Chapter XLIV
As soon as we were outside the church Trudy shivered.
"It's colder than I thought," she remarked, rubbing her arms.
"Take my cloak, Trudy," I said, slipping it off my shoulders and holding it out to her.
"And leave you all cold?" Trudy raised her eyebrows and made no effort to take the cloak. "I've got a better idea; put the cloak around me, like those other people we saw."
I felt my face growing dark with shame at such a suggestion, for surely her father would kill her for bringing dishonour on his house - and then he would kill me also - but when I looked around me I saw yet another young couple sharing a cloak in just such a fashion. Truly, I thought, these Franks have strange customs.
What could I do? I put the cloak across my shoulders and held it open so that Trudy could step inside. She snuggled up close to me and put one arm around my waist and I had no choice but to put my arm around her shoulders. With our free arms we held the cloak shut against the cold morning breeze and walked thus back to Guy's house.
At the doorway and again at the foot of the stairs I halted, fearing to meet any of the household and especially Sid Guy, but Trudy refused to leave me until we had climbed the steps and stood outside the door to Guy's appartment.
"Thank you, Fuad," she said, and kissed me on the cheek before whirling out of my arms and my cloak and disappearing through the doorway without a backward glance.
I longed to consult with one of my friends over her behaviour, but I dared not speak lest some rumour come to the ears of Sid Guy and bring his anger on my head. In any case after this day I had little chance to talk privately with anyone, for this was the time of the Nasrani festival of the Birth or Christ's Mass and pilgrims flocked into the city. As well as the usual trips to Jericho which now increased to one or two a week, there were hordes of new pilgrims who needed to be shown the way to Bethlehem (even though you could just about see it from Jerusalem). There were trips somewhere every day - and to Bethlehem two or three a day!
"By God," I commented one night after we had extinguished the lamp, "I could sleep for a month, I feel that tired."
The other three laughed and Hamed's voice came from the darkness, "You think this is hard work? Wait until spring, when these idolators celebrate the feast of Easter."
"Yes," Hilmi chimed in, "and wait until the sea is open and es-Sid starts to send us down to Ascalon or Joppa or even as far as Caesarea to meet the ships that come from the Christian lands."
"Why does he do that?" I asked.
"To find customers," Hilmi answered me. "We have to mix with the pilgrims and persuade them to hire us as guides and guards."
"To be fair," Babrak interrupted, "Guy usually sends his Frankish squires to avoid putting us in danger."
"What danger?" I was surprised.
"Many of these new pilgrims think that all Arabs and all Muslims are enemies of God," Babrak explained. "Some even believe that it is a religious duty to kill every Muslim they meet. When they see us they attack us, particularly when they are drunk."
"Fortunately we are all light-skinned enough that most people think we come from Italy or the south of France," Hamed chuckled. "Only when they hear us speak do they begin to wonder. I had one man last year who swore that I was a Muslim and wanted to kill me. Because he spoke French I told him that I was from Italy and when he declared that I was too dark for an Italian I told him that my mother was Greek and as he had no idea what a Greek looked like he went off growling."
Whenever possible we still went down to the place of fighting in the Valley of Hinnom to practise and I was pleased to discover that I was no longer as hopeless as I had been. Several times when I fought Hamed or Hilmi - though never when I fought Babrak - I was able to fight for as long as it takes to recite the sura Ya Sin quickly without receiving a single blow to my body - though to tell the truth it was also without landing a single blow on my opponent, which shows you how evenly matched we all were.
The next day Hilmi and I went with a group of pilgrims to Bethlehem and returned shortly after noon. We ate and then went to the place of fighting for a couple of hours. Hamed and Babrak were also there and we walked home together. When we returned Fatima was waiting for me with a message from Sitt Trudy.
"Ya Fuad," she called as we walked in through the door, "Es-Sitt says that she needs to go to the shops and she wants you to accompany us."
I groaned and the others laughed immoderately.
"Watch out for her jokes," Hilmi warned and Hamed added, "Watch out for beggers." Babrak, however, frowned and said, quietly, "Watch out for es-Sitt, brother."
Fatima waited until their laughter had subsided then she added, "She says to be sure to wear your cloak."
I felt my heart suddenly leap, but I kept a calm face and begged leave to wash my face. I said that I would be ready after I had refreshed myself. A short time later we set out, the two girls ahead and I following, but as soon as we were out of sight of the house Fatima asked Trudy for permission to visit a friend and went off down one of the side alleys. At once Trudy turned to me with a smile on her lips.
"I'm cold, Fuad."
The day was quite mild and she was wearing a short fur coat, but nonetheless I opened the cloak and she slipped inside and once more we put our arms around each other.
"Ya Sitt," I said after we had walked a short distance, "how can we go to the shops like this? Are you not afraid that someone will see us and tell your father of this?"
"Call me Trudy," she said and pinched my side hard.
I yelped and jumped and she giggled. "Trudy, I mean . . ."
"That's better." She rubbed the place she had pinched and smiled up at me. "Yes, we can't very well go to the shops like this, so let's go somewhere else." She thought for a moment. "I know; take me to St Anne's."
"Sitt - er - Trudy, I would do so willingly, but I have never heard of this St Anne's," I said.
"What sort of a guide are you?" Trudy poked me in the ribs, tickling me so that I almost jumped out of the cloak. "Never mind, I'll show you the way."
We walked through a maze of narrow alleys so that I was completely lost, but eventually we came out in a road that I recognised as the Via Dolorosa, one of the places to which we always took our pilgrim groups because of the Nasrani hadith that the prophet Jesus, on whom be peace, walked this road on his way to crucifixion.
We turned left towards the Lion Gate, which the Franks call the Gate of St Stephen, and after a short distance Trudy guided me into a gateway where the door stood open. Within was a paved courtyard on which stood a new church. We entered the doorway of the church and found a place to sit at the base of one of the pillars.
"Listen to the echo," Trudy said and lifted up her head to call "Fuad is my squire."
"Hush!" I whispered frantically, "What will people think?"
She laughed and repeated the phrase and her voice reverberated around the building. I felt my face growing dark but what could I do? Her arm was around me, holding me tight - as my arm was around her! - and it was very warm and pleasant in the shelter of the cloak. I must admit also that it was exciting to be so close to a girl and a Frankish one at that.
"I don't care if anyone does see me," Trudy said. "These monks can't say anything; do you know why?"
"No, Trudy."
"Lady Agnes, the king's mother, has a lover. Do you know who he is?" she demanded.
"No, Trudy."
"Patriarch Heraclius, that's who. He only became patriarch because of her - she persuaded the king to appoint him, even though he was not canonically elected."
"What is this 'canocly'?" I asked, for the word was strange.
"Canonically. It means, in accordance with the law - the religious law, the Christian sharia. Many people, including the archbishop of Tyre, opposed him, but Lady Agnes insisted and the Templars agreed with her. While you've been away Patriarch Heraclius excommunicated the archbishop, so he's going to go to Rome to see the pope and get the excommunication lifted."
"Wallah!" I exclaimed. "Truly God alone is great. I had no idea of all these things."
Trudy waved her hand dismissively. "Every great lady has her lover or at least her squire." She lowered her voice. "Will you be my squire, Fuad?"
"Sitt," I began and hastily changed to "Trudy" as I felt her fingers move to pinch my side. "Trudy, I am your father's squire. If this is his will, I am ready."
Trudy shook her head. "No, this is a different kind of squire."
"What must I do?" I asked.
Trudy thought for a moment. "Well, if you were a Frank you would have to write poetry about me and serenade me at night and I would give you my glove to wear when you fought and things like that."
It was my turn to shake my head. "Trudy, I cannot write poetry - that is what Hamed does - and what is this serenade? I do not understand these things."
"I know," Trudy replied. "But you are not a Frank, so I won't ask you to do them. Let it just be a secret between us. I know!" she exclaimed, turning towards me gleefully, "You can take me to meet your family. I would love to see how the beduin live."
We discussed this idea for some time and finally I agreed to take her, but only if her father was willing.
"Sid Guy is my lord," I said. "I will not do anything to displease him."
"Don't worry about him," Trudy spoke confidently. "He will do whatever I ask."
"Will he allow you to have a Muslim squire?" I demanded.
Trudy hesitated then shrugged. "I don't know." She thought for a moment. "Of course, you could always become a Christian. Then I could marry you and my father would make you his heir."
I gulped. I had never thought of marrying Trudy - marrying my lord's daughter! For a moment I was dazzled by the prospect of marriage to such a woman and of the riches and power I would have as the son-in-law of Sid Guy, but then I shook my head.
"Sitt Trudy," I said, ignoring the pinch she gave me, "I am of Islam; I affirm the unity of God. I cannot become a Nasrani."
"Not even for me?" Trudy pouted.
"Not even for you," I said.
"Good!" Trudy exclaimed with feeling.
I was surprised. "Why do you say 'good'?" I asked her.
"Because if you changed your religion just for me, you might change it back again just as easily when you grew tired of me," she explained. "If, however, you change your religion because you believe in Jesus, then I will be most glad."
I don't know how long we talked together, but after what seemed only a short time Fatima entered the church and coughed noisily.
"It is nearly sunset," she told Trudy.
We rose reluctantly and set out for home and as soon as we were out in the street Fatima shivered and complained that she was freezing to death. "Won't you take pity on a poor girl, Fuad?" she asked in a piteous tone of voice.
"There isn't room in here for three," Trudy told her.
I was ashamed and made to slip out of the cloak but Trudy held me tight. "She's only teasing you," she said and, indeed, Fatima giggled and said no more about being cold.
When we reached the door to Guy's appartment Trudy kissed me and slipped away as before but I caught Fatima by the elbow and gave her a dirham, which was all that I had on me. Clearly she was deeply in the conspiracy with her mistress, so from then on I took care to treat her with respect and to give her a trinket or a coin as often as I could, for if she wished she could cause great trouble for both of us.
