confused.’
‘Not everyone has spoken sense?’ Bess leaned over to wipe the table top with one efficient flourish. She was eager for gossip.
‘No. A lad had told Dame Agnes at the Clee that he’d been standing beside the older scholar who pushed Drogo into the Ouse, but what he saw was the student help the man who dived in to save Drogo. He’d freed the man’s sleeve from a nail that had snagged it. Others had witnessed it and laughed at the lad’s mistake.’
Bess laughed. ‘Poor chick! He’ll regret ever having said a peep.’
‘It’s a difficult lesson he’s learned, that he shouldnot jump to conclusions,’ Owen agreed. ‘Keep your ears pricked, my friend.’
He headed home, looking forward to discussing the evening’s events with Lucie, his most trusted advisor. He was still smiling about the lad’s mistake when he entered the hall. Lucie and Jasper were sitting at the table quietly talking. Dame Phillippa nodded by the fire – she seemed to sleep all the day of late. Alisoun’s voice curled down from the solar – she was softly singing to the children. He said a prayer of thanksgiving for the peace in his household. Lucie lifted her head, then rose to greet him, but he told her to sit and rest herself and went over to kiss her. The child in her womb slowed her steps and swelled her ankles. He admired Lucie’s courage in carrying this baby and tried not to think how with each pregnancy – this was her fourth in the eight years they’d been wed – she aged a little more. He thought God cruel in making them choose between children of their flesh and each other. He caught himself, wondering why his thoughts had gone from cheer to gloom so quickly. He turned to Jasper.
‘Are you rested? Might we talk of Hubert and what you saw today?’
‘I didn’t have a chance to tell you before – the best news is that Hubert’s da and Sir Baldwin are alive. Master Nicholas told me.’
‘God spared them? I am glad of that,’ said Owen. Nicholas had said nothing of this to him, but then he’d been worried about his own survival.
Lucie rose again. ‘I’ll tell Kate to serve us.’
‘Let Jasper ask her. Then we’ll talk,’ said Owen, having known full well that he would be rewarded with the frown that she now gave him. ‘You are my beauty and my love, wife, and I’ll cherish you as I may.’
Lucie blushed and could not hold the frown. She kissed Owen’s cheek.
Jasper grinned as he rose. ‘The captain and his Welsh charm win the match!’
Owen noticed Alisoun’s wax tablet beside where Jasper had been sitting. ‘Her schoolmaster is not easy in his mind this night.’
Lucie studied Owen’s face for a moment. ‘You are involved even before His Grace has commanded you.’
‘And how do you know whether or not I’ve spoken to Thoresby?’
Her eyes twinkled. ‘You were smiling when you returned. He always leaves you in a temper.’
Jasper rejoined them, sliding back onto the bench across the table. ‘Have you learned much else?’ he asked Owen, reminding him that he’d promised to let him know what he heard.
‘A little.’ Owen summed up his evening’s gleanings while Kate set trenchers of stewed fish and root vegetables before them. ‘Drogo was bleeding when he arrived at the staithe,’ he concluded. ‘And Bess reminded me that lads don’t often walk about with scrips. What say you?’
Jasper rolled his eyes as he chewed a mouthful.
‘She is right,’ said Lucie.
‘He’s worn it every day since he returned to school,’ said Jasper. ‘Some teased him about it, those who bide in the Clee. They said he convinced the matron to let him sleep with it beneath his pillow.’
‘I should think many of the lads hid something dear to them such as that,’ said Lucie. ‘I did at St Clement’s.’ Lucie had lived at St Clement’s Nunnery after her mother died. Her father’s gift of the house had been in part an attempt to make amends for having sent her away.
‘Dame Agnes
‘Not everyone has spoken sense?’ Bess leaned over to wipe the table top with one efficient flourish. She was eager for gossip.
‘No. A lad had told Dame Agnes at the Clee that he’d been standing beside the older scholar who pushed Drogo into the Ouse, but what he saw was the student help the man who dived in to save Drogo. He’d freed the man’s sleeve from a nail that had snagged it. Others had witnessed it and laughed at the lad’s mistake.’
Bess laughed. ‘Poor chick! He’ll regret ever having said a peep.’
‘It’s a difficult lesson he’s learned, that he shouldnot jump to conclusions,’ Owen agreed. ‘Keep your ears pricked, my friend.’
He headed home, looking forward to discussing the evening’s events with Lucie, his most trusted advisor. He was still smiling about the lad’s mistake when he entered the hall. Lucie and Jasper were sitting at the table quietly talking. Dame Phillippa nodded by the fire – she seemed to sleep all the day of late. Alisoun’s voice curled down from the solar – she was softly singing to the children. He said a prayer of thanksgiving for the peace in his household. Lucie lifted her head, then rose to greet him, but he told her to sit and rest herself and went over to kiss her. The child in her womb slowed her steps and swelled her ankles. He admired Lucie’s courage in carrying this baby and tried not to think how with each pregnancy – this was her fourth in the eight years they’d been wed – she aged a little more. He thought God cruel in making them choose between children of their flesh and each other. He caught himself, wondering why his thoughts had gone from cheer to gloom so quickly. He turned to Jasper.
‘Are you rested? Might we talk of Hubert and what you saw today?’
‘I didn’t have a chance to tell you before – the best news is that Hubert’s da and Sir Baldwin are alive. Master Nicholas told me.’
‘God spared them? I am glad of that,’ said Owen. Nicholas had said nothing of this to him, but then he’d been worried about his own survival.
Lucie rose again. ‘I’ll tell Kate to serve us.’
‘Let Jasper ask her. Then we’ll talk,’ said Owen, having known full well that he would be rewarded with the frown that she now gave him. ‘You are my beauty and my love, wife, and I’ll cherish you as I may.’
Lucie blushed and could not hold the frown. She kissed Owen’s cheek.
Jasper grinned as he rose. ‘The captain and his Welsh charm win the match!’
Owen noticed Alisoun’s wax tablet beside where Jasper had been sitting. ‘Her schoolmaster is not easy in his mind this night.’
Lucie studied Owen’s face for a moment. ‘You are involved even before His Grace has commanded you.’
‘And how do you know whether or not I’ve spoken to Thoresby?’
Her eyes twinkled. ‘You were smiling when you returned. He always leaves you in a temper.’
Jasper rejoined them, sliding back onto the bench across the table. ‘Have you learned much else?’ he asked Owen, reminding him that he’d promised to let him know what he heard.
‘A little.’ Owen summed up his evening’s gleanings while Kate set trenchers of stewed fish and root vegetables before them. ‘Drogo was bleeding when he arrived at the staithe,’ he concluded. ‘And Bess reminded me that lads don’t often walk about with scrips. What say you?’
Jasper rolled his eyes as he chewed a mouthful.
‘She is right,’ said Lucie.
‘He’s worn it every day since he returned to school,’ said Jasper. ‘Some teased him about it, those who bide in the Clee. They said he convinced the matron to let him sleep with it beneath his pillow.’
‘I should think many of the lads hid something dear to them such as that,’ said Lucie. ‘I did at St Clement’s.’ Lucie had lived at St Clement’s Nunnery after her mother died. Her father’s gift of the house had been in part an attempt to make amends for having sent her away.
‘Dame Agnes
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