Simon Beaufort - A Dead Man's secret

‘I disagree,’ said Cornald, crossing himself. ‘We should all leave immediately, lest Bernard de Neufmarche decides to put the town under quarantine. We might be trapped here for weeks.’

‘Then perhaps we should stay,’ said Hilde quietly. She glanced at Richard and Gwgan. ‘It would be unconscionable to carry a deadly disease to other parts of the country.’

‘Gwgan and Richard do not have what had afflicted my men,’ said Edward, crossing himself soberly. ‘ They are completely covered in bleeding red blotches.’

Geoffrey had never seen his companions move so quickly, and whereas he and Roger were usually the first to be ready of a morning, they were last that day. Even Leah was there before them, her face pale and beaded with perspiration from the agony of her headache.

‘This is not a good idea,’ said Geoffrey, regarding her with concern. ‘We should wait.’

‘Do not worry about me,’ whispered Leah, giving him a wan smile. ‘I am used to these pains, and they will pass whether I lie in bed or sit astride a horse. It makes no difference.’

‘Your husband should rest, too,’ said Hilde. ‘Or at least not stray too far from a-’

‘He can manage,’ interrupted Sear briskly. ‘And so can Gwgan. They are both warriors and used to discomfort. We are not talking about monks here.’

Without further ado, Sear led them at a brisk canter out of Brechene, following a track that ran along the side of a wide, shallow river. Once clear of the town, he slackened the pace; the road was rutted and he did not want to spoil his horse. Geoffrey and Roger brought up the rear.

The first Geoffrey knew of trouble was a yell from Alberic, followed by a sudden hail of arrows. The path was narrow at that point, hemmed in by trees on one side and the river on the other, and there was scant room for manoeuvre. Sear and Alberic immediately raised their shields and prepared to ride towards the point of attack. Geoffrey opened his mouth to stop them – woods were no place for horsemen, and they would be killed by hidden archers – but they saw the danger for themselves, and his warning was unnecessary.

An arrow bounced off Geoffrey’s shield and told him attackers were behind, as well as in front. Unfortunately, those in the middle of the convoy, which comprised servants, the women and Cornald, stopped dead in hopeless confusion. So far, the attack had focussed on the two ends of the cavalcade, where the knights were able to defend themselves with their shields, but Geoffrey sensed that would not last, and staying still would see them all shot.

‘Ride on!’ he yelled.

Fortunately, Sear and Alberic understood the reasons behind his orders and galloped forward to clear the way. Richard followed, although Gwgan took time to control his prancing horse, putting Hilde directly in the line of fire. Geoffrey watched in horror, certain the Welshman’s ineptitude was going to see his wife dead. Then Edward spurred forward, placing himself and his shield between Hilde and the point of attack, and escorted her out of danger.

Delwyn and Pulchria screamed in terror, although Leah gamely put her head down and kicked her horse after her husband’s. Delwyn’s fear transmitted itself to his nag, which reared and threw him. With Roger howling like a Saracen behind him, Geoffrey grabbed the monk by the back of his habit and hauled him across his saddle, vaguely aware that Cornald had produced a small bow and was returning fire in a manner that suggested his paltry efforts at the competition had been a front.

Once safely away from the hail of arrows, Geoffrey threw Delwyn to the ground and galloped back towards the woods, aware of the attackers scattering before him. Roger was at his heels, and they almost succeeded in laying hold of one of the villains, but the fellow dived through a thicket of brambles, a place where Geoffrey had no intention of taking his horse.

‘Shall we track them?’ asked Roger, breathing hard from his exertions. He glanced around as Sear, Alberic, Bale and Edward joined them, ready to help. Richard and Gwgan were behind, although the pallor of their faces said they would not be much assistance.

Geoffrey shook his head. ‘That might be what they are hoping for – leaving the baggage cart unattended.’

‘But there is nothing on it except Abbot Mabon,’ Sear pointed out.

‘Yes, but they do not know that,’ explained Geoffrey. ‘It would not be the first time a coffin was used to transport riches, and I do not want to leave Hilde and the other women without protection.’

He expected Sear to argue, but the older knight merely inclined his head in acknowledgement and trotted away, taking Alberic with him. Bale looked disappointed that there was to be no bloodshed, but obediently trotted back to see whether Pulchria needed any comfort.

‘I saw what you did,’ said Geoffrey gratefully to Edward. ‘Thank you for protecting Hilde.’

Edward smiled, but his unsteady seat in the saddle suggested he was already suffering from the weakness that often followed such incidents for those unused to them. Geoffrey handed him a flask that contained medicinal wine, and watched the colour seep back into the man’s cheeks. Then he rode back and reorganized the column, with him and Roger at the front, and Sear and Alberic bringing up the rear.

‘Sear and Alberic gave a good account of themselves,’ said Roger begrudgingly, as they led the way out of the wood, alert for more trouble. ‘I would not have expected it. Richard and Gwgan did not, though.’

‘They are both unwell. It is unfair to judge them today,’ said Geoffrey. ‘Cornald reacted well, too. He began shooting at the robbers almost instantly.’

‘I saw,’ said Roger with a grin. ‘Cunning old Cornald, hiding his talents! Do you think we should turn back? We escaped harm, by and large, but it will be dark soon.’

‘There are lights ahead,’ said Geoffrey. ‘Let us hope the villagers are friendly.’

The villagers were not friendly, but Cornald’s heavy purse encouraged them to let the travellers use a large barn, in which there was plenty of clean straw. Gwgan, Richard and Leah lay down immediately, and Roger lit a fire and began to prepare a basic meal. Geoffrey, Edward, Cornald, Sear and Alberic sat with him, recounting the relatively easy way they had defeated the ambush.

‘Wisely, they concentrated their attack on us,’ said Roger. ‘They shot at the knights at the front and rear of the column, intending to dispatch the warriors first. Then, with us dead or incapacitated, they would have moved in on the cart and the women.’

‘White surcoats,’ said Alberic. ‘We all wear white surcoats, which makes us easy targets.’

‘Mine has a red Crusader’s cross,’ said Roger proudly. ‘And so does Geoff’s. We are different.’

‘Not that different,’ said Cornald. ‘They are both rather grubby, and the crosses do not stand out as well as they did when we left Goodrich.’

‘Perhaps we should don something else, then,’ suggested Edward nervously. ‘I have enough gowns for everyone. Perhaps if we wore no surcoats, the next attack would not be so fierce. I have a lovely red one that will suit you, Sear.’

‘There will not be another ambush,’ predicted Roger confidently, as Geoffrey struggled not to laugh at the image of Sear in a womanly kirtle. ‘We saw the last one off with ease, and the villains will not risk a second one.’

‘I do not want to think about it,’ said Edward, accepting a bowl of soup from Roger with hands that still shook. ‘I will not sleep a wink tonight.’

Geoffrey was just returning from a foray outside, on which he had circled the barn three times to ensure all was in order, when he saw Bale and Pulchria exchange a smouldering look, then aim for the shadows at the back of the building.