"It was not my head they were after. There are things I love better than my own skin."
Radnor turned eyes filled equally with pain and disbelief on his old tutor. "You have known me for nearly thirty years," he said finally with an effort, "can you say this to me? Can you call me a coward? In all these years, you, at least, have never missaid me before—"
"What made you commit this folly, then? How are we to win home again? Is there a man between here and London to whom Oxford is not tied by blood and marriage? If you were not mad with fear, why did you do it?"
Cain rubbed his forehead, leaving bloody streaks across it. "It was the blood, the way the horse screamed and Beaufort bled," he answered slowly. "I must suppose I was mad. Well, there is no help for it; we must make London tonight. I do not believe we return by this path in any case, but it will be time enough to ford that river when we come to it."
"That spills readily enough from your tongue, but things are not as they were wont to be. Will your lady wife be able to ride so long and so far?"
Cain's eyes grew momentarily hard. "Needs must is a hard master, but one that is obeyed. I can carry her on the saddlebow if she grows too weary. Give the order to ride. To tarry longer is fruitless, and dangerous."
Chapter 12
Lord Hereford broke a long silence when the tired troop reached the West Gate in London's wall. "Do we rouse the porters and demand entrance, or do we stay here until sunrise?"
Radnor shifted Leah, who was sleeping before him in the saddle, so that he could take the reins from his numb left hand. "I think we had better stay. I had not meant to come so far, but I have been so occupied in seeking a way out of this hideous coil that I did not see where we were. Let us withdraw a little way, make camp, and enter with dignity at a reasonable hour in the morning."
"At a reasonable hour? Do you not mean to win to the king on his first rising? Why have we ridden all night but to explain first and in our own way what happened at Oxford?"
"Nay, we rode to keep our skins whole. Oxford has too many relations between his home and London to make comfortable travel for those who have offended him. On the other matter, Hereford, you cannot have considered. If we run with all haste to the king, we tell the world that it is important which side of the tale he hears first. Innocence does not hasten to proclaim itself, but looks greatly surprised upon being questioned and then gives answer."
"Innocence! There is the blood of some hundred or two men on our hands. How do you mean to explain not mentioning that? A slight lapse of memory?"
"Nonsense," Radnor replied testily. "What need to mention a deserved chastisement except to make suitable apologies if the insult was not intended. Look you, Hereford, here is what I propose. I will go to Pembroke's house," he glanced at Leah but she slept soundly, her cheek nestled against the velvet of his surcoat, "and—"
"Oh, you are madder than a hornet. And to think I have known you all these years and never seen it before."
"Why should I not take the house? I have paid for it. You are the one who claims Pembroke is innocent. Anyway, will I not be better on my guard in his choice of a house than in my own which I might think, wrongly, safer?"
"Now you are making madness sound like good reason. Thus you cozened me into Oxford's keep and into this mess. You only talk around and around me. I know something is wrong, but I cannot lay my finger upon it."
"Hear me out, perhaps it will become clear. Tomorrow or rather today at the usual time and in the usual way I will present myself. I expect to be met with Oxford's accusation, to which I will reply that one attempt upon me might well be an accident, but two in the same place give good reason for suspicion and chastisement. For present safety I need only Stephen's verbal pardon in open court, and I believe I can have it. The Marcher lords are here in strength to support me—and, no doubt, my innocence will shine forth."
"And what of me?"
"You? What have you to do with this matter? You were merely there by accident, and if a few of your men were carried away by the excitement and became embroiled, why you could not help that. Oxford owes his life to you."
"A few?" Hereford laughed, amused in spite of the gravity of their situation by the surprised and injured innocence of Radnor's voice and expression.
"Do not be a fool," Radnor replied, completely sober again. "It is not you they want. You," he added with dry bitterness, "are in a fair way to hang yourself without their help. I doubt that Oxford will mention you at all except to praise."
"All right," Hereford agreed finally. "I like it, all except that accursed house. God knows how else you could explain what happened. After all, even if your men did turn on you, you can claim they were bought, and who more likely to buy them in Oxford's keep than Oxford."
When Radnor saw the house to which Oxford had given him the keys the previous night, he was well satisfied with the first portion of his plan. It was a reasonably large building, the lower half of stone and brick, the upper of wood. The gardens were overgrown and useless, but the stable sheds in the back yard seemed to be adequately roofed and in fair repair. There would be room for his men on the lower floor, and, best of all, the house stood alone and should be easily defensible.
Leah was more interested in the upper floor, for she would live there, and in the kitchens at the back of the lower floor of the house, for feeding the men was her responsibility. Before anything else was attempted, she realized, she must obtain servants. The men-at-arms might be willing to chop wood and draw water, although she doubted it, but they would be incapable of performing most other household tasks and unwilling to do so for fear of losing social status.
Unfortunately she had not the faintest idea how one obtained servants in a place like London. People were born into service on the estates or were chosen for training from the children of serfs or villeins. All were eager to become castle servants because the life was far easier than that eked from the land, and socially a castle servant was above the serf or even the free farmer. However, there were no serfs belonging to Radnor in London, as far as Leah knew.
There was no use in asking her husband for help in this matter. Away from Hereford's presence he had given way to his emotions. He was dressing for his court appearance now in a black fury, kicking furniture about and cursing in three languages, using words even in French that Leah could not understand.
Leah knew she must manage this matter on her own. Of the people she had met at her wedding, who would be likely to be in London? Lady Shrewsbury … Leah shuddered. She certainly would be unwilling to help her, or entirely too helpful for reasons of her own. The Leicesters should be here by this time, and so should William of Gloucester and his wife. She would have to ask Cain where they would be staying and how to contact the ladies.
Just as she reached that decision, however, he burst past her with such an expression on his face that even Leah, who had not been in the least frightened by his display of bad temper, would not dare speak to him.
"Sir Harry and the first fighting order will accompany me. Now ! Quick! God damn you, move your filthy hides, you whoresons. Hurry!"
The men leapt to obey, having considerable experience of their master in this mood. One unfortunate who stumbled against Radnor in his rush was felled unconscious with a blow that would have stunned an ox. Giles pushed Odo, who happened to be nearest him.
"Take his place, quick, if you want us all to keep our heads. My lord, do I accompany you?"
Radnor looked around, his eyes blank with his inner tempest. To have to explain, to excuse himself, possibly to humble himself before Stephen and his court made him sick. To know that it was his own fault, that it would not have happened except for his loss of control, that except for that he might have had a weapon to use against one of the favorites of the king, nearly made him insane. Why had he done it? Was it fear? Hate? Pride? Just the lust to kill and kill and kill? He hardly heard the question addressed to him.
"What?"
"Do I go or stay?"
Another time Giles might have protested this order. It was inconceivable that anyone should wish to hurt Lady Radnor, and as long as she stayed in the house she was safe. On the other hand, Radnor was going into a hotbed of enemies in a mood that was scarcely calm or conciliatory. Nonetheless Giles knew his master. When Radnor's eyes turned in on his own soul, giving that blankness to his expression, it was a warning that even Giles must obey without question.
Giles crossed himself as he turned away. He did not quite know why, but he had always done so. Even when Radnor was only a child, his periodic bouts of looking inward at himself had made Giles uneasy. The soul was God's business and His priests'; a man, in Giles' opinion, should leave his soul to those who understood it and not toy with it himself.
Upstairs, Leah folded and smoothed Radnor's cast-off clothing absently, wrinkling her brow over a new problem. Whom could she send to obtain the directions of Lady Leicester or Lady William? It was just as well that Cain had gone out, considering his mood. He would have been the greatest hindrance, for all her time would have necessarily been spent in soothing him. Her eyes smiled reminiscently. It was a great pleasure to do so, but it would not get the household running, the food cooked, or the bed set up.
She opened a clothes-press and shook her head—dust and broken twigs and leaves of old, scentless herbs. The dust, at least, could be attacked.
"Alison. Bess."
The girls appeared at once, both pale and tired. Neither could ride a horse, and they had, in consequence, been forced to travel in a heavy springless cart. The poor things had been so jolted and bruised that they could not sleep and were deeply regretting their previous desire for adventure and the sight of strange places. Leah was gentle and sympathetic to their complaints, but unrelenting in her demand that every chest be turned out and scoured clean. She would return to help them, she said, with a sudden look of decision, as soon as she had spoken to Giles.
"I hope there will soon be other maids and menservants to help you, and perhaps if you finish quickly we will go to the great market and buy rushes and herbs."
It sounded odd to speak of buying rushes and herbs, but what else could one do in a place where one owned no water and the garden was an overgrown mass of weeds? After seeing the girls set to work, Leah went down the stairs. Her first few steps were bold and firm, but as the clamor and confusion of the men's quarters became more apparent, her steps grew more hesitant. Would these hard men obey her? Her mother had guarded her carefully from her father's men-at-arms, but certain early memories of their cruelty to unprotected women lingered.
"Giles," she called.
Leah’s soft voice, softer even because of her uncertainty, could not carry over the noise. One man near the staircase heard a sound, however, and looked up. With horror in his eyes, he poked another. In a few minutes one could have heard a mouse walking on velvet in that huge room. Leah came down two steps more while the men watched suspended between confusion and terror. Lord Radnor would have every one of them drawn and quartered if he returned and found her there, yet who would dare say her nay or stop her and risk her displeasure.
"Giles," Leah repeated, fear giving a rather peremptory note to her voice.
"Coming, my lady." The old warrior hurriedly pushed his way forward through the paralyzed mass of men and came up towards her. "You should not come here," he said in a low, angry voice.
As the words came out, he wondered how the light of his master's eyes was going to take this criticism. If she were a proud one, there might be trouble between his lordship and himself.
"Oh!" Leah exclaimed with widening eyes. "Is it proper for you to come upstairs? I must ask you something."
Giles' lips twitched. "For me, yes. I am old enough to be your grandfather," he replied as he shepherded her up the stairs again. "For others, no, not unless your lord be with you." He was a fine one, he thought, to be giving lessons in etiquette.
"Oh." There was a little pause. "Then how may I let you know I want you if my lord is gone and I may not come down?"
Giles was jealous of this girl; he could not help it, for he loved his erratic lord and he felt that Radnor's affections were centered elsewhere now. Leah's gentle innocence, however, was having its usual effect on a man unaccustomed to dealing with women.
"Send one of your maids out to the stables to your groom, and he will fetch me up. Now what did you want of me, madam?"
"There is so much to be done that I scarcely know where to begin asking. First and foremost, I must have servants. Cooks first—the men and his lordship must eat; menservants to draw water and chop wood; maidservants to clean and sew. Someone must go to the market—myself, if you think Lord Radnor would permit. We must have food, rushes for the floors, herbs and salt and spices—"
There was a dawning respect in Giles" eyes as he looked down at the girl before him. "True enough. We have never kept house here before, but I will be little help to you. Protect you I can, but no more."
All men were alike, Leah thought disgustedly. Old or young, they had no sense. They could think only of fighting or killing, never of making life pleasant. "I believe that Lady Leicester or Lady William Gloucester would help me. Can you bring me to one of them?"
Lady William was ill, Giles reported after coming out of her house and swinging into the saddle again, but Lady Leicester lived near and they could try her next.
Leah curtsied deeply when ushered into Lady Leicester's presence, but that good dame seemed delighted to see her. She motioned Leah to a seat and sat down herself in a manner indicative of her readiness for a long chat.
"Madam," Leah said urgently when the necessary civilities had passed, "I am afraid I have come here to impose upon you and ask you for a great favor."
Caution appeared in the older woman's eyes. She liked this child, but she was not going to embroil her husband with Lord Radnor over her.
"If I can help you, child, I will."
"Well, I do hope you can, for I know not where else to turn."
"If there is trouble with your husband—" Lady Leicester hesitated, and the girl interrupted her hurriedly.
"No, no. Nothing of that sort. It is only that my lord has taken a house for us, and I know not how to find or employ servants in this strange place. Can you tell me—"
"Do you mean to say that Radnor is here without a retinue? That is impossible. Even he would not travel alone in these times."
"Of course not. He has his household guard with him, but they are not servants. I need men and maids to clean and serve and cook."
Lady Leicester looked stunned momentarily and then began to laugh. "Bless my heart and head, what a man! What does he expect to eat? Where does he expect to sleep?"
Leah could not help smiling too. Ordinarily she resented any criticism of her husband, but this time his lack of interest in mundane matters had really gone too far; they were in an impossible situation.
"I do not believe that he thinks about such things,” she said, smiling. “He is not in the least particular about what is set before him and will eat the same dried meat and grain as the men have if there is nothing better. And I am sure if I told him that the bed could not be set up he would lie down on the floor without the slightest protest. Indeed, he did so once in my mother's house. But it is not fitting that he should be so served. If I had but a few menservants I could contrive, but I have only two maids, and they are young and timid. I do not like to send them among the men-at-arms."
"If that is not like a man—to take a house and then let a child like you struggle to manage it without help. I will help you, my love, even if I must send you some of my own people. Only I am so short-handed because— Wait, I know what we must do. I will send to the Lord Mayor's steward. I am sure that he will be able to find suitable people for you."
A page was dispatched and Lady Leicester proceeded to question Leah about her supplies and furnishings. She was distracted between amusement a
nd horror when she learned that they had come without making previous arrangement for the house to be stocked and that Leah intended to go to the market that morning. She offered, however, between gusts of laughter, excellent advice on prices and hints on how to judge quality, so that Leah was grateful in spite of the amusement at her husband's expense.
By the time the dinner hour was near, Leah was trembling with fatigue at the same time that she glowed with satisfaction. The house was stocked with food for a week and more was ordered; five cooks and three bakers were preparing dinner; all the floors were swept clean and new-laid with fresh rushes; and, finally, her own bed was set up and her room was in perfect order.
Leah looked about. The brilliant red coverlet of the bed gave color to the rather dim room. Facing the one large window at the front of the house, a low-backed chair stood ready before her embroidery frame, and set to the other side was a high-backed chair, its seat and footstool, also covered with red cloth cushions, all ready for her lord to take his ease.
The thing Leah wanted most now was a bath. The question was whether there was time. Lord Radnor had given her no indication of when he would return, and Giles could not help her since he had as little information as she. The best she could do was to tell the cooks to hold back the meat for the high table half-cooked and wait. Then she thought that it would not matter if Cain returned to find her bathing. Surely that would not displease him. It might even occupy him until dinner was ready.
Almost hoping he would come in, for Leah was developing a taste for the pleasures of the marriage bed, she lingered in her bath until the water changed from hot to tepid. She nearly sent the maids for more hot water, but a glance at the woebegone faces awakened her pity and, besides, she did not wish her skin to grow wrinkled with long soaking. Dressed in the coral and grey outfit she had worn on her last day at home, Leah dismissed the girls to their dinner, and sat down to her embroidery, a seemingly endless task. She was very hungry, for the dinner hour was now long past, but she thought she would wait a little longer.
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