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wind, and with anger as well. "Where is she?" he demanded.
"Gone," I said.
"She took it all! Every last coin, every ring, every candlestick!"
So that was what was in the bundle! How she had managed it, I did not know.
And yet ... when we were fighting,Tankarville and I, where was she then? Was
she gathering up the more valuable jewels and hiding them on her person?
"We are fools, my friend, for she has duped us both and is away, gone three
hours or more."
He slammed his fist upon the table, then dropped into a chair. "Give him a
mug of cider," I said. "And I shall have another. She's gone, my friend, so
forget about it."
"Forget about it? There was a fortune there! A king's ransom, if you will!
Not the gold so much as the gems! A full dozen of them!"
He gripped the handle of the mug and swore, then looked up at me and suddenly
grinned. "Ah, what a handy wench! She will fare well, that one!"
"Where did you come upon her?"
"You may well ask. She is anything but a lady, though who she is I do not
know. I will not say how or where we came upon the treasure, but we came upon
it. She was also in the process of helping herself so we had no choice but to
carry her off at least far enough so she could not inform upon us."
We talked no more, but finished our cider. I went to my horse andTankerville
followed, muttering in his anger.
When I swung to the saddle, I held down a hand to him. Enemies we had been
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but he was a fine hand with a blade, and a daring rogue, withal.
"If you will," I said, "go to Henry of Navarre. He needs good fighting men
and I think he will be generous. Tell himTatton Chantry sent you, though it
may or may not help."
With that I was off toRouen , withEngland just down the river and across the
channel. It was in my thoughts that after nearly four years I would be close
to my homeland again, home from captivity inSpain , from meeting with Henry
and all that had transpired between.
And what of my ventures? What might have become of them after four years?
And what ofRafeLeckenbie ?
27
TheRouen into which I rode, coming down a winding trail from the plateau
above, was a bustling port, crowded with shipping from the sea and with boats
and barges down the Seine fromParis . There were numerous inns and drinking
places, and sailors everywhere, mingling with soldiers and civilians.
I found an excellent hostelry close enough to the waterfront to observe the
ships. There I stabled my horse and entered the inn.
The room I had was small and neat and absolutely clean, which was a pleasure.
Water was brought to me and I bathed, taking my time about it while
considering my next move.
To find a ship toEngland orScotland , and one leaving at the earliest
possible moment, was my most immediate goal. There were many here friendly
toEngland . And once again I must forget my Irish ancestry and consider myself
a native of theHebrides .
The keeper of the inn directed me to a nearby tailor and I ordered four
suits, head to heels, one of them for travel.
While they were being made, I went to my horse. He was standing in a fine
stall, munching very good hay, and seemed content to be there, but he took his
nose from the manger and nudged me with it. I patted him on the shoulder,
talked to him a bit, then walked out into the street, going first to theQuaidu
Havre where I strolled along, examining the shipping.
Several of the vessels were Flemish, and at least one was from
theMediterranean  a dark, low vessel that lay quietly alongside the quay with
no visible activity amid the bustle and confusion of the other ships.
Some seamen loitered near a bollard and I paused. "Hear you aught of a ship
loading forEngland ?" I asked.
They looked at me and made at first no reply. Then the smaller of the lot, a
slim, wiry fellow, answered. "Little enough for there this fortnight," he
said. "Mostly they are loading for the Baltic or theMediterranean . Is it
passage you seek?"
"Aye, and if you hear of aught I am Captain Chantry at the Hotel
desBonsEnfants , in the street of the same name. And there's a bit of silver
for him who brings me a true word."
"It will not be one of us who decides you may go," the man said.
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"Of course. Just word of a ship. I shall do the rest if it can be done."
My street was a bit of a walk from the quays but the masts of the ships could
be seen from my window, and it gave me a feeling of nearness, at least. Back
at the inn I seated myself in the common room and ordered anomelette and a
bottle of wine.
It was the custom to eat but two meals, one at ten and one at four, but
travelers such as I ate when hungry, and that I was. Theomelette was
excellent, and followed by a potpourri composed of veal, mutton, bacon, and
vegetables.
Suddenly a man loomed over me. Glancing up, I saw a big, swarthy young man
with rings in his ears. "You seek a ship forEngland ?"
"I do."
"For yourself alone?"
"Myself and my horse, and the horse is a fine one. Do you know of such a
ship?"
"It may be. I shall speak to the master. It is toLondon we sail."
"Bespeak a passage then for myself and a horse. The name is Chantry."
He stared at me. "Be youTatton Chantry? The swordsman?"
"I amTatton Chantry, and I have a sword."
"Ah, the master will be pleased!"
The passage back was rough but short. When I led my horse down the gangplank
to theLondon dock he could have been no more pleased to reach land than I.
Mounted, I rode at once to the house of EmmaDelahay .
For a moment I could only sit my horse and stare. The house was partly
burned, the windows boarded over. EmmaDelahay was gone! I asked a passerby for
news. He merely shrugged and walked on. I walked my horse up the street and
stopped at a familiar sign. There a man named Holmes had a small shop where he
sold clothes to sailors and the like.
"EmmaDelahay , you say? Been gone for four years,Cap'n . Seen nothing of her,
all that time." [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]