Belaset's Daughter - By Feona J Hamilton Page 0,39

church, then rode diagonally away from the buildings and up the slope. On her right, if she raised her eyes, she would see her own home. The frustration of her situation, coupled with her weariness, made her feel the tears prickling behind her eyes and a painful lump rose in her throat. She would not let Guy de Montfort see her cry! she thought to herself fiercely, and swallowed hard.

The boy was leading them right round the outside of the town, she saw. He must be taking them to one of the manor houses along the road, she thought hazily. After another fifteen minutes’ steady riding, they were halted again by the guide’s upraised hand. She looked up and saw, as she expected, the bulk of a small manor house and a cluster of buildings beside it. They had ridden right over the crest of the hill and were down among the water meadows again, she knew.

If this was to be their resting-place for the night, they were still near enough to Lewes for her to be on familiar ground. This side of the town was not so well-known to her as the side on which the Priory lay, so there was the danger of stumbling into a marshy patch, but it would be a journey worth attempting. She felt more cheerful at the thought that she might yet make her escape.

BOSON BOOKS

-73-

Belaset’s Daughter

They had been led into the interior of one of the buildings, a barn still half-full of hay.

Colin put his finger to his lips, as he slid off the horse, in a gesture warning everybody to be quiet. He beckoned to the guide, who dismounted and followed him to the far side of the barn. The other three waited in silence, still on their horses, which began to nuzzle in the straw which lay on the floor. Guy continued to watch Judith carefully. She, in turn, watched Colin and the guide, trying to catch the meaning of Colin’s gestures, but it was impossible. The guide was obviously having difficulties also, for he shook his head impatiently and shrugged his shoulders.

Colin gestured more urgently, and pointed across at the other three. Then the guide nodded suddenly and came across to where they waited.

"The lad says we must stay here tonight and wait for his return in the morning," he said.

"We’ll be fed by someone who will come into the barn with food and ale soon, but we must not venture outside. Not everyone in the manor is a friend."

"In that case," said Guy. "We’ll protect ourselves from sudden alarms."

He had whipped out a kerchief as he spoke, and tied it swiftly around Judith’s hands, then he grasped her round her waist, and threw her roughly from her horse. She tumbled helplessly and landed with a thud on the floor. Only the hay spread about saved her from broken bones. She sat up, groggily. Laughing, the other two men swung themselves off their horses and Guy de Montfort bent over her.

"No tricks," he said, giving her shoulder a sharp poke. "Or you’ll be treated far worse than that!"

One of the men led all three horses over to one side of the barn, where mangers contained some fodder. He unsaddled them, took off their bridles, and hung everything over a railing that ran beside one of the mangers. Wooden buckets of water stood underneath each manger, for the horses to drink from. Guy, meantime, had strolled over to where more hay lay piled in inviting heaps against one wall. He sat down and leaned back comfortably, wrapping his cloak around him.

There was a movement at the door and it swung open. Colin, who had stood watching silently, ran light-footed across the floor and opened it fully. Outside, stood a manservant, carrying a pitcher in one hand and a wooden platter with bread and meat in the other. He handed the platter to Colin, who needed both hands to carry it across to Guy. The manservant followed, and placed the pitcher on the floor beside where the young man lay sprawled. Judith watched carefully, easing herself into a more comfortable position.

Colin tugged at the manservant’s sleeve and the man knuckled his forehead at Guy, before turning and leaving with the boy. He looked curiously at Judith, but said nothing.

Before the door had closed behind them, Guy had grabbed a piece of the meat and torn a chunk off one of the loaves. He came across to where Judith sat and squatted