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    The Hoodsman - Revolt of the Earls
    The Hoodsman - Revolt of the Earls
    The Hoodsman - Revolt of the Earls
    Ebook374 pages7 hours

    The Hoodsman - Revolt of the Earls

    By Skye Smith

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    About this ebook

    This is the eigth book in the Hoodsman series.

    In 1075 at the wedding of Earl Ralph of Norfolk to Emma the daughter of Earl Roger of Hereford, there were a lot of angry boastful words said against William the Conqueror. These two Earls plotted with Earl Waltheof of Huntingdon to rebel and cut England in two.

    In the sober morning light, Waltheof regretted being involved in the Revolt of the Earls, which could again bring mass destruction to the Danelaw. He sent a plea to Hereward and Raynar to help him get out of it. Raynar once again raises the wolfpacks, this time to protect the folk from rampaging armies.

    * * * * *

    In the spring of 1102, King Henry decides that something must be done about Robert 'the Impaler' Belleme, the all powerful Earl of Shrewsbury, and so he raises an army to drive him out of England. Queen Edith begs Raynar to go and help her husband and keep him safe.

    * * * * *

    About The Author

    Skye Smith is my pen name. My ancestors were miners and shepherds near Castleton in the Peaks District of Derbyshire. I have been told by some readers that this series reminds them of Bernard Cornwell's historical novels, and have always been delighted by the comparison.

    This is the eighth of my Hoodsman series of books, and you should read the first "Killing Kings" before you read this book. All of the books contain two timelines linked by characters and places. The "current" story is set in the era of King Henry I in the 1100's, while the longer "flashback" story is set in the era of King William I after 1066.

    I have self-published twelve "The Hoodsman ..." books and they are:
    1. Killing Kings
    2. Hunting Kings
    3. Frisians of the Fens
    4. Saving Princesses
    5. Blackstone Edge
    6. Ely Wakes
    7. Courtesans and Exiles
    8. The Revolt of the Earls
    9. Forest Law
    10. Queens and Widows
    11. Popes and Emperors
    12. The Second Invasion

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSkye Smith
    Release dateMar 11, 2013
    ISBN9781927699072
    The Hoodsman - Revolt of the Earls

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      Book preview

      The Hoodsman - Revolt of the Earls - Skye Smith

      THE HOODSMAN

      Revolt of the Earls

      (Book Eight of the Series)

      By Skye Smith

      Copyright (C) 2010-2013 Skye Smith

      All rights reserved including all rights of authorship.

      Cover Illustration is ‘Hereward escorts his wife’

      by H. C. Selous (1870)

      Smashwords Edition, License Notes

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      Revision 2 . . . . . ISBN: 978-1-927699-07-2

      Cover Flap

      In 1075 at the wedding of Earl Ralph of Norfolk to Emma the daughter of Earl Roger of Hereford, there were a lot of angry boastful words said against William the Conqueror. These two Earls plotted with Earl Waltheof of Huntingdon to rebel and cut England in two.

      In the sober morning light, Waltheof regretted being involved in the Revolt of the Earls, which could again bring mass destruction to the Danelaw. He sent a plea to Hereward and Raynar to help him get out of it. Raynar once again raises the wolfpacks, this time to protect the folk from rampaging armies.

      * * * * *

      In the spring of 1102, King Henry decides that something must be done about Robert ‘the Impaler’ Belleme, the all powerful Earl of Shrewsbury, and so he raises an army to drive him out of England. Queen Edith begs Raynar to go and help her husband and keep him safe.

      * * * * *

      * * * * *

      The Hoodsman - Revolt of the Earls by Skye Smith

      About The Author

      Skye Smith is my pen name. My ancestors were miners and shepherds near Castleton in the Peaks District of Derbyshire. I have been told by some readers that this series reminds them of Bernard Cornwell’s historical novels, and have always been delighted by the comparison.

      This is the eighth of my Hoodsman series of books, and you should read the first Killing Kings before you read this book. All of the books contain two timelines linked by characters and places. The current story is set in the era of King Henry I in the 1100’s, while the longer flashback story is set in the era of King William I after 1066.

      I have self-published twelve The Hoodsman ... books and they are:

      # - SubTitle

      . . . . . . . . . . . . William I Timeline

      . . . . . . . . . . . . Henry I Timeline

      1. Killing Kings

      . . . . . . . . . . . . 1066 killing King Harald of Norway (Battle of Stamford Bridge)

      . . . . . . . . . . . . 1100 killing King William II of England. Henry claims the throne.

      2. Hunting Kings

      . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1066 hunting the Conqueror (Battle of Hastings Road)

      . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1100 hunting Henry I (Coronation Charter)

      3. Frisians of the Fens

      . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1067/68 rebellions. Edgar Aetheling flees north with Margaret.

      . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1100 amnesty and peace. Henry recuits English bowmen.

      4. Saving Princesses

      . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1068/69 rebellions. Margaret weds Scotland (Battle of Durham)

      . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1100/01 Edith of Scotland weds Henry (Battle of Alton)

      5. Blackstone Edge

      . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1069/70 rebellions (The Harrowing of the North)

      . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1101 peace while the economy is saved from the bankers

      6. Ely Wakes

      . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1070/71 Frisian rebellion (Battles of Ely and Cassel)

      . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1101 Henry collects allies. Mary of Scotland weds Boulogne.

      7. Courtesans and Exiles

      . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1072/74 English lords flee abroad (Battle of Montreuil, Edgar surrenders)

      . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1102 Henry collects allies (the Honor of Boulogne)

      8. The Revolt of the Earls

      . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1075/76 Earls revolt (Battles of Worchester and Fagaduna)

      . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1102 Earls revolt (Battles of Arundel, Bridgnorth, Shropshire)

      9. Forest Law

      . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1076/79 fighting Normans in France (London Burned, Battle of Gerberoi)

      . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1103 fighting Normans in Cornwall (Battle of Tamara Sound)

      10. Queens and Widows

      . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1079/81 rebellions (Gateshead, Judith of Lens)

      . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1103 Edith made Regent (Force 5 Hurricane)

      11. Popes and Emperors

      . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1081 Normans slaughter English exiles (Battle of Dyrrhachium)

      . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1104 Henry visits Normandy (Duchy run by warlords)

      12. The Second Invasion

      . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1082/85 power vacuum, peaceful anarchy (Regent Odo arrested enroute to Rome)

      . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1085/87 Re-invasion and Harrowing of all England (Battle of Mantes, Conqueror dies)

      . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1104/05 Henry invades Normandy twice (Battle of Tinchebray)

      * * * * *

      * * * * *

      The Hoodsman - Revolt of the Earls by Skye Smith Copyright 2010-13

      Prologue

      Writing historical novels about the twenty year conquest of England by a culture of vicious slave masters, requires describing England as it was before the era of the Anglo-Normans. It is difficult to separate reality from all of the popular misconceptions about the era. For example, think of all of the connotations and misconceptions attached to just one phrase: Anglo-Saxon.

      Pre-Norman England was very much an Anglo-Danish kingdom. Not only were most of the nobles and lords Anglo-Danes, but also half of all the villages in the kingdom were Anglo-Danish. York was the second largest Danish city in the world, after London, and was a wealthy place because of the wealth of the Anglo-Dane farms of the Danelaw. The Danelaw was more Danish than Denmark, and larger, and wealthier, and more populated.

      By 1075 the northern Danelaw was still a wasteland emptied of folk by the genocidal Harrowings executed by the Normans. The Anglo-Danish lords had given up on ever living in England again, and were becoming mercenaries for Norman-fearing kings and nobles from Wales to the Byzantine. In England there was only one English Earl left, Waltheof of Huntingdon and Northumbria, and only one English Bishop left, Wulfstan of Worcester.

      Earl Waltheof was the last great hope that the Anglo-Danish exiles in Scotland had of moving back into Northumbria. The Conqueror had not only made him the Earl of a great portion of the old Danelaw, but he had also wed him to his niece Judith of Lens, the daughter of the Conqueror’s full sister, and therefore Waltheof’s position was secure.

      Unfortunately, Waltheof was young and foolish and drank too much and abused his Norman wife. At the Bride-Ale (Wedding reception) of Earl Ralph of Norfolk to Emma the daughter of Earl Roger of Hereford, he joined the other earls in the plotting of a revolt against the absolute rule of the Conqueror.

      Waltheof soon regretted planning this revolt, for it would again bring disaster to the Danelaw, so he fled to Canterbury to confess all to Bishop LanFranc, and then to Caen to confess all to the Conqueror. Meanwhile Bishop Odo and the other Norman regents of England marched their armies against Norfolk, while Bishop Wulfstan organized an army to stop Hereford from marching to help Norfolk.

      * * * * *

      By the spring of 1102, King Henry had decided on a course of action to deal with the Anglo-Norman barons who were thwarting his rule. The first step was to capture or exile Robert Belleme, the Earl of Shrewsbury. Belleme, meanwhile, had been building stone castles all over England. Two of these were highly strategic. Arundel castle was near the coast to the east of Chichester. Bridgnorth castle controlled one of the main crossings of the River Severne near to Worcester.

      The historians of the day tell that Henry raised a huge army to get rid of Belleme the Impaler, perhaps sixty thousand men. Later historians put this down to exaggeration or to copyist mistakes. I believe this enormous number, for Henry had an English Queen. The olde English fyrd would have rallied to her call as they would have been eager to be rid of the hated Belleme the Impaler.

      * * * * *

      * * * * *

      The Hoodsman - Revolt of the Earls by Skye Smith Copyright 2010-13

      Table of Contents

      Title Page

      Cover Flap

      About the Author

      Prologue

      Table of Contents

      Chapter 1 - A queen seeks the help of a porter in Winchester, July 1102

      Chapter 2 - Beatrice buys a home in Brugge in April 1075

      Chapter 3 - With the Anske on the way to Spalding in April 1075

      Chapter 4 - The siege of Arundel Castle, W.Sussex in July 1102

      Chapter 5 - Wolfpacks in Worcester, Worcestershire in June 1075

      Chapter 6 - Treachery at the Severn ford in July 1075

      Chapter 7 - Wolfpacks ride in Cambridgeshire in August 1075

      Chapter 8 - Lynn becomes a big town in August 1075

      Chapter 9 - The battle of Fagaduna in Norfolk in August 1075

      Chapter 10 - Saving feet at Fagaduna in August 1075

      Chapter 11 - A call to the fyrd from Arundel Castle in July 1102

      Chapter 12 - Reporting to Edith in Winchester in July 1102

      Chapter 13 - Seeking the Welsh in Dudley, Staffordshire in July 1102

      Chapter 14 - Prince Gruffydd in Dudley Staffordshire in July 1102

      Chapter 15 - The siege of Bridgnorth Castle in July 1102

      Chapter 16 - Escorting couriers to Shrewsbury in August 1102

      Chapter 17 - Rescuing women in Bestune, Shropshire in August 1102

      Chapter 18 - Finding safety in Hesleie, Shropshire in August 1102

      Chapter 19 - Ranging along Offa's dyke, Shropshire in August 1102

      Chapter 20 - The largest fyrd army ever, at Bridgnorth in August 1102

      Chapter 21 - Fyrd-ale for all in Huntingdonshire in September 1075

      Chapter 22 - A winter helping Judith in 1075

      Chapter 23 - A summons to Winchester in the spring of 1076

      Chapter 24 - The monk’s message at Bridgnorth, Shropshire in August 1102

      Chapter 25 - A royal wolfpack at Wenlock Edge, Shropshire in August 1102

      Chapter 26 - Wolfpacks clash at Hughley, Shropshire in August 1102

      Chapter 27 - Ambush at Stokesay, Shropshire in August 1102

      Chapter 28 - Meeting the Welsh at Stretton, Shropshire in August 1102

      Chapter 29 - The surrender of Belleme at Shrewsbury in September 1102

      Chapter 30 - Sorting Shrewsbury Castle in August 1102

      Chapter 31 - Sorting the Shrewsbury women in August 1102

      Chapter 32 - With treasure and courtesans in Shrewsbury in August 1102

      Chapter 33 - A new castellan for Shrewsbury Castle in September 1102

      Chapter 34 - The procession out of Shrewsbury Castle in September 1102

      Chapter 35 - The wolfpacks take control before Ludlow in September 1102

      Chapter 36 - The race to Huvel Hagen, Wenlock Edge in September 1102

      Chapter 37 - The procession approaches Winchester in September 1102

      Chapter 38 - To Winchester for Waltheof in June 1076

      Chapter 39 - The body at Saint Giles fairground, Winchester in June 1076

      * * * * *

      * * * * *

      The Hoodsman - Revolt of the Earls by Skye Smith Copyright 2010-13

      Chapter 1 - A queen seeks the help of a porter in Winchester, July 1102

      The sound of many hoofs echoed from the cobblestones of Winchester's streets. They slowed as they came to the house and shop of John Wheelwright, the pillar of Winchester's wool industry. The sound of slowing hoofs gave the gatekeeper an early warning of the knock at the gate. Since it was broad daylight, the gate was open so he wondered at the knock. Why not just walk in like anyone else would?

      He pushed himself up from his bench and stretched his old back as he half limped to the gate. His stomach curdled at what he saw. Men in the livery of the palace guard were dismounting and forming around the gate. John's wife, Mar, called down from the landing above. Who is it? she asked as she skipped down the stairs, wiping her hands on her apron as she came. The curious heads of the kitchen girls peered out from the doorway behind her.

      The gatekeeper reached the gate just in time to be pushed to one side by a very large guardsman, who cleared the way for a comely maid to step through the gate. Where is your mistress? she asked sharply and impatiently of Mar, who was now at ground level.

      I am the mistress here, replied Mar. She walked forward confidently until she had invaded the polite space of the maid and the maid took a step backwards. You may call me Lady Marion. What is it that you wish?

      My mistress is outside and wishes to speak with Master Raynar, the maid replied, if he is here. If not, she would speak with your husband, m'am. She made a reluctant attempt at a curtsey, not believing that this woman was a Lady, but knowing that it was always unwise to be disrespectful of any woman important enough to be visited by her own mistress.

      Mar stepped out into the street and grabbed the big guardsman's arm and pulled him with her. He was surprised and unbalanced by the move, and by the strength of the woman. He had no choice but to follow with her.

      Help your mistress down from her horse, Mar ordered and two men immediately jumped to carry out the order, and to belay any idea that they were themselves remiss in their duties. Carefully you fools. You should not have allowed her on a horse. She stepped forward towards the new mother and her baby and took her arm to steady her and then led her slowly towards the gate.

      You, Mar called to one of the guards who was still mounted be you gone to the palace and fetch her chair. At least she can be carried back. She softened her voice and spoke into the woman's ear You are a fool to be riding with your new babe in arms, Edith. Don't be so impatient to return to your normal habits. Come along, carefully now. Raynar is in the back with John.

      It was obvious that Edith was not about to let go of her baby, so at Mar's wave the maid took Edith's other arm and together they steadied her and walked her through the gate and into the yard behind the house. There were giggles and twittering from above and Mar yelled at the kitchen girls to bring some fermented sheep’s milk for the women and then to provide ale for the men outside the gate. Mar stopped leading when they reached a cart that was on blocks and had two sets of men’s legs poking out from underneath.

      It sheared again, said one man's voice from underneath, The fitting is still too brittle.

      If it isn't brittle, it bends. If it doesn't bend it shears. replied a gruffer voice.

      Raynar, interrupted Mar, you have a visitor, and then melted at the smile from the tiny baby, visitors.

      One of the men rolled out from under the cart and looked up. He wore a greasy smithy apron, and had a dusty back, and straw in his unruly and graying hair. Despite the wrinkles around his eyes and mouth, that were made deeper by his smile to the women, he was still a handsome man.

      Hi love, he called softly to Edith, and you brought the babe too. Look how she has grown already. He kneeled up and grabbed a rag to wipe his hands, and then stood. He was tall and straight and fit despite his old age. He was, after all, an old man over fifty.

      The other man had rolled out from underneath the cart and was now kneeling, but stayed on his knees until Edith motioned him to rise. When he rose John was a full head higher than Raynar and half again as broad in the shoulders. Once standing he took three steps and then heaved a large bench around so that Edith could sit. The guard behind Edith reached to help and found he could not hold the weight of just one end of the bench, and it thumped to the ground. Sit, your majesty, offered John as he dusted the bench with his rag.

      Edith was now evading Raynar's hug, unsure of how much of the filth on his apron would be smeared onto her clean cloak. Instead he danced her slowly backwards with his hands on her arms and lowered her to the bench. The maid and the guard were used to the easy way in which Raynar would touch their queen, but it still made them wince at the fundamental error in protocol. A kitchen girl arrived with a tray of goblets and if Mar had not grabbed the tray from her she would have spilled the lot in her clumsy efforts to curtsey.

      Could everyone please leave me alone with Raynar? Edith asked. Such a polite question from Mathilde, Queen of the English, would always be treated as a direct order, and there was a scurry of feet to leave her presence. John, she changed her mind, you stay too. The rest must stay away until I call. She patted the end of the bench that Raynar had not taken. She had to pat it again for John to loosen his formality and sit beside her.

      With another thought, and some reluctance, she handed little Matilda to Mar, and made Mar the happiest woman in Winchester. Mar gushed away ignoring everyone and everything in her love for babies. The other women rushed after her in hopes of having a turn to hold the baby princess, and completely forgot the protocol of leaving the presence of a queen.

      What's the news, love? asked Raynar, good news first.

      Mary is in Paris. She is being presented at the French Court. I envy her. As the Countess of Boulogne she can travel where she pleases, when she pleases. As a queen, I am either at the palace or traveling with an army. And, thank heavens, she does not yet look pregnant. That is good news.

      She did not explain further. She did not need to. Both of these men knew that after her betrothal to Eustace of Boulogne, Mary had been abducted and raped by William Mortain, the Earl of Cornwall. It was John's brotherhood who had found Mary, and Raynar who had rescued her. That she was not yet pregnant meant that there was no question that Mortain's seed had not taken.

      So what is the other news? asked Raynar. Why have you risked riding a horse on cobblestones when you could have simply sent for me?

      Any excuse to be out of that palace, Raynar, she answered. When Henry is not there, I would rather spend my time at a convent. Ever since the Treaty of Alton, I have been shunned by anyone of importance at the court, as if it were my fault that English bowmen forced Duke Robert to bow to Henry's demands. She took a sip of the fermented sheep's milk and grimaced.

      Drink it up, said John, Nothing better for new mams and young'ns, though I admit it tastes better in cold weather.

      She licked the milk foam from her lip. "The fight against Robert Belleme is not going well for Henry. Henry knew that to set a first example, he must make Belleme bow to him, but the man is so rich and so powerful and has so many treacherous friends. None of them have deigned to appear in court to answer the charges that the crown has laid against them.

      The siege at Belleme's castle at Arundel has stalled, which is horrid news since that castle must fall before Henry can move any of his army away from the coast. The rest of the Montgomery clan on both sides of the Manche have rallied to Belleme's defense. His brother Arnulf has bought the support of the Welsh princes and they are now harrowing Staffordshire, and all this as a dare to entice Henry to move his troops away from Arundel and to the west counties. Belleme is building a new castle at Bridgnorth on some big river."

      The Severn, Raynar supplied the name.

      Yes, she continued, the Severn, and another castle at Carreghofa, wherever that is.

      On the border of Powys just south of Oswestry, Raynar said quietly.

      Where ever, she continued, meanwhile in Normandy, Duke Robert has been humiliated in his efforts to take any castles from the Montgomerys. Half of the duke's men side with Belleme against Henry, despite their hatred of the man. Henry fears that Robert has lost heart and will be of no more help.

      And? asked Raynar.

      Henry has asked that you visit him in Arundel.

      Why me? I am too old. Besides, it was from ignoring my advice in Alton that has got him into this mess now. If it had been up to me, Mortain and Belleme would have been dead and buried nine months by now, and Mary's throat would not have that knife scar.

      Please, Raynar, she picked up his hand and gave him a long smile. Please. My people, our people cannot afford a civil war amongst the Normans. It will be the women and children who will suffer, as they always do when men fight. They are already suffering in Staffordshire.

      Why me? he repeated.

      Well, I have told Henry some of your stories from the conquest. He knows that you were able to defeat castles quickly, and that you speak Welsh, and that you know the Welsh princes personally. Please.

      Raynar groaned. John laughed. Edith grinned and accidentally spilled her fermented milk, all of it, and reached for a drink of Raynar's ale.

      * * * * *

      The next morning, Raynar set out for Arundel. His horse was from the royal stables and was worth a small village. His clothing and cloak was that of a royal tax collector, and he had the badge of office as well, all issued by order of the queen to help keep him safe on the highway. It was the death penalty to harm a royal tax collector.

      Hanging from his saddle was his Seljuk bow. It was a short, but powerful, recurve bow from the Holy Lands which was designed to be used from horseback. From his belt hung a light sword, but he had never really been any good with a sword, not even such a strong light blade such as this one. He was better with the belt, for it was actually a sling made to look like a belt. He been a shepherd lad while growing up, and still practiced slinging.

      In his pack he had his own clothes and a warm sleeping cloak and two gifts from John. A handful of his signature arrow points, and a long staff bow of Raynar's own design from when he and John had first met. The staff had the look of a shepherd's crook but could be strung and shot like a long bow. John had even hidden a short knife blade in its foot. It was John's way to always improve on a design, and this design was from their childhood together in the Peaks Forest of Derbyshire.

      The two men with him were also bowmen. They were members of the recently formed Royal Archers, and they were returning to duty after their first leave in their home villages. Each had arrived at the same alehouse at about the same time and over an ale and some mutton stew the had discovered that all were journeying to Arundel.

      Raynar welcomed the company, especially the company of such capable young men. The highways of the kingdom always became more dangerous when there were armies on the move. Besides it gave him an audience for his stories, and he did enjoy telling his stories.

      My grandfather told me he was expecting a revolt of the Earls, the younger of the men was saying. He says that once a new king gets his footing and begins replacing the favourites of the old king with his own men, there is always a revolt. Same thing happened after Rufus was crowned.

      Aye, he's right, Raynar replied. The same thing happened back in '75 to old King William. He whispered a curse on the name and spat into the sawdust on the floor. The other men took his lead and spit their own curses.

      Are you that old? asked the other man in wonder. This man dressed in robes of the treasury still seemed trim and muscular. Oops, no offense, sir. It's just that. Well, ugh, do you remember it yourself, or from the telling of elders?

      I was in Flanders when I heard of the actual revolt, replied Raynar.

      Flanders, that is over the North Sea somewhere.

      Yes, to the North of France and to the South of Holland. You would like it. The folk have never been serfs so they are proud and free. The main city, Brugge, is much smaller than London, but richer. They control much of the trade from the Germanies and have grown wealthy from it. And the women.... Raynar noticed the young men sit up and grin at the mention of women. Better save that story line until bed time.

      Anyway, I was in Flanders, and we all knew that there was trouble brewing in England, yet again, because Eustace of Boulogne was recruiting arbalesters to ship as a mercenary force to Norfolk to help Ralph the Breton, who was one of the Earls in revolt.

      He noticed the blank looks, and told them, Oh, um, Boulogne and Calais are across the Manche from Dover. They are between Flanders and France and men of both cultures live there so they get pulled into many wars. Many of the French speaking men were flocking to Eustace's call for mercenaries because life was hard for them after they backed the wrong side against Count Robert the Frisian who won Flanders at the battle of Cassel.

      * * * * *

      * * * * *

      The Hoodsman - Revolt of the Earls by Skye Smith

      Chapter 2 - Beatrice buys a home in Brugge in April 1075

      It is a lovely home, Beatrice, said young Raynar as he swung the countess around in the hall, and I have always told you that you need homes in both Spalding and Brugge because of your trading business. So why do you seem to be embarrassed to be showing it to me?

      Oh, she was flustered. Luckily, she was always at her prettiest when she was flustered. Because it did not come about because you advised it, but because there may be big trouble in the Fens again. She winced slightly in expectation of a flurry of angry questions.

      Waltheof? he asked.

      You knew?

      I was there when Ralph invited you to the wedding, remember. Did you attend? Was it a grand affair? Did you match more of your Frisian maidens to young men with good prospects?

      Oh don't jest, she scolded, this is serious.

      Weddings are always serious to young maidens. Were the young women dressed in colored silk, or in cloister wool?

      Stop it, she grabbed him and tickled him until he could not resist taking her into his arms and feeling her softness, just for a moment though, for Klaes's footsteps were sounding on the stairs. Her husband, Thorold did not mind their physical closeness, but it made Klaes jealous.

      These Flemish houses are a wonder, Klaes said as he ducked his head so he would not smash his forehead on the floor beam above the last step. So many rooms, so many windows, so much glazing, so much brick, so many steps, and those thingy's too, ugh, chimneys. Don't tell me what it cost. I will find out when I buy my own.

      You too, Klaes? Raynar asked, you are buying in Brugge too?

      Beatrice hasn't told you of the trouble, then. What has she been doing all this time?

      Telling me what the women wore at the wedding, Raynar replied, or she was until you interrupted.

      Women, life and death events happening around them and all they talk about is what other women wore Klaes gave Beatrice's bottom a pat as he walked by them. I am going down to have a look at the cellar.

      As soon as Klaes left the room, she was pressing against him again and this time wanting a kiss, but he held her at arms length and in a moment Klaes came back as he expected.

      The bloody cellar is a boat house. Klaes looked at Raynar's smirk, You knew, ya bastard, I mean you dog. Now I have a wet boot.

      It's your own fault Klaes, laughed Raynar, You never once have offered to help dig the foundation of the new abbey in Oudenburg, else you would know that you can barely spade the topsoil away before you strike water in this county. That is why these Flems are forever digging canals to take the water away. And you a Fen's man.

      The cellar and the shop are both on the ground floor with the hall, Beatrice explained. The living quarters are above, and there is an attic under the roof for more storage.

      Not much space for storage, then Klaes wrinkled his nose.

      Only the most valuable cargos will be stored here. The rest will be in the warehouse by the docks or even in Oudenburg where land and space is cheaper, Beatrice brushed some dust from her bodice thinking that was what Klaes was staring at. Then she remembered the deep cleavage she was showing. She wore the latest Brugge fashion and she was still getting used to the leers of men down the alehouse neckline.

      Well, perhaps I will leave it to you to find me a house then, love, Klaes beamed. Otherwise I suppose I will end up owning a long house near Oudenburg where I will have land enough to raise horses.

      Klaes, I think you would be much happier in Oudenburg,

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