The Duke's Pawn

Chapter 7: Goods and pain

Calais, the following day.

Holding her pomander to her nose, Alienor tried to ignore the stench. Many species of fishes were displayed in the market's stalls, some she had never seen at all, or only dried for preservation. Flocks of seagulls flied over them, a number of them foolhardy enough to attempt stealing right under the merchant's nose.

She left the food area for the fabric stalls, admiring rolls of English wool in all patterns and colours, silks and brocades. She didn't need any; the Duke had generously provided her with a brand new wardrobe, cut in the English fashion, saying that she would need it to impress the King of England. The dresses he had ordered for her were far too rich for her taste, but she understood that they were mostly a strategic display of his wealth and goodwill.

Further along, she purchased a pair of gloves, haggling harshly, before finding the lambskins she was looking for, getting one for Isobel as well. She placed them in the basket held by a servant and glanced at the sky. Heavy clouds rolled in it, but the rain had ceased. That was an improvement; she dreaded the crossing of the Channel enough as it was.

Nodding to her escort, she passed by the ribbons and various trinkets and circled back towards her husband's house. The guards moved closer, protecting her and her servant from the various thieves and pickpockets, who wouldn't hesitate to steal the purse from her belt and the goods from her hands. It was unusual for a noble woman to go anywhere by foot, but despite the relief provided by the salve, she was in no haste to sit on a horse.

She stepped aside briskly, making way for a cart pulled by a mule, carrying a load of hay. The streets were narrow and dark, many buildings stretching their upper levels over them, their owners blatantly ignoring the fire hazard it created. They waited for a rider to clear the small bridge, and she stared at him, finding a vague resemblance with her new husband. Noticing her interest, he nodded politely in her direction. Alienor returned the gesture, smiling; she couldn't wait to go back to Richard.

When she got up this morning, he had rubbed more of the ointment, and then offered the jar to her maid, to the girl's utmost gratitude. After helping her mistress to dress, Isobel had been dismissed until dusk to visit her family, escorted by one of Richard's guards. Alienor had broken her fast with her husband, listening to him talking about his estate and his investments in several trading companies, which were his main source of income. The King's service didn't pay all too well, and his wealth allowed him to appear at the royal Court without raising suspicion amongst the courtiers, who would otherwise wonder how a third son of an obscure nobleman could afford the expense of court attire, on a clerk's income.

He also promised to teach her a few tricks of the trade, and she was eager to get started, particularly after her adventure in Paris. Her marital life promised to be anything but conventional.

***

Slap!

The sound resonated in the underground cellar, bouncing off the bare walls.

The space was not used for storage, the combined presence of the sea and river making it too damp for it. Instead, Richard had turned it into a soundproof cell, with the advantage of a discreet access through the back garden of the house next to his, which he had bought under a false name. The place had proved very useful to meet his agents in disguise, without risking to be followed.

He poured himself a glass of wine, looking pensively at the male form chained up against the cold stones. The prisoner had been his newly hired stable help, until a few hours ago. Richard had walked on him the previous afternoon in the solar, interrupting his attempt at forcing the locks on his writing cabinet. Of course there was a remote possibility that it would be a common burglary, but he doubted it. His servants knew he kept his valuables secured in a chest in his bedroom, which was reinforced with steel and had a very complex lock. The man was searching for documents, proclaiming him as a spy.