Michael Jecks - A Friar's bloodfeud

‘If I was going to retaliate, I’d do it with an assault on one of your manors,’ Sir Odo said reasonably. ‘I’d hardly attack Iddesleigh, on my own lands, would I?’

‘It had occurred to me and my men that you were thinking of blaming us for a second attack. That was why we arranged for a good alibi after we heard about it,’ Sir Geoffrey said musingly. ‘So if you wanted to make a point of putting the blame on me, it would be a good place for you to attack — somewhere that looks like yours, but which wouldn’t upset your master at all.’

‘It wasn’t me or my men,’ Sir Odo said flatly, and now he too was frowning at the view. ‘But if it wasn’t either of us, who could it have been? Is there a band of outlaws that you’re aware of? I’ve heard nothing.’

‘No, nor I. But if there were a small band, they might be keen to avoid upsetting either of us. Perhaps this was merely a short incursion by felons and they took what they could and fled?’

‘Perhaps,’ Sir Odo said, unconvinced. ‘But I should go cautiously for a while. We don’t want the balance we hold here to be disturbed. If there is trouble, it will escalate to our lords, and there is no point in that. Your master and mine must baulk at the thought of war over such a tiny piece of land. Provided we continue to niggle at it, they’ll be happy. But we don’t want actual battle. Besides, it is not in our interests to have the land disputed seriously.’

‘Not while it is in our hands and we can profit from it,’ Sir Geoffrey agreed. ‘We can leave matters as they are for a while. Let the peasants think that we have a truce, and then occasional little attacks to satisfy my master.’

‘Good,’ Sir Odo said.

He extended his hand. Sir Geoffrey hesitated, and then the pair sealed their pact with a handshake.

Then Sir Odo asked, ‘By the way — did you ever learn who it was who killed your sergeant?’

‘No. That is still a mystery to us. No doubt we shall learn, though.’

‘Have you heard that the widow, young Lucy of Meeth, has disappeared too?’ Sir Odo asked keenly.

‘No — I’d heard nothing about her. I have enough on my plate just looking to my own affairs without worrying about other people’s.’

Sir Odo nodded. ‘True enough. Godspeed!’ He wheeled his horse about, and set off at a canter southwards.

Sir Geoffrey considered him as he rode out of sight, and then he shook his head and touched his beast with the spur, and set off at a gentle trot. It was a shame he had to destroy Sir Odo. When his master declared that he wanted a new piece of land, it was best to obey him. Those who disobeyed the Despenser tended to have their lives shortened.

When the hammering came at the door, Simon heard the maid going to answer it, and idly ran his hand down his wife’s naked flank, then leaned forward and kissed the curve of her waist. ‘I could lie here all day just making love to you,’ he whispered.

‘You have done before now,’ she chuckled throatily. She reached out to him and pulled his face to hers, kissing his lips. ‘I miss you so much,’ she said seriously.

‘I miss you too. Hopefully it won’t be long. How is Edith?’

‘She is in love with him, Simon. She says she won’t leave Lydford unless it’s as his wife.’

Simon looked away. It was too painful to accept that his daughter was already a woman and ready for marriage. ‘She seems so young.’

‘I doubt not that I seemed too young to my parents when you wooed me.’

‘Perhaps,’ he sighed.

She smiled and rolled over on to her back, pulling him on top of her. ‘Do you remember how we used to make love all afternoon?’

‘Master?’

The shout up the stairs came just as he was preparing to demonstrate that he could indeed recall those not-so-far-off days, and he frowned at his wife as she attempted to suppress her giggling at his frustration. ‘Shall I go and send them away, Simon?’

He snapped over his shoulder, ‘What is it?’

‘A boy has come … a messenger, a man from Sir Baldwin, bailiff. It’s very important, he says. Urgent.’

Simon kissed Meg a last time, then grunted as he left her body. ‘I’ll be back in a minute.’

Dressed, he found the messenger warming his hands before his fire.

‘Wat?’

‘Sir … I am so sorry, sir,’ Wat burst out. ‘It’s Hugh. I am sorry, we’ve heard he’s dead, sir.’

‘No!’

‘Will you go to help Sir Baldwin at Hugh’s house?’

Simon did not bother to answer, but hurried up to tell his wife.

Robert Crokers was still weeping as the pups were born.

Someone had tried to kill his poor old bitch and she might never work again. The poor thing was ruined. She had a long cut along her flank, where someone had plainly slashed at her as she ran past, and she must have spent the last few days in terror, not daring to return to her home. God only knew what she had managed to eat, although from the look of her it wasn’t much.

As soon as he saw her he picked her up in his arms, buried his face in her neck, and carried her gently back to the house. He laid her by the fire and gave her a little of the meaty soup he had made for himself, watching anxiously as she wolfed it down. She was terribly weak, and her eyes were haunted like a child’s who had lost a parent. Whenever there was a noise she didn’t recognise, she started and stared fixedly at the door. When Walter walked in, she was petrified, growling low and rising painfully on her haunches at the sight of the stranger.

‘Easy, girl. Easy,’ Robert said, stroking her. At the first touch, she flashed her head round, and he saw that she was panting, as though she had run a great distance. Her teeth were ready, and her open mouth enclosed his hand. He didn’t move, but spoke to her softly, until at last her rolling eyes were calmed, and she released him. His skin wasn’t broken, and he gently scratched her under the chin, where she always liked it. She held his gaze for a long while, and then lay down again, too exhausted to maintain even her fear.

‘Poor girl,’ he said.

‘Found her, then?’ Walter said. He had collected more wood and threw it down near the fire. ‘Won’t last long, from the look of her.’

‘She’s strong inside,’ Robert said.

‘She’ll need to be!’ Walter chuckled, and walked out again.

Robert returned to his faggots later, and brought all the spare wood to the house. He stacked it with Walter’s pile over at the far side of the room, then dropped a bundle on to the glowing embers, blowing gently until he had fanned it into flames. He set his bowl over it to heat through, and settled back to wait while the flames warmed his face. As he squatted there, he heard the steps of Walter return, and soon the older man was inside again, throwing another few faggots to join the pile.

‘Keep us going for the night, anyway,’ he commented.

‘Why did you say that before you fetched them?’

‘What?’

‘I said she was strong inside, and you said she’d have to be.’

Walter looked at him, then stuck a small twig in his mouth and rubbed it over his teeth to clean them. ‘Look, I don’t know what Sir Odo said to you, but he reckons those bastards’ll be back. Won’t be immediate, but they’ll be back, and next time they’ll plan on making sure no one can live here. He’s set a boy to watch over us here, and if there’s any sign of horses coming that lad will run fast as he can to Sir Odo, day or night, and day or night Sir Odo will come with his men.’

‘Why, though? The land isn’t worth all that much.’

Walter chuckled aloud. ‘Not in terms of peasants or crops, no; but it’s good for a lord to tie up his lands, and Sir Geoffrey’s lords own most of the land this side of the river. They’ll be looking to add more, and that means he wants to clear you and all our men off this part so he can put his own in here.’