“Nay, lady. ’Tis about the man in the cloak.”
“What man?”
The tallest boy grudgingly thrust the paper out at her. “That’s him, but we can’t read what it says.”
“Will you tell us?” one of the girls asked.
Ashley had wondered what they were doing, had figured they were up to no good. Had no idea they were studying what must’ve been some kind of a medieval poster, and was even more shocked they couldn’t read. Then again, a lot of people were illiterate. She thought Winterforth was different.
“Give it here.”
It was hard at first to make out the words, but after reading through silently a few times, she had it. As she read to them, thekernel of an idea sprouted. According to this, there was an unknown man who aided the poor. From what she read, it rather sounded like it was Robin Hood. But they called him the man of the cloak, and no one seemed to know who he was. If someone was in need, he helped. Widows, children sent to apprentice and learn a trade, young girls making good marriages—the man was a saint. Something niggled at her, but she pushed it away, focusing on an idea as she looked at the children.
“Can any of you read?”
They all shook their heads, and Merrick spoke up. “Nay, lady, we cannot.”
Perhaps this was what she was meant to do with her time here.
“Would you like to learn how to read?”
Some of the children gaped at her, others looked at her with suspicion and disbelief, but a few smiled. One of the girls stepped forward with a shy smile and took her hand. “I would like very much to learn how to read.”
Ashley knelt so she was at eye level with the girl. Growing up, Ashley hated it when an adult towered over her and spoke down to her like she was some little thing that didn’t matter. So whenever she encountered a child, she spoke to them like an adult, and on their level, eye to eye.
“Then I shall teach you.”
One of the guards, a scary-looking man she had seen take down several men during daily sparring sessions, took a few steps closer. When he spoke, his voice was quiet and calm, at odds with his size and looks.
“Mayhap you would teach me my letters, lady?”
Ashley kept her surprise to herself. For some reason, she had assumed most of the adults could read. Christian took good care of his people, so she’d assumed, but that was what she got for assuming.
“Of course. I’d be happy to.”
She looked around and found a twig then pointed to the boymost likely to have a plethora of weapons secreted away on his person.
“Could you make a point at the end?”
He nodded, pulled a knife from his shoe, and set to work. When he handed it back to her, she touched the point.
“Thank you. I think I could use this to kill a wild beast if I had need.”
The children laughed, and Ashley noticed another guard had come to join the scary-looking one.
She decided she would start with something that would appeal to them all. Instead of starting with all of the ABCs, she thought she would start with a couple of words.
So she smoothed the dirt with her foot and drew the letters forsword.
With the stick, she pointed to the S.
“Let’s start with one of your favorite things. A sword.”
There was murmuring and nods all around.
“This is the S.”
And she went on, drawing and pointing to each letter, then having each one repeat what she’d done. She didn’t know how much time had passed until the two guards stood tall.
