Chapter XCII
I left the same day and, not being hindered by donkeys, I reached Gibran before morning.
"Ohe!" I shouted as I approached. "Ohe! Within there! I am Fuad ibn Hassan ibn Tahir of the house of Sid Guy d'Orleans. Ohe!"
Still there were no lights until I hammered on the gate and then at last a light appeared in the window over the gateway and a voice called to know who was without.
"Who is within?" I shouted in reply. "I have been calling my name for the last ten minutes. Would you have me shout out my business as well?"
At last the servant took courage and peered out at the window and recognised me, but still he took a long time coming down to open the door and let me in. I took my horse to the stable and unsaddled it and gave it fodder and water. By then the steward was awake and came down to the courtyard to meet me.
"Bon jour," I greeted him. "I have news."
"Bon jour," he replied. "What is your news? Has the Sultan reached Jerusalem?"
"No, al-hamdu-lillah. However one has come from Damascus seeking a ransom for one of Sid Guy's squires, the German Karl."
"How much?" the steward asked.
"One hundred and fifty dinars," I told him.
The man whistled softly. "That's a lot of money. Have you a writing giving you authority for this?"
"I have better," I said, opening the wallet I carried at my belt and taking out Sid Guy's seal.
We had to go up to the steward's room where there was a lamp so that he could examine the seal properly. He held it to the light and turned it this way and that for a moment, then he looked up at me.
"Where did you get this?"
"From the hand of Sid Guy himself," I said. "When we parted before the battle he gave it to me and also gave me instructions, so all I have done is by his authority."
"But I thought that other one, that Babrak, was in charge," the steward said.
I shrugged.
"What is your name?" the steward asked after a moment of thought.
"Fuad," I told him. "Fuad ibn Hassan."
"Very well, Master Fuad. I'll see that the money is ready as soon as it is daylight. Come, I'll get my wife to prepare some food for you."
"Thank you," I said. "Some water and then let me sleep for what is left of the night."
He conducted me to a room and I threw myself upon the floor and slept almost immediately. It was mid-morning when I awoke, feeling groggy, and went out into the main hall. The steward was sitting at a table writing something in a book and as soon as I entered he rose and came to me.
"Did you sleep well, Master Fuad?"
"Al-hamdu-lillah," I replied. "I wish I had not slept so long."
"I have the money here," the steward told me. "Will you eat something first?"
"Gladly," I said. "I am starving."
At once the steward clapped his hands and his wife and a serving girl came into the hall. He didn't need to give them instructions; as soon as they saw me the serving girl ran out of the room and the steward's wife came over and cleared a space at the table. The serving girl returned carrying dates, bread, cucmbers, milk and honey.
"Master Fuad," the steward spoke to me as I ate, "is there any news of the master?"
I jerked my chin and then, remembering that the Franks shook their head, I shook my head. As soon as I had finished my mouthful I told him, "Nothing, by God. However I will persuade Babrak to go with the messenger to ash-Shams, to Damascus, and ask there."
When I had eaten sufficient I rose, thanked the steward and took the bag of money he proffered.
"Have you any other instructions for me, Master Fuad?" the steward asked.
"Yes," I said. "Of your kindness, do not tell the others about this matter of Sid Guy's seal."
"Very good, Master Fuad."
"Oh, and it is enough to call me 'Fuad'. I am not the master here; if anyone rules, it will be es-Sitt, the lady Ermintrude."
I reached Jerusalem again just before they closed the gates and went straight to the house. Trudy was waiting for me and took me to one side immediately to upbraid me for going off without telling her.
"I was worried," she complained. "Have you no thoughts for me? Where have you been?"
"I went to Gibran," I told her. "I had a message to the steward."
"What? What message?" she demanded.
"I went to see if there was any word of the others," I told her.
"And was there?"
I jerked my chin. "No."
"Well, you could at least have said goodbye," Trudy complained.
After she had rebuked me, however, she kissed me and ran to bring me food. When I had eaten we all talked until she went, with Fatima, to her chamber. Once we were sure she would not return Hilmi ran to fetch Feisal and I showed them the money the steward had given me but when Feisal would have taken it I gave it instead to Babrak.
"I have been thinking," I told him. "You should go with Feisal. Take an extra horse so that you can bring Karl back and while you are there, go to the house of the Emir ibn Hamza and see if you can find out what has happened to es-Sid."
"By God, he is right," Hilmi agreed with me. "Stay several days and make a thorough search."
Babrak and Feisal left the following morning and we stayed in the empty house. It was strange sitting on the floor in Sid Guy's room, for there was neither bench nor stool nor table. Hamed also left soon after, saying that he would go to Gibran to make sure that all was well there.
"Oh, I think Amina is well enough," Hilmi assured him, but though Hamed's face darkened, he went anyway and we had no authority to stop him.
"Actually," Hilmi said to me after he had gone, "You should go also and take es-Sitt to Gibran. Sooner or later the Sultan, God protect him, will arrive and there will be a siege."
"No," Trudy protested. "I want to stay here in case word comes concerning my father - or any of the others."
Later that day, as we sat side by side in the window seat, she asked, "Where is Babrak?"
Hilmi and I glanced at each other and Hilmi cleared his throat.
"Ya Sitt," he said. "A writing came from ash-Shams, seeking ransom for Karl. Babrak has gone to give the ransom and bring Karl back."
"Karl?" Trudy asked. "But what about the others? What about my father?"
"Nothing," Hilmi replied.
Trudy put her hands to her face and began to weep and Hilmi tried to comfort her. "If one comes, Sitt, surely others will come also."
He would have done better to keep silent, for suddenly Trudy turned and struck me on the chest.
"You brute!" she exclaimed. "So that's why you went to Gibran! You went to fetch the money for the ransom. Why didn't you tell me?"
"But Trudy!" I protested, feeling my face grow dark.
"Call me 'Sitt'," she snapped.
She left us and ran into her chamber and we could hear her weeping loudly. Hilmi and I stared at each other uncomfortably and then Hilmi rose and went in search of Fatima to send her in to her mistress. He came back and we sat in silence until Trudy stopped weeping and after a while Fatima came out.
"Why didn't you tell es-Sitt?" she asked us. "She is the daughter of es-Sid. You should not keep such things from her."
