the offer of his daughter's hand, John had accepted. John would have married Agnes regardless of familial ties, or business advantages, but he didn't let her father know that. John knew that it was to his benefit that Agnes' father was keen on the marriage, because he wasn't sure that his charms alone would have been sufficient to win Agnes' heart.
After they had married, they had left Stamford for several months and had traveled to Scotland. That time alone together had solidified their relationship. Upon their return to Stamford, John had requested leave for a time from the office of alderman so that he could spend more time with Agnes and also to merge the two family businesses.
John didn't take pleasure in leaving Agnes to go to Calais, but he felt that it was necessary. As he passed though some of the townes and villages on his way to Dover, he heard tale that the King's men were headed northward to meet the forces of the Duke of York. They reportedly were headed far north of Stamford, so John was not concerned.
______
After leaving Margaret to care for Geva at Easton-on-the-hill, Richard began the long walk to Dover where he would catch a ship to Calais. The weather was mild and the roads were clear, but he was hearing rumors of internal strife and it concerned him. According to the rumors that he was hearing however, it sounded as though the conflict was in the north of England, and so he walked on.
The boat to Dover only sailed once each week and Richard missed the boat by four days, so he found a quiet place in the woods where he could wait for a few days. There were other travelers staying in the woods also, but Richard preferred the safety of keeping to himself, so he found a secluded place to camp. He passed the time thinking of Margaret. He wondered whether Geva was feeling better.
On the second night, as Richard was warming himself next to a small fire, a stranger with reddish hair and complexion walked into his camp and asked permission to sit.
'Aye, 'elp yourself,' replied Richard, pointing to a nearby log. Richard gazed with uneasiness into the darkness and let his hand feel his blade beneath his cloak. He knew that robbers often worked in pairs.
'Me name is Simon,' said the stranger and he waited expectedly for Richard to offer his name, but he didn't.
As Simon warmed himself by the fire, he told Richard that he was traveling alone and that he had come from Coventry. He asked Richard where he was from, but Richard answered with a vague reference to Boston. Simon said that he was a mason by trade and had heard that there was work in Calais, but Richard noticed that he wasn't carrying any tools. He also noted that the stranger kept looking around as though he was trying to determine whether Richard had any valuables or companions. Richard thought to himself that this is exactly the reason that he had not wanted to bring Margaret along.
Suddenly, Richard heard a twig crack behind him and he leapt to his feet, spinning around in time to see a person come into the light of the fire. Simon was also on his feet and the two strangers were coming at Richard. Richard's hand was already on his knife and with a sling of his cloak, Richard revealed the knife and stood ready to meet his attackers. They evidently hadn't counted on Richard wielding a knife so quickly and they rushed off together through the woods.
Richard stood shaking for a moment and then ran through the woods in the opposite direction. He wanted to put distance between himself and the two thieves. After running a short distance, he continued walking for a ways until he found a hollow formed by rocks and he lay down and tried to stay warm and get some sleep. He decided that it wouldn't be prudent to have a fire.
The next day, Richard boarded the boat bound for Calais. It wouldn't be a long voyage, perhaps two days, depending on the weather. The boat was fairly crowded and Richard found a corner where he could keep to himself and observe the other passengers. Most of the passengers were men, but Richard noted that a few men were accompanied by women. As Richard studied the passengers, he was taken aback when he noticed that the Simon and his companion were also on the