A Flight of Arrows

A Flight of Arrows

Cover

Title Page

Dedication

Map of France and Normandy

Prologue

Freshwater, 6^th of July, 1346

Evening

1

Saint-Vaast, 12^th of July, 1346

Morning

Quettehou, 12^th of July, 1346

Midday

2

Saint-Vaast, 12^th of July, 1346

Late afternoon

Saint-Vaast, 12^th of July, 1346

Evening

Saint-Vaast, 12^th of July, 1346

Night

3

Quettehou, 13^th of July, 1346

Morning

Quettehou, 13^th of July, 1346

Midday

Quettehou, 13^th of July, 1346

Afternoon

Morsalines, 13^th of July, 1346

Evening

4

Valognes, 18^th of July, 1346

Afternoon

Valognes, 18^th of July, 1346

Late evening

5

Sainte-Mère-Église, 19^th of July, 1346

Afternoon

Saint-Côme-du-Mont, 19^th of July, 1346

Evening

Saint-Côme-du-Mont, 19^th of July, 1346

Night

6

Carentan, 20^th of July, 1346

Morning

7

Carentan, 20^th of July, 1346

Evening

8

Pont-Hébert, 21^st of July, 1346

Late afternoon

Pont-Hébert, 21^st of July, 1346

Evening

9

Saint-Lô, 22^nd of July, 1346

Morning

10

Cormolain, 24^th of July, 1346

Morning

Saint-Germain-d’Ectot, 24^th of July, 1346

Late evening

Saint-Germain-d’Ectot, 24^th of July, 1346

Night

Saint-Germain-d’Ectot, 25^th of July 1346

Morning

Caen, 25^th of July, 1346

Midday

11

Caen, 25^th of July, 1346

Midday

Caen, 25^th of July, 1346

Late afternoon

Caen, 25^th of July, 1346

Evening

Caen, 26^th of July, 1346

Morning

12

Caen, 26^th of July, 1346

Early afternoon

Caen, 26^th of July, 1346

Evening

13

Caen, 26^th of July, 1346

Evening

Caen, 26^th of July, 1346

Night

Caen, 27^th of July, 1346

Midday

14

Caen, 30^th of July, 1346

Afternoon

Caen, 30^th of July, 1346

Late afternoon

15

Troarn, 31^st of July, 1346

Evening

Rumesnil, 1^st of August, 1346

Late afternoon

Léaupartie, 1^st of August, 1346

Evening

16

Lisieux, 2^nd of August, 1346

Late afternoon

Lisieux, 2^nd of August, 1346

Evening

Lisieux, 2^nd of August, 1346

Midnight

Bernay, 3^rd of August, 1346

Early morning

17

Duranville, 4^th of August, 1346

Evening

Neubourg, 5^th of August, 1346

Evening

Neubourg, 6^th of August, 1346

Late afternoon

Rouen, 8^th of August, 1346

Morning

18

Gaillon, 9^th of August, 1346

Afternoon

Vernon, 9^th of August, 1346

Evening

Longueville, 9^th of August, 1346

Night

Freneuse, 10^th of August, 1346

Afternoon

19

La Roche-Guyon, 10^th of August, 1346

Late afternoon

Freneuse, 10^th of August, 1346

Evening

Freneuse, 10^th of August, 1346

Night

La Roche-Guyon, 10^th of August, 1346

Night

20

Mantes, 11th of August, 1346

Midday

Aubergenville, 11^th of August, 1346

Evening

Poissy, 12^th of August, 1346

Afternoon

Poissy, 13^th of August, 1346

Afternoon

21

Poissy, 14^th of August, 1346

Morning

Poissy, 14^th of August, 1346

Late afternoon

Poissy, 15^th of August, 1346

Late morning

Poissy, 15^th of August, 1346

Midday

Poissy, 15^th of August, 1346

Early afternoon

22

Beauvais, thirty-seven miles south of the Somme, 18^th of August, 1346

Morning

Grandvilliers, twenty-five miles south of the Somme, 19^th of August, 1346

Evening

Molliens-Vidame, ten miles south of the Somme, 20^th of August, 1346

Night

Airaines, four miles south of the Somme, 21^st of August, 1346

Evening

Airaines, four miles south of the Somme, 22^nd of August, 1346

Evening

Airaines, four miles south of the Somme, 22^nd of August, 1346

Night

23

Airaines, four miles south of the Somme, 23^rd of August, 1346

Morning

Oisemont, four miles south of the Somme, 23^rd of August, 1346

Late morning

Acheux, five miles south of the Somme, 23^rd of August, 1346

Evening

Saigneville, south bank of the Somme, 24^th of August, 1346

Morning

The Blanchetaque, 24^th of August, 1346

Mid morning

24

Forêt de Crécy, 24^th of August, 1346

Evening

Forêt de Crécy, 24^th of August, 1346

Night

Forêt de Crécy, 25^th of August, 1346

Afternoon

25

Abbeville, 25^th of August, 1346

Night

26

Abbeville, 26^th of August, 1346

Morning

Crécy-en-Ponthieu, 26^th of August, 1346

Morning

Near Abbeville, 26^th of August, 1346

Early afternoon

Crécy-en-Ponthieu, 26^th of August, 1346

Late afternoon

27

Crécy-en-Ponthieu, 26^th of August, 1346

Night

Saint-Riquier, 27^th of August, 1346

Morning

28

Valloire, 28^th of August, 1346

Midday

Acknowledgements

About the Author

Also by A.J. MacKenzie

Copyright

Cover

Table of Contents

Start of Content

To John, Richard, Jenny, Mary, and Armand – it all began with you

Prologue

Freshwater, 6^th of July, 1346

Evening

The king and his court demanded fresh butter for their bread, so in the end they had to bring two of the cows ashore. Garnet and Marigold were brought up on deck and hoisted over the side of the cog into a smaller boat. They looked so funny, Nell thought, hanging in the slings with their legs dangling, mooing with distress, and when Garnet finally landed in the boat, she kicked one of the sailors so hard he fell overboard. The other men cheered her for a stout lass who didn’t take nonsense from anyone.

The chief herdsman should have gone with the cows, but he was heaving his guts out with seasickness, so Nell went instead. The sailors handed her down into the boat and she held the cows firmly by their halters as they were rowed ashore. Once on dry land, she herded them to the nearby manor of Freshwater, right at the western end of the Isle of Wight. Every so often she turned to look out through the rain at the English ships, riding at anchor with their sails furled, unable to make headway against the strong west wind. She thought about the thousands of soldiers packed inside them like saltfish in a barrel, many of them being just as sick as the chief herdsman.

They were expecting her at Freshwater, and the yeoman of the kitchen, Master Coloyne, showed her a byre where she could stable the cows and do the evening milking. Most of the royal household was there, although the king had taken himself off to Carisbrooke Castle a few miles away. Master Clerebaud the sauce-maker reckoned it was because the beds were softer there. After milking, she warmed herself by the hearth, and then sat down with the scullery lads and maids to eat hot pottage with beans and onions and some bacon thrown in. The pottage warmed them all and kept out the cold. ‘You’d never believe it was July,’ someone said.

‘Never mind,’ said Master Coloyne. ‘It’ll be warm enough when we get to France.’

‘Why will it be warm in France?’ Nell asked.

‘Further