Wednesday, 1 October 1508

Dear Mary Jane,
I am sitting here by the fire deep in the dark woods of France and longing for your wisdom and inspiring energy. Why haven’t you write for such a long time?
You must surely know that your words mean a lot to me even though I am not always telling you my most concealed feelings…
It’s been a hard day with great losses and I am totally exhausted and grieving inside.
Do you remember Sir George d’Anges? He was my first captain and commander and has always been my friend and mentor during these battling escapades. Today he died in my arms from a ruptured heart caused by a sword in a hand of one of those damned French butchers.

I wish you where here with me right now and could give me some good advices about which following moves I ought to make. Your intuition has always been guiding me - and the other knights right - everybody knows that you are a good “foreteller”!
I really should need you here in my crowd, my little fighting spirit.
I will send you this letter with Lord O’Leary who also been wounded badly today. I’m sending him home together with one of my aid recruits and hope they will reach the abbey before this month is over.

It’s a cold night and I’m awake mostly to keep up the fire. Marcus will relive me around four.
I suppose it’s raining in old England and I can imagine the fog covering the meadows in the mornings.
I would lie to you if I told you I’m totally out of homesickness’s - of course I also miss you all a lot.
Tomorrow I’m going to negotiate with that old dragon Jacque again - I hate every minute of it!
He is the most intolerant and unreasonable man I ever known and I can’t get him to listen even if I put a broad-axe over his head. It doesn’t make it easier though I can’t speak a word of French. And those stubborn Frenchmen constantly declare they don’t understand a word of English either, which I believe they do! If you where here you could stand by me and translate every word of their cackling rubbish. Bishop Miguel tries his best but as you know he is an old man and quite deaf too…*sighing*

I hope everything is fine at home - with you and the others. It would really please me a lot if you decide to write me another of those enjoyable letters of yours.
I’m longing…

Yours sincerely
M.R.