To Lie with Lions - Dorothy Dunnett [281]
The Sersanders sister and brother were in Edinburgh: she had received greetings from both, among the other messages of welcome that had come to the Casa. Anselm Sersanders and his clerks were lodged in the house his uncle held in the High Street. Another of the Iceland adventurers had returned to his rooms in the Cowgate: Martin, the red-headed agent of the Vatachino who had outsmarted Nicholas, and brought home Adorne’s sulphur from Iceland.
Gelis gathered that Sersanders had disapproved of some of Martin’s performance in Iceland, and the two now rarely spoke. The sister, Kathi, was back in Haddington at her post with the young Princess Margaret, and the Princess’s sister had joined them. In her present state of marital suspension, it was not surprising that poor Mary had been lodged in a convent. They said England was finding Tom Boyd inconvenient, and he might be reduced to the life of a mercenary. Nicholas, had he been here, would no doubt be reminding the Countess that, whatever she craved, it was her duty to stay with her children. But Nicholas wasn’t here.
The next person to suffer was Mistress Clémence who, disapproving of her charge’s isolation, had elected to bring him a reward from the booths outside St Giles. Stalking uphill through the mud, she paid no attention at first to the jostling on the crown of the road until hands on one side dragged and tore at her thick hooded cloak, and on the other tugged and emptied her basket. She caught the lad who did that and fetched him a slap on the jaw before the rest turned her round and shoved her over the highway and down the steep wynd on the other side.
There, losing her footing, she slipped, and they kicked her between them, rolling her over and over as she gasped and flailed and tried to grip their legs and their shoes. Then they scattered and fled, as helpers poured down the hill, a girl ahead of them all who stopped her fall by flinging herself bodily below her, exclaiming. ‘Mistress Clémence! Are you hurt? Lie still. Lie still, help is coming.’
It was the young girl, Katelijne Sersanders, and behind her was their own neighbour, Archie of Berecrofts.
‘If you will allow me to sit up …’ said Mistress Clémence, doing so. She pulled down her skirts, eased her shoulders and made a brief appraisal of her limbs. She said, ‘I am bruised, but not otherwise injured. Perhaps you would help me to rise. Thank you. It is kind of you. I suppose the rogues have all vanished?’
They had. The crowd was too interested to do so, and she was glad to accept the demoiselle’s invitation to enter the town house of the Priory of Haddington. Master Archie came with them. The nuns, fussing, took off her wet cloak and went to fetch wine. She straightened her cap. Master Archie said, ‘You are a brave lady, Mistress Clémence. But you mustna walk out on your lane.’
‘Are we to be prisoners?’ said Mistress Clémence crossly. She had refused an escort. And Pasque was too scared to go out.
The girl Kathi said, ‘What do you mean?’ and the young man looked at her.
‘The lady of Beltrees and the bairn. They’re being secretly hounded by yon fool St Pol of Kilmirren. His fushionless brat ran into trouble in Zeeland, and Nicholas tanned him – Robin wrote me – instead of making it known to the law. And now Simon thinks he can make his wife and wean pay for it.’
‘Where is Lord Beltrees?’ said Kathi.
Mistress Clémence looked at her with approval. ‘He is coming. The Lady expected him here before now.’
‘The Lady doesna allow for evil and contrary winds,’ said the man. ‘It might be a good week or more before he comes. And until then, mistress, you should walk tentily.’
‘Archie,’ said the girl. He looked at her. They seemed to know each other very well. She said, ‘Don’t you think it will be a lot worse after Nicholas comes? If Simon wants to punish Gelis, he’ll want her husband to see it. I think men-at-arms aren’t enough. I think they need the best kind of protection. Don’t you have some of the Holyrood clergy living beside you?’
‘That’s so. All our land belongs to the Abbey.