‘Ma’am, take off the cord around your kirtle; use the seax to push the cord behind the stone and down its sides. When you have the cord in position, you should be able to use it to pull out the stone.’
‘How clever of you! I see your mind is as agile as your body.’
I was enjoying the excitement of my escapade with my Cypriot princess and allowed myself a self-satisfied smile – especially when the stone started to slip along the beam. When it was clear of the wall, Anna raised the lantern and peered into the cavity.
‘It’s there! I can see a small wooden casket. Thanks be to God!’
After she had lowered down the casket, which was heavier than I thought, Anna pushed the stone back into position and handed me the lantern.
‘Can you jump, ma’am?’
‘I don’t think so.’
‘Don’t be afraid. Jump towards me; I’ll catch you.’
As she grimaced with apprehension, I could see her strong cheekbones and the dusky hue of her olive skin in the flickering light of the lantern. Then she jumped, and her kirtle – without the cord, which she had forgotten to put back around her waist – billowed up to reveal her linen loincloth. She emitted a muffled shriek as she landed in my arms. We both giggled in amusement at the involuntary exposure of her legs, emboldened by the excitement of finding the casket.
When I set her on her feet, the top of her head was tucked under my chin; I could feel her silky black hair and smell its earthy fragrance. She moved closer to me, and I could feel her breasts as she took a breath. I was sorely tempted to put my arms around her and kiss her. But we were in a vulnerable place, and the men were outside – no doubt extremely anxious for us to reappear. I leaned back to break the intimacy of the moment. She smiled warmly and pushed herself up on her toes to kiss me on the cheek.
‘Thank you, Ranulf.’
‘A pleasure, my Lady.’
We left the chapel as stealthily as we had arrived. Alun counted the contents of the chest: our windfall was over 300 bezants, an amount to flutter the heart of even a very rich man.
With smiles on our faces, we rode north towards the Cilician Gates.
Passage through Palestine had been the least risky part of our journey, as almost all the Muslim warriors were preoccupied with Saladin’s campaign against the Lionheart. But when we reached the gorge of the Cilician Gates, we entered the heart of the domain of the Seljuk Turks. Although Muslims, they were not directly allied with Saladin’s cause. Many of the local warlords made a good living, either ransoming or robbing pilgrims, and had little love for the Christians whose armies, like a plague of locusts, had devastated their countryside many times.
I decided that we would only travel at night, and rest during the day. Thankfully, we passed through the gorge without even a hint of danger. Then we wound our way upwards, on to the Anatolian plateau, where it would be easier to find a path well away from the usual trade routes.
On the tenth night out of Tarsus, we reached a heavily wooded area beyond Eregli, the ancient staging post north of the Cilician Gates. We could see the fires of the city from our high vantage point and decided to make camp among the tall pine trees that filled the atmosphere with their distinct musk. It was the middle of August; the sun had baked our backs all day, and we were exhausted. I decided that, as we were in a remote place with good shade and fresh water, we should rest the horses and ourselves. I also had an ulterior motive: I wanted to find out if my intimate moment with Anna in the church of St Paul, in Tarsus, could be extended into something much more meaningful. I was no longer daunted by her high-born status; I wanted her, and had decided that I would just let events unfold. Whatever followed from then on would be what it would be.
After we had found a good place to camp, we unpacked our weapons and armour. I organized a four-hour watch, divided between the six of us, before we all sat down together to eat dinner. The humour was light-hearted and we drank a strange but potent local mead that we had bought from a farmer along our route. Everyone’s mood was buoyant, thanks to our boon at Tarsus. The Little Quintet would be able to live well upon their return to England, and Anna and Theodora would be able to attend the imperial court in Constantinople in a manner that was appropriate to their status.
Only Alun was subdued.
After dinner, I asked what was troubling him.
‘The further away we travel from the Holy Land, the more aware I become of my failure to honour the promise I made to Earl Harold.’
‘You did as much as you could, and you have been a major influence on the Lionheart. But he is now well over thirty years of age, and unlikely to change any further.’
‘But that’s not the point, Ranulf; I made a promise to be his mentor. In some ways, after what he did at Acre, he needs me even more. Besides which, Earl Harold and I both have a very personal interest in his future and that of England.’
‘I remember; you hinted at that when you revealed the truth of your lineage. Isn’t it time for me to hear the full details of Harold’s story?’
‘Yes, it is; you’ve been very patient. It is a long story. Let’s spend tomorrow morning by the lake, before it gets too hot, and I’ll tell you everything you need to know. After I’ve done that, I think I must go back to the Holy Land.’
‘But you can’t go back on your own—’
‘I will have to accept the risks. I took the decision to leave, and I will have to live with the consequences of going back.’
‘We’ll come back with you. At least let us accompany you into Christian territory.’
‘No, you cannot, Ranulf. Your responsibility is to the princesses; you have to get them safely to Constantinople.’
Alun was right, of course. But I knew he would be in grave danger if he made the journey alone. I watched him walk away. I felt sorry for him – especially as my banishment from the King’s retinue meant that I would no longer be able to help him with the Lionheart’s cause.
The euphoria of earlier had evaporated, and I decided to walk down to the lake beyond our camp. It was a clear moonlit night and still wonderfully warm. I found a large tree at the edge of the lake, sat at the base of its trunk and looked out over the silvery veneer. Within moments, I was soundly asleep.
My next sensation was heavenly. I could feel the heat of a body next to mine; it was a naked body, and it was female. Then I heard Anna whispering in my ear.
‘I wanted you so much in Tarsus, and I know you wanted me. It was not a good time then, but now it’s perfect. No one will disturb us here.’
Although I was by then fully aroused and desperate to ravish her, I managed a word of caution.
‘Are you sure? I am but a knight, and a disgraced one at that.’
‘You are far more than a knight in my eyes.’
She was so encouraging, and our coupling was prolonged and deeply satisfying. Anna’s body was lissom and powerful; her skin became ever more lustrous through her snakelike exertions, until it was covered in a warm dew.
We bathed in the lake to cool down before resuming our passions, something we repeated once more before fatigue got the better of us.
My watch was due to begin at dawn, so I helped Anna put on her kirtle and walked with her back to camp. She embraced me and I was reluctant to let her go before she snuggled down next to her sister. By the time I relieved Modig on watch, I was exhausted and just wanted to sleep – an inexcusable sin.
At least I could savour what had just transpired and fantasize about the kind of future Anna and I could have together. Perhaps her imperial Comneni family would find me a governorship in a beautiful and peaceful part of the Empire; perhaps I would be offered command of a Byzantine theme, or a senior position in the Varangian Guard.
Sweet musings melded into real dreams. Within moments, I was fast asleep.
