Enemy at the Gate (23 page)

I saw that he was angry.  What I could not discern was the cause for that anger. Was it my presence or the fact that the Empress had mocked him. I sat down next to the Empress and poured myself a goblet of wine. "I have just come, Empress, to tell you that we have captured Worcester and driven off the garrison.  We have captured large numbers of  supplies.  We can feed the army for the winter.  Hereford will fall tomorrow."

"Excellent and I was trying to tell my brother how you relieved the siege of Wallingford and drove Stephen from Trowbridge." She smiled at her brother and I saw that he did not know how to respond.

I decided to build a bridge of sorts, "And, my lord, if you join with us then we can finish off Stephen by  next summer."

"If I command!"

"It matters not to me but the men with whom I have fought, fitz Court, fitz Walter and Fitzjohn are all happy with the way we have fought together."

He sneered, "Your own little faction eh?  Not content with those mercenaries you lead you now subvert those who should be loyal to me."

"Firstly my lord I thought that we all served the Empress and her son or am I wrong and secondly I take exception to your denigration of my men."

He rounded on me, "And what will you do about it?  Challenge me?"

I said, quietly, "If I did then we both know the result, don't we?"

"Are you threatening me, pup!"

I laughed, "It seems I am always compared to an animal,  it used to be a wolf and now it is a pup."

"Aelfraed is right, brother, we need you at our side but it is I who command, not the Earl of Cleveland and not you. If that is not acceptable then leave now.  I will send for my husband and bring over more of our  men from Anjou."

That worried the Earl, "We have enough here already. Very well, sister, you command but you do not lead on the battlefield do you?"

That moment showed me what a great woman the Empress was. She looked her brother in the eye and said, "If that is what it takes to bring harmony to my army, then yes I will.  I know that I will be safe on the battlefield for there are knights who will protect me."

He shook his head in resignation. "Very well then I will return here after winter and we will combine our forces." He went to his sister and kissed her on the cheek. 

He was about to stride passed me but I put my hand out.  "And I would be friends Earl Robert.  We cannot have this division between us."

He hesitated and then nodded and clasped my arm, "You have courage and you did well to drive Stephen east but you have ideas above your station." His eyes flickered towards his sister and then he was gone.

The doors remained open.  Margaret entered. "Close the door, Margaret, and guard them."

"Aye, my lady."

I took Matilda's hand, "What was that about?"

"I think that your success has irritated him.  He sees himself as Alexander the Great but every deed which is spoken of by my people are to do with you: the Battle of the Standard, the capture of Lincoln, the defeat of the Earl of Derby.  The list goes on.  He is desperate for the same sort of fame."

"Yet I do not seek fame."

"It follows you, Aelfraed."

"What I meant was the comment about ideas above my station.  He looked at you."

She flushed, "He suspects a liaison between us."

Margaret burst out, "Not a word has passed my lips, my lady!"

"I know.  I think it is because Henry looks more like your son, my lord.  He has little in common with his brothers. My husband does not see it but the Earl... well he has sharp eyes and a suspicious nature."

"Then when Hereford is taken I shall winter in Stockton.  There must be no hint of scandal or we will lose support for your cause. I will leave now and return to the siege."

"But you have just arrived."

"Your honour is more important than my discomfort.  I will leave. I must give no cause for gossip."

I stood and the Empress impulsively stood as well and, throwing her arms around me, kissed me passionately.  Margaret discreetly looked the other way, "Life is so unfair, Aelfraed."

"I know. Fate plays tricks with us. We can do nothing about it and must bear our burden." I held her tightly and then, reluctantly, pulled away, "And now I must leave." 

"I would that you would stay.  Always."

"As would I but that cannot be."

I found Richard and Gilles in the guard room tucking into hot stew and warmed ale. I smiled, "When you have finished that then we return to the siege."

"But we have just got here, my lord!"

"I know Richard and now we leave!" I smiled, "Finish your food first, though. I will meet you in the stables." I headed towards the stables.  They were guarded.  Horses had been stolen before now and in the present circumstances horses were worth more than gold. I recognised the guard.

"I am going to saddle Rolf, Alan."

He cocked his head to one side, "Leaving, my lord?  It seems you have just arrived."

"I was a mere messenger this day and now I return to my men.  Hereford is about to fall and I would like to be there to see it."

"I will help you to saddle your horse, lord."

"Thank you for the offer but I can manage.  Besides my squires are still eating." I found Rolf eating grain.  These were the Empress' stables and her horses had the best.  If I took things easy on the way back to Hereford, Rolf would not suffer too much. I spoke to him as I saddled him.  It was the way a father spoke to a baby.  It was not the words which mattered but the tone of voice.  I had just finished and was leading Rolf out when Gilles and Richard arrived. Gilles handed me a fresh loaf.  "Margaret said you had not eaten, lord.  She said to make sure you ate this. I have a skin of wine too."

"Thank you Gilles, Margaret is thoughtful." I put my shield over my back and donned my cloak.

"She is, lord." He looked at the sentry and then began to saddle his horse. We were half a mile from the stables and I had finished the deliciously warm wheaten bread when he said, "Lord I did not want to say anything in the stables but Margaret said to take care and to watch for knives in the night."

"Alan is a good man.  I trust him." However as I washed down the bread with wine from the skin I wondered at her words.  There were others who might wish me harm. I reined in Rolf and handed the skin back to Gilles. "Margaret does not worry over gossip.  She fears for us. Eyes and ears open. The road is straight but it is night.  If you suspect anything then tell me."

"Aye lord."

Gilles said, "Before you came some of the Earl's men stormed through the guard room. They looked angry.  Could they be the ones Margaret means?"

"They could be.  Where did they go?"

"Out, lord. Perhaps to the stables.  I know not."

"From now on we use no words.  Just signals."

They both nodded. I slid my sword in and out of my scabbard and then pulled my cloak tightly about me. The night was cold and there would be a frost soon. I wondered, as we rode the old Roman Road, if I should have taken the quieter, though longer, Tewkesbury road. If someone wished me harm they would not follow but lay an ambush. It was too late to worry about that now.  Like my squires I listened.  There was little to see save blackness.  It was our ears and noses which would alert us.

We were ten miles from Hereford and I had begun to wonder if Margaret had been wrong and my suspicions unfounded when we heard, in the distance, the sound of hooves.  They were behind us and they were riding hard. We had walked our horses to save them. In normal circumstance I would have slowed to speak with fellow travellers but  I feared whoever this was meant us harm. I drew my sword and said, quietly, "Gilles, lead. Richard, in the middle."

We passed a track which crossed the road and I smelled the wood smoke of the hut which lay there. In more peaceful times I might have considered asking for help but who knew, in these parlous times who was friend and who was foe.  We passed on.

We did not speak but Gilles spurred his horse and we began to trot down the road.  Rolf was a mighty horse with a big heart but the mounts of Gilles and Richard were not. We had to take it steadily.  The sound of the hooves behind us grew closer.  It was fortunate that we were not going fast for Gilles' nose and ears picked something out. He reined in and Richard almost ran into the back of his horse.  "Lord," he whispered. "There are men ahead."

I trusted Gilles.  I looked for another way out and there was none. There was, however, a second deserted woodman's hut just off the road.  I rode Rolf towards it and we dismounted behind it. The hooves continued to thunder up the road. There were four riders.  In the dark I did not recognise them but I saw their mail. Richard looked at me but I pressed my finger to my lips. The hooves receded as they moved toward Hereford and then they stopped.  The silence intensified the suspense.  I guessed the four riders had stopped because they had met up with the ones Gilles had detected.

It was faint but I heard the sound of voices and then I heard hooves as horses came back down the road towards us. They halted close to the hut and looked around them.

"We cannot have passed them.  They must have taken the Tewkesbury road."

"No, Ralph, they are on this road.  We passed that pile of fresh horse shit two miles past.  They have hidden somewhere."

They drew closer.  I did not move.  If we stayed still then they might not see us.

"There is that track we passed and that hut.  They may have taken shelter there. If not we will return to the place we last knew they passed and search."

They began to trot back down the road. There were four men there and I knew not how many lay ahead but if we waited then those four would find us. I did not risk speech.  Gilles knew me well enough to copy my actions and not to panic.  I now regretted bringing Richard.  He was new and I did not know how he would handle the situation. I mounted and started to move along the verge at the side of the road.  Our progress would be slow but we would be silent. We now knew that, ahead of us, were men waiting in ambush.  I did not know the numbers. Their smell gave them away.  I had no doubt that my squires and I smelled too but these men smelled differently.

I slowed Rolf down and peered ahead. The men were there.  I spied two horses.  They waited not in the woods but on the road. They were forty paces from us. I had to resist the urge to risk the two horses and gallop past them. I was rewarded  when a third led his horse from the woods. He spoke. "Any sign of them?"

"Nothing.  Sir William blames us! We left as soon as we were ordered and we rode as hard as we could."

"I still think this is a mistake.  Just because the Earl is annoyed with the Empress' lackey is no reason to kill him."

"This is our best chance.  He has two boys with him.  Would you wish to try to kill him when he is surrounded by the outlaws he uses?"

"I would not take on the Wolf of the North.  It is a good job we are being paid well."

Now that I knew their numbers I could plan. We had to eliminate these three first and then try to outrun the other four. I dismounted and handed my reins to Richard.  I pointed to Gilles to follow me.  He nodded, handed his reins to Richard too, and stepped carefully into the woods. I took out my dagger.  I would need two weapons. We moved towards the men who continued to grumble and moan. They held their horse's reins. One sat astride his horse.  I would have to stop him but the other two were easier targets. The one on the horse was in the middle of the road and the other two were on our side.  I pointed to the man on the right and Gilles nodded.  I knew I was asking a great deal but Gilles had done this before.

We took steps to close with them. I could see them clearly now.  My eyes had adjusted to the darkness.  They were men of the retinue of Sir William de Villiers. He was one of the Earl's men. I thought I had recognised his voice. I glanced at Gilles.  We were close enough now to strike. I nodded. Running forward I thrust my sword into the throat of the nearest man at arms.  His horse reared as he fell.  The one sitting astride his horse had to use two hands to control his own horse which also became skittish at the smell of blood. I brought my sword over and hacked into the thigh of the man. He fell from his horse, screaming.

"Lord!"

I turned and saw that the third had managed to cut Gilles' arm and he was about to finish him off.  I dived towards him with the dagger in my left hand.  I manage to hit him under his raised arm and we fell in a tumble on the ground.  He was dead but the shout would have alerted the other four.  Gilles was bleeding.  After sheathing my sword and my dagger I took a piece of cloth from the dead man and tied it around his upper arm.  Richard had brought the horses and I helped Gilles to mount.  I clambered on Rolf's back and heard, in the distance, the sound of horses.

"Ride." I grabbed the reins of one of the dead men's horses and followed my two squires up the road. "Richard, watch out for Gilles, he is wounded."

"Aye lord."

"Do not stop even if I drop back.  I will be safe!"

"Aye lord."

We had ten miles to go.  Our horses had had a short rest but we were outnumbered.  Gilles could not fight and Richard would be outmatched. Sir William was a knight and I had no doubt that the other three were killers all. All we could do was to run for as long as we could and then turn and make a last stand. Wulfstan had always told me that a true warrior never gave up until his enemy was prising his sword from his dead fingers.  Where there was life there was hope. I had to believe that my fate was not to die on the road from Gloucester to Hereford.