Wolves in Armour by Iain Campbell

Author:Iain Campbell [Campbell, Iain]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: cookie429, Kat, Extratorrents
Amazon: B008RYSYQ8
Published: 2012-08-01T07:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TEN

THORRINGTON JUNE 1067

Edyth proved to be a very pragmatic woman. She’d never expected marriage or anything other than a temporary arrangement with Alan, as after all she was just a simple daughter of a country miller. Despite the short notice she was more than happy to accept the offer of a twenty acre dairy farm at Dovercourt, along with a dozen dairy cows, a house and outbuildings and two slaves, one male and one female. The offer of a small cart and a donkey to take her effects and an escort of two cheorls was accepted. As he had promised Anne, Alan graciously declined her offers of companionship for the two nights until she departed on Monday morning.

The entire Hall was in an uproar over the move to the new quarters, with three wagons trundling back and forth to transport the packed boxes, bags, chests and food stores the several hundred yards from the old house to the new. The new Hall was indeed ready for occupation, with the roof completed. Fresh rushes had been strewn on the paved floor and the fire lit.

The chimney still wasn’t drawing properly and smoke drifted through the Hall like in any other. The system of heating the bath-house and laundry water using the heat from the kitchen fire did work, and a trial run of the furnace for the hypocaust heating system showed it was apparently effective. All that was lacking was glass for the windows, but given the heat of summer that was no hardship.

When Anne arrived at mid-afternoon on the Tuesday the 5th of June she arrived in style. Three wagons drawn by oxen delivered essential goods, a dozen male servants for the house and her two maids Udelle and Esme, with Anne herself riding on her palfrey Misty and with an escort of a dozen warriors. With Synne and Willa, the Thorrington housemaids, this gave her four maids, together with the various cooking, cleaning and other domestic staff.

Despite the lack of vows made on the church steps there was no doubt in anybody’s mind that the new Lady of Thorrington had arrived, although the irregularity of their position would no doubt make it embarrassing the next time that Alan had to pass sentence in the Hundred court for the offence of illegal cohabitation. Anne had also brought her small pack of wolf-hounds and these settled into the Hall after some judicious posturing and position-making with the several dogs that usually were present in the Hall.

Alan of course made a great fuss of her, introducing her to the staff as his lady and instructing his steward Faran and cook Otha to take their instructions from her. As the other thegns would be attending on Friday, Alan had only invited to the meal Brother Godwine, together with his own senior staff of Faran, Osmund, Hugh, Baldwin, Roger and Warren, and also Toland the Torrington headman.

With plenty of warning the cook Otha had excelled herself with the food. Beef soup was followed

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