Page 248 of The Evening and the Morning

Osbert started to cry. He had got mud in his eye. She picked him up and washed his face with her sleeve, and he was quickly pacified.

She no longer felt shaky. It was strange how the needs of children swamped everything else—for women, at least. No crude English thane was as tyrannical as a baby.

Her breathing returned to normal as she watched the children playing with the water. But once again she did not enjoy the peaceful moment for long. Bishop Wynstan appeared. “My brother Wigelm is very upset,” he said.

“Oh, for goodness’ sake,” Ragna said impatiently. “Don’t pretend he’s lovelorn.”

“We both know that love has nothing to do with this.”

“I’m glad you’re not as stupid as your brother.”

“Thank you.”

“It’s not much of a compliment.”

“Take care,” he said with suppressed anger. “You’re not in a strong position to insult me and my family.”

“I’m the ealdorman’s widow, and nothing you can do will change that. My position is strong enough.”

“But Wigelm is in control of Shiring.”

“I’m still lord of the Vale of Outhen.”

“Garulf went there yesterday.”

Ragna was startled. She had not heard about this.

Wynstan went on: “He told the villagers that Wigelm has made him lord of Outhen.”

“They will never accept him. Seric, the headman—”

“Seric is dead. Garulf made Dudda headman.”

“Outhen is mine! It’s in the marriage contract thatyounegotiated!”

“Wilf had no right to give it to you. It’s been in our family for generations.”

“All the same he did give it to me.”

“He obviously intended a lifetime gift. Wilf’s lifetime, not yours.”

“That’s a lie.”

Wynstan shrugged. “What are you going to do about it?”

“I don’t have to do anything. King Ethelred will appoint the new ealdorman, not you.”

“I thought you might be laboring under that illusion,” Wynstan said, and the seriousness of his tone chilled Ragna. “Let me explain to you what the king has on his mind today. The Viking fleet is still in English waters—they spent the winter at the Isle of Wight instead of returning home. Ethelred has now negotiated a truce with them—for which he must pay twenty-four thousand pounds of silver.”

Ragna was shocked. She had never heard of such a large sum of money.

“You may imagine,” Wynstan went on, “that the king is preoccupied with raising money. On top of that he is planning his wedding.”

Ethelred had been married to Elfgifu of York, who had died giving birth to their eleventh child.

Wynstan went on: “He is going to marry Emma of Normandy.”

Ragna was surprised again. She knew Emma, the daughter of Count Richard of Rouen. Emma had been a child of twelve when Ragna left Normandy five years ago. She would now be seventeen. It occurred to Ragna that a young Norman woman marrying the English king could become an ally.