Stolen Child: The Janna Chronicles 2

by Felicity Pulman

  This won’t do, Janna told herself sternly. It’s too early for despair. Hamo is missing, not dead. And he hasn’t been gone for long. She remembered the mangy dog. Hamo must have gone in search of it once more. He would surely be found soon.

  By now, everyone had been summoned by the clamoring bell. Although she’d been ordered to search outside the manor with the men, Janna decided instead to hunt for Bones. Instinct told her that if she could find the dog, she would probably find Hamo too. Regardless of what the rue might mean, it was too great a coincidence that boy and dog should both be missing. So she tried the kitchen first, where she’d last seen Bones. She searched within and without, but there was no sign of dog or boy. She widened her search then, calling as she went, but there was no answering bark or shout for help. It seemed she was right: both of them had vanished. So where had they gone, and with whom?

  “You! Boy!” Serlo had his horse on a rein, ready to mount, but now he stopped and beckoned Janna to come to him. His face set in a thunderous frown as he waited for her to draw near. “Where’s your brother?”

  From the hostility in his tone, Janna understood that she and Edwin were under suspicion for this too. It took all her courage to face the reeve. “I do not know where Edwin is, Master Serlo,” she answered politely. She became aware she was still clutching the posy of rue, and hastily secreted it behind her back.

  “And the young lord? I don’t suppose you know where he is either?”

  “No, I do not.” Janna hesitated, wondering if she had the nerve. “But I do know he’s not with Edwin,” she added boldly.

  “And how would you know that if you don’t know where your brother is?”

  “I know Edwin, Master Serlo.” Janna hoped that, indeed, she did. “I know he wouldn’t take the boy away for any reason, even in fun.”

  Serlo’s frown deepened. “What makes you think there’s any reason behind Hamo’s disappearance other than that the silly child has wandered away and got lost?”

  Janna kept silent. Hamo was anything but silly. He’d run after his dog and got into trouble for it; while he might go in search of the dog once more, it seemed unlikely he’d go so close to the river again, or even stray far from the manor unless enticed away by someone he trusted. But she couldn’t blame Serlo for trying to put a good face on things. Besides, it was perfectly possible she’d read the situation wrongly. The fact that there was a posy of rue on the steps of the undercroft might not have anything to do with Hamo’s disappearance; it might be a sign of something quite different, something relatively minor. Up until now the incidents had caused harm, but they were not too serious for all that. Kidnapping a child, the heir to this manor, on the other hand, was a very serious crime indeed.

  “Get out and look for Hamo,” Serlo growled. “I don’t want to see you back here before dark. And make sure you bring your brother back with you!” With a scowl he mounted, and rode out through the gate.

  Janna grimaced at his departing back. “I’m already looking for Hamo,” she muttered. “What do you think I’m doing? Walking about for my health?” Nevertheless, she linked up with a group of women who were busy searching through the manor grounds. Although she joined them in calling out Hamo’s name, she also called for Bones. But only silence answered their calls.

  The bell began to toll again, a low and mournful sound. A shiver ran through Janna as she came to understand its meaning. The sound was meant to guide the lost child home to safety. It would continue to toll until Hamo was found. And if Hamo didn’t come running home, it would mean that he could not; it would mean that he was dead.

  Chapter 9

  Following Serlo’s instructions, partly to avoid Serlo himself, but mostly because she was worried sick, Janna left the manor grounds to search along the length of the river. She stayed out until it grew too dark to see properly. In twos and threes, the villeins began to return, shaking their heads in despair as they asked each other for news. Hugh called for resin torches to be fetched. With flames held high to light their way, some of the men streamed out of the gate to continue their search, a few on foot and some on horseback to ride further afield. Janna was relieved to notice that Serlo was among them. The women and children, meanwhile, went off to their own cots to see about the evening meal and a night’s rest.

  Not wanting to encounter Mistress Tova’s wagging tongue, or questions about Edwin’s whereabouts and sly innuendoes about his reliability, Janna wearily climbed the stairs to the hall and settled down onto her pallet, determined to continue her search as soon as it dawned. Unable to sleep, she began to fret over Hamo. She pictured him falling into the river and being crushed by the mill wheel, or blundering through the forest, lost and frightened, not knowing which way to turn. There were wolves there, and wild boar. Having no weapon, nor anything to defend himself, Hamo would be easy prey.

  Janna screwed her eyes tight shut, trying to block out the pictures she’d conjured up. With so many people out looking for him, how could Hamo stay lost—unless someone was determined that he should not be found? She tried to push the thought from her mind but it lay there like a stone, too heavy to shift, too heavy to ignore.

  She passed a restless night. Nightmares frightened her awake; she lay, heart thudding, listening to the snores of the sleepers and, at regular intervals, the lonely sound of the clanging bell. In the end, she fell into a deep sleep and didn’t wake until one of the villeins gave her a hard shake.

  “You’d best get up, John, if you want time to break your fast,” he said. “Master Serlo wants us out at first light to look for the young lord.”

  Janna leaped up from her pallet, but she was still yawning and only half awake as she ate a chunk of bread and tried to come up with a plan. The first thing, she decided, was to give the undercroft a thorough search, just to satisfy herself that the posy of rue was in no way connected with Hamo’s disappearance.

  “Where’s your brother, John? I want a word with him,” Serlo said sternly.

  Startled, Janna whirled to face the reeve. She hadn’t seen him come into the hall but, judging from the thunderous frown on his face, he was in a temper and determined to take it out on someone.

  “I-I know not where Edwin is, Master Serlo,” she confessed miserably, sure now that she would be punished in place of him.

  “I judge him responsible for the young lord’s disappearance—and you will be suspect too, if you cannot bring Edwin to account. I’m out of patience with you both, but there’s no time to waste on you now. If you don’t have Edwin here by nightfall, I’ll raise the hue and cry after him. I’ll call in the shire reeve. Be sure that I’ll also mention your whereabouts to the forester. There’ll be no place for you to hide after this, John, not you or your brother. Just think on that.”

  “I swear we know nothing about the young lord’s disappearance, Master Serlo,” Janna said hurriedly. “But I will go in search of Edwin. And the young lord, if you’ll give me leave?”

  Serlo nodded curtly, and turned away to deal with a group of women who awaited further instructions. Gytha was among them, and in spite of her anxiety, Janna felt a twitch of amusement. Serlo couldn’t keep his eyes off the girl. All his remarks were addressed to Gytha. She stood before him, hardly responding to his attention, while Serlo watched her as a starving man might watch his last crust disappearing down the mouth of a rival.

  Janna turned and walked quickly down the stairs. She had more pressing problems to think about now: was it more important to find Hamo or Edwin? Could they be hiding somewhere together?

  Another possible companion for Hamo came into Janna’s mind. Urk was older than Hamo, but he was about the same age in his reasoning. Hamo would think nothing of running free on his cousin’s property—his own property—while Urk had already shown that he wasn’t aware of, or didn’t understand, the rules that bound the villeins living on the manor farm. He would be delighted to go searching for Bones, or play a game with Hamo if the young lord still had his ball with him.


  Where might the two of them go? After a moment’s reflection, Janna thought it most likely that they’d stay right here within the confines of the manor, where the ground was cleared and suitable for play. In which case they would have been found already. Where would they have gone if they’d decided to stray further? Janna decided to try the villeins’ cots that spread beyond the manor. Not understanding the differences in their station, perhaps Urk had taken his new friend home with him.

  She hurried outside the timber palisade, making straight for Mistress Wulfrun’s cottage. There was no sign of Urk, or Hamo, but Janna resolved to check all the cots while she was there. Most everyone already knew that Hamo was missing, but Janna alerted a mother who had just been brought to bed with child, and also an elderly and infirm grandmother, and bade them keep a careful watch out for him. The rest of the cots were empty, the villeins already out on the search.

  Remembering her earlier idea, Janna hurried back to the manor house. She could hear the villeins calling Hamo’s name as they hunted for him up and down the river, marked by the sonorous tones of the tocsin. If Hamo was anywhere, dead or alive, he must certainly be found.

  Several riders flashed past. Janna stared after them. They must be widening the search. She didn’t recognize the horses, but she knew at least one of the horsemen—Hugh. He had donned his green cloak for the journey and it sailed out behind him, given wings by the wind. She wished him a silent “God speed,” pleased he wasn’t riding his own destrier, that he was giving the horse’s hoof a chance to heal.

  Women and children moved about with a steady purpose, methodically inspecting once again every nook and cranny that might provide shelter for a small boy. The men had fanned out beyond the manor walls, some to continue the search up and down the river, looking especially at the mill and the great marsh, while the rest walked through the tall ripening corn, or searched the meadows on either side of the river, or tramped through the forest beyond.

  Janna knew she should join the men, but investigating the undercroft was on her mind now. She would rather discover the real purpose behind Hamo’s disappearance, even if only to set her mind at rest. She walked into the undercroft below the hall, and there began a systematic search for anything that might explain the significance of the posy of rue left lying on the doorstep.

  She kept her mind and eyes focused on her task. She was looking for something out of place, or something spoiled, perhaps. Even something missing—but how would she know if that was so? She sorted through the few poor possessions stored by the servants who shared her sleeping quarters in the hall, then moved on to the rest of the undercroft where food and grain were kept. Being the hungry month, the time just before harvest, there were few full sacks of grain left. One of the sacks was ripped and precious grain spilled out of it. Janna checked it carefully. Mouse droppings confirmed that it was mice rather than a human hand behind the deed.

  There were also barrels, and several chests. She tried the lid of one of them, but found it locked. So were most of the others, she discovered, after trying them all. Only one opened to her touch, but a quick rifle through its contents confirmed that there was only a woolen blanket, worn thin and perforated with moth holes, and some chipped pots and jugs inside. Nothing in the undercroft appeared to have been tampered with; everything seemed in order. Just to be sure, Janna tapped on each chest. “Hamo?” she called softly. She didn’t know whether to be glad or sorry when there was no reply.

  With her inspection over, Janna walked outside and paused for a moment while she worked out where to try next. She was hot, thirsty and tired. And hungry. There were apples growing on the trees that bordered the kitchen garden. As Janna visualized the juicy fruit, her mouth began to water in anticipation. She hurried to the fruit trees, hoping that the apples were ripe enough to eat, and that no-one was around to watch her steal one.

  A long brown snake caught her eye and she stopped, momentarily afraid, until she realized that it was not a snake but a rope. It was tethered to a pole at one end, but the other disappeared behind a large wooden barrel. Curious, she peered over, and found Bones cowering behind.

  “Come here!” she ordered. She tugged hard on the rope. The unwilling creature skidded around and came into full view. “Where’s Hamo?” Janna demanded. She cast a quick look around, hoping no-one had heard her talking to a dog. But so had she talked to the animals she and her mother had kept at their cottage. “Do you know where he’s hiding?”

  Her words seemed to soothe the dog, for it stopped cringing and baring its teeth at her and, instead, sat down and looked up at her with pleading eyes. Janna was incensed to see that its paws were still untreated by the kitchen skivvy. She chided herself for passing on the task rather than taking care of it herself.

  “Poor old Bones.” She dragged the dog inside the empty kitchen and set about finding it some scraps, hoping to bribe it into good behavior so that she could put the medicament on its paws. She wondered if the dog knew anything about Hamo’s disappearance. Might it even lead her to Hamo? Her first task must be to take care of its wounds so that at least it could walk with her while she was searching.

  Once the dog was busy chomping its way through a piece of raw liver, Janna poured water into a basin and set about cleansing its front paws, clicking her tongue at the damage done, for the wounds were suppurating and filthy. The dog growled as she probed deeper. “Have a bone, Bones,” she said, and hurriedly stuffed one of the cook’s soup bones into its mouth.

  It dropped the bone and began to shiver and whine softly as Janna first cleansed then bound its paws with linen rags smeared with the ointment she’d made up earlier. It seemed to sense that she was friend not foe and even managed a feeble wag of its tail when she was done, while it wasted no time getting back to the feast she’d provided. “You realize I’m going to blame you for stealing this food,” Janna told the dog as she scoffed a cold meat pasty while she waited for it to finish eating. She was only half jesting. Mistress Tova would be incensed when she discovered what had gone missing. She hastily drained a mug of ale to slake her thirst.

  “Right. Time to go to work,” she said, feeling slightly more cheerful after her repast. She pulled on the dog’s leash once more. With a last look of longing at the ham that hung enticingly beside the cooking fire, the dog trotted after Janna, still limping.

  Holding on to the rope to keep the dog with her, Janna crossed the river. If Hamo wasn’t within the manor walls, neither was Edwin, or he, too, would have been found in the search. With Serlo’s warning sounding in her ears, she went first to the sheep shed where once they’d taken shelter from the forester. As she’d suspected, it was empty. She peeped behind the rough wooden feeding trough, and felt a great relief when she espied the rusty sword she’d secreted there, along with Edwin’s pot and jug. If he had left the manor to go adventuring, he surely would have remembered to take everything with him. Wherever he was, he couldn’t be far away. Hunger would drive him home, and soon.

  A group of peasants beating through the edge of the forest beyond caught Janna’s eye. Urk’s mother was among them, and Janna joined them. Edwin could take care of himself; it was Hamo who occupied her thoughts now. A quick glance confirmed that Urk was not part of the group. She made a beeline for Mistress Wulfrun, hoping her suspicions might prove correct.

  “Mistress,” she greeted her. “I’ve been looking for Urk—Gabriel. Do you know where he might be?”

  Urk’s mother nodded. “He went off with the other children to search the barn,” she said, looking worried.

  “Was he alone?”

  “No, I told you. He was with the other children.” Mistress Wulfrun shot a suspicious glance at Janna. “Why do you ask?”

  “I wondered if he might have gone somewhere to play ball with a special friend, perhaps?”

  “Ball?” Mistress Wulfrun couldn’t have looked more confused if Janna had asked whether Urk had grown wings and flown to the moon.

  Janna nodded thoughtfully. Ha
mo might have the leisure to play ball games, but it seemed that Urk did not. “And did Gabriel sleep in his bed last night?”

  Mistress Wulfrun drew herself up to her full height and glared at Janna. “He was not out setting fire to a haystack, if that’s what you’re trying to suggest.”

  “No!” Janna was sorry to have offended Urk’s mother. She wasn’t sure how to put things right. “It’s just that the young lord loves to play with his ball. I wondered if Gabriel had gone off to play a game with him, that’s all.”

  “Gabriel has no time to play games.” Mistress Wulfrun strode on, calling out Hamo’s name as she went.

  Janna clicked her tongue impatiently—she hadn’t had an answer to her question. She left the villeins to their search and went back to the manor, dragging Bones on the rope behind her. The clanging tones of the bell followed her passage. Janna scrutinized the knots of people coming and going, wishing more than anything to recognize Hamo among them. Although several small figures brought her to a heart-thumping halt, closer inspection always revealed them to be some other child. She hurried inside the gate and went looking in the barn for Urk and his friends.

  Oblivious to the urgency of their task and the real danger to Hamo, the children were playing a game, throwing hay about and shrieking with delight. Urk seemed to be having the most fun. She drew him aside. “Have you seen Hamo, Gabriel?” she asked.

  He shook his head. “Hamo’s lost,” he said helpfully.

  “I know. I wondered if you’d seen him. Did you maybe go somewhere to play ball with him?”

  “Ball?” Urk looked just as puzzled as his mother.

  “Have you seen Hamo today? Do you know where he is?”

  “No. Hamo’s lost.” Urk bent down to pat Bones. “Good dog.” Bones’ tail twitched in acknowledgment.