Chapter 41 - 1305
“Thyme, oregano, and many an herb,” a young lad shouted over Nicholas’ shoulder at the Saturday farmers market. The boy walked through the crowd, carrying a sack laden with fresh mountain herbs.
The palace square bristled with people: moving, gesturing, arguing. Finding Poitou would take some effort, and Nicholas willed himself to be patient. On market days, the number of people in the capital doubled, as peasants brought their produce from the countryside. Dressed in knee-length woolen tunics, they led sheep around carts loaded with poultry. Women with their heads covered in wimples mingled with merchants in colorful cotehardies.
The bailiff walked around with an air of authority. He approached a rich and rotund merchant and reminded him that he could not let his hors
