Edithwas right, she mused, as she peered through the tangle of branches and watcheda small troop of men approach. She should not have raced home. The old womanhad never been wrong before, and Eada knew she had been a fool to doubt thewoman this time. There was nothing for her in Pevensey now, had not been sincethe ships had first been sighted. Her mother would have gathered as much as shecould as fast as she could and then fled. In her heart Eada knew her mother hadnot wanted to leave her behind but had had the wit and the strength to see thatshe had to sacrifice one to save all the others, that any delay would becostly, perhaps even fatal. Eada knew she would have done the same.
Likesome unthinking child, she had run home to her mother at the first hint ofdanger. Now, instead of being safe with Edith, she was caught in the middle ofan invasion. Instead of having the time to flee or to choose an adequate,comfortable hiding place, she was stuck in a thicket and she would be stuckthere until nightfall. Only then might she have some small chance of slippingaway unseen and getting back to Edith. The old woman would need help to eludethe enemy. As she cautiously shifted her body in a vain attempt to getcomfortable, she prayed vigorously that whatever Normans raped her home wouldfind little there to enrich or comfort them.
Two
"Noone is here, Drogo," announced Tancred d'Ullack as he picked up a woodenbowl from the floor and set it on the well-scrubbed table.
"Arethere any beds?" Drogo de Toulon asked as he adjusted his firm hold on theslender, ashen-faced man who sagged at his side, and stepped further into thegreat hall of the house he had chosen to claim.
"Yes,and some very fine ones, too. Go right through that doorway at the far end ofthe hall. The one on the left."
Drogopicked his companion up in his arms, ignoring the man's groaning protests."Come, Garnier, my friend, you will feel stronger after you have rested.Tancred," he called back to the younger man, who was just sitting down atthe table, "have our belongings brought to this place and see if my man Ivocan find us some food."
"Ishall never return home, my friend," groaned the man in Drogo's arms.
"Doyou plan to die here then, Garnier?"
"No,but I plan to never set my boots in a boat again and, unless I learn to soarlike a bird, I am destined to rot out my days in this accursed land."
Laughingsoftly, Drogo laid his slender friend down upon the first bed he found. Aswift, but careful look around the small room told him that it had been hastilydeserted. Clothes and the toys of a young boy were scattered around. His surveyalso told him that the room was extremely clean, and he began to relax.
"Ishould more closely study this bed," said Garnier, his deep voice hoarseand unsteady, "but I am suffering themal de mertoo badly to careif these Saxon fleas eat me alive."
"Iwould be most surprised, Garnier, if there are any fleas about. The people whoheld this house were very clean."
"Somedistant family of yours, mayhap?" Garnier teased, and he managed a weaksmile.
Drogobriefly returned the man's smile, accepting the gentle jest aimed at his ownstrong inclinations toward cleanliness, a preference that many found a littlestrange. "Rest, Garnier," he murmured. "Rest is what youneed."
Themoment Garnier closed his eyes, Drogo returned to the hall and found thecentral hearth already being tended by his man Ivo. Ivo was big, dark, andsomewhat slow; but he tended to most of Drogo's and his men's needs as well asany woman. Displeasure tightened Drogo's finely carved mouth, however, when hesaw the young girl huddled close by Ivo's side. A quick glance at Tancred, whowas sprawled comfortably at the table, elicited only a shrug.
"Ivo,where did the girl come from?" Drogo asked his servant as he approachedthe man. "Was she here? In this house?"
Ivoshook his head, his thick black hair tumbling onto his face."Outside."
"Ah,then you have brought her to us for our amusement." Tancred leapt nimblyfrom the bench he had lounged on and strode closer; but when he reached for thegirl, Ivo suddenly placed his large, muscular body firmly between the muchsmaller Tancred and the terrified girl. "I see; you have not, then."
"Mine,"Ivo growled as the girl huddled behind him. "I found her."
"Andwere you the one who beat her?" Drogo asked, frowning as he studied thegirl's thin, bruised face.
"No.The others did. I stopped them and took her."
"Oh,merde." Tancred sighed with a blatantly false dismay. "Weshall have some deaths to explain away." He again approached the girl,reaching out one slender hand, and said quietly when Ivo tensed, "I onlymean to look at her."
"Idid not kill the men," Ivo said, never taking his gaze from Tancred as hedefended himself to Drogo. "I only hurt them."
"Sheis a bond-slave, Drogo," Tancred said and pointed to the earring the girlwore. "That earring is how the Saxons mark their bond-slaves. And it appearsthat she is a disobedient one," he added in a soft voice when he saw thestill-raw lash marks on her back revealed by her torn gown. "She could bemore trouble than she is worth."
"Mine."Ivo put his arm around the wide-eyed girl's thin shoulders and held her closeas he fixed his dark gaze on Drogo. "You can give her to me."
Drogogrimaced and absently rubbed his hand over his broad, mail-covered chest as herealized he could have a serious problem on his hands. "Ivo, she belongsto someone."
Ivonodded. "A Saxon. You will fight them soon and win. Then, everything willbe yours and you can give her to me."
"Suchlovely simplicity," Tancred drawled, his grey eyes bright with laughter.
"Enoughof your jests, Tancred," Drogo muttered as he frowned at Ivo. "Ivo,you may have her for now, but she must work and she must behave. We have notime now to waste upon a lazy or disobedient bond-slave. Do youunderstand?"
