Father Brandt visits the Wodeheads

Spring had come in early, warm and golden, happily allowing the same number of fields to be planted by a smaller number of men. Egelric worked harder than ever, overseeing the construction of the new stables as well as the planting, and for the most part he dealt with the quarrels and problems of Alred’s serfs himself, only deferring to the Duchess in the gravest cases.

Still, he met with the Duchess every morning, and was surprised to find her neither gracious nor ladylike once seated behind a table spread with lists and plans. She cursed the farmers, swore at the weather, shook her little fist in a lazy groom’s face, and told Egelric a ribald joke—all in one morning! Egelric wondered that she did not chafe at being kept in the background while her easy-​going husband was at home and in command. Perhaps she did. But this Matilda was one he could work with.

Still, the best part of the day was nightfall, when he would return home. Elfleda would meet him at the door with a kiss, and while she would be getting supper on the table, he would play with Baby.

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Egelric makes another announcement

Duke Alred sat at his writing table, lost in thought as he waited. He had not wanted to rush Egelric, but a week had passed and now he needed to know. So many things depended on what he would say.

Alred and Sigefrith would leave in only a few days, at the head of some fifty men—nearly a third of their farmers. It was a serious risk, and would leave their valley in grave danger of famine if the harvest were not especially abundant. But it seemed that Morcar and his allies represented the last stand of the old nobility against the invading Normans. If Morcar and Edwin failed, any remaining chance at defeating William would have to come from abroad, and except for the Danes, it seemed that most of the foreign rulers had already established comfortable relations with the new King of England.

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Egelric tells Elfleda

Egelric had spent the past week in a dreary daze of regret and indecision. Alred had sagely let him alone, and he spent most of his time sitting by the fire playing with the baby, or else riding his grey mare up and down the snow-​covered fields, always keeping his house in sight in case someone came to bother Elfleda.

Elfleda didn’t pester him either, but she occasionally gave him an odd look, as if she wondered about—or was troubled by—what he was thinking. He had no desire to share his thoughts with her until he had his mind made up.

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A visitor arrives at the castle

The servants were all astir—someone had spotted a group of well-​outfitted riders coming down the road from Thorhold and there was endless speculation as to their identity.

Sigefrith waited in his hall, having given orders to stop the riders and send their leaders up to see him. He had sent Maud to shelter in the church with the children. Had William heard of their hiding place at last?

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Egelric makes an announcement

Egelric stood at the door of Alred’s study with a heavy heart. His lord was busy writing something. Egelric could not help thinking that if he’d only learned to write, he might have said this thing in a letter and disappeared without having to endure this meeting.

“Enter,” Alred said in response to his knock.

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King Sigefrith meets the peasants

“What is this, men?” Sigefrith asked jovially when he arrived. He was not going to take them seriously unless they made him, hoping they would use the opportunity to pretend it had all been nothing. Some of the men did indeed seem abashed, like naughty children having been found out by their father. But the scowls on a few of them showed that bonhomie would not be enough this time.

“Majesty, we are hungry,” one of them said to him, bowing.

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Father Brandt meets the peasants

Father Brandt walked sadly back to the church after visiting a young mother whose firstborn had just died. It seemed as if nearly every family had lost a child that winter, and to make matters worse, both the people and the animals were beginning to run low on food. The harvest had been meager, and the fire at Nothelm had destroyed a good quantity of hay and corn. He could see that parents were beginning to starve themselves in order to feed their children. God help them if the children should begin to starve as well.

As he arrived in the market square, he found a few dozen men gathered, carrying torches and grumbling ominously.

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A long February

February was a savage month that year. A few days after the sudden death of the little Lady Ethelburga, Ethelmund Ashdown’s infant son was stricken with a fever and a rash of tiny spots.

Within days, the pox had spread to every baby in the small community and to nearly every child under two years of age, from Princess Britamund in the castle down to the daughter of the blind ragwoman. And within a week, over half of those children were dead.

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Egelric sees another sign

Egelric could still hear Gunnilda running after him. She had stopped calling his name, perhaps seeing that she needed all of her strength to keep up with him in her heavy skirts. And still she was falling behind.

Egelric slowed to a jog, and then stopped in a clearing, where the snow lay less deep.

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Gunnilda follows after

Gunnilda began to worry again when Egelric continued walking past his own farm. Where could he be going? There was the church, the priest, and the castle, and beyond that only farms and peasant huts. Would he just keep walking? She told herself that if he passed the church, she would stop him and talk to him.

But Egelric did not pass the church, instead turning off the road and passing through the church gate. Gunnilda scurried through the gate after him. She thought he was going in to pray—she would talk to him in the church.

But Egelric did not enter the church either. He walked around the church and through the trees behind. Then, with a sinking heart, Gunnilda realized where he was going: the cemetery.

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