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Cenwulf receives a visit

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Maud asks a favor

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Colban sees Maud

Alred sees the last man he expected

Sigefrith finds himself in Scotland

Latest Chapters

Cenwulf receives a visit

Iylaine overhears

Maud is tempted in the garden

Sigefrith returns with a friend

Maud asks a favor

Leila tries to learn

Sigefrith makes an announcement to Eadgith

Colban sees Maud

Alred sees the last man he expected

Sigefrith finds himself in Scotland

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Cenwulf stood idly before the window of his high bedroom.

Cenwulf stood idly before the window of his high bedroom, looking out onto the gray and moody sky. Baldwin played on the floor behind him, but Baldwin was a quiet baby and did not require much supervision.

Nor did his fields and farms need much supervision these days. The harvest was in, and the season’s great work was done. The pigs worked harder than the men now, grubbing around for the first fall of acorns. Soon the woods behind the walls would be black and bare, but for now they still glowed like gold beneath an iron sky.

Gwynn and Margaret both leapt up and ran to him to be kissed.

Iylaine looked up as the Duke came into the hall. Gwynn and Margaret both leapt up and ran to him to be kissed, squealing, “Papa! Papa!” as they went. Iylaine looked back at her dolls. Stupid dolls. She had not seen her Da in four days. It was only an hour to ride home, but that was too much for him, apparently.

“Didn’t you miss me even a little, Baby?” the Duke asked her sadly, but with a wink. He had come to her.

Maud rushed through the gate and stood quivering in the garden.

She could only come to this small garden inside the wall, for the little door through which she used to pass to go into the woods beyond was locked now, and when they had tried to open it for her, they had found it firmly stuck. So much time had passed since she had gone away.

A guard who came to whisper into his ear.

The fireside tale Sigefrith was telling to Caedwulf and young Malcolm was interrupted by a guard who came to whisper into his ear.

“My Lord Hingwar’s son Sigefrith is asking to see Your Majesty in the stables. He asked that none be told but Your Majesty.”

Sigefrith scowled at his parchment.

Sigefrith scowled at his parchment when he heard the door open and the quiet feet of a slippered woman take a few tentative steps into the room.

He was growing tired of these little interruptions of Eadgith’s. In his household it was well known that the King did not like to be disturbed at his work. Only his children were met with tolerance, and only when they did not come to whine or beg. He wondered now how he had made them all realize this, so that he could apply the same technique to his cousin.

Duchess Matilda sat wearily in the chair in the corner.

Duchess Matilda sat wearily in the chair in the corner. Leila looked at her, hoping she would lift her eyes to her so that she might speak, but the Duchess stared at Iylaine and Gwynn, who were playing on the floor.

“Sir Leila?” Iylaine said suddenly.

Eadgith's voice was trembling.

“Sigefrith?” Eadgith’s voice was trembling, but he thought he heard a smile in it. She must have heard he had had letters, and guessed why he had sent for her.

“There you are, dear,” he said gently, turning away from the window.

His young godson and the little Princess Emma played in the grass at her feet.

Colban found Maud in her garden, as Sigefrith had guessed. His young godson and the little Princess Emma played in the grass at her feet.

At the sight of him, the little boy came charging up the path waving a short stick, crying something that sounded like “Halt, halt!” or “Hot, hot!” But before he could take a swing at his legs, Colban reached down and swept him up, holding him at arms’ length far above his head. Delighted, the boy dropped his stick and laughed, and Colban laughed with him.

He was not particularly in the mood for celebrating.

Egelric lifted his cup to his lord’s, but he was not particularly in the mood for celebrating. It was true they had accomplished much that afternoon. Last night he had had an inspiration that would allow them to solve the problems with the foundation of the new castle in the hills above the lake, and once that was out of the way, they had made progress on planning what would go above. But this meant that he would soon need to be out at the site every day, overseeing the realization of their plans.

For a while he had considered taking Baby with him. She was a little older now, and quieter somehow. He thought he might be able to keep an eye on her while he worked. But Gunnilda had knit her little brows at the idea—“I don’t like that kind of women what hangs around a camp where only men are.” He hadn’t thought of that. These women were of a slovenly sort, and he did not even care to look at them, but he doubted Baby had developed a distaste for them, having never been exposed to them.

'My brother!'

“My brother!”

There was only one person in the world who called him brother, had a voice like an old bachelor bear, and did such remarkable things with his r’s. Sigefrith was grinning before he even turned around. “Gog!”

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