Belaset's Daughter - By Feona J Hamilton Page 0,132

armed, and ready for battle. Somewhere outside this press of bodies were the archers, standing ready to fire their deadly rain of arrows, and other foot soldiers waited for the order to charge.

Facing them across the greensward, and on a slight rise, a part of the Earl of Leicester s army stood waiting, in its turn. Because of the slope in the ground, Jervis could see only this one section, but he knew that there were far more men than this to face. The sun shone on mail and shield, glinted off arrow heads and helmets, and shone unconcernedly on the whole scene. There was only the slightest of breezes, barely enough to stir the pennants on the lances carried by some knights and, despite the early hour, Jervis felt himself already growing warm under the weight of his protective clothing. The sweat begin to trickle down his back, but he assured himself that this, too, was caused by the sun rather than by his own fear of what was to come.

Looking down the slope towards the King s army, even de Montfort felt a prickle of unease. The numbers of men forming up against him, both on horseback and on foot, was greater than even he had imagined. They were moving slowly towards him from three directions. Up from the Priory came one division, in the midst of which he could see the flag of Richard, King of the Romans. a separate division had streamed away from the Priory and was moving due west, where it was obviously forming up in the hollow below him. He knew that the King had made his quarters in there, and that Richard, his brother, was with him. Prince Edward, his spies had told him, was quartered in the Castle, where he would also have the support of John de Warenne and William de Valence. Sure enough, when he looked that way, he could see a third division coming from the castle and forming up with foot soldiers, in the shallower hollow at the foot of the castle mount.

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Belaset’s Daughter

He realised now how many of his own men had been lost, as they fought against the King s men up and down the country. Would his own men, loyal though they were, plus those of his supporters, be sufficient to even hold their ground? The London mob was a completely unknown quantity; most had come spoiling for a fight, and seeking any excuse to continue with the rioting and plundering that they had enjoyed throughout recent months in London. How would they react now, faced with a large army of trained soldiers, and with the knights and bowmen ready to fight under the flags of their liege lords? His only advantage, thought de Montfort, was the rise in the ground.

He looked to left and right. Here, beside his closed cart, he could see along the full length of his men. They had agreed to stand in three divisions, a mix of knights and foot soldiers in both. In front of him was the division led by Gilbert de Clare; to Clare s right flowing down one slope, was the division which de Montfort s own sons, Henry, Simon and Guy were to lead. The Londoners he had placed under Nicholas de Seagrave and Henry de Hastings, and they were gathered, ready, on the other side of the ridge on which he stood, so that they waited on ground which sloped downwards to the left. He had taken the best advantage he could of the terrain so that, as far as he knew, he and the men that waited with him were the only ones who could see the entire extent of both armies. It was the best he could do, but was it enough?

There was a sudden shout from his left, and, moving a few yards in that direction, he could see that a group from Prince Edward s division had broken away from the others and was making towards the river, where the edge of the London contingent stood waiting. The suddenness of the ploy unmanned those who faced them, and there were faint cries as they turned tail and made for the river itself. Before they had reached its apparent safety, Edward s men had overtaken them, and were laying about themselves with their swords. Their superiority in fighting was very obvious. The Londoners were being slaughtered like so many cattle, and those who escaped the sword thrusts and leapt