To Love Again - Bertrice Small [163]
BRITAIN
A.D. 457
Chapter 15
It took forty days to sail from Byzantium to the city of Massilia in Gaul. The trading vessel exited through the Hellespont and crossed the Mare Thracium past mighty Mount Athos, and on into the Aegean Sea, wending its way along the Greek coast past Delos and the Cyclades. As they reached Methone, the captain came to Cailin and Wulf and said, “Master Jovian wanted you to have this choice. I can either sail north along the Greek coast, and then cross over to Italia at the narrowest point separating the two, or we can sail straight across the Ionian Sea to Sicilia in half the time. The weather is good, and will continue to hold, but we would be out of sight of land for several days. Storms are known to arise suddenly, and you are not sailors; but even should a storm come up, I will get you safely to Massilia.” He smiled, explaining, “I get a percentage of the cargo profits.”
“Sail straight for Sicilia,” Wulf said, making the decision for them. “We are anxious to reach Britain before spring.”
For almost seven days they did not see land, but finally the toe of Italia’s boot and Sicilia with its rugged mountains rose up on their horizon to their right and left. The ship negotiated the Straits of Messina in the Tyrrhenian Sea. They stopped several times to refill their water barrels, but the ship’s captain preferred to anchor along deserted stretches of coast to avoid paying port taxes when all he needed was water.
“The customs men are all thieves. They always claim to have found contraband upon your vessel, particularly if you are just passing through. Then they confiscate the cargo. It’s just plain stealing!” he finished indignantly.
They cruised along Italia’s coast past Tempsa, Neapolis, Ostia, Pisae, and Genna. At last they had almost reached their destination, and Cailin was vastly relieved. She wanted a bath, and there were certain to be public baths in Massilia.
On their first day aboard she had gone through the clothing that Casia had packed for her, and to her surprise found two small bags of coins. One held twenty gold solidi, and the other was crammed with copper folles. She showed Wulf, and he nodded silently.
“There is a loose board beneath my pallet,” she told him softly. “I will hide our hoard beneath it, but there must always be someone in the cabin so that we are not robbed. This, and my jewelry, is all we have to make our way with once we arrive at Massilia, and when we reach home we may need what remains to start again. I trust the captain, but the two mates are another thing. I do not like the way they eye Nellwyn.”
“Nellwyn is a foolish little rabbit,” he replied. “If she is not careful, she will be eaten by dogs. She is your slave. Speak to her. It is not my place to do so.”
“Why are you so irritable?” she asked him. “You are like an old cat with a stiff paw. Are you not happy we have been reunited?”
“I cannot believe our good fortune,” he said honestly. “I thought you dead, and then found you alive. You chose to return to Britain with me over marrying a wealthy and powerful man. But we have not been alone since we found each other, and we are not likely to be for months! You are beautiful, Cailin, my wife, and I desire you!”
“You will have to learn patience,” she said serenely, then giggled mischievously, “and so will I, Wulf Ironfist!”
When they finally docked at Massilia, the captain was thoughtful enough to tell them that parties of merchants traveled up the Roman roads of Gaul toward the coast facing Britain on a regular basis. Wulf would find the respectable travelers at an inn called the Golden Arrow. “You don’t want to try to go it alone, sir. Too many bandits, and you