Martin Marbeck 02 Marbeck and the King-in-Waiting by John Pilkington

Author:John Pilkington [Pilkington, John]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Severn House Publishers
Published: 2013-06-10T21:00:00+00:00

TWELVE

In the dawn, Marbeck walked Cobb slowly through cobbled streets. Wisps of smoke rose as the town stirred into life. Dover Castle loomed in the distance, its flag flying from a turret. Bleary-eyed, grimy but uninjured, he stopped at a corner and dismounted. Then he was leading the horse by the reins towards the harbour. The sea lay before him, flat and pewter-grey.

He had spent the last few hours outside the town, watching the road from St Radigund’s. But there was no pursuit, nor did he expect one. Part of his plan, at least, had succeeded. And even though the horses had not been driven from the camp, Marbeck couldn’t imagine that finding him would be a priority for William Drax. What gripped his heart like a cold poultice was the memory of Llewellyn, lantern in hand, bidding him save himself. It would stay with him all his life.

By the sea wall he halted. Looking to the harbour at his right, he saw boats drawn up and figures moving; a fishing smack was about to set forth. Shielding his eyes, he peered out to sea, but saw no vessels. The sun was coming up, the sky almost cloudless; for once, there would be no rain. It now remained for him to find a base from which to work. He would take a room overlooking the harbour, though he did not intend to stay a night – in fact if matters went to plan, he would be gone by noon.

Within the hour he had made his preparations. Seated by a window on the upper floor of a waterfront inn, stripped to his shirt and hose, he ate hungrily from a bowl of hot porridge. Cobb was in the stable, feeding on oats. The place was busy enough for a traveller like Marbeck not to attract much attention. The room was small and unclean, but it had the view he wanted: from here he could see any ship that arrived. It had not taken him long to learn that the only vessel to dock in the past two days was a merchantman from Calais. But a small barque was expected today; that was the vessel Marbeck gambled on, which would bring Thomas Burridge along with his pay chest. Tired yet alert, he finished his breakfast and set himself to watch.

To his relief the wait was short. Having scanned the horizon for an hour or so, watching small craft and fishing boats come and go, he was rewarded at last by the sight of a larger ship coming up from the east. Entering Dover roads, the barque shortened sail and veered towards the harbour. Another half hour and she would dock; Marbeck kept his eyes on her as he dressed. Then, having buckled on his sword, he left the room as he had found it.

The quay was crowded, but that was to the good. Shoremen were making ready, eyeing the small vessel as she hove close. Carts had drawn up, horses stamping in the shafts.

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