The Pillars of the Earth - Ken Follett [193]
Richard sat up too. They both eyed the woman warily. She said nothing, but handed them each a cup, then broke the bread in two and gave half to each of them. Aliena suddenly realized she was starving. She dipped her bread in her beer and began to eat.
The woman stood in the doorway, watching them, while they finished off the bread and beer. Then she handed Aliena what looked like a length of worn, yellowing linen, folded up. Aliena unfolded it. It was an old dress.
The woman said: “Put that on and get out of here.”
Aliena was mystified by the combination of kindness and hard words, but she did not hesitate to take the dress. She turned her back, dropped her cloak, pulled the dress over her head quickly, and put the cloak back on.
She felt better.
The woman handed her a pair of worn wooden clogs, too big.
Aliena said: “I can’t ride with clogs on.”
The woman laughed harshly. “You won’t be riding.”
“Why not?”
“He’s taken your horses.”
Aliena’s heart sank. It was too unfair that they should suffer more bad luck. “Where’s he taken them?”
“He doesn’t tell me these things, but I’d guess he’s gone to Shiring. He’ll sell the beasts, then find out who you are, and whether there’s anything more to be made out of you than the price of your horseflesh.”
“So why are you letting us go?”
The woman looked Aliena up and down. “Because I didn’t like the way he looked at you when you told him you were naked under your cloak. You may not understand that now, but you will when you’re a wife.”
Aliena understood it already, but she did not say so.
Richard said: “Won’t he kill you when he finds you’ve let us go?”
She gave a cynical smile. “He doesn’t scare me as much as he scares others. Now be off.”
They went out. Aliena understood that this woman had learned how to live with a brutal and heartless man, and had even managed to preserve a minimum of decency and compassion. “Thank you for the dress,” she said awkwardly.
The woman did not want her thanks. She pointed down the path and said: “Winchester is that way.”
They walked away and did not look back.
Aliena had never worn clogs—people of her class always had leather boots or sandals—and she found them clumsy and uncomfortable. However, they were better than nothing when the ground was cold.
When they were out of sight of the verderer’s house, Richard said: “Allie, why are these things happening to us?”
The question demoralized Aliena. Everyone was cruel to them. People were allowed to beat them and rob them as if they were horses or dogs. There was nobody to protect them. We’ve been too trusting, she thought. They had lived for three months in the castle without ever barring the doors. She resolved to trust nobody in the future. Never again would she let someone else take the reins of her horse, even if she had to be rude to prevent it. Never again would she let someone get behind her the way the verderer had last night, when he pushed her into the shed. She would never accept the hospitality of a stranger, never leave her door unlocked at night, never take kindness at face value.
“Let’s walk faster,” she said to Richard. “Perhaps we can reach Winchester by nightfall.”
They followed the path to the clearing where they had met the verderer. The remains of their fire were still there. From there they easily found the road to Winchester. They had been to Winchester before, many times, and they knew the way. Once they were on the road they could move faster. Frost had hardened the mud since the storm two nights ago.
Richard’s face was returning to normal. He had washed it yesterday, in a cold brook in the woods, and most of the dried blood