‘Well done, my dear. Quite a cunning deception. And a remedy I may try myself, as I am unwilling to forego my own pleasure on the advice of the imbeciles that call themselves physicians.’ She grinned at Judith and wiggled her eyebrows, but Judith regarded her disbelievingly.
‘Pleasure.’ It was a breath. ‘I have no expectations of that for myself, Ӕlswith. I have no idea what to expect, and I am afraid Baldwin might not know how either.’
Ӕlswith visibly struggled to keep her voice steady, and Judith could hear the laughter bubbling in the older woman’s throat as she patted Judith’s knee reassuringly.
‘Your Baldwin will give you pleasure, my dear. No one who looks like he does would be unfamiliar with a woman’s body.’ Ӕlswith beamed at her, a knowing look in her eyes, ‘I quite envy you that, Judith. Just a little.’ She laughed, finally, and the sound disturbed Frytha’s doze. The little girl squirmed around and sat in Judith’s lap, gazing up at her with eyes cloudy from sleep.
Judith stroked the wisps of hair from the child’s brow with a gentle hand. ‘Frytha, I wish to ask you to do me a service. I need another Princess to help, as your mother is too busy being a Queen to help me.’
Frytha nodded solemnly. Judith lifted her hands to her neck and removed her amethyst and pearl cross, fastening it around Frytha’s delicate throat and patting it into place on the child’s muddy gown.
‘I need you to look after this for me, Chèrie. I would ask your mother, but she has so many jewels of her own, it might get lost among them. But you, I think, would take great care of it until you return it to me.’
The little girl gazed down at the jewel nestling on her chest, and hesitantly touched the glowing pearls with a grubby finger before raising her eyes to Judith once more.
‘You will come back for it?’ she breathed, and Judith smiled, hugging her into her side so she didn’t quite have to meet the child’s innocent gaze.
‘I will if I can, Chèrie but I had thought perhaps you could bring it to me?’ Judith grinned at Ӕlswith with a wink. ‘When you are much, much older and your Mama thinks you are ready to find a husband, you could come and stay with me and we could seek one for you together.’ Judith tightened her hold on Frytha and rocked slightly as she spoke. ‘If you look after this for me, so it doesn’t fall off my neck on the boat and drop into the sea, you could borrow it for your wedding.’
Frytha looked up and regarded Judith gravely, and both women could see the child considering her response. ‘Very well, Aunt Joodith,’ she nodded, ‘I will look after it for you, so you don’t lose it in the water. And when I am older, me and Mama will come and see you. I want a nice husband, Aunt Joodith. Not like,’ she wrinkled her tiny nose in disgust, ‘Ludeca and Wiglaf who play with muddy dogs. I want to marry someone who will let me have a cat and who won’t pull my filet off my hair and hide it from me so I get into trouble from my nursemaid for tangles that aren’t even my fault!’
Judith kissed the soft peachy skin of Frytha’s cheek, hiding her smile.
‘Very well, Princess Frytha. I will keep my eyes open for a nice prince who likes cats and tidy hair.’ Judith held Frytha’s solemn gaze for a moment and they shared an understanding nod. Ӕlswith held her arms open for her daughter, and Judith passed the child across with a sigh. ‘I must get aboard, Ӕlswith. And I promise to write as soon as I can.’
‘And I, my dear. I shall miss you more than you know, but I wish you only good things.’ Ӕlswith kissed Judith’s cheek, and then busied herself wiping Frytha’s eyes as the child began to cry quietly into her mother’s bosom.
Judith bit back her own tears and stepped up the gangplank, sad to be leaving her friend, but looking forward to seeing Baldwin. She had no doubt he would find her, and liberation would be forthcoming.
The scream of the gulls vied with the shouts of the crew as they cast off, and then a steady beat was sounded with the dip of the oars into the tide.
***
Chapter 89
Baldwin and Gozfrid crested the rise, and Senlis lay before them like a child’s drawing. The road they were travelling snaked through the valley, bisecting the small town like a piece of ribbon. On one side, the church opened onto an apron of stone, its front facing the huddle of cottages and dwellings on the opposite side. Behind the church, joined to it but obviously built separately, were low stone edifices attached to one another by thatched walkways. Surrounding these and enclosing a considerable plot of land was a stout palisade fence made of hewn logs. Nearest to the road, which incorporated a track that ran from west to east, was another stone building that appeared to be a gatehouse of sorts. Baldwin assumed that he was gazing at the convent.
‘We’ll go into the town and find a tavern, Goz. See what information we can glean before we ride up and knock on the door. I’d like to know if the convent is being guarded, for a start.’
Both men looked across at the nunnery as the horses picked their way down the incline to the town. As they got nearer, the cluck of chickens and the bleat of goats behind the palisade fence became louder, although the height of the barrier was taller than they were, even mounted. The tired horses ambled slowly round the curve, past the studded portal of the church and then Baldwin spotted a tavern next to a blacksmith’s forge. The friends dismounted and led their mounts the rest of the way.
‘We’ll lodge here tonight, Goz. Eat, drink, rest the horses. If the Princess is already here, they will know. But if not, the news will be spoken about in the tavern before anywhere else. And a Princess being guarded in a convent will be the talk of the village.’
Gozfrid nodded, seemingly too tired to speak, and Baldwin flicked a coin at the boy who came up and took the reins from him.
‘Feed them well, lad. Rub them down and give them some water. Once we’ve had our meal, I’ll be out to make sure you’ve taken proper care of them. There will be another coin in it for you if you have.’ Baldwin returned the lad’s excited grin and then turned towards the door in the tavern wall, light and warmth spilling out into the dusk.
‘Come, my friend. Let us see if there’s good food and soft beds available.’
Gozfrid gazed at Baldwin’s sudden enthusiasm with eyes clouded from exhaustion.
‘I don’t care if the bed is soft, or if the food is good, Win. As long as they exist, that is enough for me tonight.’
***
Chapter 90
The barge surged downstream, helped by the number of oarsmen dipping and pulling in time with the shouts from the Captain seated by the rudder. The weather was cold but it wasn’t damp, and a faint green haze of buds could be seen on the trees lining the river bank. A brace of swans accompanied the barge for a time, their elegance and brilliant white plumage eliciting exclamations of delight from Ghislaine and Alys. Judith silently observed the beautiful birds for a while, deep in thought, then she called out to her steward, who was speaking with Ralf and the Captain at the stern.
‘Adal. I would have a moment to speak with you.’
Judith watched the man step gingerly along the gunwale, balancing himself with his one hand, then jump down in front of her makeshift cabin with a brief bow.
‘Highness?’
‘Sit with us, Adal. You too, Ralf,’ she beckoned the other man down from the edge of the barge. ‘I have been thinking, and I want to discuss our future.’
Her ladies shuffled along the cushions, making room for the men to sit in the now crowded shelter, and Judith regarded each one of them in turn before she spoke.
‘I have been considering our situation, Adal, and have decided that Senlis will only be a temporary measure until we can consolidate our position. King Ӕthelberht has given me a generous settlement, so I charge you, Adal, and you, Ralf, to make
enquiries when we are settled about an estate for us.’
‘What about Lord Baldwin, Highness?’ The question was from Ghislaine, and Judith could tell by the look on the girl’s face that she wasn’t just thinking of Baldwin.
‘I have written to him, Ghislaine. I have told him I shall be at Senlis, but I have no way of knowing where he is until we reach Frankia. He might not receive my note for a good while, so we must move ahead with our own plans.’ Judith shrugged her shoulders, her voice firm. She dismissed the trepidation she felt; her household needed a princess of foresight and good judgement, not a frightened girl.
‘He might be with his father at court, or he might be fighting on the borders for one of my uncles.’ Determinedly she kept from her tone the panic that the thought of him fighting brought, and lifted her chin. ‘Regardless of that, I will have my own estate. I have left Wessex because there was no place for me there, and my father has made it obvious that he has no place for me at his court either. So I shall use my settlement to make a life for myself, for all of us.’ Judith levelled her gaze, sweeping it across five pairs of eyes, all looking to her for leadership.
‘And never again shall I be bartered in marriage for someone else’s gain.’
She allowed herself to let go of the breath she had been holding, feeling her heart pound in her chest. She would not be afraid again; she was Charlemagne’s great-granddaughter, with the blood of warriors coursing through her veins.
‘So, Adal, I want you to find me an estate with parkland for hunting, and a house that is habitable. It does not need to be large; we can extend if we need to later. But I would leave Senlis as soon as I am able, and we need somewhere to live. Make enquires about estates that have no heirs, or have fallen onto hard times. I want it to be affordable, and able to sustain itself. I need to spend my settlement wisely.’
‘Princess.’ Adal bowed, and then grinned up at her with a conspiratorial wink.
***
Chapter 91
The tavern was brimming with customers, drinking, eating and singing. The noise washed around them like the ocean, a constant clamour that abated for a moment then swept back even louder than before. The landlord poured tankards of ale and goblets of rough wine as fast as he was able, and his wife, without a word, slopped bowls of stew and slices of hard bread in front of hungry travellers.
Baldwin gripped his tankard of ale with one hand and glowered suspiciously around the room, flicking the hilt of his dagger in and out of his scabbard with the other.
‘Dear God, Win. If there are any robberies or attacks this evening, you will be the first the night watch visits, with that murderous look on your face.’ Gozfrid chuckled into his tankard of ale and Baldwin gave a disgruntled growl.
‘We need a plan, Goz. We have been here almost a week and yet still we wait.’
‘We have to wait for the Princess, Win. Until she finishes her journey, we have little alternative but to wait.’ Gozfrid finished his ale and beckoned the serving maid to bring them more.
‘We must plan. I have sent a message to Prince Louis, to ask if he knows anyone who might help shelter us on our journey to Rome, and I await his response. Meanwhile, we must plan our assault on the convent.’ Baldwin leaned forward so he could lower his voice as the servant girl approached with two more tankards of the thin ale. She beamed a hopeful smile at both men, but Baldwin did not raise his head. Gozfrid winked and dropped an extra copper coin down the girl’s gaping neckline, making her giggle.
‘Nuns won’t offer much resistance, Win. And if your father was right, and Gaston leaves the lame and the lazy behind, we shouldn’t encounter any problems that a few swipes with a seax won’t solve.’ Gozfrid grinned and tipped his ale cup in semblance of a toast, while Baldwin shook his head, mouth pursed in a thoughtful line.
‘I don’t want to kill the guards, Goz. I want them to join us.’ He met his friend’s astonished gaze and spread his fingers in explanation.
‘All of them will be lads we know, Goz. Boys we have trained, trained with. And whereas I am more than happy to slit a Dane’s gizzard with a seax, I feel that killing my countrymen is somehow wrong.’ He snorted a rueful chuckle. ‘Especially if they might be useful.’
Gozfrid met his gaze, widening his eyes for Baldwin to continue.
‘Once we have rescued the Princess, Goz, and I have married her,’ Baldwin ignored the sharp intake of breath from Gozfrid, ‘we will need to find places to go that are friendly towards us. I can’t return to my father, and I cannot expect her to live like a nomad, being dragged from one tavern to the next as we make our way to Rome.’
Baldwin paused and gazed around the rough, smoke-filled room, hearing the raucous laughter from the tavern’s customers and the shrieks of the serving wenches as they were grabbed and fondled by patrons who were worse for their drink. The walls were rough-cut logs, stuffed with fleece where there were gaps and then daubed with pitch. The roof was a tangle of damp thatch, with birds and rats scurrying along the rafters to their respective nests.
Judith had been brought up in a palace, moving to summer hunting lodges in the good weather, and into cosy, tapestry-lined rooms with properly-drawing fires and fur-lined throws in the winter. He would not have her living in penury as they fled her father’s wrath; he had coin enough to support them on their journey and she would live in comfort.
But where? That was the issue he had to resolve, and he hoped that Prince Louis had some suggestions.
‘So we might need the guards, if we have to journey across the country, yes?’ Baldwin gave a rueful chuckle, ‘And if they have allowed me to capture the Princess, they won’t want to face Gaston, will they? So we will have our own war band riding with us to only God knows where. Until then, Goz, we stay sharp. We need to keep our sword-practice up. I shall ask the landlord if we can use the barn.’
Baldwin grinned, feeling more positive than he had for a while, laying out his plan to his friend. ‘Christ knows I don’t want to hurt the guards Gaston leaves behind, Goz. But if I have to, I will.’
***
Chapter 92
The ship her father had sent to bring her home was large and well-appointed, with Gaston in charge of a cohort of troops that were armed and respectful. A sturdy wooden framework occupied the stern of the ship, as wide as the gunwales and projecting out over the water. Within this were a number of fleece-stuffed mattresses complete with fur throws and linen sheets. A table was built into one of the sides, with a number of stacking stools beneath, as well as hinge-lidded wooden benches to store her chests. Judith couldn’t help but wonder if her father had commissioned this vessel especially for her voyage; however, the notion didn’t soften her feelings towards him.
Gaston barked orders at the crew, much to the captain’s irritation, expecting the seamen to react as swiftly as his troops would to the sound of his voice. Judith stayed in the cabin with her ladies, thankful that the weather was much better than when she had first made the voyage. Both Alys and Elin felt the need to lie down, but neither was making use of the buckets Ralf had the foresight to bring, well remembering their journey years earlier.
Ghislaine was too excited to feel ill. One of the shelter’s panels contained a window covered in oiled linen, so the girl had pulled the corner of the fabric away from the frame and was gazing out at the water as it seethed past the ship. The creak of the vessel was loudly disconcerting, as was the sudden crack of the sail as the wind became gusty, but the dip of the oars was hypnotic, and soon lulled Judith into a shallow doze.
The ship sailed into the night, surging through the ocean as the crew hauled rhythmically on the oars, relieved of Gaston’s orders as the warrior slept, noisily snoring in time with the captain’s call to ‘Pull.’
As a narr
ow strip of silver gradually divided the line between sky and sea, a darker line formed itself into land, and the gulls began to shriek overhead, wheeling and diving in the wake of the ship. Ghislaine, soothed into sleep with one arm along the window frame, uttered a startled shriek as a large white gull, with beady black eyes and a vicious-looking beak, flapped itself down onto the stern-most point and fixed her with its unnerving stare.
‘Go away,’ she hissed, looking to make sure she wasn’t disturbing Judith’s sleep. ‘Go away, you ugly thing.’ Ghislaine pushed her hand through the gap in the linen and fluttered it at the bird, which glared contemptuously at her and then took to the skies with a loud indignant squawk.
Judith blinked up from her mattress, furrowing her brow at Ghislaine, still kneeling up at the window where she had been when Judith fell asleep.
‘Apologies, Princess. Those birds have no sense of propriety,’ beamed the girl, squirming around from her position and rucking up her skirt to mid-thigh in the process. Judith smothered a smile and gazed towards Elin and Alys who were also rousing from their sleep.
‘Shall I go and find Ralf, Princess?’ asked Elin, repositioning her filet and veil, which had tumbled from her head as she slept.
‘If you would, Elin. And if you see Adal, ask him to speak to the captain. I would know how much longer before we put ashore.’
***
Ralf watched Elin blink in the dawn light as she exited the low door of the cabin and rake her vision over the ship in search of him. He got to his feet and made his way towards her. He and Adal had found a sort of sleep in the lea of the cabin, sheltered somewhat from the wind but not protected from the spray of salt water that had periodically splashed over the sides of the ship as it rose and fell with the waves, despite the best efforts of the oarsmen. He, too, was relieved to see land.
Judith, Twice Queen of Wessex Page 29