She looked beyond, to the party riding behind him and caught her breath in a gasp of dismay. In front were Robert of Babestoche, with Dame Alice beside him. The dame had a kerchief to her eyes; they were scrubbed red and raw from crying. At once Janna looked down to hide her face and stepped quickly off the path, hoping to escape their notice. But her heart went out to the mother of the missing child, knowing how frightened she must feel, and how bitter her grief would be if her only son had come to harm. Silently, desperately, she prayed that Hamo would be found alive. She also prayed that Godric would not blurt out her secret.
To her relief, and also to her shame, Godric ignored her. He rode past, escorting Dame Alice, Robert, their small entourage of servants and the laden sumpter horses to the manor. None of them spared a second glance at Janna, but she was shaking with fright as she stared after them. Robert of Babestoche here at the manor! She could hardly believe that the man who had wished her dead, who had incited the villagers against her and stopped at nothing to bring his wish to fruition, was now within reach. She groaned aloud as she recalled all those who could bear witness against her, if they had the mind to do so.
Cecily would hold her tongue, she was sure of that, but would Godric? Or Hugh? Or even Hamo, if he was found? She was in greater danger than ever before, and must hurry to those who might, albeit unwittingly, spell her doom with a careless word. She must warn them, for her sake, to be silent. And she would start with Hugh, who didn’t understand why he must not speak her name aloud to his aunt. She would start with Hugh, in the hope that he would also lead her to Hamo.
Chapter 11
The groom was leading away the mounts ridden by Godric and his party, but there was no sign of them, or of Hugh, when Janna finally came to the manor gate. Trying to stay invisible, she sidled across the yard and up the stairs to the hall. Greatly daring, she pushed the door open a crack and peeped through.
Alarm took her breath away. Hugh was in there already, along with his guests. Cecily was also in attendance, red-eyed and ashamed. Only Gytha seemed to be enjoying herself as she plied them all with refreshments. Janna scowled at the young woman before turning to Cecily. How could she catch the tiring woman’s eye, and ask her to pass on the warning to Hugh not to divulge her identity to his family? Impatient and perturbed, she jiggled and bobbed about in an effort to attract Cecily’s attention. At last Cecily looked her way. Her eyes widened in surprise. Janna beckoned to her, then stepped hastily back out of sight.
“Janna! What are you doing here? How did you persuade Serlo to let you go free?”
“Never mind that now. You have to warn the lord Hugh not to tell Dame Alice or Lord Robert that I’ve survived the fire.”
Cecily frowned. “But what reason should I give him?”
Janna was silenced by the question. Cecily’s secret couldn’t be told, but without that truth and what had led from it, there was no reason for her to be in hiding. “I’ve already told him that there are some who wish me harm, and sworn him to keep my secret,” she said at last. “Will you remind him of his promise, and in particular ask him not to reveal the truth to any in his family? You can say I’m too ashamed to face them, if you wish.”
“Very well.” Cecily gave a reluctant nod. To Janna’s relief, she set off at once and, without ado, bobbed a curtsy to the dame and drew Hugh aside. Janna shut the door and escaped down the stairs and into the yard.
Bertha ran over to her. “You shouldn’t be here, Janna,” she said breathlessly. “Serlo’s told everyone you’re a thief on the run. And Edwin too. People are out looking for both of you now, as well as Hamo.” In her agitation, she’d grasped hold of Janna’s sleeve. Her face was tight with distress.
“Don’t fret, mistress. And don’t make a scene and attract attention our way.” Janna gently disengaged Bertha’s fingers. “I’ve spoken to the lord Hugh. He knows I am innocent, and he also knows all about Edwin, but he wants to talk to him. He’s told me to bring Edwin to him tonight, in secret if necessary. So if Edwin wants to stay here at the manor, you’ll have to persuade him to come out of hiding. Do you understand?”
To Janna’s relief, Bertha nodded. It was one hurdle out of the way. “Have you been watching Gytha? What have you seen?”
Bertha drew a quivering breath. Janna knew her fear and distress were on Edwin’s account, not her own. She waited for Bertha to compose herself.
“Gytha spent part of the morning out with a search party. She stayed with them all the time and only came back to the manor when she saw the lord return. She’s upstairs with him now.” Bertha’s eyes brightened with sudden amusement, her good humor almost restored as she continued, “I was following Gytha as you told me, and I heard my lord tell her to make herself useful for once, and fetch some refreshment for his family. I must say he didn’t sound very loving, or even very friendly.”
Janna smiled to herself as she absorbed Bertha’s information. “You’ve done well,” she said slowly. “Will you keep on watching?” She was fairly sure Bertha was wasting her time, but it was best to keep the young woman’s suspicions centered around Gytha rather than Hugh. And it was always possible she’d misjudged Gytha, underestimated her pride and her ambition. The thought of Gytha’s guilt was some consolation to Janna, even if she couldn’t quite believe in it.
Bertha nodded, and walked back to keep watch on the stairs leading up to the hall. She flicked a hand in farewell, and Janna returned the gesture. She wondered what she should do while Hugh was engaged with his guests. Every instinct prompted her to join in the search for Hamo, but she was sure there was no point to it, for if the child was going to be found, he would have been found already. Rather than rush around pointlessly, Janna decided instead to follow the leads she’d come up with, in the hope that Hamo’s whereabouts might become clear to her.
She could start by looking for Hamo’s ball just in case its location could tell her anything. Although wondering if she was wasting time, she began a careful search of the yard. The ball could still be in Hamo’s possession, she reasoned, or have been picked up by one of the young searchers she’d previously encountered. It was a prize worth having, being made of leather stuffed with dried beans, rather than the straw-filled pig’s bladder that was the usual plaything of urchins. Without much hope, she poked and pried about bush and barn, and came at last to the reluctant conclusion that it was nowhere to be found. But there was still one place left for her to search, which might also help solve the mystery of the disappearing dog.
She hurried across to the kitchen garden, and peered behind the barrel where she’d found Bones hiding. She chided herself for being fanciful as her keen eyes scoured the area and found nothing. Disconsolate, she looked around the neat garden with its rows of herbs and vegetables, an abundance of food which brought juices seeping into her mouth when she remembered the few mushrooms and berries that had broken her fast. She approached a large bush of rue, and stopped to search for signs of footprints or anything else that might tell her who’d been picking posies from it. A round shape within the foliage caught her eye, and she plunged her hand into the bush to investigate. “Yes!” She seized Hamo’s prized treasure with a shout of triumph. As she held the ball aloft, her spirits plummeted for it was clear now, beyond any doubt, that Hamo’s disappearance was linked to what had gone before. This was a deliberate act by someone who wished him harm.
Hugh, she thought, with an ache of sadness that wrenched her heart. She resolved anew to stick by him, tight as resin to a tree. Sooner or later, he must lead her to his cousin. She left the kitchen garden and positioned herself at the side of the barn where she could see but not be seen. There was nothing for it now but to watch and wait until Hugh emerged from the hall.
Her feet were aching and her spirit weary when Hugh finally clattered down the stairs. He was accompanied by Godric. They stood together, conferring, while Janna fumed impatiently. She desperately wanted to tell Godric what was on her mind, and enlist his help in trying to track Hamo, bu
t she could not while Hugh was present. Of course it was quite possible, she conceded as she watched them part, that Godric would not speak to her. She could waste time following him instead of going after her prime suspect. What, then, should she do?
Caution won. As she followed Hugh, she suspected Godric might have caught sight of her. If he thought she was hoping to rival Gytha for Hugh’s attention, it would turn him even further against her. She longed to speak to him, to try to explain all that had happened in the past, but she could not. Not when Hugh might be on his way to check up on Hamo even now. So she skulked about watching Hugh, ducking for cover behind walls and trees every time he stopped for any reason.
He seemed in no hurry to join the search for Hamo, going first to the kitchen where he spent some time. When he came out, he was followed by Serlo. They spoke a few moments longer, and then Serlo strode off, while Hugh went into the kitchen garden. Janna sidled after him, and watched as he pulled an apple from the tree. The apples were still not quite ripe and she suspected he was about to give himself a bellyache, but he made no attempt to eat it, walking instead toward the stable. Janna felt a sudden leap of hope. Could Hamo be hidden somewhere inside? She broke cover to creep after Hugh, and took shelter in a stall while she waited for her eyes to become accustomed to the dim light.
“Johanna. Why are you following me about the manor?” Hugh’s voice sounded weary and impatient.
Heat flamed Janna’s cheeks as she hastily dropped Hamo’s ball and stumbled reluctantly from her hiding place. “I—I—” She could think of no excuse that might explain her actions.
He stroked the horse’s nose while he waited. The silence between them lengthened to snapping point. It was Hugh who gave in first.
“Was there something you wanted to say to me?”
Yes! But Janna was afraid to ask the questions that tumbled through her mind, for Hugh would realize that she suspected him of abducting Hamo. “I-I just wanted to see how Arrow’s hoof was healing,” she muttered.
At once, Hugh lifted the horse’s hoof so that she could inspect it, gentling the horse all the while. Watching him, Janna found it impossible to believe him responsible for deliberately injuring the animal, or for carrying out any of the other acts that had plagued the manor. He loved Arrow—just as Janna was sure he loved his cousin Hamo, as well as the manor that had been entrusted to his care. Janna knew Hugh to be kind, and she had thought that he was honorable. Gytha might not be quite so honorable, but Janna doubted she had either the resourcefulness or the will to snatch Hamo or bring about the “accidents” that had gone before. And would she have the wit, or the knowledge, to think of leaving posies of rue to mark what she was doing?
But if not Hugh, or Gytha, then who? Once again, something niggled at the back of her mind. Something she’d overlooked, or something someone had said; something that might shed new light on the people who lived and worked here? What could it be?
Rue for repentance, rue for regret. But Eadgyth had said it could also be used to curse an enemy. As she tended the horse, Janna put aside her preconceptions and, instead, focused on the “accidents” and their outcomes. The significance of everything that had happened began to shift and change, forming a different pattern altogether. And with the new pattern came an unexpected name.
Perplexed, wishing she had time to make some sense of her thoughts, Janna began to bind up Arrow’s hoof once more. “The wound is healing well, my lord,” she said, “but you should not ride Arrow for a while yet.”
Hugh nodded. He produced the apple and held it out to Arrow. “Don’t forget, I want to see Edwin tonight,” he said, over the sound of the horse’s happy crunching. “I’ve told Master Serlo that you are not to be locked up again, but I want some answers from you both. Too many accidents have been happening lately, seemingly without any explanation. I’m told everything was going smoothly until you and Edwin arrived at the manor.”
“We arrived at the manor before you did, sire. There were no accidents until you came home from Babestoche Manor.”
Janna knew she was taking a risk, but perhaps it might provoke Hugh to deal honestly if he thought others suspected that he was behind the incidents. And if he was innocent, as she was beginning to suspect he might be, then the more he could tell her, the closer they might come to understanding the reason for Hamo’s disappearance. Feeling a little fearful, she finished rebinding Arrow’s hoof while she waited for Hugh’s reaction.
He went very still. “What do you mean by that?”
Janna stood her ground, not allowing herself to be intimidated by him. “I mean nothing by it, sire,” she said, in as respectful a tone as she could muster. “You and Master Serlo seem to hold Edwin and me responsible for the troubles here. I’m only pointing out a fact in our defense.”
“Hmm.” Hugh inspected her closely. Janna flushed more deeply under his scrutiny, all too conscious of the rough smock and breeches that she wore. Automatically, her hand went to her hair, to smooth and tidy it. It was a shock to feel only short wisps once more.
Hugh lifted a sardonic eyebrow. “Do you know anything about these accidents, Johanna, anything at all?” he asked in a more conciliatory tone.
Janna hesitated, then made up her mind. If she was going to defend herself and Edwin, and test him at the same time, she might as well do it properly, she thought. “I know that a posy of rue has been left at the site of every mishap.”
“Rue?” She could have sworn his surprise was genuine, along with his question: “What do you mean, rue? That’s a herb, isn’t it?”
“I mean that a posy of rue was left at the henhouse at the time the fox got in, and another was found beside the lamb that was slaughtered. I found a posy of rue near the byre after the animals escaped and destroyed the new wheat, and there was also a posy attached to the haystack next to the one that was fired. I found rue at the stable door on the day Arrow’s shoe worked loose and the nail went into his hoof and—and I saw a posy of rue at the door of the undercroft, from where the woolen cloth and silver goblets were stolen.”
“And where are they now, these posies of rue?” Hugh sounded thoroughly bewildered.
“I-I was afraid that Edwin and I would be blamed for all that was going wrong, and so I destroyed them,” Janna confessed.
“You’ve told me lies in the past, Johanna. Why should I believe you now?”
And why should I believe you know nothing about what I’m telling you, Janna thought in turn. “Because it’s the truth, sire,” she said instead. “I told lies in the past because I had to protect myself, but I have no need to tell lies about what’s been happening here. Neither does Edwin. He likes it here, he wants to stay, he’s told me so himself. Why should he try to destroy something when it is the means to his escape from his lord as well as providing his future livelihood?”
Hugh nodded thoughtfully. “And Hamo?” he said carefully, going to the heart of the matter. “Is his disappearance part of this same puzzle?”
Janna looked at him. Was he testing her, seeing how much she knew, or suspected, or did he really want to know? His face was gaunt, lined with worry and fatigue. She was almost sure his concern was genuine. “A posy of rue was left outside the undercroft where he was playing with his ball,” she said carefully.
“And goods have been stolen from the undercroft,” Hugh rejoined swiftly.
Janna nodded. “And by someone who has a key to the chests, for they were all locked, sire.”
“And how do you know that?”
“I searched the undercroft when I found the posy of rue, just in case Hamo was hidden there.”
“Was he?” Hugh seized her arm. He sounded truly fearful as he begged, “For God’s sake, tell me if you know where he is, Johanna!”
“I do not know, sire. I wish I did.” Baffled, Janna shook her head as the last of her carefully constructed suspicions fell apart in the face of Hugh’s anguish.
Hugh let go of her arm and began to curse under his breath. Then he tur
ned to Janna. “I must go out and search for the boy. You have given relief to my aunt in the past, Johanna. Will you see her again? Perhaps mix up some posset to ease her mind, for she is in great distress.”
“I can’t!”
“Why not?” Now Hugh sounded cold and hard as he continued: “I will pay you for your ministrations, if that is what is on your mind?”
“No! No, sire, it isn’t that at all!”
“Then why will you not go to my aunt? Cecily said you felt too shamed to face her, but I’m sure you can make my aunt understand, and I know she’ll be discreet if you tell her of your belief that people wish you harm.”
“But that’s the problem, sire. I fear everyone.” Janna stopped to consider what she should say next. Hugh had already commented on his aunt’s marriage. Would he be sympathetic if she told him something of what she knew about Robert?
“I especially fear the lord Robert,” she said carefully. Hugh frowned. Janna knew she had come too far to back out now. She must go on, although she would not tell him everything. She wouldn’t betray Cecily. “I asked you once before to keep my identity a secret,” she said. “It was because I feared him. I believe it was he who incited the villagers to set fire to my cottage, even though they knew that I was inside. In fact, I suspect that was part of the plan, for Lord Robert wanted me either dead or run away. I want him to think he has succeeded in this. Indeed, my safety depends on it.”
“Why should Robert want your death? What do you know about him?” It was a fair question, but Janna was not prepared to answer, at least not without Cecily’s permission. She stayed silent while Hugh waited. At last, when he saw she would say nothing more, he heaved a sigh and said softly, “My aunt married unwisely when she chose Robert but, by calling in the priest to marry them at the church door, she now has the sanction of the church on her marriage and therefore cannot undo the union, no matter how much she might have come to regret it. That is why she summoned me for the birth of her baby, and that is why I stayed on at the manor afterward. She suspects that Robert has turned his affection elsewhere. How am I doing so far, Johanna? Do you know what I’m talking about?”
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