needed them, and there was thick straw laid down in the stone hall for theoverflow. They would live to return to their spoiled city before the Christmasfeast, but now, exhausted and apathetic with shock, they neededall his care, and the abbey’s resources were stretched to their limits. A fewfugitives with distant relatives in the town had been taken into the houses oftheir kin, and were warmly provided. A pregnant woman near her time had beentaken, husband and all, into the town house of Hugh Beringar, the deputysheriff of the shire, at the insistence of his wife, whom he had brought hereto the security of the town, complete with her women, midwife, physician andall, because she, too, looked forward to giving birth before the Nativity, and hada welcome for any who came in the same expectation, and in any kind of need.

“Our Lady,” remarked Brother Cadfael ruefully to his good friend Hugh, “hadno such reception.”

“Ah, there is but one of my lady! Aline would take in every homeless dogshe saw in the streets, if she could. This poor girl from Worcester will dowell enough now, there’s nothing amiss with her that rest won’t mend. We mayyet have two births here for this Christmas, for she can’t well be moved untilshe’s safely over her lying-in. But I daresay most of your guests will soon beshrugging off their fears and heading for home.”

“A few have left already,” said Cadfael, “and more of the hale ones will beoff within days. It’s natural they should want to get home and repair what theycan. They say the king is on his way to Worcester with a strong force. If heleaves the garrison better found, they should be safe over the winter. Thoughthey’ll need to draw stores from eastwards, for their own reserves will allhave been carried off.”

Cadfael knew from old experience the look, the stench, the desolation of agutted town, having been both soldier and sailor in his young days, and seenservice far afield. “And besides wanting to reclaim what’s left of their storebefore Christmas,” he said, “there’s the spur of the winter coming. If theroads are cleared of bad customs now, at least they can travel dry-shod andwarm enough, but another month, another week it may be, and who knows how deepthe snow will be?”