7 Justice is served.
Before me stood Teddy Shorn with his father standing erect behind him, ready to give him a quick kick or to provide some protection from an irate Edith typing behind him. I asked them to sit and noticed both had cloth caps they had taken off and Teddy was wrapping the same cap around his fingers.
'Well you both know what this is about, the age of Ducal justice has long since past and been usurped by a local magistrate.' Both nodded. 'So why are you here and not in court.'
“I asked Lord Nicolas and Tom to bring this affair to your notice your Grace.”
'Well let me hear what your boy has to say.' The boy remained quite still and mute.
'Well come on Teddy tell me why you filched the packet of money, how did you know it was there, why was it there, had Mrs Merryweather robbed a bank and what on earth were you thinking taking the most famous dog in the village out of its own garden.'
“Your Grace do you have dungeons here in the castle?”
'I expect so, why do you ask.'
“Will I be thrown into one if I don't answer.”
'Probably, though perhaps not. Come to think of it there used to one under one of the rear towers but I think that got filled up with stone and sand as the foundations for the tower began to look somewhat shaky, now back to my questions please.'
“Your valet Tom said I might be punished being hung in chains there, but your son said it might be a month of mucking out the horses, which I would prefer.”
'Regardless of the chains down bellow or the stables answer the questions please.'
“I don't want to get anyone into trouble.”
“Apparently there were several boys involved in this escapade Your Grace.” The father interupted.
'A gang you mean Teddy, so spill it out and I will forget the chains, they've all rusted
anyhow, but the truth please. That's the last time I say please, its getting repetitive.'
'One of our guys lives in Kettleridge, knows the old baker who had loaned money from Mrs Merryweather and knew he was repaying the debt last week. “
'Kind of Mrs Merryweather I must remember her if I need a loan rather than go to those shark banks. Continue.'
“He followed the baker on his bike, saw him drop the envelope into a post box and informed we lads here in the village to watch out for the post van.”
'The dog?'
“I fancied it.”
I began to suspect how hard a job Lanson had being one of the county magistrates, to have to listen to all this waffle and determine the accuracy of it.
'So now we have a group of you money launderers to consider, I feel this is quite out of my league. In the old days a good thrashing would have been in order but these days you have the namby pandy and human rights all over this place. So what about Mrs Merryweather what justice does she get out for her loss?'
“Well your Grace she did not actually know she had lost the money, we nicked it before she realised she had in in her post box.”
'That might be true but the poor baker who returned the money he had loaned would have been very worried. Truly it was a stupid thing to send cash in the post instead of delivering it himself, but it was wrong of you to steal it. As for the dog Mrs Merryweather was visible upset according to my daughter in law so what recompense do you have for her?'
The lad stood stock still not another word left his grim face.
'So since you have tried to guide me in the direction of a punishment that would suit, let me ask you what would you consider. Have you ever seen the Mikado, its a musical. In it is a line about the punishment fitting the crime. So what do you and your father think.'
“Mucking out your stables for a week sir.”
'Oh I hardly feel that is adequate, there are a few of you to consider. What I think is you will chop a months worth of logs for both the Castle and Mrs Merryweather you will cut them and deliver them. If you need transport, which you probably will, you will ask my sons to help you move them with my tractor. Is that clear?'
“Your Grace where can my son and his mates cut the logs. We don't have any trees in our garden.” The father worrying where he could find a few free trees.
“There is the large woodland over Lofty way and a few of the older trees got caught in the storm last three months ago. My own youngsters feed the big fire here as one of their chores and one of them mentioned the fallen trees at supper last week. So your son and his chums will save my family some heavy work. And mind you Mr Shorn, if your son has a mind to pinch some of the timber for himself I will personally dig out stones blocking up the dungeon! Now arrange all this with my son please. I suggest you see him tomorrow. By the way the stables remain my own families chore, the children dearly love their big shires and would be mortified if I gave the chore of mucking out to a stranger!'
They bowed and left abruptly, leaving me to think had I done the right thing.