SUMMER GAVE WAY to autumn, and bit by bit, I fell back into the life of the village.
Rebuilding.
I picked up the work Matthew had begun on the inn. All day, I lugged1 heavy logs, hoisted2 them into place, and notched3 them together in joints4 to form walls. At night I slept in Odo's hut, his wife and two kids and I curled up by the hearth5 in a single room, until I had rebuilt my quarters behind the inn.
Piece by piece, the town came back to life. Farmers prepared for the harvest. Crumbled6 homes were patched together with mortar7 and stone. Harvest time would bring travelers to market; travelers meant money. Money bought food and clothes. People began to laugh once more, and to look forward.
And I became a bit of a hero in town. In no time at all, my stories of how I had dazzled the court at Treille and fought the knight8 Norcross became part of the local lore9. Children clung to my side.Show us a flip10, Hugh. And how you got out of the chains. I amused them with my tricks, removed beads11 or stones from their ears, told stories of the war. I felt my soul being restored by the sound of their laughter. Yes, laughter truly heals. This was the great lesson I'd learned as a jester.
And I mourned my sweet Sophie. Each day before sunset, I climbed the knoll12 outside town and sat at my son's grave. I spoke13 to Sophie as if she rested there too. I told her of the progress on the inn. How the town had banded together around me.
And sometimes I spoke to her of Emilie. What a gift it had been to have her as a friend. How she saw something special in me as no other noble had, from that very first day. I recounted the times she had saved me. How I would have been a lifeless mound14 had she not come upon me after my fight with the boar.
Each time I talked of Emilie, I could not fail to notice the flame that stirred in my blood. I found myself thinking of our kiss. I did not know if it was meant to bring back my wits in a frantic15 moment or just as the last good-bye of a true friend. What had she seen in me to risk so much?A specialness...a specialness,Sophie! Sometimes I even felt myself blush.
One such afternoon as I was heading back to town from the gravesite, Odo ran up the path toward me. Quick, Hugh, you can't go back there now. You have to hide!
I gazed beyond him. Four riders were approaching over the stone bridge. One an official, colorfully robed and wearing a plumed17 hat. The other soldiers, wearing the purple and white of Treille.
My heart stood still.
It's Baldwin's bailiff, Odo said. If he sees you here, we will all be dead.
I ducked behind a copse of trees, my mind flashing through options. Odo was right; I could not go back there. But what if someone gave me up? It would not be enough just to run. The town would be held accountable.
Bring me a sword, I said to Odo.
A sword? Do you see those soldiers, Hugh? You must go. Run as if a beggar had your purse.
I crouched18, hidden from sight, and headed toward the eastern woods. A few people saw me scurry19 away. I crossed the stream at a low point and thrashed my way into the brush.
I found a spot near the square and watched the bailiff clip-clop his way forward like Caesar on a stallion.
An anxious crowd formed around him, buzzing. A bailiff never brought good news: only higher taxes and harsh decrees.
He took out two official-looking documents. Good citizens of Veille du P?re. He cleared his throat. Your lord, Baldwin, sends his greetings.
`In compliance,' he began, `with the laws of the land, in the reign20 of Philip Capet, king of France, Baldwin, duke of Treille, decrees all subjects known to give aid or shelter to the fugitive21 known as Hugh De Luc, a cowardlymurderer , shall be treated as accomplices22 to the above-mentioned fugitive and receive the full and swift measure of the law.' Which, for you sow-addled farmers who may not fully16 understand, means hanged by the neck until dead.
`Additionally,' he went on, `all lands, property, and belongings23 owned or leased from the duchy by such persons shall be immediately forfeited24, confiscated25, and returned to the demesne26, and all spouses27, siblings28, and descendents, free or indentured29, shall be sworn into lifelong service to his liege.'
My blood almost burst through my veins30. The town was being punished for my crimes. All personal property handed over, worked lands returned, families ripped apart. I waited, holding my breath, for a voice to cry out against me. A wife, at wit's end, afraid to lose any more. An unknowing child...
The bailiff took a long, measuring look around. He was an obscenity. Thoughts, townspeople... ? A sudden change of heart? There was a tense, drawn-out silence. But no one spoke up. Not one of them.
Then Father Leo stepped forward. Once again, bailiff, our lord, Baldwin, shows he is a wise and charitable liege.
The bailiff shrugged31. Appropriate measures, Father. Word has it the scum is back in these parts.
So whatgood news have you brought in your other decree? someone called out.
Almost forgot... He smiled and rapped his head. He unfurled the parchment and, without reading, nailed it to the church wall. General increase in taxes. All raised ten percent.
What!A gasp32 escaped from the crowd. That's not fair. It cannot be.
Sorry. The bailiff shrugged. You know the reasons... Dry summer, stocks are low....
Then, all at once, the bailiff stopped talking. Something had caught his eye. He stood there, motionless.It was the inn. My heart clenched33 in my throat.
Is this not the inn that only weeks ago was burned to the ground? The one belonging to the person we seek? No one answered. Who is rebuilding it? If my memory serves me, the last of its proprietors34 was, shall we say... torn apart by grief.
A few eyes traveled about uneasily.
Who rebuilds it, I say? The bailiff picked up one of the stones.
I began to tremble. This was surely it! The end of me.
Then a voice rang out of the crowd. The town rebuilds it, bailiff. It was Father Leo. The town needs an inn.
The bailiff's eyes lit up. Most charitable, Father. And most assuring to hear this from you, a man whose word is above refute. So tell me, who will run this establishment?
Another silence.
I will, shouted a voice. Marie, the miller's wife. I will tend to the inn while my husband mans the mill.
You are most enterprising, madame. A good choice, I think, since you seem to have no heirs to run your mill.
The bailiff held her gaze. I could see he was unsure whether to believe a word. Then he tossed the stone he still held aside and made his way to his mount.
I hope this is all true. He sniffed35 and pulled the reins36. Perhaps on my next visit I will stay longer, madame. I look forward to the chance to test your hospitality for myself.
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lugged
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| vt.用力拖拉（lug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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hoisted
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| 把…吊起，升起( hoist的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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notched
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| a.有凹口的，有缺口的 | |
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joints
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| 接头( joint的名词复数 )； 关节； 公共场所（尤指价格低廉的饮食和娱乐场所） （非正式）； 一块烤肉 （英式英语） | |
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hearth
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| n.壁炉炉床，壁炉地面 | |
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crumbled
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| （把…）弄碎， （使）碎成细屑( crumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 衰落； 坍塌； 损坏 | |
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mortar
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| n.灰浆，灰泥；迫击炮；v.把…用灰浆涂接合 | |
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knight
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| n.骑士，武士；爵士 | |
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lore
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| n.传说；学问，经验，知识 | |
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flip
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| vt.快速翻动；轻抛；轻拍；n.轻抛；adj.轻浮的 | |
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beads
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| n.（空心）小珠子( bead的名词复数 )；水珠；珠子项链 | |
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knoll
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| n.小山，小丘 | |
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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mound
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| n.土墩，堤，小山；v.筑堤，用土堆防卫 | |
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frantic
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| adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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plumed
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| 饰有羽毛的 | |
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crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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scurry
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| vi.急匆匆地走；使急赶；催促；n.快步急跑，疾走；仓皇奔跑声；骤雨，骤雪；短距离赛马 | |
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reign
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| n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势 | |
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fugitive
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| adj.逃亡的，易逝的；n.逃犯，逃亡者 | |
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accomplices
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| 从犯，帮凶，同谋( accomplice的名词复数 ) | |
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belongings
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| n.私人物品，私人财物 | |
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forfeited
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| （因违反协议、犯规、受罚等）丧失，失去( forfeit的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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confiscated
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| 没收，充公( confiscate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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demesne
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| n.领域，私有土地 | |
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spouses
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| n.配偶，夫或妻( spouse的名词复数 ) | |
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siblings
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| n.兄弟，姐妹( sibling的名词复数 ) | |
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indentured
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| v.以契约束缚（学徒）( indenture的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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veins
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| n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理 | |
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shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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gasp
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| n.喘息，气喘；v.喘息；气吁吁他说 | |
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clenched
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| v.紧握，抓紧，咬紧( clench的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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proprietors
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| n.所有人，业主( proprietor的名词复数 ) | |
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sniffed
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| v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说 | |
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reins
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| 感情，激情； 缰( rein的名词复数 )； 控制手段； 掌管； （成人带着幼儿走路以防其走失时用的）保护带 | |
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