Geoffrey hoped he was right. Nevertheless, he estimated that the abbey already contained at least three hundred would-be warriors. He turned at the sound of running feet. A number of people were converging on the kitchens, where a fight was in progress between Ralph the sacristan and Thurkill the scullion. Ralph was brandishing a ladle, but Thurkill had his sword.
‘Norman pig!’ Thurkill howled. ‘You have no right to order me around.’
‘I have every right,’ screeched Ralph, lunging with his spoon. ‘You are a scullion and I am sacristan. Of course you take orders from me, Saxon scum.’
Thurkill moved in for the kill, and Ralph suddenly realized he had bitten off more than he could chew. Panic-stricken, he darted behind a table and began to lob pieces of food. One hit a cook, who, trying to dodge it, inadvertently jostled a scribe. There followed an unseemly melee, as old scores were settled on both sides.
‘Stop them, Sir Geoffrey!’ shouted Galfridus in horror.
Geoffrey used the flat of his sword to beat a path through the mass of bodies. He caught the sacristan’s arm and yanked him away from a wicked stab by Thurkill. The scullion turned his murderous attention to Geoffrey, but the knight quickly had him in retreat. When Thurkill tripped and disappeared under milling feet, Geoffrey dragged Ralph outside.
‘God and all His saints!’ cried Galfridus, as Wardard casually repelled a dogged attack by a stable boy. ‘They will slaughter us! I thought they would leave me alone — my mother was Saxon, and I assumed they would honour my ancestry.’
‘If they are willing to attack you, they will have no compunction about assaulting other Norman monks,’ said Wardard urgently. ‘We must warn them. I will ring the bell — they will assume it is a call to terce and come to the church.’
‘Good,’ said Geoffrey. ‘It has strong doors and thick shutters. We will be able to defend it.’
‘I was thinking of saying prayers, actually,’ said Wardard.
‘We will fight the bastards!’ snarled Ralph. ‘Smash their skulls and tear out their innards! Our abbey should not be tainted with Saxons clamouring for my King to be overthrown.’
Geoffrey did not wait to hear more. He ran to the hospital, where Roger had already donned full armour and was inspecting the edge of his sword. Bale and Ulfrith wore their tough leather jerkins and hurried to help Geoffrey with his mail.
‘What do you intend to do?’ asked Roger. ‘There are about three hundred Saxons, most more proficient with hoes than with weapons. But even so, there is little we can do against such odds.’
‘We will join Galfridus in the church. I hope Magnus will not murder unarmed monks on holy ground, but if he does, we can try to defend them.’
‘Try?’ asked Ulfrith in alarm. ‘You think we might fail? We might die?’
‘Very likely,’ said Roger without emotion. ‘If they do not recognize the sanctity of a church, we stand no chance. We will take plenty with us, but with such numbers, defeat is inevitable.’
‘I am glad you are looking on the bright side,’ said Geoffrey dryly. ‘Steal a couple of horses, Ulfrith, and bring them to the church. No one will harm you — you are Saxon and you look it — and if anyone asks, say you are acting under Earl Osbjorn’s orders. Bale, come with me.’
Bale was armed to the teeth, and Geoffrey knew it was only a matter of time before he was at someone’s throat. He hoped he would not precipitate a fight that might yet be avoided.
Ulfrith hesitated. ‘Are you saying I should bring these nags inside the church?’
Geoffrey nodded as he set his helmet on his head. ‘And if you see any Normans, tell them to go there, too.’
Ulfrith sped away. Geoffrey, Roger and Bale left the hospital, alert and ready to fight if attacked. They turned at the sound of running feet, but it was only Juhel, chicken at his heels.
‘Those documents,’ Juhel gasped, fighting to catch his breath. ‘The ones Magnus threw in the well and that I have been attempting to salvage.’
‘Not now.’ Geoffrey was aware that men were pouring out of the guest hall. Some were armed and all were shouting. Osbjorn and Eadric had fired them up, and he felt vulnerable and exposed.
‘Two were stuck together and were only dry enough for me to separate a few moments ago,’ said Juhel, thrusting them at him. ‘They are smeared, but still legible. I have been wrong! Magnus is not the driving force behind this rebellion — Ulf is.’
Geoffrey paused just long enough to glance at the pact signed by Ulf and Gyrth. It detailed how they would divide England after the Usurper’s execution, and stated that the moment the kingdom was in Saxon hands, Gyrth was to dispatch Magnus. There was even an assassin picked for the task: Aelfwig. Geoffrey supposed the plotters were fortunate that Magnus could not read and had thus remained in ignorance of what his ‘loyal’ supporters had in mind for him.
‘What of it?’ he demanded impatiently. ‘Ulf is dead and so is Gyrth.’
Juhel grabbed his arm, forcing him to stop. ‘Think, man! You have heard the tales about Ulf’s temper and love of violence. He is a formidable warrior, and there is no way your squire could have overpowered him. I am disgusted with myself for not seeing this sooner. It was not Ulf who was killed in Werlinges: it was Harold.’
Geoffrey was about to take issue with Juhel when he saw a group of lay-brothers coming from the fishponds with furious looks on their faces. It was no time to be chatting, so he grabbed Juhel’s arm and hauled him towards the church. The door was already locked, and Geoffrey pounded on it with his fist. At that moment, a gaggle of Saxons headed towards them, and there was no mistaking their intentions. All carried knives and cudgels. Geoffrey hammered again, and Roger yelled for the door to be opened.
‘No!’ shouted Ralph. ‘If we do, those Saxons will come in with you.’
Geoffrey turned to face the mob, sword in hand, as the man in the lead lowered his pike and braced it under his arm. He was going to use it like a couched lance, and Geoffrey was not sure there was enough space to avoid being spitted. His shield was the one piece of armour he had not managed to salvage from the ship.
But there was a clank and the door opened. Juhel was through it in a trice, with Bale and Roger on his heels, but there was no time for Geoffrey to follow. He leapt in the opposite direction, and the pike whistled past him and struck the door with wicked force. The shaft shattered. Its owner was so intent on driving it home that he had overlooked the need to stop, and the collision knocked him senseless. Geoffrey jumped over him and aimed for the door, alarmed when Ralph tried to close it before he was through. With a furious roar, Roger shoved the sacristan away, and Geoffrey shot inside just as cudgels began to fly.
He turned quickly and added his strength to that of Wardard, Bale and Roger, as the rebels began to force the door open, inch by relentless inch. Geoffrey’s boots skidded on the flagstones as he tried to gain purchase, but he could see it was only a matter of moments before the first Saxon would be inside. In the nick of time, several monks rushed to help. Slowly, the door closed, and Roger was able to slide a substantial bar across it. The church was secure — for now, at least.
‘Fool!’ howled Ralph at Wardard. ‘What possessed you — opening the door like that?’
‘I was saving innocents from being slaughtered,’ said Wardard coolly. ‘You may be happy to stand meekly by as murder is done, but I am not. Now, go and check the window shutters are secure. Galfridus? Are you sure the cloister door is locked and barred?’
Galfridus nodded, his face white. ‘And ten monks set to guard it, as you ordered. With the dozen you have here, no one should be able to get in.’
‘Good,’ said Wardard. ‘I believe the best way to avert violence is to avoid confrontation. If the Saxons see no Normans, their fury may fade. Magnus cannot keep them at fever pitch indefinitely.’