summed it all. 'By the Mass,' he said, straightening himself and scratching, 'I cannot cut stones, nor yet lay a wall to order, but, by God's breath. I'd haul those stones with my teeth to best that bastard yet.'
'You may have to,' said Raoul. He smiled at us, the scar on his cheek suddenly very clear. 'Used stones will spare us time and expense. We needs must save both . . . They have given us the stones of Sieux. We shall use them to advantage.'
There speaks my hawk, I thought, well-satisfied, and left them to their talk. Presently, they went back to the fire, opening a wine cask, one of the villagers had brought, settling down to their drinking, their storytelling. Thus did they honour their dead companions, after all, that they should not be forgotten. And for the first time since our sad homecoming were the men of Sieux mourned and comforted in soldier fashion.
I lay by myself, content to have it so, and thought too of my father Falk, and of his dear friend who had been Raoul's grandfather, and of all the men they had known who would have remembered them. And I thought too, almost defiantly, that when my child, my son, was born, he should have memories of Sieux's towers . . . standing strong again.
When Raoul returned to his place beside me on the inner wall, he was more cheerful, or rather, overlying grief were plans, things that could be done. Yet, as he eased his long legs in beside my own, I could feel the tautness of his body like whipcord.
'You are over-reached, my lord,' I told him softly, 'rest now.'
He sighed and stretched himself painfully. 'Others have said as much,' he admitted. 'King Stephen, when the mood was on him, would swear I'd carry his kingdom on my back. Well, it is my way. I am too old to change.'
He leaned upon his saddle. For a moment, with his eyes dosed, the lashes against his cheeks, he gave the lie to his own words. He looked almost as he used to do, the laughing, mocking boy who had plagued me when we first met. A great wave of sympathy coursed through me that this, his happy day, had ended so bitterly. To hide my thoughts, I went on resolutely.
‘Is there no one nearby to help us, no friend?'
He sighed, answering as if to a child. 'When I was in England last year, there were not many men then to give me help. Still fewer here. I would not alarm you, Ann, who, God knows, has suffered harm enough, but I have shown you where Sieux lies to the south of Normandy, between it and Anjou and Maine. Now that Sieux is destroyed, the Norman barons would like well enough to take my lands. If we can but keep secret our plan to rebuild, that will give us a breathing space. Henry cannot leave England now. The Angevins have slunk back to their dens and will not stir without him; let's hope the Normans will bide their opportunity to deal with us.'
'Cannot the king help you,' I said, quailing at his words although his voice was calm. 'King Louis of France?'
He did not think to do so before.' And Raoul's voice was still level when he spoke. 'Louis may live to regret his lack of foresight. But he is a shifty man, never letting his right hand know the left. He should be quicker to our defense a second time, not liking Henry to have gained so much land as to own three-quarters of France. Nor does he like it that Henry also owns his queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine who once was Queen of France. Louis does not take kindly that she left him to marry Henry within two months. I should not like it myself. I'd not let my wife leave me to take another man.' He smiled at me. 'So it is to Louis's gain to keep Sieux as barrier between Henry's lands south and north, but I would not rely on Louis to act as he ought.'
He shifted awkwardly to find resting place, burst out 'God's breath, but it is no jest to be trussed up thus, like to barnyard fowl, not able to belt my own sword on. Devil fry me, I had not thought these wounds would take so long to heal that I am like to die of boredom
'You may have to,' said Raoul. He smiled at us, the scar on his cheek suddenly very clear. 'Used stones will spare us time and expense. We needs must save both . . . They have given us the stones of Sieux. We shall use them to advantage.'
There speaks my hawk, I thought, well-satisfied, and left them to their talk. Presently, they went back to the fire, opening a wine cask, one of the villagers had brought, settling down to their drinking, their storytelling. Thus did they honour their dead companions, after all, that they should not be forgotten. And for the first time since our sad homecoming were the men of Sieux mourned and comforted in soldier fashion.
I lay by myself, content to have it so, and thought too of my father Falk, and of his dear friend who had been Raoul's grandfather, and of all the men they had known who would have remembered them. And I thought too, almost defiantly, that when my child, my son, was born, he should have memories of Sieux's towers . . . standing strong again.
When Raoul returned to his place beside me on the inner wall, he was more cheerful, or rather, overlying grief were plans, things that could be done. Yet, as he eased his long legs in beside my own, I could feel the tautness of his body like whipcord.
'You are over-reached, my lord,' I told him softly, 'rest now.'
He sighed and stretched himself painfully. 'Others have said as much,' he admitted. 'King Stephen, when the mood was on him, would swear I'd carry his kingdom on my back. Well, it is my way. I am too old to change.'
He leaned upon his saddle. For a moment, with his eyes dosed, the lashes against his cheeks, he gave the lie to his own words. He looked almost as he used to do, the laughing, mocking boy who had plagued me when we first met. A great wave of sympathy coursed through me that this, his happy day, had ended so bitterly. To hide my thoughts, I went on resolutely.
‘Is there no one nearby to help us, no friend?'
He sighed, answering as if to a child. 'When I was in England last year, there were not many men then to give me help. Still fewer here. I would not alarm you, Ann, who, God knows, has suffered harm enough, but I have shown you where Sieux lies to the south of Normandy, between it and Anjou and Maine. Now that Sieux is destroyed, the Norman barons would like well enough to take my lands. If we can but keep secret our plan to rebuild, that will give us a breathing space. Henry cannot leave England now. The Angevins have slunk back to their dens and will not stir without him; let's hope the Normans will bide their opportunity to deal with us.'
'Cannot the king help you,' I said, quailing at his words although his voice was calm. 'King Louis of France?'
He did not think to do so before.' And Raoul's voice was still level when he spoke. 'Louis may live to regret his lack of foresight. But he is a shifty man, never letting his right hand know the left. He should be quicker to our defense a second time, not liking Henry to have gained so much land as to own three-quarters of France. Nor does he like it that Henry also owns his queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine who once was Queen of France. Louis does not take kindly that she left him to marry Henry within two months. I should not like it myself. I'd not let my wife leave me to take another man.' He smiled at me. 'So it is to Louis's gain to keep Sieux as barrier between Henry's lands south and north, but I would not rely on Louis to act as he ought.'
He shifted awkwardly to find resting place, burst out 'God's breath, but it is no jest to be trussed up thus, like to barnyard fowl, not able to belt my own sword on. Devil fry me, I had not thought these wounds would take so long to heal that I am like to die of boredom
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