“We shall be grateful indeed to go mounted a while,”agreed Herluin, coming as near to smiling as his features wouldpermit, “for we intend to go on at least to our brothers atWorcester, perhaps also to Evesham and Pershore, and it would besimple to return by Shrewsbury and bring back your horses. Ourswere taken, every one, by the outlaws before they departed. Butfirst, even this day if possible, we would wish to go and speakwith Brother Sulien.”
“As you think best,” said Radulfus simply.“Brother Cadfael, I think, is best acquainted with theway—there is a ferry to be crossed—and also with thehousehold of the lord of Longner. It may be well if he accompaniesyou.”
“Brother Sulien,” remarked Cadfael,crossing the court afterwards with Brother Anselm the precentor andlibrarian, “has not been called by that title for some while,and is hardly likely to take kindly to it again now. And soRadulfus could have told him, for he knows the whole story of thatyoung man as well as I do. But if he had said as much, this Herluinwould not have listened, I suppose. ‘Brother’ means hisown brother Eudo now to Sulien. He’s in training for arms,and will be one of Hugh’s young men of the garrison up therein the castle as soon as his mother dies, and they tell methat’s very close now. And a married man, very likely, evenbefore that happens. There’ll be no going back toRamsey.”
“If his abbot sent the boy home to come to his owndecision,” said Anselm reasonably, “the sub-prior canhardly be empowered to bring too severe pressure on him to return.Argue and exhort as he may, he’s helpless, and must know it,if the young man stands fast. It may well be,” he addeddrily, “that what he hopes for from that quarter is aconscience fee in silver.”