The Delfe Treasure

9. St Albans and Onward

In the late afternoon, the carriage arrived in St Albans with Elizabeth on the coachman's seat beside Wilson, so she could easier direct him to the Goat Inn. Once she had identified the buildings for him, he reined the horses to a stop. "I will assist you down here m'Lady and into the carriage. 'Twould not be proper for you to be seen riding atop."

"Nonsense, Wilson." She waved her hand forward. "Drive onward, and I will climb down when we have arrived."

"Yes, m'Lady." He flicked the reins to cause the horses to continue. "You aren't like any lady I have met. Not that I have met all that many, but you are not all stiff and haughty like the ones I have seen."

"Those who are sure of themselves need no artifice."

"Like Judith."

"Yes, she carries herself better than many titled women, and she could easily pass as one to those unaware." A smile spread across her face as she leaned to tap on the sounding box. "Join me in some fun."

Aldrick opened the speaking hatch. "Yes, Wilson, what is it?"

Elizabeth replied, "We shall play Judith as the Lady when we arrive. It will be easier than changing places now, and it will serve to confuse what observers there might be."

"Are you certain? This is unusual."

"And is it not true that you enjoy me because I am unusual?"

"I do love you for that. But —"

"It is done now. We arrive within the half minute."

Wilson reined the horses to a halt in front of the entrance to the inn; then when he turned to assist Elizabeth, she waved him off with a hand and a smile. "Tend to Sir Aldrick and the Lady, first."

He nodded and climbed down, and by the time he had opened the door and lowered the step, Elizabeth was standing beside him, ready to escort Aldrick and Judith into the inn.

Judith wore a beaming smile as she descended, as did Aldrick when he followed and turned to Wilson. "See that the horses are properly fed and attended, and have everything removed from the carriage and brought to our rooms."

"Aye, Sir."

Elizabeth led the two inside, and when a young woman greeted them, she replied, "Lady Leigh has written to warn of our arrival and the need of two rooms."

The woman curtsied to Aldrick and Judith. "We are honoured you have chosen to stop here, m'Lord, m'Lady." She scurried to retrieve a ledger from behind the bar, and opening it to the ribbon, she said, "We have prepared rooms one and two for you, our two finest. I shall fetch a maid to show you the way."

"Please, and also someone to bring our belongings from our coach in the courtyard." Elizabeth turned and smiled at Aldrick and Judith as the woman rushed away.

A while later, after their belongings had been brought in and sorted, Elizabeth took Judith aside. "The public room here can be rather rowdy, so in my letter, I requested supper be served in our rooms that we may better enjoy our privacy. We will see you in the morning."

"At what hour?"

"Not early. With the dry roads and the look of no rain on the morrow, we will enjoy another easy time."

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On Tuesday the small group travelled in the same relaxed manner the thirty-two miles to Stony Stratford, where they stopped for the night at the Bull Inn as dark clouds filled the western sky.

They chose to take supper in the public room, and as they ate, Elizabeth described the onward route. "It is only twenty miles to Daventry, but in many places, the parishes do not heed their responsibility, and they have allowed the road to deteriorate. In the winter and spring, portions of it are occasionally impassable except on foot or horseback."

"As I was told in the stables," Wilson said. "But all who have recently passed along it, report the road dry and firm, with most of the deepest of the ruts filled."

Aldrick tilted his head and asked, "I had thought the way follows the old Roman road. Does it leave it here?"

"No, it follows the original all the way to Coventry, and still westward beyond there." Elizabeth shrugged. "Sections of it have been destroyed through the ages to slow invaders. In other portions, the stones have been taken away to build houses."

"And what of the town, Daventry? The inn there? Has it the comfort of this place?"

"Greater. It is more prosperous from its larger custom. Travellers often are forced to stop there to await a drier road through the Watford Gap."

"The Watford Gap?"

"In the hills a short distance beyond the town. The land has been slowly rising since we left London, and it reaches its height in a broad gap, then it descends. In wet conditions, we often engage additional horses and men to assist us through."

Elizabeth turned back to her dish of mutton stew, then after savouring a bite, she continued, "But that is for Thursday. If this rain persists through the night, we will have a long day to-morrow."

Aldrick pointed to his dish. "We should finish here and be early abed to be well-rested."

Elizabeth smiled up at him and winked. "I can think of other reasons to be early in bed."