10
CECILY
They had gone less than a mile when a sound reached them: wagon wheels on hard ground, moving slow and steady. Finn stopped and turned.
A small wagon was coming up behind them, drawn by a single horse. The man driving it sat comfortably, one hand loose on the reins. He was singing under his breath, keeping the rhythm with the horse’s slow steps.
“Well, well,” the man said pleasantly, drawing up beside them. “Ye two look like ye’ve had a long walk.”
Finn did not answer at once.
Cecily felt suddenly aware of herself—mud on her hem, borrowed boots, hair pulled loose by the wind. She had been awake since before dawn in another time, and it was beginning to show.
“We’re heading into Faversham,” she said.
“Aye, I thought so.” The man nodded toward the road ahead. “Most are. Especially now.”
“Now?” she asked.
He gave a short laugh. “The whole county is headed to Faversham. Trying to sell to the king’s army before they just take what they want for the war.”
Cecily’s brow creased. “With the French? Again?”
The man stared at her for a moment, then laughed outright. “French? No, girl. Scotland.”
She saw Finn stiffen beside her.
“King’s men everywhere,” the man went on easily. “Takin’ carts. Takin’ grain. Takin’ lads who can hold a spear. Not a fine time to be walkin’.”
Cecily hesitated, then said, “We were hoping to purchase a small cart.”
Finn’s head snapped toward her.
The man’s eyes flicked between them. He smiled, thoughtful but not unkind. “Well. That depends on what ye’re payin’.”
“We’ll manage on foot,” Finn said, tugging at Cecily’s sleeve.
But Cecily shook him off. “We can’t,” she whispered. “Not like this.”
Finn said nothing. He looked at the horse. The wagon. The road. Then he stepped back. “Very well.”
The man clucked his tongue and brought his wagon to a stop. “Up ye go, then. I’ll take ye as far as Faversham.”
As Cecily climbed up, the wagon jolted slightly. The man reached out to steady her, his arm jostling against her.
“Careful,” he said easily.
She murmured her thanks and settled on the board, with Finn behind. The man started forward again, humming as if nothing had happened.
The man talked as they went, of shortages, of burned farms farther north, of markets crowded with soldiers. Then he began to sing, tapping his heel against the wagon board as he sang.
“Over the hill and down again, oats for the horse and bread for the men.”
He sang it twice, the same two lines, unhurried and off-key.
Cecily smiled. When he came to the second line again, she joined in softly, her voice unsure at first, then steadier.
Finn said nothing. He watched the road.
At the edge of town, the man drew the cart to a halt. “Best I leave ye here,” he said. “King’s men are thick today.”
“Thank you,” Cecily said. “May I pay you for the ride?”
“No, no,” he said with a laugh. “Just doin’ a neighborly thing for two tired folk.”
He tipped his cap, swung back onto the seat, and rode off quickly, the tune picking up again as he went.
When he was out of sight, Cecily reached for her purse. Her fingers closed on nothing. She checked again, panic rising.
“Finn,” she whispered.
He was already looking at her face.
“My money—”
“All of it?” Finn said.
She swallowed. “The entire purse.”
Finn checked the pouch at his own belt. It was smaller. Hidden deeper. Still there.
“He didn’t get everything,” Finn said. “But what’s left in my pouch won’t stretch far.”
Cecily’s face reddened. They desperately needed that money, and she had let it slip away. A chorus of noises filled the road—voices, boots, and the creak of carts they could not afford now that her coin purse was gone.
Finn turned away from it. “From now on, we don’t trust anyone,” he said. “And we don’t linger. Understand?”
Cecily nodded, her mouth dry. They turned toward the town and walked on.
Ahead, the road widened toward Faversham’s gate.
Soldiers stood there in their leather and mail, stopping carts, checking faces.
Cecily had never seen so many armed men in one place.
She kept her head down and walked beside Finn in silence, the empty space at her belt where her purse had hung feeling colder with every step.