The man’s delicate hand drew back the blunt instrument and with a gentle turn of the wrist withdrew the metal shard. He examined it against the light. ‘I do not think it pierced his intestine. I see no sign of it.’ He placed the metal and the clamp onto a piece of linen and after washing his hands again packed the wound with absorbent herbs, threaded a curved needle and stitched the wound. Blackstone recognized the man’s expertise. The swift and efficient closing of the wound made Will Longdon’s usual attempts seem like a man stitching a coarse shirt.

‘Now I shall make a poultice and bind him. He must not ride for five or six days. More if possible.’

‘I’ll be lucky to keep him out of the saddle for a day,’ said Blackstone.

‘Then my work might have been in vain.’

‘Can you keep him drugged?’

‘For a day or two, yes.’

‘Then I can ask no more of you, Halif ben Josef. You have my thanks. I am in your debt.’

Ben Josef smiled and applied the dressing. ‘I am sworn to heal. How can there be debt?’

‘Then how can I repay you?’

The physician wiped his hands and considered Blackstone’s request.

‘When I was captured these men took two rings from my hand. They were my late wife’s and I treasured them with a sentiment only an old man who has enjoyed a long marriage can understand.’

‘I am not an old man but I understand, Master Josef. You shall have them returned to you.’

Halif ben Josef bowed his head in thanks. ‘That is not all that was taken. Before the battle at Cocherel I was not in servitude nor held under contract. I was a free man.’

The request was a simple one. Blackstone nodded and stepped outside with Godfrey de Claville. ‘Give me a small wagon and horses and a straw mattress and I’ll pay the Jew’s ransom and that of any other prisoners you hold.’

De Claville shook his head. ‘The half-dozen others are not worth much but he’s worth a lot, Sir Thomas. The King of Navarre will pay to have such a skilled surgeon returned to him.’

‘There’s a battle coming between those who wish to rule Brittany. Armies are already gathering, you know that. You serve the Lord of Mayenne and he’ll call on you. I will give you two things. A ransom paid and a promise that if I see you on the battlefield I will not fight you. I cannot promise you your life in battle but give my word I will not take it.’