“He is no less welcome,” said Radulfus,“because his prayers must be silent. His silence may be moreeloquent than our spoken words.” If he had been taken abackhe had mastered the check so quickly as to give no sign. It wouldnot be so often that Abbot Radulfus would be disconcerted.“After this journey,” he said, “you must both beweary, and still in some distress of mind until you have again abed, a place, and work to do. Go now with Brother Cadfael, he willtake you to Prior Robert, and show you everything within theenclave, dortoir and frater and gardens and herbarium, where herules. He will find you refreshment and rest, your first need. Andat Vespers you shall join us in worship.”

Word of the arrivals from the south brought HughBeringar down hotfoot from the town to confer first with the abbot,and then with Brother Humilis, who repeated freely what he hadalready once related. When he had gleaned all he could, Hugh wentto find Cadfael in the herb-garden, where he was busy watering.There was an hour yet before Vespers, the time of day when all thenecessary work had been done, and even a gardener could relax andsit for a while in the shade. Cadfael put away his watering-can,leaving the open, sunlit beds until the cool of the evening, andsat down beside his friend on the bench against the high southwall.

“Well, you have a breathing-space, at least,” hesaid. “They are at each other’s throats, not reachingfor yours. Great pity, though, that townsmen and monastics and poornuns should be the sufferers. But so it goes in this world. And thequeen and her Flemings must be in the town by now, or very near.What happens next? The besiegers may very well find themselvesbesieged.”

“It has happened before,” agreed Hugh. “Andthe bishop had fair warning he might have need of a well-stockedlarder, but she may have taken her supplies for granted. If I werethe queen’s general, I would take time to cut all the roadsinto Winchester first, and make certain no food can get in. Well,we shall see. And I hear you were the first to have speech withthese two brothers from Hyde.”