The provided text consists of extended excerpts from "The Devil's Novice," the eighth installment in the Brother Cadfael mystery series by Ellis Peters (a pseudonym for Edith Pargeter). The narrative focuses on Brother Cadfael, a Benedictine monk, investigating the mystery surrounding the young postulant Meriet Aspley, who seeks to take vows at the Abbey of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in Shrewsbury during the period of civil war in 1140. Meriet's sudden desire to join the cloister, his agitated behavior, and the subsequent discovery of a body in a charcoal-burner's hearth are all linked to the disappearance of Peter Clemence, a clerk on the Bishop of Winchester's business. Through Cadfael's shrewd observations and the assistance of Hugh Beringar, the Deputy Sheriff of Shropshire, the investigation uncovers a conspiracy and reveals that Meriet was attempting to protect his brother, Nigel Aspley, from the charge of murder, a crime actually committed by their accomplice, Janyn Linde.

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