Chapter Ten
London
The trees above were heavy and moist with the humidity from the Thames and Douglass, as she rode her small, gray palfrey, was sticky with it, too.
She felt like one of those trees, wilting and drooping, and that certainly wasn’t what she wanted to feel like.
There was something in her midst now, something of great and utter importance, and the last thing she wanted was to look like a drooping tree. She wanted to look her very best.
Tiberius was riding off to her left, slightly behind her.
He had been since they had left the tavern early that morning.
Her father had explained to her the night before that Tiberius would be traveling with them for “some time”, although he hadn’t clarified what that meant and he really hadn’t told her any more than that.
All she knew was that Tiberius was now in their midst, astride his big, gray beast that seemed to foam at the mouth constantly.
The horse worried the bit to death and he kept shaking his head, throwing foam onto those near him so Tiberius was riding well to the rear of their four-person party.
Douglass suspected his frothing horse was the reason he had not ridden beside her.
Or, it was one of the reasons. She was sure there were others.
For instance, Garran seemed particularly distant from Tiberius.
After the debacle last night when Garran had broken down her chamber door, she was certain that Garran and her father were going to do all they could to keep Tiberius away from her so it was strange that he was traveling with them this morning.
His brothers, the earl and Sir Maximus, had turned back for Isenhall.
Now, the de Shera brothers were split and Douglass wasn’t sure of the reason behind it but she knew there was, in fact, a reason.
Everything seemed oddly tense all around.
But she kept her attention ahead and not on Tiberius, which was very difficult for her to do.
She wanted to turn back and look at him but she couldn’t do it and not be obvious about it, so she kept her attention forward, on the dark, dirt road with the heavy ruts in it from the wagons that passed along it constantly.
Sunlight streamed between tree branches and birds frolicked in the leaves above.
As the de Moray party passed quietly along the path, the outskirts of London proper began to come into view.
Poorly constructed residences bunched up here, many of them lining the road.
There were people about, going about their business, children and dogs playing in the road, and women beating their wash down by the dirty river.
There was a breeze coming off of the gently flowing waters of the Thames, providing some relief from the stickiness in the air.
Even though Douglass had braided her curly mane tightly to keep it off her neck, she still found herself lifting the hair off the back of her neck, allowing the soft wind to cool her.
Once, as she lifted her hair, she managed to sneak a glimpse back at Tiberius only to discover he was looking right at her. She smiled faintly and he smiled back.
Giddy, she faced forward, fanning her face with her hand and thinking on their destination for the night.
She assumed it was Leadenhall House, but her father hadn’t said much to her that morning so she truthfully wasn’t sure.
As she delicately wiped the sweat off her brow, she spoke to her father who was riding point several feet in front of her.
“Papa?” she called. “How long until we reach Leadenhall?”
Bose didn’t turn around. With his helm on, he couldn’t turn his head anyway, so he simply spoke loudly so she could hear him.
“We are not going to Leadenhall right away,” he said. “My army is with the de Winter army at Wintercroft so we will be going there first so I can claim my men.”
Douglass understood. She lifted her hair again as a particularly strong breeze came off of the water.
“I do not understand why you did not bring them with you when you came to collect me at Codnor Castle,” she said.
“It seems very odd that just you and Garran would have come for me. Why did you not bring your men?”
Bose grunted. “Because I would have been compelled to feed and house eight hundred men for at least a month on the road,” he said.
“It was much easier, and much less expensive, simply to leave them mingled with de Winter men. Besides, armies in transit often attract unwanted attention and I would be traveling close to Kenilworth. I did not want to attract de Montfort’s attention by moving enemy troops through his lands. ”
Douglass eyed her father. “You attracted de Montfort, anyway,” she said. “That is why the de Shera brothers had to come and save us.”
Bose grinned, without humor. “A fateful day that was.”
“What do you mean?”
Bose shook his head, thinking that it was the day Tiberius had been introduced to Douglass but saying nothing about it. “Nothing,” he said. “I simply meant it was an eventful day. That is the last time I travel anywhere near Kenilworth. De Montfort has eyes and ears everywhere.”
“You remember Davyss de Winter, don’t you?
” Garran, riding a few feet off to her right, turned to ask his sister.
“I think you met Davyss about six or seven years ago when he came to Ravendark Castle with his father. I think they were traveling from one point to another and stopped for the night. Father, do you recall?”
Bose nodded his big head, recalling that day years ago when Davyss and his father stopped at the de Moray fortress to rest in their travels.
Ravendark Castle, near Salisbury, had been Bose’s home for many years, ever since the king had granted him the property.
It was yet one more thing he owed Henry.
“They were coming from Dunstan Castle, I believe,” Bose said.
“Grayson de Winter, Davyss’ father, had some business there and they were heading home.
That family owns most of Norfolk and all of Surrey, you know.
The de Winters have more land in England than anyone save the royal family, including Wintercroft. It’s their London base.”
Douglass thought back to the vague memories of a muscular, young knight with shaggy, dark hair. “I think he pinched me,” she said thoughtfully. “When Papa wasn’t looking, Davyss de Winter pinched me on the arse.”
Garran burst out into snorts while Bose actually tried to turn around and look at her, his dark eyes narrowed.
“Did he truly do this?” he wanted to know.
Douglass nodded. “I was only twelve or thirteen,” she said. “He pinched me and it hurt. He laughed!”
Garran continued to snort as Bose shook his head. “Then I shall have a word with Davyss and make sure he does not pinch you again,” he grumbled. “He will not like my reaction if he tries.”
“Nor mine,” Tiberius said from several feet back. “In fact, I can promise you he will not like it in the least.”
Garran stopped snorting and turned to look at Tiberius. “Would you challenge him?” he asked, almost incredulous. “That would be like fighting one of your brothers, Ty.”
Tiberius looked at him. “It would be like fighting you and that almost happened, too.”
Garran pursed his lips with some frustration, turning away because he didn’t want to engage in any kind of verbal argument in front of his sister. Already, the situation was extremely strange and he wasn’t sure he liked it. He was still trying to decide how he felt about all of this.
His father told him that Tiberius had sworn fealty to him because he wanted to prove himself to de Moray, to prove that he would be a good enough man for Douglass’ hand.
It was clear that Tiberius was quite serious about his sister and Garran was having difficulty adjusting to that.
Was it possible that Tiberius was actually serious about one woman?
It was all still quite shocking to Garran even though he was glad to be with Tiberius once again.
He had missed him terribly. But the circumstances were still unnerving to him.
It was going to take time for him to get used to it all.
No one said anything more as they plodded along the road, passing through stretches of housing and then stretches of thick trees and fields all around. The river was constant, to their right as they moved, and soon enough the more crowded area of London came into view.
Smoke trailed from leaning and malfunctioning chimneys, hanging in a gray haze above the rooftops.
In the distance, they could see the spire of Westminster with the sun hanging behind it in a sort of hazy backdrop.
Gulls, that had followed the river in from the sea, swarmed in the sky above, dropping into streets and onto rooftops looking for food.
And it smelled horribly in the August heat.
With the moisture from the river, the stench of man was cloying, like breathable grease, and Douglass resisted the urge to pinch her nose as they turned northeast to skirt the edge of the city.
She wrinkled it against the smell, sneezing as they moved onward, past children dressed in rags and toothless men, fat, who were on the side of the avenue trying to fix a broken wheel.
All of these people stopped what they were doing to watch three big knights and a small lady move through the town, looking upon them with suspicion and curiosity.