The Winter Love (7 page)

“He’s unhappy on the ship.
Some exercise will calm him.”

“And you? I thought you couldn’t bear to leave Henry.”

“Henry is awake and well enough at the moment. Solomon will make less trouble if he is walked around a bit.”

“You’ll get wet.”

“I’ll get wet,” she agreed, with a smile, and went to fetch Solomon.

The horse was glad to see her and barely moved as she put his reins on. She
led him on deck and off the ship. They walked about for a while, but it was obvious that Solomon wanted to do more. She wondered if she could get onto his back without help. Looking around she saw a barrel on the quayside and climbed up onto it. She wasn’t scared that Solomon would move suddenly so that she would fall; it was her own balance that she didn’t trust. Once she was on him, she had no idea how to make him walk and she suspected that he was well-trained enough to stand until she gave him the correct signal. She tried to remember if she had noticed Henry do anything in particular before they had started moving.

She remembered that he had done something with his legs and she
tried to do the same, slowly, without falling off. Solomon moved off at a walking pace and she found that she could stay on him easily enough. Next she tried to change his direction. This was just as difficult as starting. She had to pull hard enough on the reigns that he noticed, but not enough to hurt him or annoy him. Eventually Solomon turned in the direction that she wanted, but she was so surprised that she fell off. Winded, she lay on the wet ground for a while. Henry would not want these clothes back very soon, she thought, as she felt the cold mud seep through them to her skin. Solomon stood by her and occasionally nudged her shoulder with his nose. As soon as she felt she could do so without falling over she got up and leant against the horse as she tried to catch her breath.

“Come on, Solomon,” she said, “l
et’s start again.”

By
the time Eleanor was ready to go back to the ship she had learned how to make Solomon trot and she was managing to stay on his back for longer than she spent on the ground. She was also wet to her skin.

“You’re persistent,” said Edward as she stepped back on board.

“You were watching?”

“You were lucky not to break anything and that he didn’t step on you.”

“Yet you did not feel the need to come and stop me.”

Edward hesitated. “You learned very quickly.”

Eleanor guided Solomon past him. “Yes, I do learn quickly. And I remember my lessons.”

“Let someone else look after the horse.
You’re soaked through.”

Eleanor made a pretence of considering his offer, but turned it down.
Solomon was not a horse to be left to the care of rough sailors, although she imagined that that must be what had happened on the voyage from France.

It took her a long time to care for Solomon. He
was wet and hungry. Only when she finished could she allow that she was also wet and hungry. She made her way to Edward’s cabin, to find him waiting for her outside. “You must be very cold. Here is a blanket to dry you.”

“Thank you.” Eleanor reached for it, but Edward wrapped it, and himself, around her. She shivered.

“Not a moment too soon,” said Edward, as he began to smooth the blanket over her body, touching her without a blush where Henry had grieved so much to put his hand.

“I can manage,” Eleanor said, struggling to free herself.

“Let me help you,” Edward persisted.

“Let her g
o.” Henry’s voice was low and dangerous.

E
leanor felt a moment of fear, as well as relief and did not dare look at Henry. She did not want to be the cause of a quarrel between the two brothers. Edward hesitated. He was still holding her tightly against him. “It’s not as if you’d rather be in my place,” he said.

“Let her go,” said Henry, again.
Now Eleanor looked at him. He paid her no attention. Sick as he was, he was still ready to prove that he could protect her.

Edward released her and stepped
away. “We’ll see what happens when you can’t move because you’re too afraid that the ship will sink.”

“You gave your word.” Henry spat out the words.

Edward considered. “So I did. Until this afternoon, then.” He walked away. Eleanor shivered again and felt Henry’s hand land gently on her shoulder.

“Come in and get warm. It was kind of you to walk Solomon, but foolish.”

“I enjoyed it.”

When she had left the room, Eleanor had folded her clothes and left them on the trunk, now they were waiting for her on the bed. Henry stopped at the door. He was swaying slightly and very pale; the ship had been under way for some time now.

“Come in,” Eleanor said, holding out her hand to him. “I trust you not to look, as I did before.”

“Right now,” said Henry, “
you could lie next to me naked and I would not care.”

“Then lie down.” Eleanor removed her clothes from the bed and replaced them on the trunk. Henry was quick to obey and turned away from her as he stretched hims
elf upon the bed. Eleanor smiled; she had already trusted him to close his eyes once, she would not doubt him now.

She did not dare to acknowledge to herself in the slightest that it might have been
interesting to be watched by Henry as she undressed. No, that was definitely not something that she would think about.

Having spread the wet and dirty clothes out on the trunk to dry, Eleanor took up her place beside Henry. Only then did she realise that she was still hungry. Deciding that going hungry would be better than confronting Edward again, she remained where she was and continued her prayers for the nuns she had left behind in the convent
and for Henry’s continued protection.

That afternoon they arrived in Southampton. Eleanor heard the noise from the quay even before the ship stopped moving. People were shouting and waving from the quayside and the sailors were shouting and waving back. She wanted to go onto the deck to see what was happening, but she had no wish to go alone, so she contented herself with the little she could see from the cabin door.

Some time after the ship had stopped moving Henry was able to stand and walk out onto the deck with her.
It had stopped raining and she saw that they were moored next to the town wall, which seemed to rise straight out of the water. The sailors were unloading Edward’s cargo and it was being loaded into carts on the quay. There was a growing crowd of women and children gathering on the quayside and Eleanor guessed that they must be the sailors’ families. Every now and again one of them would break away from his work to take a woman into his arms or have a baby presented to him. Eleanor smiled; at least some of them were glad to be home.

All along the quay were ships of different shapes and sizes. English was not the only language that she could he
ar being shouted, but she knew no other language well enough to know what they were saying. Henry seemed to accept it all as normal, so she decided that she would, too.

A thought occurred to her. “Do you
live here as well?”

“No, my home is about a day’s ride away to
the north. Edward lives here, but our parents and my other brother live to the west in a place called Abbot’s Ridge. We will go to them tomorrow and you will remain there when I go to my own house.”

“I am
not to go with you?” Eleanor was dismayed. Henry was her one certainty in this world and now he was abandoning her. Worse, he was abandoning her to people she did not know. She reminded herself that a few days ago she had not known Henry, but it did not help.

He turned to look at her. “It
would not be proper for you to be in my house. I have been away for a year and I don’t know what I will find. I do know that I can’t protect you there, should it be necessary. My parents’ house is large and comfortable and is surrounded by a stone wall. You will be welcome there. Not,” he added quickly, “that you wouldn’t be welcome in my house. But you’ll be safe with them.”

Eleanor looked away from him and up the wide river to where it disappeared into a forest. She would survive this, too.
She had asked for none of this, but she was strong enough, she was certain of it. “When will I go back to the convent?”

“I don’t know. I must make sure it is safe before you return.”

“Do you know why those men wanted me?”

“I have an idea, yes.”

Eleanor waited, still looking away from him. When it became clear that Henry was going to say no more she asked, “Is it the same reason why you took me?”

Henry pulled her round gently
to face him and lifted her chin so that she had to look at him. “No, Eleanor, not for the same reason at all. I took you for your own protection. Do you believe that?”

She nodded
, certain that he was telling the truth. Could she then trust him to leave her with people who would look after her?

“I think they would have done you harm, but I could not defend you against so many, so I had to bring you away. That was not my intention when I arrived.”

He stopped and Eleanor knew better than to ask what he had intended. Instead she said, “I feared you at first, but I knew soon enough that you meant me no harm.”

Henry smiled and Eleanor smiled back.

“It is time for us to collect Solomon and go. We will stay at Edward’s house tonight, then we will go to Abbot’s Ridge tomorrow.”

Although she would have preferred to stay on deck and watch all the ac
tivity, Eleanor went with Henry. As she stepped onto the quay, she remembered that Edward’s promise had now expired.

Henry led Solomon through the narrow streets and Eleanor walked at his side. It was not far to Edward’s house, but Eleanor found her feet dragging as she turned constantly to look at each new sight.

They had passed through a narrow gate, squeezing through with
heavily-laden carts and men carrying sacks. Behind the gate the road wound up a short incline and onto a slightly wider street crowded with merchants’ houses. Eleanor looked up at the brightly-coloured signs that hung above them, telling what was traded in the rooms below. The fronts of the houses were open to give access to customers and Eleanor could see the myriad wares being sold. What a wealthy place this must be. Many of these things must come from far over the sea, for she didn’t even recognise them. Henry answered her first few questions, then he started identifying things for her without her asking. Long before they reached Edward’s house, she had to ask him to stop, for she couldn’t take it all in. It was not just the shops and their goods that fascinated her, but also the people they passed in the street. There were so many of them and they were all, it seemed to her, richly dressed. When she saw a man walking with a falcon on his arm she turned to Henry, “This must be a very big, very wealthy town.”

“Not so big. It used to be bigger
and wealthier and more people lived here, but the French raided it when I was a child and so much was destroyed that many of the people who survived just ran away and never came back. Where we’re walking now was burnt to the ground. Even the churches...well, it was a very bad time.”

“Did you live here then?”

“No. We were at Abbot’s Ridge. Some of those who ran away ran to us and we brought food for those who survived a few days later. I came with my father and my older brother. By then the bodies had started to rot for there were too few people left to bury them all. The French had killed as many animals as they could, as well. They destroyed everything they could.” He stopped and Eleanor wondered how many such sights he had seen in his time as a soldier. “Anyway, it’s a wonder it’s as big as it is.”

“Trade,” Eleanor
guessed.

“Yes,”
said Henry, “but the cost of protecting that trade is very high. There, that’s Edward’s house.”

He pointed to a house where t
he sign of a wine barrel hung above yet another shop that opened onto the street. A customer was inside tasting some wine. He raised his cup to them as he saw them, then turned back to the young man who was assisting him. The young man waved at Henry and smiled shyly at Eleanor.

Edward was already there, directing the unloading of a cart. His servants we
re also in the street receiving his orders. Edward turned to greet them as they arrived.

“Welcome to my home.” He
spread his arms expansively. “I have to spend the night on board, so Henry will sleep alone in my room and Sister Margaret can sleep in the other room. You will find the bed more comfortable than the floor of my cabin.”

Eleanor wondered for a moment whether he knew that she had shared his bed with his brother for the last two nights, but decided he did not. She turned to Henry and saw that he was angry at his brother’s
words. She changed her mind; Edward must know that they had shared the bed and Henry knew it.

“I slept well enough, thank you. I have known much worse.” It was useless to add that she would have been happy to sleep on the floor. Henry’s seasickness obviously diminished him in his brother’s eyes, but Eleanor had seen enough sickness recently to know that it took the strong and the weak equally and she had no doubts as to which was the stronger brother.

Henry led Solomon up the street to the stable and Edward indicated that Eleanor should go with his servant. As she passed him he stroked her arm lightly and Eleanor hoped that Henry would never leave her alone with his brother.

Edward’s house was not large; it was barely wider than the open shop front. Eleanor followed the servant into the passageway beside the shop. The floor was beaten earth and it was slightly lower than the street outside. The passage seemed to run the length of the house, but it was too dark inside for her to see clearly. The hall was behind the shop and Edward’s business room was behind that. Eleanor suspected that the kitchen lay beyond that or was outside, but they had arrived at the stairs before they got that far and Edward’s servant, John, led her up them to the bedchamber at the front of the house. The hall took up two floors and the two bedchambers were connected by a gallery that ran along one wall of the upper storey. She looked out onto the busy street below. She had never seen so many people in one day as she had today. Whatever was it that they all were doing? Why were they all here? Did they live here? The variety of languages she had heard made her suspect that this was not the case. This place was both exciting and overwhelming. Edward’s house was no different. She could still hear the noise from the streets and the conversation that was taking place in the shop was clearly audibly in the house. Edward’s wealth was displayed on the walls of his house and the furnishings which were rich and brightly coloured. It was overpowering. This was the place in which Edward would leave his wife alone. Eleanor shuddered at the thought.

The bedchamber was comfortable and clean enough
, although the bed was large for one person alone. John brought her hot water and she washed, then went to find Henry. He was washing in Edward’s bedchamber at the back of the house. He answered her knock, but did not open the door and told her to wait in the hall until the food was ready. He added that he would hurry, but that he was enjoying the luxury of a wash after several days at sea, so she sat in the hall where they were to eat later. Already the smell of food was coming to her from the kitchen. Edward’s servants looked well-fed, so she expected much from this meal. Then she reproved herself for her gluttony. They ate simply in the convent and she should not look forward to more. A few moments contemplation told her that it was not gluttony, but the variety that interested her; she longed to see and to taste what was eaten outside the convent. She realised that what they ate here would not be what was eaten in most of the houses in this town, for Edward was wealthy, but she was fascinated by yet another new experience.

John
came into the hall and offered to show her over the house. Eleanor hesitated, but Henry might be some time, so she accepted his offer. It did not take long for her to see all the rooms. She was most impressed by the counting room where John proudly showed her Edward’s books. He took a key from those hanging at his waist and unlocked a small chest that stood on the table. Inside were three books. Eleanor wondered if she dared take them and look at them properly, but John took one out and put it proudly into her hands.

“Edward must be
very wealthy,” she said as she turned the pages. It was a book about falconry and the illustrations were very detailed and accurate.

“Yes, he is, and he lives in accordance with his wealth.”

Eleanor smiled at him. “These are indeed treasures.”

“He takes a great deal of care of them.”

“I’m sure.” Eleanor ran her finger down the spine as she put it gently on the table, then took out the next one. After she had inspected all three, John returned them to the chest and locked it. They must be the most valuable items in the entire house, thought Eleanor, possibly even more valuable than the wine in the store room.

When she returned to the hall it was still empty.
She sat on a bench and waited, turning her thoughts gradually to prayer.

Eventually Henry joined her. He had shaved off his beard and trimmed his hair so that he looked like a respectable man.
Now that she could see his face, she could see that he was also very handsome. She had not expected this. She stared for a moment and he caught her doing it. She blushed.

“I did not know you were so handsome.”

Henry snorted with laughter.  “I think you confuse me with someone else.”

Eleanor’s blush grew deeper. Could it be that her ideas of masculine beauty were wrong?

“Now I have insulted you.” Henry’s voice cut through her embarrassment and she laughed.

“No, I accept that I cannot tell whether you are handsome or not, but it is very pleasing to look at you.”

Now it was Henry’s turn to blush. “You are also very pleasing to the eye.”

“Oh.” Eleanor looked at
the floor. “I wish that you had not told me, for now I shall be vain.”

“I tell you so that you will not be surprised when men look at you in the street. Did you not notice them on our way here?”

“No, I was too busy looking around.”

He came and stood in front of her and lifte
d her face so that he could look into her eyes.

“You are comfortable in your room?” he asked.

“Yes, it’s very pleasant.” She smiled slightly at the clumsy way that he had changed their conversation.

“We will eat well
tonight; Edward keeps a good table, as well as good wine.”

Eleanor was relieved that he would be eating well
; he looked even thinner than he had before they had joined the ship. He was wearing fresh clothes, finer and newer than the clothes he had been wearing on their journey. Now he looked more like a man who could afford a fine war horse.