The Good Wife of Bath by Karen Brooks

Author:Karen Brooks
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HQ Fiction
Published: 2021-06-14T16:00:00+00:00

It was late autumn, 1384. Geoffrey came to visit when Simon was away in Bristol or Dover, wherever it was business took him. I pretended not to care. When Geoffrey settled down in the solar, asking after Alyson and Simon, Jankin, who was with us, coughed and asked politely if he should leave the room. I said it wasn’t necessary. I’d nothing to hide. Not anymore.

I told Geoffrey where Alyson was and even the why of it. After all, I’d shared my triumphs with Geoffrey, why not my failures as well?

He sat still, neither drinking nor talking, for some time. When he spoke, it was quietly. ‘If what you say about your husband is true, Eleanor –’

My face grew red. I opened my mouth to let forth a stream of invective. How dare Geoffrey doubt me. But then he said something that vanquished the insults.

‘Then I think the time has come for you to leave as well.’

‘Leave?’ I sputtered. ‘As if I’m not shamed enough. If I leave, not only will it be admitting defeat, confirm what he says about me is true –’ I gave Geoffrey a pointed look, ‘but what will people say?’

‘Wait. Let me finish. If you go on a pilgrimage, then they will say nothing but words filled with esteem for your ability to admit your mistakes, to seek penance and praise your piety. If ever you wanted a way to avenge yourself on your husband, to reclaim the person you were, then you need to put space between you, between your carnal desires and mishaps in that direction –’ his cheeks filled with colour, ‘and seek out more spiritual ones. What better way to do that than on a pilgrimage?’

Stunned, I fell back in my chair. Holy Moses in a hay cart. A pilgrimage. A romp in God’s name. It was a solution of sorts. A trip would give me time to think. Wherever I chose to go, over land or sea, not only would I discover unfamiliar people and places and have adventures, more importantly, I might find someone who was once familiar to me and who I’d lost.

I might find me.

Warmth burst in my chest and my eyes gleamed. ‘Why, Geoffrey, that’s a grand idea. But, where would I go? I would have to seek my husband’s permission and …’ I frowned. It was not done for wives to go traipsing about without it. But who was I kidding? Simon would sign anything to have me gone a while, to be free to pursue his … interests. I would also have to ask for Father Elias’s blessing, mayhap the bishop’s as well. I couldn’t see that being a barrier.

‘I think, my dear,’ said Geoffrey, smiling at the evident delight on my face, ‘that you should consider going to the one place you’ve always expressed a longing to see.’

My eyes widened. ‘But … that would take months and months! I’ll be gone forever.’

‘Not forever, but a goodly time. Time enough to mend what is

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