Anglo-Saxon Boy by Tony Bradman
Author:Tony Bradman [Bradman, Tony]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781406375053
Publisher: Walker Books
Published: 2017-03-02T00:00:00+00:00
TWELVE
BROKEN HEARTS
A GREAT ROAR of approval greeted the announcement, and men banged their fists on the tables that ran in two lines down the length of the hall, or rose to their feet to offer toasts, clashing their drinking horns. The earl was sitting at the top table with King Edward on one side, and Edwin and Morcar and Aldgyth on the other. Harold took her hand and they rose to their feet to acknowledge the acclaim, both smiling.
Magnus was with Hakon at a table halfway down the hall. He rose to his feet too, his jaws clenched so hard his teeth ached, his mouth like a knife wound slashed across his face, his eyes fixed on his father. He started to walk towards the top table, but Hakon saw where he was going and grabbed his arm to hold him back. âSit down, Magnus,â the housecarl hissed. âDonât do anything stupid.â
âLeave me alone,â said Magnus, pulling his arm free. He kept going, right up the middle of the hall, between the tables, past cheering nobles and priests. Several slapped him on the back as he went past, shouting congratulations on his fatherâs match, telling him he must be so proud to have such a great man for his father. Magnus said nothing, letting it all wash over him as he walked on.
The smile faded from the earlâs face when he saw Magnus approaching. Magnus stopped in front of the top table, a few feet from his father, and looked at Aldgyth. She was younger than his mother, with black hair and pale skin and dark eyes, and she smiled as if she knew who he was. Her brothers were leaning together, laughing about something. Magnus ignored all three and turned back to his father.
âWhat are you doing?â Magnus said, eyes locked on his fatherâs. âFirst you betray your brother to his enemies, and now ⦠this.â He waved a hand in Aldgythâs direction. âYou canât marry her. Youâre already married. To my mother.â
He screamed the last word and the noise in the hall died away, replaced by a buzz of people whispering, asking each other what was going on. Aldgythâs smile disintegrated. Magnus felt a presence beside him, Hakon standing at his shoulder.
âGo back to your bench, Magnus,â the earl said calmly, his face stony. âThis is neither the time nor the place for a father and son to speak of such things.â
âWell, it seems like the right time to me, Father,â said Magnus, his voice shaking. âI want to hear you explain how you can just put aside my mother so easily.â
âYour father can do as he pleases,â said Edwin, staring at Magnus with cold eyes. âEveryone knows it was only a handfasting with your mother.â
âWhat are you talking about?â said Magnus. âI donât know what that means.â
âIt means your parentsâ union was not blessed by the Church,â said someone further along the top table. Magnus saw it was Stigand, and that Ealdred was sitting beside him. âSo it can be dissolved when either the man or the woman decides.
Download
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.
General | Channel Islands |
England | Northern Ireland |
Scotland | Wales |
Room 212 by Kate Stewart(4714)
The Crown by Robert Lacey(4554)
Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing(4473)
The Iron Duke by The Iron Duke(4098)
The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang(4003)
Killing England by Bill O'Reilly(3889)
Joan of Arc by Mary Gordon(3766)
Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe(3694)
I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson(3248)
Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness(3160)
Hitler's Monsters by Eric Kurlander(3141)
Blood and Sand by Alex Von Tunzelmann(3038)
Mary, Queen of Scots, and the Murder of Lord Darnley by Alison Weir(3030)
Darkest Hour by Anthony McCarten(3007)
Margaret Thatcher: The Autobiography by Thatcher Margaret(2961)
Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell(2924)
Red Famine: Stalin's War on Ukraine by Anne Applebaum(2804)
Book of Life by Deborah Harkness(2703)
The One Memory of Flora Banks by Emily Barr(2673)
