjoy that, wouldn’t you?’