Escorted by half a conroi of cavalry – and with their families, personal belongings and their share of the treasury hastily loaded on to carts in their wake – Pierre of Dax and Centulle of Bigorre were on the road to the north within the hour, leaving the city and its captors to enjoy a long night of celebration and revelry. The Duke was the centre of attention for the entire time. It was easy to see how he had won the accolade ‘Lionheart’; he had the rare ability to strike fear into the hearts of his enemies while earning the love of his friends and allies.
Negu and I enjoyed another night of passion – this time, a more private tryst – after which she asked if she could travel with me. Her request, tempting as it was, presented me with a major dilemma.
Despite a likely dubious past, she was a gorgeous creature, who was also intelligent and vivacious. But my mission had only just begun and no matter how attractive she was, she would become a distraction that could jeopardize what lay ahead.
The next day, I sought advice from Father Alun and put his renowned wisdom to the test.
‘So, what is your advice?’
‘Seek permission from Sir William, but you should take her.’
I was astonished. I thought I knew what my decision should be – that it would be unwise to be sidetracked from my mission by Negu’s intoxicating company – and was certain that Father Alun would confirm my judgement. I had only asked him in order to make a difficult decision easier; now his answer had made it much harder.
‘I am amazed. Why do you think I should agree?’
‘I like her. There is something intriguing about her – apart from her more obvious charms, of course. It is better that you have a companion you are fond of, rather than a succession of whores and opportunists. You’ll be a better man for it.’
‘What about you? Doesn’t the same argument apply?’
‘I’ve chosen celibacy. It suits me; the entanglements brought by women are not to my liking.’
‘Alun, I thank you for your advice, and I am grateful for your wise words. But I suppose she will have to travel with the other women, who are hardly the finest examples of either beauty or virtue.’
‘That is her choice. She clearly sees you as a way out of the small world that is Gascony. You can’t blame her for that. She has probably had to use the assets God has given her to get this far, and most likely with some fairly unsavoury characters. Now she has found you, and – if I may say so – you’re a much more attractive proposition.’
I was happy to hear the compliment, and smiled at him.
‘No,’ said Father Alun, ‘I don’t mean that you’re a handsome and chivalrous knight. But you’re in the service of the Lionheart, and he’s a duke who may rule an empire one day! For a girl from a small village in Gascony, that’s a dream come true.’
‘Now I don’t know what to do.’
‘Take her; our allowance from Earl Harold is very generous, and we can easily afford to look after her. Besides, she may be useful if I can persuade the Duke to go where I want him to go.’
‘That’s the second time you’ve mentioned your little plan. Are you going to share it with me?’
‘Not yet.’
‘You may be a wise man, but you are also an infuriating one!’
‘I haven’t had an answer yet, but I’m hoping to take Richard to meet an old nun.’
‘Why?’
‘Because he’ll learn things from her that will help him fulfil his destiny.’
That is all Father Alun would say. Once again, I had to be patient.
7. Captain of the Guard
Before making my final decision about Negu, I needed to ask her some questions.
‘Tell me about your life before the Duke’s army appeared?’
She was very hesitant and embarrassed.
‘Is it important to you?’
‘Yes.’
The next thing she said confirmed my admiration for her. She was not overawed, but just threw the question back at me.
‘You first.’
I gave a full account of my life before arriving in Gascony, in some detail. Then it was Negu’s turn. After telling of a simple childhood in Riscle, a remote village fifty miles east of Dax, where her parents toiled in the fields from dawn until dusk, her eyes began to fill with tears when she described reaching the age of thirteen.
‘The priest of Aire-sur-l’Adour, a large village near to my home, was a clever man and ran classes for children in the district. Most of them were boys, but he did teach a few girls – if they were very clever, or very pretty.’
‘Which category did you fall into?’
‘Both, of course! Anyway, I was lucky; he taught me to read Euskara and how to speak Occitan. But there was a price to pay. I had to suck his cock every day, and a few months later he demanded that I had sex with him once a week. I think he was doing the same with the other girls, but nothing was ever said. He was very careful and made sure I didn’t get pregnant.’
I could see that she was trembling as she told her story.
‘Don’t be ashamed; you had no choice.’
‘I
‘It’s enough,’ I reassured her. ‘You don’t have to tell me any more.’
‘I do… I’ve never told anyone before, so I have to finish. It’s my confession.’
I held her in my arms, and she put her head on my shoulder.
‘Ranulf, what I’m about to tell you may change everything. But please try to understand, and forgive me.’
‘It’s not my place to forgive you, Negu; you have done nothing wrong in my eyes—’
‘Except behave like a harlot. In fact, I
The tears cascaded down her face, and her chest heaved in great spasms of anguish.
‘The truth is too awful, but I must tell you. The priest – his name was Beti, Euskara for “Peter” – was quite old. Although I hated what he did at first, after a while I began to like it. He was kind and gentle, and I became very fond of him. I made him stop doing it to the other girls and, well, I suppose we became lovers.’
She then pulled away to see my reaction.
I smiled reassuringly. ‘Well, he took advantage of you and stole your innocence. One day he will pay for that – perhaps not in this life, but certainly in the eyes of God. You had to make a choice; it was your decision. You still haven’t done anything wrong.’
‘Ranulf, you are so wise and kind. I thought you would be angry.’
‘No, not angry; you did what you had to do. So, now you’ve told me. Don’t be too upset. It’s over. And it could have been worse – he could have been cruel to you.’
‘I know, at least he wasn’t cruel. But he should never have been a priest. Anyway, when I was fifteen, he managed to find me work in the palace kitchens at Dax and I didn’t see him very often. I suppose he found another girl. That is where I met Raymond, the son of Viscount Pierre. I was able to catch his eye; he was handsome, and we became lovers. He took good care of me – he had other girls, but I was his favourite. He wasn’t so gentle in bed with me, but he was a lot younger, and I enjoyed it even more than with Beti. So, there you have it: Negu, the whore of Dax!’
‘Hardly a whore; I would wager that most of the ladies of Viscount Pierre’s court will have had many more lovers than you.’
‘But is it not a sin to enjoy sex so much?’
