"Certes, they are by no means few," observed Gripwell, shading his eyes. "It would seem that the followers of this Sir Raoul have not stuck to the field with their master. There must be at least three score of them—and behind stout walls too. By St. George, we'll have a tough task here, squire Geoffrey."
"That is to be seen," replied Geoffrey. "Has any man a white scarf with him? If so let him bind it to his spear."
Two or three of the required articles were at once forthcoming, and using one as a flag of truce, Geoffrey rode boldly up to the edge of the moat, a man-at-arms riding close behind him with the emblem of parley.
"I would have speech with the representative of Sir Raoul d'Aulx, Seigneur de Maissons," exclaimed Geoffrey.
"Thy message, sir," replied a woman's voice, and to the squire's astonishment and confusion there appeared the figure of the Lady Aimée, daughter of the seigneur and the haughty châtelaine whom Geoffrey had rescued on his journey up the Seine two years previously. She had donned a light steel corselet and cap that failed to conceal her dark brown tresses, and leaning upon a shield emblazoned with the d'Aulx arms, she stood proudly and defiantly upon the battlements of her ancestral home.
Even though Geoffrey had raised the visor of his helmet he felt certain that the damosel failed to recognize him. Nor was that to be wondered at, since the squire had altered and matured not a little during those two years of strenuous life and activity, while in complete mail he looked a very different person from the lad who in ordinary travelling attire had dared to rush in upon a levelled crossbow to aid the haughty Lady d'Aulx.
"In the name of the most puissant sovereign Henry, King of England and France, I demand surrender of the castle known as Maissons, now in the possession of the representatives of Sir Raoul d'Aulx."
"'Tis easy to demand, sir," replied the girl. "Yet not easy to acquire. How dost thou think that thou canst take this castle with more than half a hundred defenders behind its walls. Have a care, sir, lest the forces of King Charles, the only King of France, do not sweep thee and thine from off the face of the earth."
"I fear them not," replied Geoffrey. "Thou knowest only too well that only yesterday the French fled before our arms, leaving vast numbers of gallant knights upon the field and in our hands."
In spite of her coolness Aimée d'Aulx staggered beneath the shock of the news, but recovering herself, she replied, "A truce to thy words, sir. An thou wilt take the castle, advance, for 'tis a warm reception that awaits thee and thine."