He kept explaining, saying it wasn’t truly his uncle but a friend of his father’s who was dear enough to be family, while Gryff ran the names through his memory. He could not recall a lordship of Darian at all, which meant it must be a small place and a very minor lord. The name de Lascaux meant little to him, unless this uncle was related to the man who commanded a force in the Aquitaine – and if he was, Gryff could not remember ever meeting that man or anyone of that family. He was sure he had never heard of Whitting.

“You must come! There will be soft beds for you both, and a hot bath,” Robin said, his eyes dancing with excitement. “And if the time is right I think me there may be something even better than all that. Better even than pork pies,” he assured Nan. “Though I know you will say there is naught can be better than a good pork pie.”

To Gryff’s intense gratification, Nan looked at him briefly before blushing prettily and saying perhaps they would go to Whitting tomorrow, but for now they should eat something. She busied herself in searching through the basket for the best offerings, while Gryff felt the boy’s curious eyes on him.

As the evening wore on, it became plain that these two knew each other from Morency, that Robin was squire to its lord. Gryff would have asked him more, including why a squire went to tourney without his lord, but he was afraid of saying too much and revealing his familiarity with that world. Instead they spoke of hawking, a subject about which Robin was almost as passionate as the sword. It was a safe topic, except for the moment when the boy said his father had once owned a peregrine of Aderinyth, the best-trained bird he’d ever seen.

Gryff could feel Nan look at him when the word was spoken. When Gryff only replied that it was well known that the best falcons and falconers came from Aderinyth, she no doubt took it as modesty. Perhaps he need not hide it. There was nothing wrong with being a common man from Aderinyth, after all, and this boy would only know him as that.

The light was failing, and Robin was saying he must stay awake and keep guard because of the horse. Nan insisted they must take it in turns, that he would take the first watch and must wake her halfway through the night so she may take the second.