Page 281 of The Evening and the Morning

Emma walked in.

Ragna stood up and bowed, then Emma kissed her.

“I’ve just seen Bishop Wynstan,” Ragna said. “He says that if I don’t marry Wigelm they will take my baby from me.”

“Yes,” said Emma. “Gytha explained that to me.”

Ragna frowned. Gytha must have gone to see Emma at the same time as Wynstan spoke to Ragna. This was planned and coordinated. Ragna said: “Does the king know?”

“Yes,” Emma said again.

Emma’s face frightened Ragna. She looked worried, but not horrified or even shocked. What her face showed was pity. That was scary.

Ragna felt that she was losing control of her life again. “But the king freed me. What does that mean?”

“It means that you cannot be imprisoned, and the king will not force you to marry a man you loathe; but also you cannot take away the ealdorman’s son. His only son, I believe.”

“But then I’m not free after all!”

“You face a hard choice. I didn’t foresee this.” The queen went to the door. “I’m very sorry.” She left.

Ragna felt as if she were in a nightmare. For a moment she considered taking the first option, abandoning her child to be raised by Gytha. Anything to avoid marriage to the loathsome Wigelm. And after all, Alain was the product of a rape. But as soon as she looked at him, lying in his cot sleeping peacefully, she knew she could not do it, not if they made her marry five Wigelms.

Edgar walked in. She recognized him through her tears. She stood up, and he enfolded her in his arms. “Is it true?” he said to Ragna. “Everyone says you have to marry Wigelm or give up Alain!”

“It’s true,” Ragna said. Her tears soaked into the wool of his tunic.

“What are you going to do?” said Edgar.

Ragna did not answer.

“What are you going to do?” he repeated.

“I’m going to leave my baby,” she said.

“No, no, this won’t do!” Wynstan said angrily.

“It’s happening,” said Wigelm. “Edgar is helping her pack all her possessions. She’s going to leave the baby behind.”

“She will still have Wilwulf’s three young sons. People will say they are the genuine heirs. We’re hardly better off.”

Wigelm said: “We have to kill her. It’s the only way to be rid of her.”

They were at their mother’s house, and now she interrupted them. “You can’t kill Ragna,” Gytha said. “Not right under the nose of the king. He couldn’t let you get away with it.”

“We could put the blame on someone else.”

Gytha shook her head. “Nobody really believed that last time. They won’t even pretend to believe a second time.”

Wigelm said: “We’ll do it when the king’s gone.”

Wynstan said: “Idiot, Ragna will be safely ensconced in the nunnery on Leper Island by then.”

“Well, what are we going to do?”

Gytha said: “We’re all going to calm down.”

“What good is that?” said Wigelm.