being invited to go to her house. 'Elizabeth,' he thought to himself, 'whot a beaut'iful name for a luvly creature.' He couldn't take his eyes off of her.
As Richard and Geva walked with Elizabeth and her friends to Burghley, Geva and Elizabeth did most of the talking. They seemed to be best friends already.
Elizabeth's mother cleaned the cut above Richard's eye and then invited them to stay for a midday meal. Elizabeth's father appreciated the fact that Richard had taken a few minutes to cut some wood for him. It was nearing mid-afternoon before Richard and Geva headed for Easton-on-the-hill. As they walked, Geva told Richard that Elizabeth had expressed an interest in him. That thought pleased Richard very much. Geva also admitted that she had told Elizabeth that Richard fancied her. Richard acted as though it irritated him that Geva had told her that, but he actually was pleased.
Chapter Five
1434 - 1436
May 1434
Stamford
A chilled breeze blew across John Darby's face rousing him from a deep sleep. It was still too early so he pulled the down quilt more tightly over his face. He had grown accustomed to sleeping with the window open slightly while he was at Oxford attending school. His roommate there had insisted that doing so kept a person from getting ill. John decided that maybe there was something to that philosophy since he had yet to be sick while at Oxford.
He had arrived at Stamford in the wee hours of the morning and was still very tired. He had gotten home so late that only one of the man servants was awake to greet him. He had been looking forward for weeks to spending a fortnight break from his studies in Stamford. This was his first opportunity for a visit in nearly a year. He could have come home at the Christmas season, but one of his friends had wanted him to go to visit his own family to the south of London. John had never been south of Oxford and so his father encouraged him to go. John's father was especially pleased that they would be visiting London on the way. He also said that the contacts that John would make on the trip may prove useful later on in life. John had now brought the same friend with him on this trip home.
The last time that John had seen Richard was just prior to John's leaving for school in Peterborough. That seemed so long ago now. He had hoped to see Richard on his last visit, but with Richard so busy in his apprenticeship, it didn't happen. The situation was complicated also by the desire of John's father to involve John in the family business as much as possible during his breaks from school. If John were going to be successful in the wool trade like his father, he would need contacts and those were best developed early. An acquaintance with a glazier's apprentice wouldn't do much to further a wool merchant's business and influence.
The room was starting to feel warmer now and John realized that a chamber maid had stoked the fire. He got out of bed and walked to the window and drew open the drapes. The window had already been closed by the maid. John liked this room. He had only known three bedrooms in his life, this one, the one in Peterborough and now the one in Oxford. Certainly, this was the nicest of the three. This room had very high ceilings with ornately corniced walls. One wall had been painted with a mural of a battle scene. As a young boy, he had enjoyed looking at that wall and dreaming about becoming a knight. Those dreams were distant memories now and he knew that he would one day be a wool merchant. Another wall was painted with the mountainous scenes of some far away place. John hoped to visit places like that some day.
The window that John was standing at overlooked the beautifully landscaped gardens of the front of the house toward the direction of Stamford. Richard at once felt at home with this view before him. The River Welland on the right at the bottom of the hill, the steeples of the churches of Stamford in front view and the forests
As Richard and Geva walked with Elizabeth and her friends to Burghley, Geva and Elizabeth did most of the talking. They seemed to be best friends already.
Elizabeth's mother cleaned the cut above Richard's eye and then invited them to stay for a midday meal. Elizabeth's father appreciated the fact that Richard had taken a few minutes to cut some wood for him. It was nearing mid-afternoon before Richard and Geva headed for Easton-on-the-hill. As they walked, Geva told Richard that Elizabeth had expressed an interest in him. That thought pleased Richard very much. Geva also admitted that she had told Elizabeth that Richard fancied her. Richard acted as though it irritated him that Geva had told her that, but he actually was pleased.
Chapter Five
1434 - 1436
May 1434
Stamford
A chilled breeze blew across John Darby's face rousing him from a deep sleep. It was still too early so he pulled the down quilt more tightly over his face. He had grown accustomed to sleeping with the window open slightly while he was at Oxford attending school. His roommate there had insisted that doing so kept a person from getting ill. John decided that maybe there was something to that philosophy since he had yet to be sick while at Oxford.
He had arrived at Stamford in the wee hours of the morning and was still very tired. He had gotten home so late that only one of the man servants was awake to greet him. He had been looking forward for weeks to spending a fortnight break from his studies in Stamford. This was his first opportunity for a visit in nearly a year. He could have come home at the Christmas season, but one of his friends had wanted him to go to visit his own family to the south of London. John had never been south of Oxford and so his father encouraged him to go. John's father was especially pleased that they would be visiting London on the way. He also said that the contacts that John would make on the trip may prove useful later on in life. John had now brought the same friend with him on this trip home.
The last time that John had seen Richard was just prior to John's leaving for school in Peterborough. That seemed so long ago now. He had hoped to see Richard on his last visit, but with Richard so busy in his apprenticeship, it didn't happen. The situation was complicated also by the desire of John's father to involve John in the family business as much as possible during his breaks from school. If John were going to be successful in the wool trade like his father, he would need contacts and those were best developed early. An acquaintance with a glazier's apprentice wouldn't do much to further a wool merchant's business and influence.
The room was starting to feel warmer now and John realized that a chamber maid had stoked the fire. He got out of bed and walked to the window and drew open the drapes. The window had already been closed by the maid. John liked this room. He had only known three bedrooms in his life, this one, the one in Peterborough and now the one in Oxford. Certainly, this was the nicest of the three. This room had very high ceilings with ornately corniced walls. One wall had been painted with a mural of a battle scene. As a young boy, he had enjoyed looking at that wall and dreaming about becoming a knight. Those dreams were distant memories now and he knew that he would one day be a wool merchant. Another wall was painted with the mountainous scenes of some far away place. John hoped to visit places like that some day.
The window that John was standing at overlooked the beautifully landscaped gardens of the front of the house toward the direction of Stamford. Richard at once felt at home with this view before him. The River Welland on the right at the bottom of the hill, the steeples of the churches of Stamford in front view and the forests
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