Kate Mosse - Labyrinth

Tell my lord I will attend him immediately,“ he said brusquely. Then find Francois and send him to me. The man’s never where he should be.”

Alais laid her hand on his arm. “At least speak with Esclarmonde. Hear what she has to say. I will take word to her.”

He hesitated, then gave in. When Simeon comes, then I will listen to what your wise woman has to say.“

Pelletier strode up the stairs. At the top, he stopped.

“One thing, Alais. How did Oriane know where to find you?”

“She must have followed me from Sant-Nasari, although…” she stopped, as she realised Oriane wouldn’t have had time to enlist the help of the soldiers and return so quickly. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “But I am sure of-‘

But Pelletier was already gone. As she walked across the courtyard, Alais was relieved to see that Oriane was no longer anywhere to be seen.

Then she stopped.

What if she went back?

Alais picked up her skirts and ran.

As soon as she rounded the corner of Esclarmonde’s street, Alais saw her fears were justified. The shutters hung by a thread and the door had been ripped clean from its frame.

“Esclarmonde,” she cried. “Are you here?”

Alais went inside. The furniture lay upturned, the arms of the chair snapped like broken bones. The contents of the chest were thrown carelessly on the ground and the remains of the fire had been kicked over, leaving clouds of soft, grey ash smudged on the floor.

She climbed a few steps up the ladder. Straw, bedding and feathers covered the wooden slats of the sleeping area, everything ripped through.

The marks of the pikes and swords as they had plunged through the fabric were easy to see.

The mess in Esclarmonde’s consulting room was worse. The curtain had been ripped from the ceiling. Smashed earthenware jars and shattered bowls lay all around in pools of spilled liquids and compresses, brown, white and deep red. Bunches of herbs, flowers and leaves were trampled into the earth floor.

Had Esclarmonde been here when the soldiers returned? Alais ran back outside, in the hope of finding someone who could tell her what had happened. The doors all around were shut and the windows latched.

“Dame Alais.”

At first she thought she’d imagined it. “Dame Alais.”

“Sajhe?” she whispered. “Sajhe? Where are you?”

“Up here.”

Alais stepped out of the shadow of the building and looked up. In the gathering dusk, she could just make out a tumbling mass of light brown hair and two amber eyes peering at her from between the sloped eaves of the houses.

“Sajhe, you’ll kill yourself!”

“I won’t,” he grinned. “I’ve done it lots of times. I can get in and out of the Chateau Comtal over the roof too!”

Well, you’re making me dizzy. Come down.“

Alais held her breath as Sajhe swung himself over the edge and dropped on the ground in front of her.

What happened? Where’s Esclarmonde?“

“ Menina is safe. She told me to wait until you came. She knew you would.”

Glancing over her shoulder, Alais drew him into the shelter of a doorway. What happened?“ she repeated urgently.

Sajhe looked unhappily at his feet. “The soldiers came back. I heard most of it from the window. Menina feared they would, once your sister had taken you back to the Chateau, so as soon as you were gone, we gathered everything of importance and hid in the cellars.” He took a deep breath. They were very quick. We heard them going from door to door asking for us, questioning the neighbours. I could hear them stamping around over our heads, making the floor shake, but they didn’t find the trap door. I was frightened.“ He broke off, all mischief gone from his voice. ”They broke Menina’s jars. All her medicines.“

“I know,” she said softly. “I saw.”

They didn’t stop shouting. They said they were looking for heretics, but they were lying, I think. They didn’t ask the usual questions.“

Alais put her fingers under his chin and made him look at her.

“This is very important, Sajhe. Were they the same soldiers who came are? Did you see them?”

“I didn’t see.”

“Never mind,” she said quickly, seeing he was close to tears. “It sounds as if you were very brave. You must have been a great comfort to Esclarmonde.” She hesitated. Was anyone with them?“

“I don’t think so,” he said miserably. “I couldn’t stop them.”

Alais put her arms around him as the first tear rolled down his cheek.

,“Ssh, ssh, it will be well. Don’t distress yourself. You did your best, if I. That is all any of us can do.”

He nodded.

Where is Esclarmonde now?“

“There’s a house in Sant-Miquel,” he gulped. “She says we are to wait there until you tell us Intendant Pelletier is coming.”

Alais stiffened. “Is that what Esclarmonde said, Sajhe?” she said quickly.

“That she is waiting for a message from my father?”

Sajhe looked puzzled. “Is she mistaken then?”

“No, no, it’s just that I don’t see how…” Alais broke off. “Never mind. It doesn’t matter.” She wiped his face with her kerchief. “There. That’s better. My father does wish to talk with Esclarmonde, however he is waiting on the arrival of another… a friend who is travelling from Besiers.”

Sajhe nodded. “Simeon.”

Alais looked at him in astonishment. “Yes,” she said, smiling now.

“Simeon. Tell me, Sajhe, is there anything you don’t know?”

He managed to raise a grin. “Not much.”

You must tell Esclarmonde I will tell my father of what has happened, but that she – you both – should stay in Sant-Miquel for the time being.“

He surprised her by taking her hand. “Tell her yourself,” he said. “She will be glad to see you. And you can talk more. Menina said you had to go before you had finished talking.”

Alais looked down at his amber eyes, shining brightly with enthusiasm.

Will you come?“

She laughed. “For you, Sajhe? Of course. But not now. It is too dangerous. They might be watching the house. I will send word.”

Sajhe nodded, then disappeared as quickly as he had come.

“ Deman al vespre ,” he called out.

Jehan Congost had seen little of his wife since returning from Montpellier. Oriane had not welcomed him home as she should, showing no respect for the hardships and indignities he’d suffered. He had also not forgotten her lewd behaviour in their chamber shortly before his departure.

He scuttled across the courtyard, muttering to himself, then into the living quarters. Pelletier’s manservant, Francois, was coming towards him.

Congost thought him untrustworthy, inclined to think too much of himself, always skulking around and reporting everything back to his master. There was no business for him to be in the living quarters at this time of day.

Francois bowed his head. “ Escrivan .”

Congost did not acknowledge him.

By the time he reached his quarters, Congost had worked himself into “fm frenzy of righteous indignation. The time had come to teach Oriane a lesson. He could not allow such provocative and deliberate disobedience to go unpunished. He flung open the door without knocking.

“Oriane! Where are you? Come here.”

The room was empty. In his frustration at finding her absent, he swept everything off the table. Bowls smashed, the candle holder clattered on the ground. He strode over to the wardrobe and pulled everything out and wrenched the covers off the bed, the bedding with her wanton scent on them.

Furious, Congost threw himself down on a chair and looked at his handiwork. Torn material, broken bowls, candles. It was Oriane’s fault. ill behaviour had caused this.