Part 18 (1/2)
”Welcome! Agravain, I'd hardly hoped that you'd get away, and come here to see me! And Mordred, too. Does the King know? But you'll have kept your word, I don't need to ask that. It seems a long time.
Ah, well, come in and rest yourselves. You'll have plenty to tell me, that's for sure, so be welcome, and come in.”
He led them to a smallish room in the curve of the tower wall, where a peat fire burned, and a lamp was lit. A girl sat by the hearth, st.i.tching. She looked up, half shy, half scared at the sight of company. She had a longish pale face, not uncomely, and soft brown hair. She was poorly dressed in a gown of murrey homespun, whose clumsy folds did nothing to disguise the signs of pregnancy.
”My brothers,” said Gaheris. ”Get them something to eat and drink, then see to their horses.”
He made no attempt to present her to them. She got to her feet, and, murmuring something, gave a quick, unpracticed curtsey. Then, laying aside her sewing, she trod heavily to a cupboard at the other side of the room, and took from it wine and meat.
Over the food, which the girl served to them, the three men spoke of general things: the turmoil in the Prankish kingdoms, Brittany's plight, the Saxon emba.s.sy, the comings and goings of Arthur's knights-errant, and the gossip of the court, though not as the latter touched the King and Queen. The way the girl loitered wide-eyed over her serving was warning enough against talk of that kind.
At last, at a brusque word from Gaheris about the care of the visitors” horses, she left them.
As the latch fell behind her, Agravain, who had been straining like a hound in the slips, said abruptly: ”It's good news, brother.”
Gaheris set his goblet down. Mordred saw, with fastidious distaste, that his nails were rimmed with black. He leaned forward. ”Tell me, then. Gawain wants to see me? He knows now that I had to do it?
Or” - his eyes glinted in a quick sidelong look, very bright ”-he's found where Lamorak is, and wants to join forces?”
”No, nothing like that. Gawain's still in Dunpeldyr, and there's been no word, nothing about Lamorak.”
Agravain, never subtle, was patently telling the truth as he knew it. ”But good news, all the same. The King has sent me to take you back to court. You're free of it, Gaheris, as far as he's concerned. You're to go back to Camelot with Mordred and me.”
A pause, then Gaheris, flus.h.i.+ng to the eyebrows, let out a yell of glee, and tossed up his empty goblet and caught it again. With his other hand he reached for the wine jug, and poured again for all of them.
”Who's the girl?” asked Mordred.
”Brigit? Oh, her father was steward here. The place was under a siege of a sort from a couple of outlaw fellows, and I killed them. So I got the freedom of the place.”
”Freedom indeed.” Agravain grinned, drinking. ”What does the father say to it? Or did you have to wed her?”
”He said the father was steward.” Mordred's dry tone laid slight emphasis on the second verb.
Agravain stared, then nodded briefly. ”Ah. Yes. No wedding, then?”
”None.” Gaheris set his goblet down with a rap. ”So forget that. No strings there. Come, let's have it all.”
And, the girl dismissed, the twins plunged into talk of the King's par don, his possible intentions and those of Gawain. Mordred, listening, sipping his wine, said very little. But he noticed that, surprisingly enough, Lamorak's name was not mentioned again.
Presently the girl came back, took her seat again, and picked up her sewing. It was a small, plain garment of some kind, probably, thought Mordred, for the coming child. She said nothing, but her eyes went from one twin to the other, watching and listening intently. There was anxiety in them now, even a trace of fear. Neither of the twins made any attempt to conceal the elation which both felt at Gaheris's recall to Camelot.
At length, with the lamp guttering and smoking, they prepared to sleep. Gaheris and the girl had a bed not far from the fire, and this, apparently, they were ready to share with Agravain. Mordred, to his relief and slight surprise, was taken outside into the cool fresh night and shown a flight of stone steps curving round the outside of the tower. This led to a small upper chamber, where the air, though chill, was fresh and clean, and a pile of heather and rugs made a bed better than many he had slept on. Tired from the ride, and the talk, he slipped off his clothes, and was soon fast asleep.
When he awoke it was morning. c.o.c.ks crowed outside, and a chill grey light filtered through the cobwebs of the slit window. There was no sound from the room below.
He threw back the covers and padded barefooted across to look out of the window. From here he could see the tumbledown shed that served as stable and henhouse combined. The girl Brigit was standing there, a basket of eggs on the ground beside her. She was scattering some remains of last night's food for the hens, which pecked and scratched, clucking, round her feet.
The stable was an open structure, back and side walls, a stone manger, and a sloping roof supported on pillars made from hewn pine trunks. From the window he could see the whole of the interior. And what he saw there sent him back to the bedplace, to s.n.a.t.c.h up his clothes and begin to dress with feverish haste.
There was only one horse standing in the stable. His own. The ropes that had tied his half-brothers'
beasts trailed in the straw among the strutting hens.
He dressed quickly. No use cursing himself. Whatever had led his brothers to deceive him and to ride off without him, he could not have foreseen. He s.n.a.t.c.hed up his sword belt, and, still buckling it on, ran down the stone steps. The girl heard him, and turned.
”Where have they gone?” he demanded.
”I don't know. Hunting, I think. They said not to wake you, and they will come back soon for breakfast.”
But she looked scared.
”Don't fool with me, girl. This is urgent. You must have some idea where they've gone. What do you know?”
”I - no, sir. I don't know. Truly, sir. But they will come back. Perhaps tomorrow. Perhaps two days. I will look after you well-”
He was towering over her. He saw that she had begun to tremble. He took hold of himself, and spoke more gently.
”Listen - Brigit, isn't it? Don't be afraid of me. I shall not hurt you. But this is important. It's King's business. Yes, as important as that. To begin with, how long have they been gone?”
”About four hours, lord. They went even before dawn.”
He bit his lip. Then, still gently: ”Good girl. Now, there must be more that you can tell me. You must have heard them talking. What did they say? They were riding out to meet someone, is that it?”
”Y - yes. A knight.”
”Did they mention a name? Was it Lamorak?”
She was trembling now, and her hands twisted together in front of her.
”Was it? Go on. Speak. You must tell me.”
”Yes. Yes. That was the name. He was an evil knight who had dishonoured my lord's mother. He told me of it before.”
”Where did they expect to meet this Lamorak?”
”There's a castle on the sh.o.r.e, many miles from here. When my lord went into the village yesterday, he heard - the traders pa.s.s through, and he goes for news - he heard that this knight Lamorak was expected there.” The words were tumbling out now. ”He was expected by sea, from Brittany, I think, and there is no harbour near the castle, no landing that is safe, with the weather we've been having, so they expected he would land half a day's ride to the south, and then, when he had found himself a horse, he would ride up the coast road. My lord Gaheris wanted to meet him there, before he got to the castle.”
”Waylay him, you mean, and murder him!” said Mordred savagely. ”That is, if Lamorak does not kill him first. And his brother, too. It's very possible. He is a veteran, one of the King's Companions, and a good fighter. He is also a man dear to the King.”
She stared, her face whitening. Her hands crept, shaking, to clasp one another below her breast, as if to protect the child who lay there.
”If you value your lord's life,” said Mordred grimly, ”you'll tell me everything. This castle. Is it Caer Mord?”
She nodded dumbly.
”Where is it, and how far?” He put out a hand. ”No, wait. Get me some food, quickly, while I saddle my horse. Anything. You can tell me the rest later, while I eat. If you want to save your lord's life, help me to get on my way. Hurry now.”