Hilde shook her head. ‘No – on all the knights. Did you not notice that they withdrew quickly once Alberic fell?’
‘Did they?’ Geoffrey was not sure how long the skirmish had lasted, nor did he have any notion of when Alberic had died.
Hilde lowered her voice. ‘Sear did not seem overly distressed by his friend’s death, did he?’
‘It is hardly manly to wail and carry on.’
‘I imagine you would have shown more emotion, had it been Roger. You would not shed tears, perhaps, but there would be anger and vows of revenge.’
‘Not in this company,’ said Geoffrey. ‘I would keep my thoughts to myself.’
Hilde shrugged. ‘Well, let us hope we do not have to put it to the test. And if it was Alberic they came for, perhaps we shall be safe from now on.’
Geoffrey nodded to where a bridge lay ahead of them. ‘Fortunately, it does not matter any longer, because we have arrived.’
Kermerdyn nestled near a bend in the River Tywi. It comprised an ancient settlement on a rise, protected by a series of walls and ramparts. Geoffrey supposed they had been built the last time an invading army had foisted itself on the locals, which meant they were several hundred years old.
South of the town was a wharf with several piers, and Geoffrey could tell from the salty smell of the river that it was tidal to the sea. Several substantial ships were moored, indicating Kermerdyn was an important trading centre – there was certainly a bustle about the place that suggested money being made.
A second settlement was springing up in the shadow of the first, ranged along the river, and comprising warehouses and merchants’ homes. There was a wooden bridge across the river, with a tollhouse at its far end. The number of carts trundling across it suggested that the revenues from it alone would be substantial, further enriching the little town.
Just to the east was a walled enclosure dominated by a pretty church, and Geoffrey saw Delwyn cross himself when he saw it. He could only suppose it was Kermerdyn’s abbey, which he would visit when he delivered the Archbishop’s letter to Mabon’s successor.
He usually reserved judgement about the places he visited until he had had time to explore them, but there was something about Kermerdyn that appealed to him instantly. Perhaps it was the fine weather, which bathed it in a welcoming glow, or the warm grey stone from which its houses were built. Or perhaps he was just grateful to have arrived in one piece. Regardless, he found he was eager to look around it and hoped there would be time for leisure once he had finished his work.
‘Personally, I would have built my castle there,’ said Richard, pointing to the ridge above the river, just to the west of the town. ‘I think my brother made a mistake when he raised Rhydygors.’
‘Where is Rhydygors?’ asked Geoffrey, realizing it was nowhere to be seen.
Richard gestured to the east, where a third settlement had sprung up. It was some way down the river and apparently protected a ford across it. All that could be seen from that distance was a motte with a wooden tower on top of it, and a few houses scattered among the nearby trees. Some were large, and he supposed it was where Hywel’s people lived, so they would be close to hand if needed.
‘Well, your brother was a Norman,’ said Delwyn sneeringly. ‘What do you expect?’
‘What do you mean by that?’ demanded Richard, swinging around to glower at him.
‘That a Welshman would have put a fortress nearer the town,’ replied Delwyn, unmoved by his anger. ‘There is no point protecting a ford when there is a perfectly good bridge a mile away. We always thought it was odd. But, then, William was odd when he first arrived.’
‘Odd?’ asked Geoffrey.
‘He was a good man,’ declared Richard hotly. ‘No one should say anything bad about my brother, God rest his sainted soul.’
Delwyn crossed himself. ‘He was a good man, but only after he discovered his secret.’
‘There was no secret,’ said Edward. ‘He invented it to explain his change in character, because none of you would believe he just woke up one day and decided to become a better man.’
‘There is a secret,’ declared Richard fervently. ‘And I would not mind having it – I would be honoured if the Blessed Virgin appeared to me. Moreover, if I learn any of you had a hand in his death, I will kill you.’
‘You will do nothing of the kind,’ said Sear. ‘Because I will be there before you. But his secret will never be found because, as I have said all along, it was a holy sword, and he was the only one on this Earth good enough to hold it. It disappeared when he died, and will not reappear until another man is born who is his equal.’
‘Rubbish,’ declared Cornald. ‘He was a new man because he ate properly. You may all have noticed that I am a happy fellow, too, despite the trials and tribulations that beset me.’ Here he shot an unreadable glance towards his wife. ‘The secret to true happiness is food.’
‘Potions,’ countered Pulchria. ‘Some herb grows near Kermerdyn that made him what he was, and I still intend to find it. That sort of popularity will be very useful for a woman like me.’
‘If there is a secret, then it just goes along with being the master of Rhydygors Castle,’ said Gwgan dismissively. ‘Hywel has goodness in abundance. It is all to do with being in Wales.’
‘Yes, but Hywel’s is a different kind of goodness,’ said Edward. ‘He does have it in abundance, but William was saintly. They are not really comparable.’
They fell silent, pondering the matter. So, there they were, thought Geoffrey, regarding them one by one: his suspects – all of whom would exploit William’s secret, should it ever be revealed.
He turned his thoughts back to the latest skirmish, realizing that he had seen none of his companions actually engage the enemy – Richard’s encounter had been uncharacteristically lacklustre, and the others had only appeared once most of the ambushers were on the run. Did that mean one of them had hired mercenaries to do battle with the travellers? Was Roger right, and Geoffrey and his friends would be safe only once the remaining messages were in the hands of their intended recipients?
With a sigh, he led the way towards the bridge.
They arrived to find Kermerdyn a busy, bustling place that smelled of cows and fish. Cattle were being driven from every direction to the market, and there was a thriving fishing industry, the stalls on the riverside well stocked with silvery wares from both river and sea.
The market stood on the open ground near the bridge, and there was a staggering array of goods, ranging from livestock and foodstuffs, to cloth, building materials and pots. It seemed to Geoffrey that anything a person could possibly want was on offer in Kermerdyn, and he supposed he would not have to worry about Hilde becoming bored there.
Their companions did not linger once they had paid their toll to cross the bridge. Sear was the first to break away. He snapped his fingers at two passing soldiers and ordered them to help him carry Alberic to the church.
‘I cannot tote him to Pembroc, so I am going to bury him here,’ he said.
‘Alberic will understand,’ said Edward kindly. ‘St Peter’s is a pretty church with a spacious graveyard, and I will undertake to pay the priest to say masses for Alberic’s soul whenever I pass through the town.’
‘Thank you,’ said Sear gruffly. ‘I shall stay here until it is done, and then ride to Pembroc. Richard will lend me an escort.’
He rode away before Richard could say whether he would or not. Geoffrey fingered the letter in his shirt. Henry had ordered it delivered on arrival in Kermerdyn, but it seemed callous to do it when Sear was about to bury his friend. He decided to leave it until the next day.
Suddenly, Richard spat a colourful oath and surged towards a gaggle of men who were inspecting a display of ironware. When he reached them, he began to berate them for their slovenly appearances. They immediately tried to smarten themselves, and Geoffrey saw he was the kind of leader to rule by fear and bullying. Richard disappeared with them eventually, without so much as a backward glance towards his erstwhile companions.