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Authors: Elizabeth Chadwick
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to be on my own, that's all.' Richard drew the back of his hand across his eyes, and challenged the other boy to remark on it with a brimming scowl.
Thomas raised his chin to avoid the pup's eager pink tongue. 'Is it true that you're the Earl's half-brother?' 'Yes, what of it?'
'Well, that makes you my uncle, because my papa is your half-brother too.' Thomas giggled at the thought. 'Uncles are supposed to be older than their nephews.'
'How old are you?' Richard demanded, curiosity winning out over defensiveness.
'I was eleven at the feast of Saint John.'
'I won't be eleven until Christmas.' The puppy clambered back into his lap and he cuddled it again.
Thomas eyed him. 'We're more of an age to be brothers or cousins. Can I call you cousin?'
Richard shrugged. 'If you like,' he said indifferently, but he was pleased. Essentially he was a gregarious child, who had been forced by circumstances to dwell overmuch in his own company.
Thomas eyed him, as if trying to decide whether the response was an acceptance or rejection. 'You'll have to let them know where you are,' he said. 'Otherwise they'll turn the place upside down and you'll be in worse trouble than ever.'
Richard wriggled his shoulders. 'I don't want to go back to the women,' he said. 'Most of them don't like me anyway' He gazed around the space surrounding him, the comfort of open sky and fresh air.
Thomas eyed him. 'You don't have to stay with them. Ask if you can sleep in the same dorter as the other squires.'
'But I'm not a squire.'
'You will be soon. What else is Lord Robert going to do with you?'
Richard chewed his lip. He thought of the red-haired woman who had scowled at him, and the sympathetic pregnant one who had made him face something that he wanted to banish from his mind. 'What's the dorter like?'
'I'll show you.' Rising to his feet, Thomas wiped his pup-licked hand on his tunic. 'Come on. We'll tell your nurse you're found, and you can stay with me the rest of the day, if you like. I've a heap of saddlery to polish, and four hands are better than two.'
Richard deliberated a moment longer. He was not accustomed to giving his trust, but time and again over the last two days he had been asked to do so by complete strangers. 'All right,' he said, and he too rose, although with a lingering reticence. The pup rolled on its belly demanding to be tickled, and he stooped to oblige before tearing himself away to follow his 'cousin'. 'Catrin's not my nurse, I'm too old for one now,' he added in a defensive tone. 'She was my mother's companion.'
Catrin's anxiety for Richard's safety had almost reached fever pitch when she saw the two boys across the bailey. She had envisaged discovering him among the dregs of Earl Robert's army, his throat slit, or washed up on the estuary, drowned. Or not found at all. To see him unscathed filled her with relief and the rage of relief. She ran across the bailey, not knowing whether to shout at or cuddle him first.
In the event she did neither, for the look on his face brought her up short.
'I shouldn't have run off,' he forestalled her quickly, 'but I couldn't stay.' His eyes were wary and she could see that he was braced for a thorough scolding.
'I know you couldn't,' she said in a gentler voice than she had first intended, 'and I know you were upset, but what you did was not only thoughtless, but dangerous. This camp is huge and you scarce know any of it. People have been looking for you, and I have been worrying myself sick!'
Richard looked at the ground and shuffled his feet. 'I'm sorry,' he muttered.
Catrin's anger melted. She wanted to grab him and fold him in her arms, but with Thomas looking on and the bailey full of witnesses, she abstained for the sake of his tender pride. 'If you need a moment alone, I expect you to go no farther than this bailey, understood?'
Richard nodded, then raised his head. 'Thomas wants to show me the boys' dorter. Can I go?'
Catrin pursed her lips.
'I'll look after him,
Thomas raised his chin to avoid the pup's eager pink tongue. 'Is it true that you're the Earl's half-brother?' 'Yes, what of it?'
'Well, that makes you my uncle, because my papa is your half-brother too.' Thomas giggled at the thought. 'Uncles are supposed to be older than their nephews.'
'How old are you?' Richard demanded, curiosity winning out over defensiveness.
'I was eleven at the feast of Saint John.'
'I won't be eleven until Christmas.' The puppy clambered back into his lap and he cuddled it again.
Thomas eyed him. 'We're more of an age to be brothers or cousins. Can I call you cousin?'
Richard shrugged. 'If you like,' he said indifferently, but he was pleased. Essentially he was a gregarious child, who had been forced by circumstances to dwell overmuch in his own company.
Thomas eyed him, as if trying to decide whether the response was an acceptance or rejection. 'You'll have to let them know where you are,' he said. 'Otherwise they'll turn the place upside down and you'll be in worse trouble than ever.'
Richard wriggled his shoulders. 'I don't want to go back to the women,' he said. 'Most of them don't like me anyway' He gazed around the space surrounding him, the comfort of open sky and fresh air.
Thomas eyed him. 'You don't have to stay with them. Ask if you can sleep in the same dorter as the other squires.'
'But I'm not a squire.'
'You will be soon. What else is Lord Robert going to do with you?'
Richard chewed his lip. He thought of the red-haired woman who had scowled at him, and the sympathetic pregnant one who had made him face something that he wanted to banish from his mind. 'What's the dorter like?'
'I'll show you.' Rising to his feet, Thomas wiped his pup-licked hand on his tunic. 'Come on. We'll tell your nurse you're found, and you can stay with me the rest of the day, if you like. I've a heap of saddlery to polish, and four hands are better than two.'
Richard deliberated a moment longer. He was not accustomed to giving his trust, but time and again over the last two days he had been asked to do so by complete strangers. 'All right,' he said, and he too rose, although with a lingering reticence. The pup rolled on its belly demanding to be tickled, and he stooped to oblige before tearing himself away to follow his 'cousin'. 'Catrin's not my nurse, I'm too old for one now,' he added in a defensive tone. 'She was my mother's companion.'
Catrin's anxiety for Richard's safety had almost reached fever pitch when she saw the two boys across the bailey. She had envisaged discovering him among the dregs of Earl Robert's army, his throat slit, or washed up on the estuary, drowned. Or not found at all. To see him unscathed filled her with relief and the rage of relief. She ran across the bailey, not knowing whether to shout at or cuddle him first.
In the event she did neither, for the look on his face brought her up short.
'I shouldn't have run off,' he forestalled her quickly, 'but I couldn't stay.' His eyes were wary and she could see that he was braced for a thorough scolding.
'I know you couldn't,' she said in a gentler voice than she had first intended, 'and I know you were upset, but what you did was not only thoughtless, but dangerous. This camp is huge and you scarce know any of it. People have been looking for you, and I have been worrying myself sick!'
Richard looked at the ground and shuffled his feet. 'I'm sorry,' he muttered.
Catrin's anger melted. She wanted to grab him and fold him in her arms, but with Thomas looking on and the bailey full of witnesses, she abstained for the sake of his tender pride. 'If you need a moment alone, I expect you to go no farther than this bailey, understood?'
Richard nodded, then raised his head. 'Thomas wants to show me the boys' dorter. Can I go?'
Catrin pursed her lips.
'I'll look after him,
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