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apologies, my lady,’ he replied, managing to give her hand a squeeze before she withdrew it, ‘for as you say I am no longer sick and others must take precedence.’
         ‘Not in the least!’ She looked quite shocked, the grey eyes widening. ‘I saved my visit to you until last so that I would not have to hasten away.’
         Feeling himself grin with pleasure like a boy given an unexpected and undeserved treat, Josse said, ‘Then pull up that stool, my lady, and let us catch up with one another’s news.’
     
    She insisted that he speak first and so he told her all about the summons to Orford and the tedium of guarding the ransom, the miserable, apprehensive hostages and the King’s treasures. She was the only person on Earth to whom he would have confessed his disenchantment with the whole business of Richard and his confounded ransom. His impulse to confide was justified; as soon as he had spoken – lowering his voice to a conspiratorial mutter – she whispered back that she felt exactly the same and was filled with compassion for the people, especially the poor, who, because of their sovereign’s carelessness in allowing himself to be captured, were having such a struggle to buy back his freedom.
         They stared at each other and he had the feeling that she was as grateful as he for a trusted friend to whom it was possible to speak the truth. Confirming his suspicion, she said quietly, ‘What a relief, Sir Josse, to stop the pretence, even though but briefly; I fear it must be only for this moment.’
         ‘Indeed, my lady, and in truth we must not repeat these words.’
         ‘Will the ransom be sufficient?’ she asked.
         He sighed. ‘They say the sum falls short of the demand, but the Emperor speaks of a release date so we can only hope that he will settle for what is on offer.’
         ‘It will be better than nothing,’ she said thoughtfully.
         ‘Aye, and we’ll all breathe more easily if we know the deal is done and the King is on his way home.’
         ‘It will be a great weight off all our minds,’ she agreed, and he knew without asking that she referred not to having King Richard back in England but to the definite cessation of the alarming, ruinous levies.
         There was silence between them for a time, the sort of easy silence that old friends fall into when they have finished discussing one topic and are not quite ready for the next. Then he said, ‘What of life at Hawkenlye, my lady? I observe for myself that there are not too many patients here in the infirmary, yet for all that there is an air of preoccupation among the nuns, as if something worries them.’
         She shot him a glance. Then, after a short pause, said, ‘All is well with us here, Sir Josse, and I thank you for the enquiry. My nuns and monks are busy, as always, but that is what they are here for. We have fewer pilgrims coming to take the holy water in the Vale, but that is on account of the cold and not, I am sure, because our shrine loses its attraction. Those who do brave the winter weather are greeted with extra rations of food and the luxury of a small fire at night. And, of course, the kind attentions of Brother Firmin and his companions. Otherwise’ – there was a vaguely panicky look in her face as she cast around for a way to complete her brief account – ‘otherwise, as I said, all is well.’
         He waited. After a moment, she looked up and met his eyes. Very gently he said, ‘Now why not tell me the truth?’

Chapter 3
     
    She wondered why she had ever thought she would not confide in him; hadn’t Josse been the one person she had so much wanted to talk to when her dreams had troubled her so? Although her conscience still frowned at her inability to keep thoughts of her son and his family’s problems from intruding when her mind should be on greater things, she did not think it would be wrong to confide in Josse. She had, after all, prayed