The Leper of Saint Giles

A wedding is about to happen in Shrewsbury.  Brother Mark has taken upon himself to work with lepers nearby.  Brother Cadfael has brought him some medicines when the groom rides by.  The groom decides to threaten the lepers who have turned out to view the spectacle, and lashes at one leper who refuses to move back.  Mark comments that “Feat makes men cruel.”  Cadfael is not sure that the man is truly a leper despite showing symptoms.

The bride is young enough to be the groom’s granddaughter.  What will become of her?  Cadfael is not surprised when he discovers the bride, Iveta, with a young man in his apothecary.  He is also not surprised her aunt comes upon them.  He pretends to be preparing a medication for a headache she is suffering from.  After Iveta and her aunt leave, Cadfael wants to get to know the young man, Joscelin.

The following morning Joscelin arrives angry in the abbey astride his horse.  He accuses Iveta’s uncle of having him fired from his job.  Both men give their side to Radulfus, the abbot.  Moments later, Joscelin’s former employer arrives with the sheriff and accuses Joscelin of theft.  He is shocked when the item is found amongst his possessions.  Cadfael is not surprised when Joscelin escapes from his captors by diving into the fast flowing river.

The day of the wedding, the bride is prepared, but the groom doesn’t show up!  When the man is found, he is dead.  Murdered by someone who had put a rope across his path.  Iveta’s uncle immediately accuses Joscelin of the murder as does the sheriff.

It is Brother Oswin, Cadfael’s helper, who points out that the body was found bareheaded.  Where was his hat? When he finds the hat, Cadfael discovers a posey of flowers not native to the area around Shrewsburyon the hat.  Where could the victim have been to have gotten them?  Cadfael begins his investigation.

Cadfael does discover the killer, but it is someone else who confronts him.  Author Ellis Peters also has another mystery within this murder mystery, which Cadfael quietly solves.  Peters once again has written an enjoyable historical murder mystery with a couple of surprises at the end.  On to the next in the series!