‘Ah’ve come about the blackrent,’ said Bell. ‘To pay it, I mean.’
For a moment, Carey didn’t understand.
‘Er... Lowther’s not here,’ he said cautiously.
‘Ay, I know that. I’ve come to pay it to ye, sir.’
Carey sat down again, wondering how to handle this. On the one hand he direly needed the money because his winnings from Lowther wouldn’t last for ever and he was sure nobody in Carlisle would make the mistake of playing primero for high stakes with him again. On the other hand, blackrent was one of the cankers of the Border, as poor men paid protection money to crooks like Lowther and Richie Graham of Brackenhill to keep their herds and houses safe from reivers. Since no one could live paying rent to two landlords, most of them got their living by reiving and demanding blackrent of their own.
Archibald Bell had his purse in his hand, ready to do the business. He was looking puzzled.
Carey stood again, went and poured two goblets of the diabolical wine which Goodwife Biltock had sent up by Simon Barnet who was, as usual, not around.
‘Mr Bell,’ he said, handing one to the headman, who looked astonished. ‘How much blackrent was Sir Richard demanding?’
‘Thirty shillings a quarter,’ Bell answered promptly. ‘But I havena paid it for a while, so I brung what we owe which is six pounds.’
That was no less than extortionate.
‘I give you a toast,’ said Carey, while he struggled with temptation. ‘I give you, confusion to Richard Lowther and the Grahams.’
Bell lifted his goblet and drank the lot without noticeable strain.
‘Ye willna be wanting more, sir?’ he said anxiously. ‘For we canna pay it.’
‘No,’ said Carey. ‘I’m sure you can’t. In fact, I’m not sure I should accept it.’
‘Eh?’ Bell was flabbergasted.
‘Well,’ said Carey reasonably, ‘you give blackrent in return for protection from reivers, don’t you?’
‘Ay.’
‘To be frank with you, Mr Bell, I’m not sure how much more protection I can offer you. I haven’t Lowther’s contacts or his family backing. I’m only an officer of the Queen.’
‘Ye did well enough keeping my stock fra Wattie’s clutches yesterday.’
‘I have to admit it wasn’t my prime consideration.’
‘Nay, I ken that. I know well enough you was protecting Mr Aglionby’s packtrain.’
Something in the pit of Carey’s stomach gave a lurch of excitement. Now that made sense of a fifty-man raid at hay-making. Carefully he drank more of the sloe-coloured vinegar in his good silver goblet.
‘Ah,’ he said wisely. ‘And how did you find that out?’
‘It was one o’ the reivers we caught yesterday. He was in such a taking, yelling and shouting about what he’d lost by ye and how he hated ye, and the packtrain the heaviest to go into Carlisle for years and so on. So then I knew why ye were there, which was puzzling me; it was for the packtrain, to keep it fra Wattie Graham,’ Bell explained.
Carey stared into space, his mind working furiously. He was remembering the cardgame at the Mayor’s house. Suddenly he knew who had killed Jemmy Atkinson.
‘I supposed you haven’t got the reiver any more?’
‘Nay, we ransomed all of them back, the minute Skinabake’s man turned up wi’ the money.’
‘Do you know his name?’
‘Ay, it was Fire the Braes Armstrong.’
‘And where does he live?’
‘The Debateable Land, seeing he’s at the horn for murder and arson in two Marches.’
Carey came to a decision.
‘Mr Bell,’ he said. ‘I’ll be straight with you. I don’t want to take blackrent, which is against the law, but I’ll take my rightful Wardenry fee for protecting your cattle, which is two pounds.’
‘Ay,’ said Bell. ‘But I want yer protection in the future.’
‘You have that,’ Carey explained. ‘It’s one of the duties of the office of Deputy Warden to protect you from raiders.’ Dammit, thought Carey, really it’s the only one. ‘You shouldn’t have to pay me rent for that; the Queen’s supposed to do it.’ Not that she did, or not regularly. ‘You only pay me a fee for a particular raid.’
Bell was looking deeply suspicious.
‘Are ye tellin’ me to pay my blackrent to Lowther?’
‘No, Mr Bell, I’m telling you to give me two pounds sterling and call it quits. Keep the money. Buy weapons or steel bonnets for your family or even a new plough or whatever. Just give me information when it comes to you and turn out to fight for me when I call and that’s all the blackrent I want.’
Bell’s mouth was hanging open. Carey was glad neither Dodd nor Barnabus were there to tell him he was mad turning down good cash; he even felt a little mad and reckless doing it. But he was grateful to Bell for solving Atkinson’s murder for him and besides, if he himself took blackrent like Lowther, how could he stop anyone else from doing it?
Bell had a broad spreading grin of incredulity on his face.
