The Harlot's Riddle (Anglo-Norman Mysteries Book 5) by Maureen Ash

Author:Maureen, Ash [Maureen, Ash]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: UNKNOWN
Published: 2023-05-10T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 19

It was said afterwards that sometimes young babies, like animals, have a presentiment of danger and Ardith’s distress had been caused by the terrible event that began earlier that morning fifty miles northwest of Rochester in the city of London.

As at Rochester and over nearly all of the Kent countryside south of the metropolis, thunderstorms threatened, but the dark sky above London had, at dawn, been greenish in colour. Soon hailstones the size of chicken eggs began to fall with nary a drop of rain in accompaniment. Suddenly, over the south-western bank of the Thames, and seeming to come from inside the turmoil of clouds, there began a strange howling noise and the billowing mass began to whirl. It turned slowly at first and then twisted faster and faster until it formed a huge funnel, the narrow part touching the ground at the bottom, and the wide top reaching more than a mile up into the sky.

Then it began to move, sweeping across the river and attacking the bridge that spanned it, crumpling the supporting struts as though they were made of straw. Afterwards, with great speed, it continued on through the city, demolishing churches and tearing roofs from houses, sucking up the debris of the damage it had caused and flinging it out with great force.

In minutes it had reached the northeast boundary of the city, and there it seemed to lose its potency and began to dissipate. The howling ceased and the gyrating clouds slowly separated before scattering and leaving in their wake a thundering fall of torrential rain.

Citizens slowly emerged from the wreckage, shaken and frightened, looking around them in amazement at what had, only minutes before, been the orderly streets of the city and now were in such a state of disarray that it seemed as though a giant’s foot had trod on and squashed them. Many a householder was trapped inside roofless cots and calling out for help, children cried, women wept and men cursed. The destruction was devastating.

*************

The citizens of Rochester were not made aware of the disaster until later that day, but hammering rain had fallen on the town and the surrounding countryside all of the previous night until dawn. When Cuthbert opened the downstairs casement after rising from his pallet, the street outside was covered in puddles and a torrent of water streamed down the refuse channels on either side.

"What a night," Gytha exclaimed as they all gathered around the table to break their fast. "I cannot remember a thunderstorm as bad as that ever happening before. It was though a floodgate opened in heaven."

"The sky is finally beginning to clear, though," Cuthbert said, peeping upward out of the open casement, "and a little bit of blue is beginning to appear."

"Even so, you had best keep inside this morning, lest the rain start again," Estrid told him, for he usually went out to get any victuals they required as soon as the shops were open. "And you, Godric," she said to

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