Belaset's Daughter - By Feona J Hamilton Page 0,43

take her to Rav Benedict and his family. They would know her and help her, she was sure, and she would get a message to her mother by some means, as well as to Foville.

As they rounded a bend in the road, they saw Trubodi and the young man coming towards them on their horses. The young man looked red-faced and angry, and Trubodi had an obstinate expression on his face. Guy’s mouth curled upward in a grin as he saw them.

"Ah, my brave knights!" he said. "You have protected us well. Any damsel would be relieved to know that you were with her as her guards!"

He laughed and slapped Trubodi on the shoulder as they drew level with each other.

Trubodi grinned shamefacedly. The young man glared at Guy, his colour still high.

"We thought you were with us, my lord," he said. "Your man called out to me, when he realised you were not. Since I was in front, I could not tell immediately, because of..."

"Because of your urgent need to get away," interrupted Trubodi.

"How could I turn back?" retorted the young man, angrily. "The path was too narrow, and you were galloping right behind me!"

"I followed your example!" said Trubodi, equally hot-tempered. "You’re the one who lives near here and hunts in this forest with your lord. How can I know the rules of the place? If an arrow comes and my guide flees, I don’t stop to question the bowman!"

"Enough, both of you!" said Guy, highly amused. "Let’s get to London today and you can continue your discussion there. How much further do you judge we have to go? And what’s your name, if you can tell us?"

"We have about three hours more," said the young man, sulkily. "And my name’s Jervis FitzHugh, squire to John de Warenne, but follower of Simon de Montfort."

"I have heard your name before, young man," said Guy. "And I know you to be a loyal follower of my father. How have you accounted for your absence on this journey?"

"I’m out searching for a lost falcon, my lord," answered Jervis, with a sudden grin. " M y feeling for my birds is well-known in the Castle no-one will find it strange, if I’m away for some days on such a quest."

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Belaset’s Daughter

"Then we must continue our journey, and reach London as soon as possible," said Guy.

"You may be happy to wander in this cold for a bird you’ve lost, but I’m not prepared to suffer it one moment longer than I need."

There were nods of agreement, and they resumed their journey. They rode in the same order as before, Jervis leading them, with Trubodi just behind, then Judith, with Guy behind her. The horses trotted along with a will, and the miles fell steadily away. They broke out of the forest within the hour and urged the horses into a gallop. They crossed the more open landscape quickly. The sun, though weak, was sufficient to melt any remaining snow and ice and, although it meant that spray and mud now flew about them, the fear of a horse slipping on the ice was gone.

* * *

At last they were in Southwark, trotting along the mean street, through a line of small shops. It was filthy, Judith noticed, with refuse filling the central gutter. Every now and then, they had to avoid pigs, snuffling in the waste. She could not bear to think what they found to eat there how could their owners contemplate eating the flesh of such animals?

she wondered.

They came suddenly to the Thames, flowing smoothly along, carrying its load of small boats and larger ships. The cries of the watermen echoed above the screams of the gulls.

They were close by a wharf, where unloading was going on. Brawny men heaved great bales of fleeces down from the deck of a ship. They landed on the wooden wharf with a dull thump, then were hauled away by others and loaded on to a string of carts.

Jervis led them to the left and Judith saw the great stone bridge, crossing the width of the river. Its piers contained the water, so that it foamed and bubbled in its efforts to force its way between them. On the bridge itself, buildings lined both sides, leaving only a narrow way for the constant flow of people, horses and carts to force their way past each other. This was London Bridge, she knew, the only way across the Thames, apart from using the services of