Page 374 of Historical Hotties
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
“Ihave heardyou have been looking for information on Bastian de Russe.”
An English soldier bearing the emblem of Gloucester on his tunic cornered Arneau when the man went into a storeroom behind the main room of the tavern to collect a small barrel of red wine. It was a dank, dark, little room, the perfect place for an ambush. The soldier stood in the doorway as Arneau stood there with the barrel in his arms, facing him. Tension was in the air.
“An old drunk who spends his days in this tavern heard you speaking with another man about de Russe,” the soldier continued. “The old drunkard told me a great deal. He says that you want to locate de Russe because you want to trap him. Is this true?”
Arneau was very suspicious and he was also quite fearful, realizing that this soldier had somehow come into some very dangerous information. When he used the word “trap”, Arneau recalled that he and le Foix had used such a word the night before.Damnation!He thought.Someone must have overheard!Terror shot through him.
“Why do you ask such questions?” he demanded, defensive. “This is a public house. Many people speak of many things.”
“Be at ease, old man,” the soldier said. “I am not here to punish you. Mayhap I can help you if the price is right.”
The soldier’s presence was becoming a bit clearer but Arneau was still wary and he was still frightened. “I cannot help you.”
“You are not willing to pay for correct and current information on the man?” the soldier asked leadingly. “I do not even care why you want to trap de Russe. That is your business. But I can probably tell you something about him.”
Arneau set down the barrel in his arms because it was growing heavy. He was intrigued by the soldier’s offer but he was still cautious.
“You speak of a drunkard,” he said. “This is a tavern and we have many drunkards, men who spout off foolishly. It is the drink that causes this.”
The soldier’s gaze was appraising. “This particular drunkard is a former soldier for the crown,” he said. “He was a good one until drink took over his life. Now he spends his days wallowing in wine and anything else he can get his hands on. He comes by the Tower regularly to ask for his old job back. He was there this morning and told me he would tell me a great secret if I would give him his job back. He seemed earnest so I told him I would consider giving him his job back if he told me what his secret was. He proceeded to tell me that the barkeep from The Bird and Bucket was speaking on Bastian de Russe and talking about trapping the man but that he needed more information on de Russe’s whereabouts. Is this true?”
Arneau stared at the man, torn between shock and interest. “What would you have me say?”
“You can tell me how much you’ll pay for the information.”
“And have it get back to de Russe that someone would pay money to gain information on him? Go away, now. You are wasting my time.”
The soldier didn’t move and it was an odd standoff in the storeroom. Finally, the soldier cocked his head in a pensive, and nearly plotting, gesture.
“I serve Gloucester,” he said. “De Russe was at the Tower today but he is not staying there. I can tell you where he is staying and I can tell you about his new position with the king. Is that worth something to you?”
Arneau could tell that the man wasn’t going to leave. Moreover, it was the information le Foix had been looking for. But he maintained his caution, fearful that this was somehow a trap.
“If I was looking for such information, what would you want for it?” he asked.
The soldier considered the question. “Five gold crowns.”
“I don’t have that much. But if I was to pay for any information, I would give two gold crowns plus a barrel of wine to take back to your friends.”
“Then I will take it.”
Arneau picked up the wine barrel he had been holding and handed it over to the soldier, who took it gladly and heaved it onto his shoulder.
“De Russe is staying at his family’s home of Braidwood across the river from the Tower,” he said. “I saw him tonight as he left the Tower. He took the ferry across. Also, Gloucester and Bedford have appointed him the King’s Protector and he has been assigned to watch over the young king.”
Arneau’s brow furrowed. “They have removed him from fighting in France?”
“It appears they have for now but I do not know why,” the soldier said. “More than likely something to do with the rumorsabout the Maid. Mayhap they want to remove him from that situation for the time being because I heard he was the woman’s lover. Surely all of France must be out to kill him, even more than usual.”
It was curious information and Arneau absorbed it readily. “Do you know about a relic he took after she was burned to ashes?” he asked.
The soldier looked at him inquisitively. “I do not,” he said. “Have you heard that?”
Arneau shook his head. “It was the ramblings of a mad man,” he said, trying to downplay the question. “What else can you tell me about him?”
The soldier thought a moment. “He came to the Tower with his wife,” he said. “Evidently, he married her when he returned to England but I do not know anything about her.”
