Brewer's Tale, The (77 page)

Unable to wait until I was on my own to read the letter pressed into my hand by an excited Hodge, I opened it in the brewery, eager to learn of Leander's well-being, of Tobias's as well.

I'd only to read the first line to have my heart put at ease before, in the next few, it was set bouncing around my chest again.

My well-beloved Anneke.

I apologise with all my heart for my lengthy silence and want you to know that my lack of communication in no way reflects my deep and abiding concern for your well-being and that of your family.

I paused. Alyson manifested before me.

‘If you think you're keeping that to yourself, chick, you're wrong. Not after the agonies of wondering we've all endured and all your moping. Come, read it to us.'

I stared at her.

‘Speak up,' she said.

Much to the chagrin of Alyson, Betje and the girls who gathered at my feet, I skipped a few lines.

Clearing my throat and raising my voice slightly, I continued.

There has been a bloody uprising in the north. Seeking to take advantage of the king's ongoing illness that has become a daily struggle he bravely endures, and this wretched weather, Lords Bardolph and Northumberland have seen fit to put into motion their planned treachery — a rebellion. Though King Richard passed many years ago, they refuse to recognise his Grace's sovereignty and call him the usurper.

Wanting to end this sedition once and for all, Henry has ordered his armies into the north as fast as possible. By the time you read this, I will be leading the good men of Elmham Lenn and Suffolk to the border where we will conclude these treasonous plots once and for all.

Rest assured, I will care for your brother as I would my own.

Quietly, I sent blessings to him on wings of love that he saw fit to write and tell me, that encoded within his letter were reassurances and so much more.

‘Well?' said Alyson.

I'd paused too long.

‘Is there more?'

I glanced back at the worn paper.

Excuse the brevity, my well-beloved, but know as we go into this final battle, it is with the strength of your love and my every hope for you good health and eternal prosperity.

Ending my reading on a whisper, I did not share the way he closed this correspondence, nor was it demanded of me. But it made ribbons flutter in my chest and warmth invade my throat.
Oh my beloved, stay safe. Dear, sweet Lord, keep him safe. Keep them both safe.

‘There's to be another battle then,' said Master atte Place grimly.

‘If it hasn't already been fought,' said Alyson. ‘It explains why you've heard nothing these last weeks. King's had him all over the country, rallying troops in secret.'

‘Aye, the letter was written nigh on two weeks ago. He could not risk the information falling into the wrong hands.' I folded it slowly, emotions tumbling over each other as I tried to reconcile my relief that Leander and Tobias were well with my fear that their circumstances may have altered.

‘Please, God,' I said softly, ‘let them be alive.'

‘Try not to dwell on any other possibility, chick.' Aware that work in the brewery had stopped, Alyson glanced over her shoulder, put her hands on her hips and glared. ‘Come on, I don't pay you to sit on your arses and rest your feet.' She stamped her foot. ‘Back to work.'

Mumbling, everyone slowly returned to the tasks at hand. Putting down the scoop she'd been holding, Betje came to my side.

‘What will you do?' asked Alyson.

‘What all women must do in this situation —' Absent-mindedly, I stroked Betje's hair. ‘Wait. Though waiting does not sit well with me, Alyson.' She nodded. ‘But I will see to it that a letter is sent in return and that whosoever delivers it waits for a response. I would know how my lord and my brother fare — for good or ill.'

‘What about the courier who brought this one? Can you not use him?'

‘He's a king's messenger. Hodge said he downed a small ale and left. Even if I could, I wouldn't ask him to tarry while I put quill to paper.'

‘You'll be hard-pressed to find anyone to go north,' said Alyson. She enfolded me in a brief hug before releasing me. ‘Not if there's to be fighting.'

We looked at each other.

‘It's likely over by now. But I will find someone.'

‘I've no doubt,' she said and went back up the stairs.

Before the light failed, I'd read the letter twice again. Deciding Adam should share in the news, I went to the solar.

He nodded as I read it. His movements were improving daily, his face did not appear so lopsided and his speech was becoming clearer; it no longer sounded as if he swallowed words before they were formed. Captain Stoyan called it a miracle. I preferred to call it Betje. Persistent and constant, my sister tended to Adam's needs which were not simply physical, but of the heart and soul as well, talking to him, waiting patiently while he exerted himself to find the words, reading to him, massaging his limbs back to life.

Alyson declared her a saint, Harry boring, for he lost his companion during this time. I knew why Betje did it and marvelled at her compassion, her understanding that yet again demonstrated a wisdom beyond her years.

Adam listened and when I told him I wished to send word to glean some news of Leander and Tobias, but was uncertain who could be relied upon to deliver it, he smiled.

‘Captain Stoyan. Give him something to do instead of f… f… freezing … on his barge. That way, you get a r… report from someone you trust.'

I stared at Adam in consternation. ‘Can I ask such a thing? Do you think he would?'

Adam tried to smile. ‘Well, you won't know unless you t… try.'

Leaning over, I planted a kiss on his cheek. ‘You're right. Thank you, Adam. I will ask him and pray he agrees.'

‘He will,' said Adam, with the confidence only a close acquaintance can muster.

Seated at Alyson's desk, I wrote Leander a brief but loving note, informing him that all was well in Southwark and we prayed for his and Tobias's safe return. And that I, particularly, longed for this to happen. Lest it be read by other eyes, I couched my love in terms that only he would understand.

Sealing the note with both wax and a kiss that conveyed all that my words could not, I bade Adam farewell and went downstairs.

‘Where is Goody Alyson?' I asked Cook and Eve.

‘Are you all right, mistress?' asked Eve, earning a scalding look from Cook.

‘Never better.'

‘She's in the courtyard, mistress,' answered Cook.

I flung my cloak over my shoulders and tied my hood into place. Pulling on gloves, I looked around. ‘Betty?'

‘Waiting in the stables for Harry to return.'

‘God give you good day!' With a wave, I all but skipped out the door.

Alyson was in the courtyard supervising a coal delivery, her scarlet tunic bold against the newly fallen snow.

‘Where are you off to, chick?' she asked as I waded through the snow, a big smile on my face.

‘To hire a courier.'

I enveloped her in a huge hug, trying but failing to lift her off her feet. ‘Put me down, you goose,' she began to chuckle. ‘Who might that be?'

Hearing the commotion, Betje came running over. ‘Anna, are you all right?'

‘Why does everyone keep asking me that?' I stroked her cheek. ‘I am better than all right. And, when I return we will celebrate.'

‘Return from where?' asked Betje.

Alyson cocked her head. ‘Celebrate what?'

‘I feel as if Christmastide has passed me by and I should make belated amends.'

Alyson folded her arms and nodded approvingly. ‘It's never too late for amends.'

‘Indeed, that's what I think. I won't be long — back before curfew for certes and,' I squatted beside Betje, tugging at her hood, ‘then we'll rejoice.' Retying my cape that had come loose when I attempted to pick up Alyson, I began to stride towards the gates, making way for Harry returning with a cart full of milled grain.

‘Where are you going, Mistress Anna?' cried out Harry.

‘To see Captain Stoyan,' I answered. ‘My German Mercury.' With a laugh, I disappeared out the gates as if there were wings on my feet.

While I'd been aware of the constant snow and strong winds and the frost that coated the windows, making them appear as if they were made of pigskin and not glass, I'd been confined indoors for weeks. Stories of ink freezing in inkwells, animals dying of cold, and of the river ceasing to flow, washed over me as I stepped into the day and spied the thick white coats on every building, the dead animals in ditches, their thin, craggy limbs encrusted by winter's breath. An abandoned well, too frigid to draw from, had broken buckets buried in hillocks of white powder at its base. The wind bit my exposed cheeks. The tales I'd heard but dismissed as fancy were both real and cruel.

But it wasn't until I stood upon the dock where Captain Stoyan moored his barge that I could no longer ignore the great and terrible effects of winter.

Adam had been serious when he spoke of the captain freezing. I thought he'd meant physical discomfort, something the captain would complain of nightly when he returned to The Swanne, when what he actually referred to was nature's course.

The wide, shifting river, once a seething, ceaseless rush of water that bubbled and frothed against the footings of the bridge and swirled in mighty currents as it sped towards the sea, was a solid mass. Boats were stuck in its midst, their ropes and sails garlanded with frost and ice. Children and adults slipped and slid across the glassy surface, shrieking with laughter, holding hands. Women and men hauled great sacks across, their backs bent, panting. Some risked weighty carts, their oxen and horses ignoring the slow-moving waters beneath them. Dogs scrambled to find purchase as they chased each other along the slippery edges, barking and growling. On the riverbanks, canny vendors lit fires, roasting chestnuts and other fare for purchase. Hawkers roamed back and forth, selling hot drinks.

It was like a fresh world had been created, one populated by the brave and foolhardy.

Even the docks, manacled in icy gauntlets, gave an air of industry to the scene. So did the boats and barges trapped in a glacial clinch. Among them was Captain Stoyan's barge,
The Lady Swanne
, upon which my gaze came to rest.

Smoke escaped from a vent in the small aft cabin, but not a soul appeared to be on board. Barrels were lashed down one end, along with bales of wool and sacks of barley, rye or some other grain, which were covered with a flapping canvas. Wooden crates were stacked neatly towards the other end, their contents a mystery. Spending each day upon the barge, the captain both guarded his goods and —I now understood — waited with a mighty impatience for the ice to melt so he could resume work.

My steps faltered and I drew my cloak around me tight, the wind lifting the ends and lashing my ankles.

‘Captain?' I cried out, a gust snatching my voice and hurling it against the ice. Perhaps he was upon the river? I covered my brow and peered.

‘
Liebchen!
Mistress Anna.' I spun around. ‘What are you doing out in such weather? Are you mad?'

Ducking out of the cabin, a cloud of smoke following, was Captain Stoyan. Snow began to fall, timid flakes that melted on contact. He strode across the deck, slipped and quickly regained his balance, chuckling at his near tumble, and leapt onto the wooden planks of the dock. The captain took my hand and gave a curt bow.

‘What are you doing here? You'll freeze if you don't keep moving.' He indicated those on the river, most of whom were abandoning the ice, desperate to reach shore as the snow began to fall faster.

‘I can see that,' I said, nodding to his barge.

‘
Ja.
It's been like this for days now. It will be longer yet, I fear.' Screwing up his eyes, he raised his face, snowflakes catching on his eyelashes and beard.

‘I've come to ask a favour.'

Captain Stoyan raised his brows. ‘Then ask — consider it granted if it's in my compass to do so.'

I grinned, my eyes softening. God had been kind indeed to bring this man back into my life.

‘I was wondering if you would deliver a letter for me? It's for Sir Leander.' I gestured to the barge. ‘I thought it could be delivered by river, but I was foolish to think that possible.'

‘Anything is possible and water is not the only mode of travel available.' He gave me a warm smile and flicked the snow out of his thick hair. ‘Of course I will. It will give me something to do until the frost melts and I may once again ply my new trade upon the water.'

‘Before you so readily agree, you need to understand where I'm asking you to go.' I quickly explained what I required and that a horse would be made available to him.

‘This is not hardship but an adventure, something I've been sorely lacking of late. I will welcome it after being ground to a halt because of this.' He gestured to the ice. ‘It will do my heart good to see Sir Leander and Tobias again and to know that in doing so, I will ease yours.'