at Oxford."
"But this is the very thing he sought to overturn!" exclaimed Jervis. "Why has he now capitulated?"
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"He had no choice," said Aaron. "His army is slaughtered in great part, and those that remain are scattered. Only Prince Edward was willing to join in battle again, but de Montfort threatened the very life of the King s brother."
"He signed the agreement, then, to save Duke Richard? He has lost the battle for the sake of his brother?" said Belaset.
"Not just for his brother s life," said Judith. "He has secured freedom for others, including Earl Simon s great enemy, Mortimore. But de Montfort has insisted that Prince Edward and Henry s nephew remain in his custody, to persuade the King to keep his promise this time."
"So, it is over," said Jervis.
Aaron shook his head.
"It is over for now, Jervis," he said. "But there are already whispers of what is to come.
Your lord and others are believed to be in France. They were seen at Pevensey, making for some ships that were moored there. And, then, if Mortimore is free, and still de Montfort s sworn enemy . . ."
He got no further. Jervis leaned across to Philip and gripped him by the shoulder.
"We know what we must do, Philip!" he said, eagerly. "If de Warenne is in France why, man, we must follow him!"
He struggled to his feet, his face alight with anticipation.
"We must return to the Castle at once," he said. "And prepare ourselves for our journey. If we take the same route as they took yesterday, and go to Pevensey, we will cross at the same point as our lord did and land in Boulogne. Once in France, we should be able to find them without too much difficulty."
He turned to Aaron and Judith.
"We are in your debt for this," he said. "Philip and I will not forget what we owe you."
"No, indeed!" said Philip, fervently.
Jervis turned next to Belaset.
"And my debt to you is as great, if not greater," he said. "Had you not taken me in and treated my wound, I might well have truly died."
"Come, now, Jervis!" said Belaset. "You are making great dramas again. It was but a bowl of water and a poultice of herbs!"
"And a bowl of chicken soup!" said Jervis, with a smile.
"Tush, man, on your way!" said Belaset, giving him a little push.
The two young men were ushered out of the door, and strode off, full of joy and excitement. The town, when they entered it, sobered them instantly. Most of the houses lay in smoking ruins now. The people had come back to them and wandered around, BOSON BOOKS
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salvaging the little that was left. Here and there, a woman sat desolate among the blackened beams and ash that had been her home. A few children wandered around on their own, and, as Philip and Jervis passed, one woman suddenly snatched a child with a cry of joy and hugged it to her. At least she had something to be happy about, in the midst of all this destruction, thought Jervis.
All through the town, until they reached the castle mount, the picture was the same.
Lewes had been put to the torch, and was virtually destroyed. Only the castle, and the few stone buildings that existed, had remain untouched. Two grim-faced young men went through the gates and into the castle grounds. On reaching the top of the mount, they saw that the castle green was taken over by homeless families. The castle servants were moving among them, distributing broth and a little bread, but it was easy to see that there was hardly any food left.
Jervis suddenly thought of Madeleine, and stopped dead.
"Philip," he said. "Do you arrange for our horses to be made ready. I must see if someone is still here."
"Madeleine de Tourney?" said Philip. "She was here yesterday, as was Joan I heard Joan scolding one of the boys for spilling water on her foot."
Jervis felt a sudden lift of his heart.
"Ah, yes, that is Joan!" he said. "And she would not be here unless Madeleine were here also."
He made his way as quickly as he could to the well-remembered chamber, and knocked on the door. It flew open and Joan stood there, hands on hips, starting a tirade before she had seen who was standing there.
"And about time, too, young man!" she snapped, then stopped, with her mouth agape.
"Good morning, Joan!" said Jervis, gaily. "May I come in?"
"Jervis!" came Madeleine s glad voice from inside the room. "Enter and be thrice welcome!"
He stepped inside and almost collided with her, as she came running to greet him. She put out her hands, and he grasped them both. Joan, standing aside and watching, could not bring herself to utter any sound of disapproval. She was pleased to see her lady looking so bright and cheerful after the travails of the past few days, she told herself, and if it took Jervis FitzHugh to have such an effect, well, so be it.
"You are well, Madeleine, and unharmed?" said Jervis, softly.
"As you see," she replied. "But you have been wounded, Jervis."
She put up her hand to touch his bandaged head.
"It is but a cut on the head," said Jervis. "It will soon be healed."
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He looked around the room.
"You are leaving here?" he said.
"We are," said Madeleine. "I have decided that we should return to France, to my late husband s house in Amiens, for a while. When things are calmer here, I expect we shall return."
"But I, too, am going to France!" said Jervis. "Philip and I are going to join my lord."
"Then we shall journey together!" said Madeleine, gladly. "I shall be glad of an escort that I know and trust!"
"So I may continue packing, then, my lady?" came Joan s voice. "And arrange food and drink for two more, I suppose?"
"Thank you, Joan," said Jervis. "You are a kind and considerate woman, if somewhat acid of tongue!"
"Get yourself ready in time, Master Jervis!" said Joan, crossly. "Or we shall be gone without you!"
A short time later, the little train of horses and a wagon for the women left the town and crossed over the narrow bridge across the Ouse. It had been a sad ride, past the fresh graves of the slain. As they rode across, Jervis twisted in his saddle, and looked back at the Castle towering above the little town. Even at so short a distance, it looked almost untouched, but he knew that it was not so. Who knew when he, or any of those with him, would see it again. It was his home, and he left it with a heavy heart.
Judith and Aaron were just starting out on their way to the Priory, when Judith saw the little group of riders going away from the town. She caught hold of Aaron’s arm and pointed to it.
"There goes Jervis and with
Madeleine
de
Tourney, if the wagon is anything to go
by," she said. "Will we ever see him again, I wonder?"
Aaron squeezed her hand, comfortingly.
"Yes, Judith, we shall see him again," he said. "This is not the end of our friendship it is too strong to be broken in this way."
"But he is de Warenne’s man," said Judith. "And de Warenne has fled to France. The King is routed and de Montfort will rule the land."
"Not for long," said Aaron. "The King is defeated for now, but it will not be long before his friends will rally round him once again. Then he will fight de Montfort and win. He was not ready for him this time, and he did not believe that de Montfort would really fight him as he has."
"But what about all those who have fled?" persisted Judith. "How can the King trust hem?"
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"They have not fled in the sense of deserting him," said Aaron. "Remember, Judith, where the King’s greatest ally is. Is it not Louis of France?"
Judith was silent for a moment, before speaking again.
"So this is but a pause," she said, slowly. "Just the end of a chapter."
"Indeed so," said Aaron.
They continued on their way down the hill towards the Priory.
END OF BOOK
Copyright 2001 Feona J. Hamilton
All rights reserved
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Table of Contents
PART ONE
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
PART TWO
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
PART THREE
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY -TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT