Chapter One

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The messengers arrived during the half hour ofchapter, and would not eat, drink or rest, or wash the mud of theroads from their feet, until they had made their way in to theassembly in the chapterhouse, and delivered their charge. If thesuppliants failed in zeal, so would the givers.

They stood with every eye upon them, refusing to sit until themessage was proclaimed. Sub-Prior Herluin, long in experience andauthority, a man of impressive presence, stood fronting the lordabbot, his lean hands folded at his girdle. The young novice whohad walked with him all the way from Ramsey stood modestly a paceor two behind, devoutly copying his superior’s pose andstillness. Three lay servants of their house, escort on thejourney, they had left with the porter at the gatehouse.

“Father Abbot, you know, as all men know, our lamentablehistory. It is now two months since our house and estates wererestored to us. Abbot Walter is now calling back to their vocationall those brothers who were forced to disperse and find shelterwherever they could, when the rebels and outlaws took everythingfrom us, and drove us out at sword-point. Those of us who remainedclose returned with our abbot as soon as we were permitted. To anutter desolation. By right we were possessed of many manors, butafter the dispossession all were handed out to such lawlessvillains as would support de Mandeville, and to declare themrestored to us avails us nothing, since we have no force to recoverthem from the robber lords except by law, and the law will takeyears to justify us. Also, such as we do recover will have beenplundered and stripped of everything of value, half-ruined,possibly burned. And within the pale…”