The Road to York

 

Inspired by Geoffrey Chaucer

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The York Road was long and arduous. The troupe, easy prey for cut-throats and bandits. A group of pilgrims heading to the shrine of St William were always a vulnerable lot; their number included the frail, infirm and the lame, interspersed by the upper echelons of society keen on flaunting their wealth. Only on such voyages of the soul would such noble personages mingle with the less fortunate.

 

The Lady De Montforte was the subject of much debate; her marriage at York Cathedral was the talk of the group. Some thought it wrong for a beautiful young woman to marry a man twice her age, no matter how large his purse. Others felt it best to keep their noses out of such business. The lady kept to herself, riding her golden Arab mare in saintly silence, her future more carefully mapped than the road she travelled.

 

Setting off from Glastonbury just after Michaelmas, the group would arrive by Christmas. Already there had been a few scuffles among the pilgrims. A merchant accused one beggar of theft; the poor boy received a black eye for his penance, despite protesting his innocence. It was hard to gauge such cases on the road, a magistrate would be found when they arrived.