Brother Cadfael 09: Dead Man's Ransom

and heard the door locked upon them. There was a lamp, a floating wick in a saucer of oil, sufficient for seeing, since the pale stone of the walls reflected the light from all sides. The prisoner looked askance at the Benedictine habit, unsure what this visit predicted. In answer to what was clearly a civil greeting in English, he replied as courteously in Welsh, but in answer to everything else he shook his dark head apologetically, and professed not to understand a word of it. He responded readily enough, however, when Cadfael unpacked his scrip and laid out his salves and cleansing lotions and dressings. Perhaps he had found good reason in the night to be glad of having submitted his wound to tending, for this time he stripped willingly, and let Cadfael renew the dressing. He had aggravated his hurt with riding, but rest would soon heal it. He had pure, spare flesh, lissome and firm. Under the skin the ripple of muscles was smooth as cream.
    'You were foolish to bear this,' said Cadfael in casual English, 'when you could have had it healed and forgotten by now. Are you a fool? In your situation you'll have to learn discretion.'
    'From the English,' said the boy in Welsh, and still shaking his head to show he understood no word of this, 'I have nothing to learn. And no, I am not a fool, or I should be as talkative as you, old shaven, head.'
    'They would have given you good nursing at Godric's Ford,' went on Cadfael innocently. 'You wasted your few days there.'
    'A parcel of silly women,' said the boy, brazen faced, 'and old and ugly into the bargain.'
    That was more than enough. 'A parcel of women,' said Cadfael in loud and indignant Welsh, 'who pulled you out of the flood and squeezed your lordship dry, and pummelled the breath back into you. And if you cannot find a civil word of thanks to them, in a language they'll understand, you are the most ungrateful brat who ever disgraced Wales. And that you may know it, my fine paladin, there's nothing older nor uglier than ingratitude. Nor sillier either, seeing I'm minded to rip that dressing off you and let you burn for the graceless limb you are.'
    The young man was bolt upright on his stone bench by this time, his mouth fallen open, his half, formed, comely face stricken into childishness. He stared and swallowed, and slowly flushed from breast to brow.
    'Three times as Welsh as you, idiot child,' said Cadfael, cooling, 'being three times your age, as I judge. Now get your breath and speak, and speak English, for I swear if you ever speak Welsh to me again, short of extremes, I'll off and leave you to your own folly, and you'll find that cold company. Now, have we understood each other?'
    The boy hovered for an instant on the brink of humiliation and rage, being unaccustomed to such falls, and then as abruptly redeemed himself by throwing back his head and bursting into a peal of laughter, both rueful for his own folly and appreciative of the trap into which he had stepped so blithely. Blessedly, he had the native good nature that prevented his being quite spoiled.
    'That's better,' said Cadfael disarmed. 'Fair enough to whistle and swagger to keep up your courage, but why pretend you knew no English? So close to the border, how long before you were bound to be smoked out?'
    'Even a day or two more,' sighed the young man resignedly, 'and I might have found out what's in store for me.' His command of English was fluent enough, once he had consented to use it. 'I'm new to this. I wanted to get my bearings.'
    'And the impudence was to stiffen your sinews, I suppose. Shame to miscall the holy women who saved your saucy life for you.'
    'No one was meant to hear and understand,' protested the prisoner, and in the next breath owned magnanimously: 'But I'm not proud of it, either. A bird in a net, pecking every way, as much for spite as for escape. And then I didn't want to give away any word of myself until I had my captor's measure.'
    'Or to admit to your value,' Cadfael hazarded shrewdly, 'for fear you should be held against a high ransom. No name, no rank, no way of putting a price on you?'
    The black head nodded. He eyed Cadfael, and visibly debated within himself how much to concede, even now he was found out, and then as impulsively flung open the floodgates and let the words come hurtling out. 'To tell truth, long before ever we made that assault on the nunnery I'd grown very uneasy about the whole wild affair. Owain Gwynedd knew nothing of his brother's muster,