“I never would have thought such a thing.” Ralf stared at the rushes on the floor. Although no one could read his expression, his shoulders were rounded as if heavy melancholy had weighed them down. “Nor do I now,” Sister Anne replied. “Signy may have faults like the rest of us, but I cannot imagine why she would bed a man like Martin. I had never heard that she was fond of the rougher sort.” Ralf glanced up and blinked as if waging war against enemy tears. “Perhaps I misspoke,” Anne said, her tone softened by compassion. “When a man chooses to ignore sweet courtesies and fine fashion, he may still own a gentle heart. Martin was a cruel man. I meant the latter when I spoke of roughness.” “The innkeeper’s niece is a woman beyond reproach,” the crowner replied, his words barely audible. “Were she otherwise, Tostig would not…” He coughed uncomfortably.
