The Secret Of The Cathars (2011) Read Free Page B

undergrowth. The effect was awe-inspiring.
    “ I bet this fortress was a sight in those days.”
    “ It certainly was,” she agreed. “On the North side of the ridge there’s a sheer drop of more than thirty metres. The guys working on that side will have to be extremely careful.”
    He turned and faced her. “This is going to be totally different to our normal excavations, Jackie. The site is going to be very difficult to explore. Why are you doing it? What are we looking for?”
    “ Anything.” She had the grace to look slightly embarrassed. “I want to prove some points. I believe we will find the evidence here.”
    He pulled a face.
    “ Jo - before Uncle Albert committed suicide he made a will leaving me all his papers. He had nothing else to leave. Every franc he possessed had been invested in his search for the Cathar remains. He had nothing left but those papers.”
    “ And you want to carry on his work.”
    “ Not exactly. During the last fifteen years, whenever I could find the time, I have been working through his notes. They took up seven filing cabinets so it wasn’t easy. However I think I’ve picked up enough to convince me that the answer is here under our feet.”
    “ You believe this castle is the hiding-place of the Cathar treasure?”
    “ I wouldn’t go so far as to say that. I’m looking for facts. All I know so far about le Bezu is that the chateau was confiscated from the Cathars by Simon de Montfort and was awarded to Pierre de Voisins in 1231.”
    “ I’ve not heard of him before. Who’s this chap de Voisins?”
    “ He was a very interesting character. You’ll k now that the Albigensian Crusade was led by Simon de Montfort. Pierre de Voisins was one of his lieutenants. After de Montfort’s death in 1218, he seems to have decided to withdraw from the Crusade and retire to le Bezu.”
    “ Are you hoping to find out more about him by excavating here?”
    She shook her head. “De Voisins is only peripheral to what I’m looking for. Uncle’s files contained Occitan documents with references to him. My reading of those notes suggests de Voisins had a change of heart in later life and became sympathetic to the Cathar cause. In fact it is possible that le Bezu may have become a haven for some of the Cathars escaping from Montsegur.”
    Jolyon pulled a face. “It doesn’t seem much of a basis for a major excavation.”
    “ Come off it, Andre.” Her face was flushed with enthusiasm as she looked up at him. “We know that only four Cathar perfecti escaped from Montsegur and they were recorded as taking ‘The Treasure of the Cathars’ with them. Le Bezu is not much more than a long day’s walk through the mountains from Montsegur. I have been unable to find records of any other safe havens in the area. The Cathar escapers and their treasure have never been found. Can you think of a more likely place for them to have come than here?”
    “ But wouldn’t they have been pursued by the French?”
    “ Yes - sooner or later. However, suppose that de Voisins was willing to shelter them, being secretly sympathetic to the Cathar cause. All he needed to say was that he hadn’t seen the escapers. Nobody would be likely to have argued with him.” She swept her arm round, indicating the whole site. “If they didn’t accept his word, it would have resulted in another twelve-month siege of a powerful and easily defended castle. In addition, the French would have assumed that de Voisins was an enemy of the Cathars. So they would have been much more likely to accept his word and look elsewhere.”
    “ OK, Jackie.” He grinned. “I can see you’re convinced. Who am I to argue?”
    She tossed her head angrily. “In any case it fits in with the rest of the research I’ve been doing about the Albigensian Crusade and its aftermath. So I want to check it out.”
    “ I still think it’s hardly enough to justify a whole summer’s excavations in a remote spot like this.” He hesitated.