The bellowing of a dragon. . Why, I wondered, did that image seem familiar? But there was no time now to dwell on that.
I frowned as I walked, already deeply uneasy about the task before us. Before me, in fact, for I was the dowser and it was for me to pinpoint the location of whatever we had come to find. All at once I was very angry with Romain. He had been high-handed and arrogant, assuming my — our — ready compliance with his wishes and giving out so little information in return. I’ve been such a fool, I thought miserably; I’ve gone along with his wishes as meekly as a puppy eager for a pat on the head. I ought to have demanded to know what I was getting into before I even considered leaving the safety of my sister’s house.
My sister. My fat, pregnant, complaining, cruel but nevertheless suffering sister. And I had abandoned her. Oh, well, I reflected, while I was castigating myself I might as well do the job thoroughly, so I gave myself a good scolding for being selfish and heartless as well.
Romain had stopped. I was so preoccupied with my unhappy thoughts that I almost walked right into him. I went to stand on his right; Sibert was on his left.
He stretched out his arm, indicating the scene before us. ‘Dunwich,’ he said grandly. ‘It’s one of the largest and most important ports on the east coast. Three thousand people live there’ — three thousand! I could not believe it, nor begin to imagine how so many people could possibly be in one place — ‘and there are half a dozen churches and quite a few chapels, and several religious foundations as well. The port exports East Anglian wool and grain and those ships you see down there’ — he pointed to the harbour — ‘are probably from the Baltic. They’ll have brought furs and timber, mostly,’ he added knowledgeably. ‘We also receive ships from the Low Countries with fine cloth’ — he brushed nonchalantly at the sleeve of his tunic — ‘and from France, bringing good wine.’
He spoke with such confident authority and for a moment, scared and homesick, so far from my home and all that I knew and understood, I had an urgent need of his strength and self-possession. He’d said we. We receive ships. How possessive he sounded about this astonishing place. Well, if his manor were indeed close by, then it appeared he had every right to be. I was suddenly struck by the unpleasant thought that he can have had nothing but an abysmally low opinion of Aelf Fen. Oh, dear Lord, and I gave him some of the food my mother had prepared for Goda’s wedding. Whatever could he have thought of it, he who was used to the very best that money could buy?
I felt my face flush with shame.
But then I thought — actually it was almost as if someone else had put the thought into my head, and the voice sounded very much like Edild’s — that Romain might be wealthy and powerful but despite all that he had come looking for our help, mine and Sibert’s. This vital task that he had to do could not, it seemed, be achieved without us.
After that, I began to feel less abject.
Romain was very aware of the two young people standing either side of him. The boy was trembling. Although the awareness of this disturbed Romain he was not surprised at it, for he had been aware of Sibert’s growing fear for some time. He was fairly sure that he knew from where it stemmed: at the outset, the youth had said very promptly that he knew where the search must be carried out, no doubt about that. Now that the time had come, was he beginning to question himself? Perhaps he was thinking, Oh, but it’s all changed — as indeed he well might — and I’m no longer sure of my bearings.
In a way, Romain hoped that this was the cause of Sibert’s obvious distress. Romain could deal with it if it were; a few encouraging words, a few hearty phrases on the lines of ‘Of course you can do it, Sibert! Just relax, take your time, study the area carefully and the rest will follow, you’ll see!’
There was something else that could be causing Sibert’s alarming tension. Studying him covertly, Romain wondered if at long last the boy had realized what Romain had tried so very hard to gloss over. Sibert was far from being stupid but he was obsessed, and such a violent and all-encompassing emotion did not always permit rational thinking. Romain had rather depended on this. So far, he had got away with it. Please, he prayed to a power he could barely envisage, please don’t let him realize now, of all times, what I’ve been so very careful never to mention!
Sibert gave himself a shake, as if coming out of some bleak reverie. Sensing Romain’s eyes on him, he turned and gave the older man a small smile. Romain, taking that as a good sign, returned it with a broad grin. ‘Not long now!’ he said encouragingly.
Sibert did not answer.
Romain twisted round to look at the girl. Something had shifted within her, too, although the change was subtle and Romain could not interpret it. He had sensed her awestruck reaction to her first sight of Dunwich — it was hardly surprising, she was a rural peasant who had probably never strayed more than a few miles from her ghastly little village before now — and he had compounded the moment by sharing a few of the impressive facts about the great port. Let her be in no doubt, he had thought, who is master in our enterprise. She’s right out of her natural element here, as well as being absent from her sister’s home without permission, and she’s got to realize that I’m the only one who can protect her. I need her to be utterly dependent on me and on my good will, he reminded himself. That way she’ll be completely in my power and there won’t be any silliness when we find what we’ve come looking for.
To begin with she had seemed cowed and afraid, and he was sure that just for an instant as they stood there looking down on Dunwich, before she brought herself under control, she had leaned in closer to him. As if she desperately needed his kindly touch to reassure her that everything was all right.
But it had only been fleeting. Now she had edged a clear pace or two away from him and she had raised her chin in that gesture he had seen in her once before.
He wondered, just for an instant, if he had underestimated her.
SEVEN
‘Come on,’ Romain said abruptly.
Even to his own ears, his voice sounded strangely harsh in the awed silence. He had suddenly realized that it was not wise to remain here looking down on Dunwich, for both his young companions seemed affected by the sight.
I have to keep control, he thought. He did not know exactly what he feared; perhaps it was better for his peace of mind not to put it into words.
He turned to his right and led the way at a smart pace southwards along the narrow track. They had kept away from all the main thoroughfares so far and this was not the moment to alter that prudent habit. Presently the path entered the welcome shade of a band of woodland. So much the better, he thought. The trees are in full midsummer leaf and they will give us excellent cover.
They did not have far to go. Drakelow lay two miles to the south of Dunwich and they would be in woodland most of the way. Romain had thought long and hard about this final phase of their journey, debating endlessly with himself whether they should go to the manor house first or to the shore. In the end he had settled on the manor house, although he was still not entirely convinced that this was the right decision.
A mile to go. The familiar landmarks were succeeding each other in swift succession now. Soon the house would come into view.
Half a mile. He risked a glance at Sibert. The boy was frowning, staring about him as if he were confused. Of course he was confused. He had not been here for several years and much can happen in that time.