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Authors: Sharan Newman

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“Yes,” he admitted. “Stop tickling! Apparently Jehan has been telling everyone that we’re secretly Jews and plotting with the Saracens to take over France.”
“Sweet Virgin!” Catherine commented. “And his proof?”
“The account book,” Edgar said. “With the ‘magic’ Hebrew writing. I didn’t even have to produce it. Archer said he’d been doing the same thing for years. He doesn’t like Jews, but he’s not above learning
a good trick from them. The water merchants told the provost that such an accusation was nonsense.”
“Archer!” Catherine said. “Imagine that. I suppose it’s a good thing that we didn’t let him hang.”
“Are you sorry we couldn’t convict Jehan?” Edgar asked.
“Not as much as you and Solomon might be,” Catherine said. “I suppose I can’t help but believe in the possibility of redemption.”
“Of Jehan!” Edgar gave a whoop and began tickling her. “Woman, you can’t be serious. See, you’re laughing right now!”
“Edgar!” she shrieked. “Stop it or I’ll …”
One thing led to another, although they continued laughing. They didn’t hear the door creak open. Edgar rolled over, Catherine on top of him when both were startled by a pair of grey eyes peering over the mattress and an indignant voice saying, “Mama, Papa, why are you having fun without me?”
The first Wednesday after Pentecost, 3 ides July (June 11), 1147; The first feast of Saint Barnabas, Apostle, and the beginning of the fair at Lendit, north of Paris.
 
Illo anno in quarta feria Pentecostes edictum accidit; sic regi celebria cuncta succedunt. Dum igitur a beato Dionysio vexillum et abeundi licentiam petiit … visus ab omnibus planctum maximum extavit et intimi affectus omnium benedictionem accepit.
 
That year the fair took place on the Wednesday after Pentecost. So great numbers came there, lingering to see the king. At that time he asked for the oriflamme banner from Saint Denis and also permission to leave. In the sight of all he caused great sorrow and accepted the blessing of everyone and their deep affection.
 
—Odo of Deuil
de Profectione Ludovico VII in Orientum
Book I
 
 
G
iselbert sucked on a piece of honeycomb he had just bought.
“So they’re finally going,” he said.
“Don’t believe it until you see the dust from their horses settling on the road east,” Edgar suggested.
“I won’t believe it until I hear they’ve retaken Edessa.” Giselbert winced as the honey stuck to a rotten tooth. “At least it’s good for trade at the moment. Maybe we can make enough to pay those damn pilgrimage tithes. A king who can’t afford to raise his own army should stay home.”
Edgar laughed and went on to find Solomon.
“It’s hard to get people interested in buying wool in this weather.” Solomon mopped his face with a cloth. “Even though they know the price could triple by autumn.”
“Don’t worry,” Edgar said. “We only deal in the stuff as a favor to my brother, Robert. I’ve found someone interested in precious stones and gold wire.”
“That sounds much more interesting. Who is it?”
“Adelbero, the bishop of Trier,” Edgar said.
“What? He wouldn’t so much as see us when we were there,” Solomon said. “How did you do it?”
“The way you taught me,” Edgar said. “I had a mutual friend introduce us.”
“Edgar!” Solomon stepped back in admiration. “Don’t tell me you got the pope to help?”
“You told me that there was no shame in having friends who were well connected.” Edgar laughed.
“Even Hubert would have paused before asking the pope. Well done!” Solomon wiped his face again. “This must be the hottest day so far this year. I wish we’d brought our own beer. There’s a line all around the beer tent and out to the road.”
“Catherine has a jug of something in the food we packed.” Edgar looked around for her. “I don’t know how cool it still is.”
“You didn’t let her take it with her, did you?” Solomon complained. “You know she’s gone to see the king receive the oriflamme and find out what the queen is wearing. I heard that women are fainting from the heat in that crowd.”
“Don’t worry,” Edgar said. “She left the jug at our tent, with Martin to guard it. Margaret and the children are probably back there by now, as well.”
They wove their way through the throng to the site they had taken for the duration of the fair. The monks of Saint Denis rented these as well as wooden booths for the various vendors.
“One thing I’m grateful for, on a day like this,” Solomon commented, “is that since we couldn’t get Jehan hanged, at least he is spending this weather in chains. It’s a good beginning for his penance.”
“Lord Henry swore that they wouldn’t be removed until the gates of Constantinople,” Edgar said with satisfaction.
In spite of the heat Solomon shivered. “I won’t have a completely peaceful night until I hear Jehan’s been buried and, even then, I want to see the stone holding him down.”
“For now, I’m not going to think about him,” Edgar said. “Now, look more cheerful. You don’t want to frighten the children.”
He held open the tent flap for them to enter.
To their surprise, everyone was there, including Lambert and Clemence.
“I thought you had already set out for home,” Edgar told them. “Is Lord Osto here, too.”
“Didn’t he come to see you before he left?” Lambert asked.
“No,” Edgar said. “And I thought he wanted us to sell his destrier for him.”
Clemence smiled sadly. “He won’t be needing you to do that,
either. Father had a long talk with Commander Evrard, or I should say Master Evrard.”
“He’s now the leader of all the Knights of the Temple in the world,” Lambert added. “And we met him. Imagine!”
“Anyway, Father decided to fulfill Bertulf’s vow, for his soul and that of my mother,” Clemence continued. “He wanted to remain a sergeant, but he was talked out of that as well.”
“We’ll go back to Picardy and do our best to convince Lord Jordan to let us maintain Clemence’s fief,” Lambert said. “But if not, she’ll renounce it and endure the shame of being a rich miller’s wife.”
Clemence didn’t appear too alarmed by the possibility. She was thinking more of her father.
“I know it’s strange to say after all we’ve been through because of it,” she told them, “but I’m glad that one day I can tell my children that their grandfather wears the white cloak.”
By Sharan Newman from Tom Doherty Associates
 
CATHERINE LEVENDEUR MYSTERIES
Death Comes as Epiphany
The Devil’s Door
The Wandering Arm
Strong as Death
Cursed in the Blood
The Difficult Saint
To Wear the White Cloak
 
GUINEVERE
 
Guinevere
The Chessboard Queen
Guinevere Evermore
Usually I can’t say where a book started, but with this one, I’m sure. The seed of it was tucked away in the charters of Paris and is quoted at the beginning of chapter two. The idea of there being one hundred thirty knights of the Temple of Solomon at Jerusalem (later known as Templars) in Paris caught my interest. As I researched the charters of the Temple, both from what is now France and from Spain, I found the prototype for Bertulf, a man who joined the Templars under the sponsorship of his lord and whose son later married the lord’s daughter. The rest of their story is my own invention.
It’s difficult to tell people what in the books is “true” and what isn’t. Catherine, Edgar and their families are imaginary but they behave as I believe some real people would have then. Many others are real but little is known about them. Genta existed and Archer, but only as names in charters. Astrolabe was the son of Abelard and Heloise and his ultimate fate is still being debated. Maurice will one day be bishop of Paris. Albert and Clement, the dean and chanter of Nôtre Dame, really did fight about the music, apparently with no interest in any of the events happening around them. Their feud got so bad that Abbot Suger had to write to Pope Eugenius for his help in settling the quarrel.
The second crusade isn’t discussed much outside of academia, except for the fact that Eleanor of Aquitaine made the journey. But I think it was a turning point in Western history for many reasons, the main one being that it was a monumental failure. This book and the last,
The Difficult Saint,
take place as the crusade is being planned and begun. Even then, there were many dissenting voices, most of whom were happy to later tell Bernard of Clairvaux, “I told you so.”
As always, I prefer this book to be read as entertainment. I wrote it for your pleasure. There will be no pop quiz. If you wish to learn more about the background for this book and others in the series, please contact me, either through the website:
or in care of the publisher.
 
Thanks to all who have followed Catherine and Edgar (and Solomon, of course) this far. Your company on the journey is much appreciated.
 
Sincerely, Sharan
 
 
This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this novel are either fictitious or are used fictitiously.
 
 
TO WEAR THE WHITE CLOAK
Copyright © 2000 by Sharan Newman
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form.
 
 
A Forge Book
Published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC
175 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10010
Forge
®
is a registered trademark of Tom Doherty
Associates, LLC.
 
 
Map by Ellisa Mitchell
 
 
eISBN 9781466817234
First eBook Edition : April 2012
 
 
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Newman, Sharan.
To wear the white cloak / Sharan Newman.—1st ed.
p. cm.
“A Tom Doherty Associates book.”
ISBN 0-312-86965-7 (alk. paper)
1. LeVendeur, Catherine (Fictitious character)—Fiction. 2. France—History—Medieval period, 987-1515—Fiction. 3. Women detectives—France—Fiction. 4. Jewish families—France—Fiction. I. Title
PS3564.E926 T6 2000
813’.54-dc21
00-031794
First Edition: October 2000
BOOK: To Wear The White Cloak: A Catherine LeVendeur Mystery
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