< previous page page_226 next page >

Page 226
exclaimed with surprise at the same moment that Geoffrey issued a sharp order to hurry. The violence and urgency of the dog had finally made him uneasy. Surely by now Joanna would have quieted the beast if she had just gone down into the boat to answer a question. For the first time it occurred to him that the boat he had been watching had docked at Joanna's house and that, if it had been a casual visitor, she should be visible somewhere.
"There is no room" the boatman began.
"Pull alongside," Geoffrey snapped, drawing his sword.
He was not, of course, armed for fighting. No one in his right mind went on the river in full mail. On the other hand, there were cutpurses and thieves everywhere in the city, even on the river, and a man who had a good sword wore it as much as a warning as for a weapon. The boatmen's eyes widened as they saw Geoffrey's sword come out, but the younger of the two rose and gripped an oar as a man would hold a quarterstaff while he made ready a grappling hook with the other hand. However, it was less easily done than said to bring the boats alongside. The larger of the two craft was rocking so violently that the men trying to cast off from the dock were having trouble with the ropes and the others, still at the oars, were watching them.
Within the vessel, Braybrook had received almost as violent a surprise as Joanna. She had been so stunned by the assault upon her that, aside from the brief cry and attempt to run, she had allowed herself to be passively dragged aboard and behind the shielding canopy in the stern. The men, expecting rather that she would faint than fight, were supporting her more than holding her, although one kept a firm grip on her mouth to prevent screaming. By the time she was concealed from view, however, Joanna's shock had yielded to outrage. She promptly kicked one of the men holding her in the shin and, when pain made him relax his grip a trifle, she twisted half-free and kicked the other in the groin. That man released her completely to grab for his maltreated private parts. Seeing Joanna almost free, Braybrook sprang forward and met the fist blow she had intended for the one man who still held her.

 
< previous page page_226 next page >