![[Roger the Chapman 06] - The Wicked Winter](https://fs.collectorofbookboyfriends.com/617064/thumbs/152x264/roger-the-chapman-06-the-wicked-winter.jpg)
for a moment, wondering if I ought to return and press him further as to his meaning; but, several flakes of snow settling just at that moment amid the folds of my cloak, I decided that I must go forward without more delay. Ulnoth had made it plain that he did not want my company.
By the end of what I calculated to be another hour, and when I judged that Cederwell Manor must soon be coming into view, it was snowing with a gentle persistence that might not in itself have boded ill, but for a freshening wind blowing in from the sea. Every moment the smell of salt and fish grew stronger, and I knew that I must be very close by now to the Severn estuary. The land on the left-hand side of the track, which had originally fallen steeply away, was levelling out with each succeeding furlong of ground I covered, while on my right, the cliffs now soared above me. This was partly due to the fact that the track, which followed the high ground all the way from Bristol, was descending towards the shore.
Thick brakes of scrub had begun to replace the wind-bitten trees.
Then, in front of me, I saw the outhouses and barn of the manor, above which rose the chimneys of the house itself, nestling back against the face of the towering cliff behind it.
Turning my head I noted, some hundred yards or so to the left and standing well clear of the homestead, a round tower, three, or maybe four, storeys high.
And on the path ahead of me walked a solitary figure who, although his back was towards me, was immediately recognisable.
Chapter Five
I lengthened my stride.
'God be with you, Brother Simeon,' I called. 'I think we are bound for the same destination.'
The friar slowed to a halt and turned to face me. For a moment puzzlement deepened the lines between his brows.
'We've met somewhere before,' he said, then the frown cleared. 'Bristol. That was it. You and your mother were at the High Cross. Afterwards, she provided me with an excellent meal.'
'My mother-in-law,' I corrected. I had by now caught up with him and we continued to walk together. 'You've been summoned to Cederwell Manor.'
His head came round sharply. 'And how do you know that?'
'Four days ago, quite by chance, I met two men who were searching for you on the orders of their mistress, Lady Cederwell. She had urgent need of you, they said. A miller and his wife, who'd kindly let me eat with them, directed them south, to Woodspring Priory.'
Simeon nodded. His steps were beginning to flag and he leaned heavily on his staff as though he could barely keep himself upright. He looked even frailer than he had done in Bristol, his face gaunter, his body thinner, his black Dominican robe and cloak more travel-stained and tattered.
Only his eyes burned with the same fanatical zeal, the driving force which gave him the will-power to carry on with his mission.
'I have indeed come from that direction. The men you speak of did not find me until I was nearing my destination, and I told them that first I had to fulfil my promise to Abbot Hunt of Saint Augustine's Abbey in Bristol, to preach to the prior and his canons.' He added darkly, 'It seems that morals have grown lax amongst the brothers, and it needed someone to warn them afresh of the terrors of hellfire and eternal damnation; of the peril to their immortal souls if they continued with their sinful ways; to remind them that, under secular law, such malpractices would condemn them to the fire.'
'But what of Lady Cederwell?' I prompted.
'I said that I would be with her as soon as possible. As you say, her need of me seemed to be so great that one of her messengers offered to take me up and carry me to Cederwell there and then. But, "God's work will not be hurried," I told him. "It must proceed at His pace and in His good time. I shall come to your mistress on my own two feet when He wills that I shall do so, but not before, even if it means that Lady Cederwell must wait a week or so." However, with the Almighty's help, my words had
By the end of what I calculated to be another hour, and when I judged that Cederwell Manor must soon be coming into view, it was snowing with a gentle persistence that might not in itself have boded ill, but for a freshening wind blowing in from the sea. Every moment the smell of salt and fish grew stronger, and I knew that I must be very close by now to the Severn estuary. The land on the left-hand side of the track, which had originally fallen steeply away, was levelling out with each succeeding furlong of ground I covered, while on my right, the cliffs now soared above me. This was partly due to the fact that the track, which followed the high ground all the way from Bristol, was descending towards the shore.
Thick brakes of scrub had begun to replace the wind-bitten trees.
Then, in front of me, I saw the outhouses and barn of the manor, above which rose the chimneys of the house itself, nestling back against the face of the towering cliff behind it.
Turning my head I noted, some hundred yards or so to the left and standing well clear of the homestead, a round tower, three, or maybe four, storeys high.
And on the path ahead of me walked a solitary figure who, although his back was towards me, was immediately recognisable.
Chapter Five
I lengthened my stride.
'God be with you, Brother Simeon,' I called. 'I think we are bound for the same destination.'
The friar slowed to a halt and turned to face me. For a moment puzzlement deepened the lines between his brows.
'We've met somewhere before,' he said, then the frown cleared. 'Bristol. That was it. You and your mother were at the High Cross. Afterwards, she provided me with an excellent meal.'
'My mother-in-law,' I corrected. I had by now caught up with him and we continued to walk together. 'You've been summoned to Cederwell Manor.'
His head came round sharply. 'And how do you know that?'
'Four days ago, quite by chance, I met two men who were searching for you on the orders of their mistress, Lady Cederwell. She had urgent need of you, they said. A miller and his wife, who'd kindly let me eat with them, directed them south, to Woodspring Priory.'
Simeon nodded. His steps were beginning to flag and he leaned heavily on his staff as though he could barely keep himself upright. He looked even frailer than he had done in Bristol, his face gaunter, his body thinner, his black Dominican robe and cloak more travel-stained and tattered.
Only his eyes burned with the same fanatical zeal, the driving force which gave him the will-power to carry on with his mission.
'I have indeed come from that direction. The men you speak of did not find me until I was nearing my destination, and I told them that first I had to fulfil my promise to Abbot Hunt of Saint Augustine's Abbey in Bristol, to preach to the prior and his canons.' He added darkly, 'It seems that morals have grown lax amongst the brothers, and it needed someone to warn them afresh of the terrors of hellfire and eternal damnation; of the peril to their immortal souls if they continued with their sinful ways; to remind them that, under secular law, such malpractices would condemn them to the fire.'
'But what of Lady Cederwell?' I prompted.
'I said that I would be with her as soon as possible. As you say, her need of me seemed to be so great that one of her messengers offered to take me up and carry me to Cederwell there and then. But, "God's work will not be hurried," I told him. "It must proceed at His pace and in His good time. I shall come to your mistress on my own two feet when He wills that I shall do so, but not before, even if it means that Lady Cederwell must wait a week or so." However, with the Almighty's help, my words had
Similar Books
