by John Daines
When they arrived back they found that Stephen had arranged burial for the dead at the church tomorrow.
Tania was overjoyed that he had returned unhurt and Harold came running to him. John realised he was missing his son’s advancement. That night Tania was eager for her man and John found it hard to keep pace with her after all the riding he had been doing.
“Just give me a minute to recover,” he pleaded. Tania laughed and called him a weakling at which John responded with renewed vigour.
In the morning as they gathered to go to the church John tried to comfort those who had lost husbands and assured the wives they would not be turned out of their dwellings immediately. It was a sad procession as they made their way through the wood to the little church. After the service John invited them back to the Castle to show his gratitude for what they had done. He pondered on the plight of the widows and thought about a solution. If the farms really did well would it be possible to build a small village of single houses to look after widowed and older women and men, who could no longer work? Each farm could support those that lived in the village, it would release workers cottages.
When everyone had gone John said to Tania that he would make a visit to Wymondham to bring Sir Cedric up to date with what had been going on.
“Yes, we can all go and father will see how Harold is progressing. Joan will be pleased to see Gavin too,” remarked Tania.
After several days, when John and Roderick had finished visiting all the farms, the family set off for Wymondham. Sir Cedric was pleased to see them and formally introduced Lady Ann Falmouth, John noticed the sparkle in the Earl’s eyes as he walked with them to the Hall. When they had all settled and Harold had been the centre of attention, Sir Cedric asked John to join him in his room. The Earl asked him to relate what had happened at Yarmouth, he said he had heard reports on the confrontation and that Fitzherbert’s son was trying to raise an army to attack Dunston, but he was only a boy and no one had joined him yet.
“I have let it be known I agree with your actions and would support you if there were any trouble.”
John thanked him and said that his men were now a formidable force anyway. The Earl replied he needed to talk to the Barons and calm down any ill feeling they had. Sir Cedric was obviously very happy to have a grandson and he and Lady Falmouth spent the rest of the day spoiling him. Gavin disappeared with Joan until they all met for the evening meal, where they announced they were to marry. All in all it had been a very happy day and something that was needed after all the recent troubles.
On their journey home John spoke to Tania.
“Your father is very friendly with Lady Falmouth, has he known her long?”
Tania replied that she had been a friend of her mother’s and after her death had continued that friendship with her father.
“It is good that he has a female friend in his life,” said Tania. “Whether it will develop into anything more, time will tell.”
One evening after John had been training with the men he drew his sword and read what his father had inscribed on the blade. The weapon was certainly the best he had ever handled, light yet very strong, the edge was always keen and so well balanced in his hand. The men thought him a master swordsman but John knew that a lot of his success was down to the sword, it was if it had a life of its own. He discussed it with his father and Jack told him that when he was fighting in France a man had given him the falchion that the sword was made from, and had told him it had come from an Island off the coast of Italy where there was a great volcano, and it had been made from material thrown out of the depths of the earth. His father said he didn’t believe that there was anything magical about the metal that made the sword, he had just made the best sword he was capable of.
“Make sure when you fight with it, you fight for good,” said Jack.
“Where did the ring come from father,” asked John. “Don’t tell me that it too came out of the fiery depths?”
Jack looked at his son and said. “No, it did not come by fire but by death. I nursed an Arab man for a few days, who had been wounded and before he died he gave me the ring and said to guard it well and only release it to a man blessed by Allah, that is their God. I thought it would complete the gift, and you are blessed by God I am sure, my son.”
John said he would try to always fight on the side of good, and went away deep in thought. Make one hundred of the same sword and he would be unstoppable, but why would he want to do that, life was good and he had all he wanted. He sheathed the sword and put it where he could reach it if required. He also thought about his armour, after the fight at Yarmouth there were no scratches or dents, was it the genius of his father in his work, and not some mystical metal. As Christmas approached and the weather turned colder, John and Jack discussed ideas on how to make the Castle warmer. The Barracks certainly could do with more heat and if the men were made more comfortable they are more likely to stay and not drift away.
“I know how the Romans did it, they made tunnels under the floor and heated the air before it went through.” Jack said.
“Could not do that in the Castle,” said John. “You would not get under those stone floors.”
They reached no conclusion and decided to talk about it again.
II
Harold was growing fast, he ran about the Castle with everyone spoiling him and often Tania would have to go looking for the imp who could often be found in the kitchen being given treats by the cook.
John introduced him to riding by placing in front of him as he exercised Hammer, this produced lots of giggles from Harold. Just before Christmas the snow fell and lay heavy and deep around the Castle. Snowmen sprung up around the Bailey much to Harold’s delight, boughs of Spruce were brought in, Holly and Mistletoe began to adorn the Castle rooms. The snow was now quite thick on the ground so John invited Father Aldred to stay and say Christmas Mass in the Castle Chapel. A new Priest resided at the church as Father Aldred’s infirmities had forced him to retire. It was easier for the villagers to get to the Castle than to the Church in the woods. Gavin had somehow managed to negotiate the deep snow to arrive and spend Christmas with Joan.
Christmas Day was certainly one to be remembered thought John as he sat at head of the table with Tania, all the family together. This is what happiness is. When the snow had cleared and the country life was back to normal John decided to make the trip to Flanders and try to negotiate with the wool merchants to come to his fair. He was telling Tania one evening about his plan and said if she wanted she could come with him. Tania looked at him.
“I can’t come with you, I would love to but the sea crossing may not be good for a pregnant woman.”
John leapt out of his chair and rushed to embrace her.
“What good news, I didn’t guess, perhaps I will postpone the trip. I can make arrangements to go later.” Tania said to still go as it would be some months before the birth and they need the best deals for their wool. “I will take Tristan with me and leave Stephen here, he knows the men better and he will be able to go the next time.” John decided.
That night John was particularly tender towards Tania, he was very happy and told her she must take special care of herself. Tania smiled and told him not to worry as it was a function of a woman, to give birth.
John set about organising his trip, he sent a courier to Yarmouth to find out when ships would be leaving for Flanders, he told Tristan to prepare for the trip at which Tristan asked was it a big ship they would go on as he was not comfortable when they were on a ship before. John went out to the stables where he found Stephen talking to the grooms.
“Stephen I am going to Flanders to try and convince some of the wool traders to use our fair. I want you to look after my wife and the Castle while I am gone.”
Stephen replied that he need have no fears for his family or the Castle while he was away. They had just finished speaking when a courier arrived from Sir Cedric, in the pouch was a letter which said that the Earl had bee
n thinking of John’s idea to have his own Wool Fair and with the letter was an introduction to a Jaap van de Groon, a wool trader of Brugge. John smiled and thought Sir Cedric must be reading his mind.
The party consisting of John, Tristan, two of the senior men-at-arm and two pack horses with samples of wool, departed in the early hours one morning. John wanted to reach Aelfraed’s camp by late afternoon giving him time to go into Yarmouth and arrange passage for them all. Aelfraed was pleased to see him and welcomed them all, John and Tristan went on into Yarmouth and met the Mayor who accompanied them down to the harbour and introduced them to the Captain of the ship that would take them to Flanders. John was relieved to find there was accommodation for their horses. Tristan gingerly went up the gang plank but agreed this was a much bigger vessel than the one he had been on before but would have preferred to ride to Flanders which caused a laugh from the Captain. They were asked to be on board before noon the next day.
As they sailed across the channel they gazed intently at the dark line on the horizon that gradually formed into the coastline of Flanders. Tristan, despite his fears, had enjoyed the journey once he had got used to the rolling motion of the vessel. They docked in Brugge and were quickly unloaded onto the dockside. John set off to an Inn that the Earl had recommended that would be able to stable the horses. They found the building on the edge of the City and John went in to talk to the innkeeper. Fortunately his French was understandable, he had kept in practice talking to the Earl and Tania. At the evening meal that night they were regarded with some suspicion and John tried to engage some of the locals in conversation but did not get further than the usual greetings. As they departed for bed John wondered if his language skills were up to negotiating with the Flemish cloth merchants.
Next morning the landlord of the Inn directed John to Van de Groon’s house which was situated by one of the many canals in the City, he gave the two men-at-arms the address and directions and told them to stay in the Inn and guard the horses and packs. The weather was cold and there was biting wind as they set off for the house, Tristan grumbled and said he would have preferred to stay at the Inn. They arrived at the house and rang the bell, a man servant opened the door and John explained they would like to speak to Van de Groon. They were conducted into a fine room to see an elderly man sitting in a large armchair in front of a roaring fire, he looked up at the two men.
“Good morning young man, you have come to see my son Jaap?”
John was impressed with the old man’s precise English.
“Yes, that is correct sir, we bring greetings from Sir Cedric and he wishes you good health.”
“Sit down, sit down,” continued the senior de Groon. “Jaap should not be long. I have known Cedric a long time, he served with me on the Crusade, of course I was younger and fitter then. Now I am comfortable in my advancing years with a good son to look after me. Ah, here he is.” The door opened a young man of about the same age as John, came in.
He extended his hand and said.
“You must be John, the friend of Sir Cedric, hello I am Jaap. I see you have met my father.”
Jaap walked over to a table and the three of them sat down leaving the old man by the fire.
“I have made a good contact for you with one of the Traders, he will be here in a moment. His name is Henri de Bleese. His English is not so good but you speak French, yah?” John nodded. “One thing you must know,” continued Jaap, “there is much unrest here at the moment, so be careful when you walk out. There is a problem in who we trade with so be watchful and speak English not French, where you can.”
The man servant opened the door and announced Henri de Bleese. A young man entered and introduced himself to John and Tristan then joined them at the table.
“My father and I are willing to discuss with you a trade agreement but we would need to see some of your fleece and test the quality,” said Henri.
“We expected this,” said John. “We have brought some fleece with us, it is at the Inn, under guard.”
They sat discussing what would be needed in a Wool Fair, and how many fleece would be there. The meeting broke up with John arranging to visit the de Bleese house with the sample wool tomorrow. Jaap invited them to stay and eat with them and over the meal a general discussion centred around the trouble brewing in Bruges. On their way back to the Inn Tristan remarked on the groups of men standing around, some of them gave John an enquiring look.
“Let’s get back to the Inn and see if there has been any interest in our visit, somebody must have seen us arrive with the pack horses” said John.
The two men-at-arms were with the horses when they arrived, Alban told them no one had been and the wool was out of sight. John explained that they would all go together in the morning to the house of Henri de Bleese, which was situated by one of the canals on the outskirts of the City. That night John slept fitfully, he was thinking of Tania and he could also hear people moving about outside the Inn. The morning brought grey skies and a drizzling rain as they made their way to the house of de Bleese. The wool was still wrapped well and came to no harm, but the four men and horses had to bear the unpleasant weather as they rode on. Reaching their destination Jaap was waiting for them and they were guided into a large barn where the wool was unloaded and they could shake the water from their cloaks. Leaving Alban and Chad with the wool they followed Henri into the house. He turned to John.
“My father will be here later and we can look at your wool. I hope he can get here without trouble, there was some rioting last night, did you hear it?”
John said he had been disturbed but had not heard actual rioting. They sat in Henri’s comfortable house and waited as the rain still came down outside. There was a noise at the door and a tall man appeared who Henri greeted as his father and introduced John and Tristan.
“I am very pleased to meet you, I am Philip de Bleese, head of the House of de Bleese and we are one of the best cloth makers in Bruges. Let us go and look at your fleece, the quicker you return to England the better in these circumstances.”
They went out to the barn and unwrapped the wool, de Bleese inspected it thoroughly and after a while stood and said to John.
“This is a very good grade of wool, fine for turning into cloth. If the rest of your flocks can produce this quality then we shall both be very pleased. Come back to the house and we can discuss how we proceed from here.”
John was feeling pleased that the journey looked like being successful but kept a straight face and hoped he could cope with the business side. Philip was obviously used to dealing with the English Wool Fairs and set out his usual terms. John queried several points and gained better terms for Dunston with a date to be set after shearing. Henri wrote up the terms and gave John the parchment and then produced a bottle and glasses from which they toasted their venture.
The evening sun was hiding behind some dark clouds as they rode back to the Inn. Groups of men were standing about and John could sense a mood of unrest like a dark blanket covering the City. They were grateful to arrive at the Inn with no trouble.
John and Tristan went down to the Harbour to find a ship for their return journey. Among the several that were moored there was and English ship bound for Lowestoft on the early tide tomorrow. John arranged passage for them all and they could board tonight. As the rain had now stopped they decided to stretch their legs and walk the horses back to the Inn. Halfway there they were confronted by a group of men demanding that they give them their horses. When John refused and stood in front horses. The men rushed forward with swords drawn. John and Tristan quickly drew their own weapons and stood ready. John stepped forward and met the first man, his sword became a blur as his adversary fell to the ground with his throat cut.
John sensed the second coming at him and with a quick reverse thrust ran him through. Tristan had overpowered another and was holding him at sword point against a wall, he was begging for mercy as he had a wife and children. The last attacker was standing in shadow an
d made a move to run but John reached him before he started and after a quick parry and thrust a third body was laying in the street. Tristan looked at John.
“What shall I do with this fellow?” he said.
“We will take him back to the stables and tie him up, if we take him to the authorities we shall be delayed,” answered John. “With all that is happening around the City tonight let’s hope they won't worry about this until later.”
As they finished tying the man up and asking Alban to watch him while Chad collected their belongings, Tristan looked hard at John.
“Why do you look at me like that?” asked John. “Help me to move these into the canal?”
“I have never seen swordplay like that, it was so fast!” said Tristan.
“It is a well balanced weapon,” said John as he, himself, could not remember clearly what had happened. This sword certainly had a mind of its own.
Collecting up all their belongings they made their way down to the harbour. The Captain was waiting for them, they were soon aboard and easing their way down the estuary.
“I will be glad to get back to England,” said Tristan.
They all agreed as they found places on deck to try and sleep while the ship silently slipped away from Flanders.
When they docked at Lowestoft all of them were eager to get off the ship and be on their way home. Once moving towards Dunston their mood lightened and John thought about what had transpired during their visit. He was sorry he had to kill those men but the situation at that moment meant kill or be killed. They stopped for a meal and rest by the village of Loddon, villagers had seen them and brought food and drink, it was the first time they had met their Knight from the Castle. John thought about this and wondered if there was some way he could meet more of the people in his fiefdom.
