The Tavern in the Morning by Alys Clare Read Free Book Online Page A

I, I have to agree.’ Helewise struggled to sit up.
    ‘Where do you think you’re going?’ Josse demanded instantly.
    ‘Nowhere!’ she protested. ‘I merely need a change of position.’
    ‘Hmm.’ He eyed her suspiciously, as if half expecting her to filch the ledger off the table and return to her accounts. Then: ‘We are right, aren’t we, Abbess, in assuming the handsome stranger must have been the intended victim?’
    ‘Yes,’ she said firmly. ‘I’m sure we are.’ It was pleasant, she thought, to be we again. A satisfying challenge, once more to unite her wits with his over this new conundrum. ‘And I do think that there is only one logical next step, Sir Josse. To find out the identity of the stranger, and what he was doing in Tonbridge that someone else didn’t want him to do.’
    ‘Aye,’ Josse said heavily. ‘I agree. For all that I don’t relish the task, I agree.’
    ‘Can there have been so many handsome strangers in town recently?’ she asked. ‘You do, after all, have a good description.’
    He grinned at her. ‘Abbess, do you ever visit Tonbridge?’ She shook her head. ‘Well, I fear you have a somewhat inaccurate picture of the place.’
    ‘It used to be a quiet little town,’ she mused, ‘the castle guarding the river crossing, and—’
    ‘Aye. The river crossing,’ he interrupted. ‘And what crosses the river?’
    ‘The road, of course.’
    ‘Aye. The road from London to the coast. Abbess, traffic has increased, I imagine, since last you were there. To our present disadvantage, since that traffic includes, in with the merchants, the pilgrims and the local travellers, any number of richly-dressed strangers, handsome or otherwise.’
    ‘Oh.’
    ‘Don’t sound so woebegone!’ He seemed to rally, unfolding his arms and straightening up. ‘It’s a starting point, at least. Better than nothing. And I shall set off immediately and begin making enquiries.’
    ‘Such fervour,’ she murmured.
    He was looking at her, his expression softening. ‘May I report progress to you in a day or two?’
    ‘I should be most upset if you didn’t.’
    ‘And you’ll promise to rest? Get someone else to see to those accounts?’
    ‘I will.’ Someone, she thought tiredly, who could add up a column of figures better than she could at the moment.
    He opened the door. ‘Do you wish me to send anyone in to see to you? Fetch you a drink, or something to eat?’
    The thought of food made her feel slightly sick. ‘No, nothing, thank you.’
    ‘Then I’ll tell Sister Euphemia you’re resting,’ he said, easing his way out. ‘Sleep well!’
    ‘Farewell, Sir Josse, and good luck.’
    She listened to his heavy footsteps marching away along the cloister. Then, giving in to her fatigue, she turned on her side and was very soon asleep.

Chapter Four
    As he rode away from the Abbey, Josse wondered if his last action before leaving would be deemed by Helewise to be uncalled-for interference. If, when she learned of it, she would be angry with him.
    He hoped not. But if she were, it was a price he’d have to pay.
    He’d been to see Sister Euphemia, and told her he’d been horrified at the Abbess’s appearance.
    ‘You’ve no need to tell me !’ Euphemia had protested angrily. ‘I’ve got eyes in my head! And you should have seen her last week! Dear merciful Lord, I feared for her life one night, her fever rose that high!’
    ‘What ails her?’
    Euphemia shrugged. ‘There’s any number of fevers about, folks say. It’s a harsh winter we’re having. This particular sickness was brought by pilgrims to the shrine. There was four of them, two old people, two young ’uns. The old folk died – there wasn’t anything we could do for them, and the holy water doesn’t always work its miracle if a body’s too far gone.’
    ‘Did many of your nuns and monks fall sick?’
    Euphemia gave a ‘huh!’ of indignation. ‘Most of our nuns and monks kept their distance, I’m ashamed to say.