[Roger the Chapman 04] - The Holy Innocents (2 page)

I scrambled to my feet and hailed the last man, who waited, a trifle impatiently I thought, while I picked up my pack and approached him. Nevertheless, his smile was good-humoured enough until I mentioned the outlaws.

'Oh, aye!' he exclaimed bitterly. 'We know all about them. Been terrorizing these parts for months past, they have. The Sheriff and his posse have been searching for 'em since well afore Christmas, but with no success. They hunt by night and go to ground in the daytime. They've bolt-holes impossible to find unless you know every inch of the forests. Which no one does, o' course. Our enclosures are mainly within a mile or two of the edge. I wonder whose farms and holdings they raided last night, then, the devils!'

'Is it impossible to mount guard at night?' I asked, and he shrugged.

'A few foolhardy fellows've tried that, Maister, but there's too many of the outlaws and they're murderin' bastards. One man who challenged 'era was run through with his own pitchfork and another had an arm lopped off. Worse than that, they killed a couple o' children. Since then, we all bury our heads under the blankets at night and hope that if our property's attacked, we don't hear 'era. Better to be robbed of all you have and live to tell the tale, rather than be a dead hero.' I nodded agreement and said with forced cheerfulness, 'The law will catch up with them some day.'

The man grunted doubtfully. 'Maybe. More like they'll move on to another part of the county and disappear as suddenly as they arrived. It's understandable, I suppose. No member of the posse wants to risk his life unnecessarily, and these rogues have no compunction when it comes to killing. You were wiser than you knew not to tangle with 'em. They'd've made minced meat even of a great fellow like you. But if you're headed for the town, you can report what you saw to one of the wardens, who'll tell the Mayor, who'll pass the information on to the Sheriff. That way, you'll've done your duty.'

'I'll do that,' I promised and wished him good morning. I was halfway across the bridge, when he called after me.

'Chapman!' I turned enquiringly. The woodsman was grinning. 'Be warned! The women of the villages hereabouts are out in force today.' I must have looked confused, because he added impatiently, 'It's Hock Monday!'

Was it indeed already two weeks since Easter? I seemed Io have lost track of time. I raised my hand. 'Thanks for the warning, friend. I'll be careful. Have you been caught already?'

He shook his head. 'I came the long way round, but there won't be any avoiding 'era by now. They all rise early for hocking. Dessay I'll be caught myself by nightfall.' But he spoke cheerfully, as one looking forward to his ordeal.

'Ah well,' I answered, 'you and the rest of the men can get your own back tomorrow.'

The woodsman's eyes gleamed predatorily as he said goodbye. 'Can't stand here talking all day. There's work to be done. I'll wish you good luck at the hands of the women.' He winked. 'They won't let a good-looking young fellow like you so easily once they trap you. I can guess what sort of forfeit they'll demand from you!' And he disappeared amongst the trees, roaring with laughter.

The sun was by now quite hot, presaging one of those April days which can often prove to be warmer than those of high summer, so capricious is the weather of this island. I toiled up the slope ahead of me, the trees gradually thinning and falling away on either side of the track until only one or two bordered the rutted pathway. I had refilled my pack from a cargo ship lying in the roads at Dartmouth, and in consequence was weighed down by my load, head bent forward, not looking where I was going. All my attention was concentrated upon my feet, making sure that I did not trip or twist my ankle. I had the assistance of a stout cudgel, my trusty 'Plymouth cloak', as such weapons were called in this part of the country, so I was able to make the ascent without too much trouble. Nevertheless, I was tired as I crested the rise and off my guard...

Something caught me across my shins and sent me sprawling, face downwards in the dirt. For a moment or two, I lay there, winded, trying to gather my wits and figure out what had happened to me. Before I could do so, however, there were shouts of laughter and I found myself surrounded by three or four women. From my prone position, all I could see at that moment was the hems of their skirts and their shoes. I dragged myself to my knees, painfully aware of cutting a ridiculous figure and, as a result, seething with anger.

I had been hocked and must now pay a forfeit. I slipped the pack from my shoulders and rose, drawing myself up to my full height, which in those days, before rheumatic pains caused me to stoop a little, was over six feet. It was a great height, even more so then than it is today, when young people have grown much taller, and few men I ever met could equal me in stature. (One exception, of course, was King Edward, that golden giant, grandfather of our present Henry.) I heard one of the younger women draw in her breath in wonder, while the eldest of the group, a toothless granny, cackled with laughter.

'God save us! It's Goliath himself come amongst us. Right,, Master Chapman, you knows the rules. You've to pay a forfeit.'

The women, some half-dozen of them, had by now formed a circle around me. The rope which had been tied between two trees, one on either side of the track, and used to bring me down, was removed and bound lightly about my wrists.

'There's plenty of stuff in my pack,' I said hurriedly. 'Needles, thread, ribbons, lace and a length of silk brocade from the hold of a Portuguese merchantman, lying off Dartmouth. You may help yourselves.'

The old woman laughed again. 'These fine girls can buy those things, my honey, with the pin-money their goodmen do give them. But a splendid young fellow like you, why you've better things to offer.'

I felt the blood surge into my face, which seemed to afford all the women great amusement. I have often noticed throughout the course of my life, that whereas a single woman, on her own, will be all maidenly blushes and modesty, women hunting in a pack can be cruder and rougher than men. One who looked to be the youngest, an apple-cheeked lass of barely - or so I judged - fourteen or fifteen summers, giggled, 'Let's ask for the laces from his codpiece.' My colour deepened even further and I took an instinctive step backward in order to protect my person, causing a storm of merriment from my captors.

'He's bashful!' exclaimed a pretty young girl with wide, cornflower-blue eyes and a strand of hair, the colour of ripe wheat, escaping from under her cap. 'A great lum-cock like that, and he's blushing!'

'Anything in my pack!' I offered again in desperation.

The granny wagged an ancient, admonitory finger. 'It's Hocktide, chapman! You knows the rules as well as anyone.

Men's turn to hock tomorrow, ours today. So if Janet here wishes the laces from your codpiece, she's within her rights.' She gave her toothless grin, plainly enjoying my discomfiture.

My tormentors began edging towards me, giggling and nudging one another in the ribs. I struggled to free my hands from the rope which bound my wrists behind my back, but discovered that although my bonds were lightly tied, they were nonetheless knotted fast. If I took to my heels, apart from breaking the rules and traditions of hocktide, I should have to abandon my pack and cudgel, which might then be considered the women's legitimate booty.

Suddenly, one of them, who so far had stood a little apart from the others, smiling but not joining in their more vociferous merriment, came to my rescue. She moved between me and her companions, spreading wide her arms to protect me.

'Enough!' she protested, laughing. 'Claim a forfeit and let the poor lad go! We've had our fun. Now, what's it to be? I think a kiss apiece would suffice, don't you agree? Granny Praule, in deference to your age, you can go first.' There were cries of 'Spoil sport, Grizelda!' but in general, the women seemed content with this solution. Granny Praule pressed her withered, dry lips to mine, and, in relief I gave her a smacking kiss which evoked another cackle and a pat on the arm.

'My! My!' She gave a little skip. 'You're a good lad, Chapman! I haven't been kissed like that these thirty years! You've brought back memories of my youth I thought I'd forgotten. I was a pretty girl, though you might find it hard to believe nowadays. I had the men after me like bees round a honey-pot.'

The rest of the women stepped forward, one by one, to claim their forfeit, some a little more boldly than the others, standing close to me as they placed their mouths on mine.

My rescuer, the woman they had addressed as Grizelda, was last, and at close range, I could see that she was not as young as most of her companions. I judged her to be some thirty summers; a handsome woman, with strong features and very dark brown eyes. Her complexion, too, was dark, and had she been a man I might have been tempted to think of her as swarthy, but her skin was too soft and delicate for that. In colouring, she reminded me of Lillis, so I knew, without seeing it, that the hair neatly concealed beneath the snow-white coif and blue linen hood was black. But there the resemblance ended. In physique, Grizelda was taller and much stronger than my dead wife. There was also a maturity about her, unmatched in Lillis, who, despite her twenty summers, had been childlike.

Two of the women, having unbound my wrists, proceeded to reset the trap for their next unwary victim, while the rest concealed themselves again amongst the bushes. All, that is, except Grizelda, who took her leave. When her friends protested, she laughed and shook her head.

'I have work to do. Cheese to make and the hen to feed. The poor creature's not been let out of her coop this morning, I was up and about so early.' She turned to me. 'Master Chapman, if you care to accompany me as far as my holding, I'll protect you from any further hockers you might meet, and tell them that you've already paid your forfeit. My name,' she added, 'is Grizelda Harbourne.'

'I'm called Roger,' I answered, 'and I accept your offer very willingly. I shouldn't care to fall into the hands of any of your sister hockers if they are anything like you and your companions.'

There were shrieks of delight at this compliment before they were shushed by the youngest of the group - Janet by name, if I remembered rightly - with the information that another man was ascending the path. Hastily, I shouldered my pack and offered Grizelda Harbourne my arm.

We skirted the tiny village of Ashprington and traversed a belt of trees, arriving finally at a clearing. Here, a low, one-storey cottage was set in the middle of a smallholding which consisted of a plot for growing a little corn and a few vegetables, a hen-coop, a pig-sty and a field where a cow was grazing. The cottage itself was furnished with a table on a pair of trestles, two benches, one covered with a piece of tapestry, which were ranged against the walls, and a central hearth surrounded by all the necessary impedimenta of cooking. At one end of the room, another piece of tapestry, faded and darned, imperfectly concealed a bed, the foot of which protruded some inches beyond the curtain.

I felt a stab of surprise as, invited in by Grizelda, I stepped across the threshold. There was no reason for my astonishment; the cottage was typical of its kind and no more than I should normally have expected to find on any smallholding.

But there was something about my hostess, her bearing, her tone of command when speaking to the other women, the slightly disdainful glance she cast around her present home, which suggested to me that she had known better times, been used to more gracious surroundings.

'Have you eaten?' she asked, waving me to one of the benches against the wall.

'I had some bread and cheese an hour or more ago, down by the river. Food left over from last night's supper.' She smiled understandingly. 'Not enough for a great frame like yours. If you can wait awhile, I'll give you breakfast. There's ale and bread and some salted bacon, or I can cook you a mess of eggs, if you'd prefer it.'

'The eggs would make a welcome change,' I said. 'Could you also spare me a pot of hot water to shave with?'
 

She nodded. 'There's water heating in the cauldron over the fire.' She reached down an iron pot with a handle from a shelf. 'Here, use this. And while you shave, I'll collect the eggs and free the poor bird from her coop.'

She went out, and I took the razor from my pack, looking for something with which to sharpen it. Then I noticed a leather strop hanging from a hook behind the door. I wondered who it belonged to, for there was no other sign of a man's presence in the cottage. I dipped the iron pot in the seething water, lathered my chin with a piece of the cheap black soap which I always carried with me, and began to scrape off the night's growth of stubble. I had hardly begun before Grizelda reappeared in the doorway.

She extended both hands. 'Well, here are the eggs,' she said, 'but there's no sign of the hen. The door of the coop has been forced and there are feathers on the ground. I'm afraid she's been stolen.'

Chapter Two

I hurriedly finished shaving, then followed Grizelda outside to the coop, where I knelt down to examine it more closely.

She was right: the wooden latch had been forced and there was a drift of white feathers lying close by. I glanced up at the cow, placidly grazing, then at the pig, snorting and tootling in its sty.

'You may count yourself very fortunate, Mistress Harbourne,' I said, 'that only the hen was taken. They must have stumbled upon your holding during the return journey, when time and their capacity to carry anything more was limited. Otherwise, you would have lost your other animals as well.'