cannot pretend that you were safe, when de Montfort’s son kidnapped you."
She flinched.
"No I may have been foolishly trusting," she said. "You do not have to remind me, Aaron..."
Jervis interrupted, before a full-blown quarrel could erupt.
"This is no time to start a feud!" he said. "We are not safe here, that’s certain."
"But are we not in the King’s household, protected by his presence?" said Judith.
"We are in his household, but it is a large one. There is room for those who would harm him to move undetected." said Jervis. "I have often been unsure of de Tourney’s precise allegiance but no longer. We must leave here as soon as possible. Somehow, I must get a message to someone whose loyalty is not doubted, so that the King may be told that my suspicions were correct."
He went over to the door and tested the handle. It turned smoothly, and he opened the door a few inches. Still it made no sound. Satisfied, he closed it gently and turned back to them.
"Eat and drink now," he said. "You can trust the food I saw it ladled from a communal pot, and I have followed it with the wine ever since. I am going to find our horses. Do you remember the way out of here, back to the courtyard?"
"Yes," said Aaron.
"Meet me there in ten minutes," said Jervis. "Avoid everyone else they may be in de Tourney’s pay. If you have to, knock down anyone who gets in your way."
Before they had a chance to object, he was through the door and closing it softly as a whisper behind him.
"Well," said Judith. "I suppose we had better eat. It may be a long time before we get another meal."
Dubiously, they tried a spoonful each of the stew. It was thick and good, with herbs and dumplings, and a generous sprinkling of root vegetables, mainly turnip and carrots.
The meat was tasteless, but at least it was not gamey nor was it pork, to their relief. For the sake of their health, they knew they could safely ignore the fact that it was not kosher, but eating pork would have been beyond both of them.
They finished all the stew, and gulped some of the wine. it was thin stuff, probably what the brothers had themselves. The good wine would be served to the King and the Abbot of course. It was well-known that the princes of the church did not expect to have to obey the vows of poverty which bound their fellow-monks, any more than they did the vows of chastity or obedience.
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Belaset’s Daughter
Feeling stronger and more cheerful, with full bellies, and warmed by the wine, despite its shortcomings, Judith and Aaron left the chamber. Even though it had held no real security, each sensed the other’s reluctance to leave. Judith felt for Aaron’s hand with her own and, comforted by the warm grasp, straightened her back and lengthened her stride to match his. Together, they ran back down the spiral steps, trying to make as little noise as possible. As they rounded the last corner, they paused. Aaron, on the step below Judith, poked his head round the side of the wall. The passage was empty. There were not more than a few steps between them and the open courtyard.
They both took the last few steps in one leap, and sped along the passage. Judith could feel her heart beating rapidly with fear, and hear her breathing shaking with the force of it.
She stood behind Aaron, as he opened the door quickly, then followed him out.
For a few moments they stood, uncertain where to go, and waiting fearfully for someone to cry out their presence to the rest of the people bustling about. Nobody took any notice of them. Judith suddenly saw Jervis, coming towards them, leading three horses in casual manner, as though he was simply going about his duty. He had found a cloak somewhere, and had hidden his curls under an equally nondescript hat. She nudged Aaron.
"There’s Jervis," she said. "Walk towards him, as if you have every right to be here. We will mount and be out of here unseen by any of de Tourney’s servants, if our luck will hold for just a few more minutes."
Aaron nodded and, without speaking, did exactly as she had suggested. They reached the horses, and mounted them. Judith noticed that they were not the horses they had ridden into the Priory, but fresh-looking beasts. Best not to ask how Jervis