Chapter Six
The morning was gray and chilly, but it wasn’t raining. Edward rode to Soddy Morton across the increasingly swamp-like mire of the fallow fields, and interviewed two more people on the list of possible Chéries: the beadle’s wife, and a retired schoolmaster. The beadle’s wife was a plump, cheerful woman with no understanding of grammar whatsoever, so he crossed her off the list; Chérie had an excellent command of the King’s English.
The retired schoolmaster had a thorough understanding of grammar and a prim, pursed-mouthed face. The primness could be a cover, but the lines were so deeply etched into the man’s face that Edward doubted it. He crossed him off the list, too.
The schoolmaster, Mr. Crippington, wanted to see the letter, but Edward evaded him. “It’s of a personal na
