Alred and Ethelmund return from the forest

Egelric stood abruptly at the sound of footsteps in the woods. The Duke and Ethelmund Ashdown were coming around the house and—and Ethelmund was holding the child.

“What does this mean?” Egelric asked hoarsely.

“They never came,” Alred said. “Jupiter! You can’t imagine what we went through, Egelric. We sat her in a clearing and hid behind the trees, and she just cried and cried for hours—it was agony. Theobald couldn’t take it and went home. We all have babies at home and you know we—” He stopped in mid-​sentence as he got a look at the welts across Egelric’s face. He whistled. “I see you didn’t have such a good time of it either, old man.”

Egelric looked away.

Alred said, “I’m sorry.”

“Just tell me, what do I do now?”

“I suppose the best thing would be to let Elfleda keep her for now, unless or until the elves come for her. We can’t just leave a baby sitting in the woods at night, hoping they will come, and have the wolves come instead. And you’ll never get me to spend another night like the one I just had.”

“Nor I,” Egelric said softly to himself.

Alred shrugged and gave his nose a brisk rub. Abruptly he reached out to Egelric and embraced him. Egelric shifted and shrugged, scarcely able to lift his shaking arms, and uncertain how to return a nobleman’s hug.

“It will work out,” Alred promised as he pounded Egelric’s back. “These things do. Just take care of your wife and the baby, it will work out in the end.”

Egelric was moved—he was deeply aware of their difference in rank, and never presumed to call Alred his friend, even to himself. But for a moment the fellowship he had felt as they stood around the bonfires returned, and it warmed him.

Then Ethelmund handed the baby to him. She was as cold and as exhausted as the rest of them, still hiccupping after her long sobbing, her nose running and her little face grubby with dried tears.

Egelric tried to come up with a plan. He was going to have to take this step by step.

“Could you just—take her back a moment while I go up in the loft and get the cradle?” he asked Ethelmund.

“Don’t worry about that, we’ll go get it, Egelric,” Alred told him. “And we’ll get someone to milk one of the cows. It’s about time for that anyway. You take her inside and get her warmed up.”

Egelric went inside and stood close to the dying fire as he waited for the men to bring the cradle in. The baby laid her head quietly on his shoulder and sniffled.

Egelric followed Alred outside with the baby as the men were leaving. Somehow he couldn’t bear the idea of being alone with her—and Elfleda. But he couldn’t ask them to stay.

Alred gave him a long look as he turned to go. Egelric made a last wordless plea, but the Duke’s dark eyes were full of tears only, and no answers.

“Be happy,” Alred whispered, his hand clamped tight on Egelric’s shoulder. Then he followed after Ethelmund.

Egelric stood before the house until their footsteps had faded. The child lifted her head and eyed him curiously. And then he took her inside and locked the door behind him.