[Roger the Chapman 02] - The Plymouth Cloak by Kate Sedley Read Free Book Online Page A

the darkness, I could just discern the shape of a trestle, set back against the wall to the right of the doorway; and it was only a matter of moments before my groping fingers encountered what they were seeking, a rush-light in its holder and, nearby, a tinderbox. I managed to strike the flint against the steel and the tinder burst into flame. I lit the rush-light and held it aloft, its flickering, uncertain beam faintly illuminating the two rows of beds which faced each other down the length of the room.
    As I knew only too well, the single concession religious houses made to ill health was a thin palliasse fitted inside the wooden frame.
    Philip Underdown advanced and began prodding one of these straw-filled mattresses with an air of disdain. He made no comment, however, probably reflecting that we at least had our privacy, and that the Infirmary cots were better than the floor of the Abbey guest-house, surrounded by the smells and sounds of our fellow diners. He removed his doublet and shoes, relieved himself in a comer of the room, checked the contents of the leather pouch attached to his belt and flung himself down on one of the beds, all without saying a word.
    I followed suit, but before lying down checked that my knife and cudgel were both to hand, and dragged the trestle across the door, which opened inwards.
    My companion snorted derisively. 'You're not afraid of that windbag, Silas Bywater, are you? He's all bluff and always has been. He'll do me no harm. I'll see to that. But in fact, he won't even try.'
    'It's not a chance I'm prepared to take,' I answered, trying to adapt my bulk to the narrow frame of the bed. 'The Duke trusts me to see you safely to Plymouth, and I have no intention of betraying that trust if I can help it.' I had blown out the rush-light, but I did not need its pallid rays to see the sneer on Philip Underdown's face. I understood him well enough by now to know that he despised feelings such as loyalty and friendship. What he did, he did for money and for no other reason. I went on quickly: 'You're familiar with these parts, then. Plymouth and its neighbourhood.'  
    'What makes you say that?'
    'Silas Bywater. You recruited him and the rest of the Speedwell's crew from here. Or did I misunderstand him?' There was a slight pause before he replied: 'No. My brother and I traded out of Plymouth as well as Bristol and London. We took on a fresh crew each time, because months, perhaps even a year or more, could elapse between voyages while we assembled a full cargo. Dwarfs were the items that fetched most money, and, as you surmised, they were not always easy to find. Sometimes it meant scouring the country as far north as the Scottish Border. It would have been impractical to keep a regular crew kicking their heels all that while.'
    'And when you were in France or Italy? You had to keep your men idle then.'
    'Those trips were necessarily shorter. A matter of weeks only. We sold what we'd brought and used the money to restock the ship'. If we found someone like Paolo, as we did that last time, we considered ourselves in luck, but the demand for dwarfs has never been so great in this country as it is abroad, particularly in Italy. But I've told you all this before, although God knows why! You're here to protect me, not pry into my affairs. So I suggest you hold your tongue and go to sleep.'
    He hunched himself sideways on his pallet, turning his back towards me. I linked my hands behind my head and stared up at the dimly-seen ceiling. I did not like Philip Underdown and there was something about him which made me uneasy. But I was tired. It had been a long day since I awoke in the shelter of someone's barn, just outside Exeter, early that morning; a day which had not gone as expected, but which had set me instead on the road to Plymouth in the company of this unpleasant man. I dropped one arm over the side of the cot and my fingers closed comfortingly around the handle of my knife, where it lay on the