Title: |
The Pilgrim of Hate |
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Author: |
Ellis Peters |
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Category: |
Mystery / Thriller |
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Rating: |
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Date Reviewed: |
August 10, 2024 |
But not all is gloom - soon the Abbey will celebrate the annual anniversary of the arrival of the casket of St. Winifred to Shrewsbury Abbey. (Cadfael confides with Hugh that the bones inside the casket are not really the saint's bones at all, St. Winifred remains buried in Wales - the tale of the sacred bones swap was related in the first volume of the Brother Cadfael series: A Morbid Taste for Bones. Pilgrims come from all over to celebrate St. Winifred. Her casket (which everyone presumes holds her holy bones) is paraded about while believers pray, sing and chant. It is a happy time, but crowds draw unsavory elements as well as true believers. Staggering to the Abbey comes Dame Alice Weaver, who has walked all the way here with her two teenage children. Melangell is a beautiful young woman, but her brother, Rhun, has an atrophied leg and has never been able to walk. Since the Weaver's are poor, they could not afford a ride, and so Rhun went the distance on his crutches - painful journey indeed. Accompanying the Weavers is Ciaran, a devout pilgrim who bears a huge heavy cross around his neck. Ciaran piously walks along barefoot on the dusty roads. The long trek has left Ciaran with bloody, bruised feet and a seeping wound around his neck, caused by chafing from his heavy cross. Ciaran explains that he has a terminal illness, and is attempting to reach Aberdaron before he perishes. Ciaran carries a ring from the bishop, by displaying this blessed protection only the most evil of men would disrupt his holy trek. Walking with Ciaran is Matthew, a hale young man who offers to carry Melangell's luggage as the party slowly makes its way to the abbey. It is unclear what the connection between Ciaran and Matthew is, but Matthew is impressively devoted, never leaving Ciaran's side. Also arriving at the Abbey are the prosperous merchant Simeon Poer, the tailor John Shure, the glover Walter Bagot and the farrier William Hales. Sheriff Beringer does not like the look of these men, any one of them could be a thief seeking to prey upon the gathered pilgrims. Cadfael treats the wounds on Ciaran's bare feet and around his neck. Cadfael tries to knead the tight muscles in Rhun's atrophied leg. From each of these pilgrims, Cadfael's learns their story and ponders what he has been told. The festivities of St. Winifred are miraculous - but in the crowd, Ciaran discovers that someone has sliced the cord that held the bishop's ring. Without that ring, Ciaran would feel helpless on the open road, even with Matthew's aid. It is clear that there is a thief somewhere in the crowd at Shrewsbury... The Pilgrim of Hate is my tenth Brother Cadfael novel, as I slowly work my way through the series. I continue to enjoy how Peter's portrays life during the Middle Ages, with their politics and professions, their pious beliefs and their simple pleasures of feasting and dances. I also like their dialogue - I have no idea if they way the speak in the book is authentic, but it seems different from modern speech, and so these novels ring true to me. I need to now find a copy of book eleven, An Excellent Mystery. |
