untitled, part 5

‘mari?’  pierre said once they were out on the road, ‘you don’t have to hide that knife from me, you know.’ 1

mari stared at him, eyes wide.  ‘how could you know?’2

pierre gave a comfortable laugh.  ‘never you mind.  What else did you buy?’  he looked at her sideways.3

‘boots. leather, pretty sturdy.  a few ribbons.  a new belt, and a cloak, and a bottle of port.  for our host.’  4

pierre looked surprised, pleased.  ‘aha!  my sweet,  your father taught you better than I thought.’5

mari laughed easily.  pierre looked startled, and gave her a shrewd glance.  she was more like him than he had imagined.  they rode in silence, in comfort with each other.  they crossed the river, ignoring the tinkers pressing at them from each side, thrusting cheap dolls and toys into their hands, and passed into quieter, richer streets, with more green and less stink. 6

there, they stopped.  pierre gave his hand to mariette and she alighted with grace, for once. a stable hand rushed out of a grand house, led in their horses, bid them follow him.  pierre took mari’s hand as they past through the gateway, and when she raised her eyebrows at him, he  hushed her, said, loudly, ‘a lovely house, don’t you think, my darling?’  The stable hand glanced back at them with disinterest.7

they passed into the house, and were told to wait inside.  The stable hand had left them at the door.  8

they were in a large entrance hall, a staircase sweeping down into it.  a log fire smouldered in a massive grate on the other side of the room, and the walls were covered with tall paintings of aristocratic old men.  the flagstones were worn and were covered with rich eastern carpets.  9

they took a seat on a hard bench  mari took the chance for a whispered conversation.  ‘what’s this?’10

‘what was what, darling?’  pierre smiled, all innocence.11

‘the holding hands?’ 12

‘why shouldn’t a husband and wife show their affection for each other?  we will, after all, be sharing a room here tonight.’13

‘here?’14

‘well.  yes.  naturally.  these are the nobles and you are my wonderful wife.’15

mari stared at him.16

a door opened at the top of the stairs.  the nobleman rushed down them and crossed the floor to the bench in a few strides.  he was fat, and balding, but his face was red, jovial.  as he came towards them pierre stood up and the man clasped him to his chest in a great bear hug.17

‘pierre! welcome, man!  you do me a great honour, sir knight, to visit my house.’18

pierre laughed.  ‘no, i don’t!  there’s no ceremony between you and i.’19

the man laughed also, a great bellow from his gut.  ‘ah.  good man.  i always did say you were a good man.  and who, sir, is this lovely lady by your side?’20

pierre pushed mari closer to the smiling man.  ‘my wife, mari.  mari, my dear, this is the good squire henri.’21

‘henri.’  she smiled, charming, and curtsied to him.  ‘good morning, monsieur.  thank you for your kind hospitality.  i’m sure we shall enjoy our short stay here, won’t we, pierre?’22

pierre studied in a kind of proud appraisal.  ‘indeed we shall, my sweet. indeed we shall.  and we’ll wish it wasn’t so short, I suspect.  now, henri, will you kindly show us where we are to sleep tonight, and then we will get down to business.’23

the big man bowed, every inch the affable host, and lead the pair upstairs to their room.24