education.’
‘You are both welcome. The Count will be pleased to have two sturdy Englishmen in his retinue, especially ones who stood with Hereward of Bourne. But tell me how you got away from Ely.’
Sweyn, with a self-confident air beyond his years, answered in Edwin’s stead.
‘The King spared us in circumstances we still don’t understand. We were all captured as we tried to escape. We know that Martin, Einar and Alphonso died in the siege and that Hereward was almost the last man standing when he was overpowered. He was bound and flogged to the point of death and then taken into the Chapel of St Etheldreda by the King, who summoned Hereward’s daughters, Gunnhild and Estrith. What happened after that is a mystery. We never saw them again.’
‘William must have had them killed.’
Edwin resumed the account.
‘We assume so, but, as you can imagine, there are many stories, some more plausible than others.’
‘They are not dead.’ Sweyn spoke with firmness, verging on ferocity, a fire burning in his eyes.
‘Sweyn, you are addressing a prince,’ Edwin reminded him.
‘I am sorry, sire, but I am sure they live. I will find Hereward and his daughters. Perhaps then I can repay the debt I owe them.’
‘My Prince, of Sweyn’s many passions that is his most ardent, closely followed by his loathing of Normans.’
‘Well, both are not without reason, but you have brought him to the court of the Count of Normandy, who is, pro tempore , Duke of all Normans.’
‘That, sire, will be part of his education. He will learn that there is good and bad in all men – and good and bad men in all places.’
Sweyn looked at Edwin sullenly, clearly not convinced.
‘So, Edwin, where is your home?’
‘We are from a place called St Cirq Lapopie on the Lot, close to Cahors, in the realm of Geoffrey, Count of Toulouse. Hereward’s family settled there after Senlac Ridge. I first met them when King Harold’s widow, Edith Swan-Neck, sent me there to ask Hereward to come back to England to lead the English revolt. Sadly, when the revolt failed and King William released us after the stand of the Brotherhood at Ely, we returned there. The King was surprisingly magnanimous and let us keep all our silver and possessions. Our land had been well managed while we were away, so we wanted for nothing – except of course those we loved, who weleft behind in England. Since then, we’ve prospered.’
‘I’m glad you found some comfort after all your trials in England.’
Sweyn spoke up again.
‘When we returned from England, the first few months were awful. The girls had lost mothers and fathers and the women had lost their husbands. Alphonso’s wife, Cristina, couldn’t get over his death and soon returned to her home in Oviedo. After a while, the anguish subsided a little and life became more settled. Martin and Einar’s daughters, Gwyneth and Wulfhild, married local men and both have children of their own now, as have Emma and Edgiva, two of the three girls from Bourne.
‘Now that Edwin and I have left, there are just three members of the family still there: Martin’s wife, Ingigerd, and Einar’s wife, Maria – who run the estate between them – and Adela, the third girl from Bourne.’
‘She has not found a husband?’
‘No, sire. There are not many men worthy enough. She is full of passions and causes. She fights like a housecarl and doesn’t suffer fools. It was a mighty struggle to persuade her to stay in the Lot. She begged Edwin to be allowed to come with us, but he forbade it.’
‘Interesting; there must be something in the soil of Bourne. Three fearsome warriors from one village.’ I decided that one day I would travel there to see what had become of Hereward’s village. ‘Let us eat, you must be famished. It doesn’t look like the Count will be back tonight.’
After dinner, when Sweyn had gone to his bed, Edwin and I talked.
‘I’m glad you are here. It is good to have an English
‘You are both welcome. The Count will be pleased to have two sturdy Englishmen in his retinue, especially ones who stood with Hereward of Bourne. But tell me how you got away from Ely.’
Sweyn, with a self-confident air beyond his years, answered in Edwin’s stead.
‘The King spared us in circumstances we still don’t understand. We were all captured as we tried to escape. We know that Martin, Einar and Alphonso died in the siege and that Hereward was almost the last man standing when he was overpowered. He was bound and flogged to the point of death and then taken into the Chapel of St Etheldreda by the King, who summoned Hereward’s daughters, Gunnhild and Estrith. What happened after that is a mystery. We never saw them again.’
‘William must have had them killed.’
Edwin resumed the account.
‘We assume so, but, as you can imagine, there are many stories, some more plausible than others.’
‘They are not dead.’ Sweyn spoke with firmness, verging on ferocity, a fire burning in his eyes.
‘Sweyn, you are addressing a prince,’ Edwin reminded him.
‘I am sorry, sire, but I am sure they live. I will find Hereward and his daughters. Perhaps then I can repay the debt I owe them.’
‘My Prince, of Sweyn’s many passions that is his most ardent, closely followed by his loathing of Normans.’
‘Well, both are not without reason, but you have brought him to the court of the Count of Normandy, who is, pro tempore , Duke of all Normans.’
‘That, sire, will be part of his education. He will learn that there is good and bad in all men – and good and bad men in all places.’
Sweyn looked at Edwin sullenly, clearly not convinced.
‘So, Edwin, where is your home?’
‘We are from a place called St Cirq Lapopie on the Lot, close to Cahors, in the realm of Geoffrey, Count of Toulouse. Hereward’s family settled there after Senlac Ridge. I first met them when King Harold’s widow, Edith Swan-Neck, sent me there to ask Hereward to come back to England to lead the English revolt. Sadly, when the revolt failed and King William released us after the stand of the Brotherhood at Ely, we returned there. The King was surprisingly magnanimous and let us keep all our silver and possessions. Our land had been well managed while we were away, so we wanted for nothing – except of course those we loved, who weleft behind in England. Since then, we’ve prospered.’
‘I’m glad you found some comfort after all your trials in England.’
Sweyn spoke up again.
‘When we returned from England, the first few months were awful. The girls had lost mothers and fathers and the women had lost their husbands. Alphonso’s wife, Cristina, couldn’t get over his death and soon returned to her home in Oviedo. After a while, the anguish subsided a little and life became more settled. Martin and Einar’s daughters, Gwyneth and Wulfhild, married local men and both have children of their own now, as have Emma and Edgiva, two of the three girls from Bourne.
‘Now that Edwin and I have left, there are just three members of the family still there: Martin’s wife, Ingigerd, and Einar’s wife, Maria – who run the estate between them – and Adela, the third girl from Bourne.’
‘She has not found a husband?’
‘No, sire. There are not many men worthy enough. She is full of passions and causes. She fights like a housecarl and doesn’t suffer fools. It was a mighty struggle to persuade her to stay in the Lot. She begged Edwin to be allowed to come with us, but he forbade it.’
‘Interesting; there must be something in the soil of Bourne. Three fearsome warriors from one village.’ I decided that one day I would travel there to see what had become of Hereward’s village. ‘Let us eat, you must be famished. It doesn’t look like the Count will be back tonight.’
After dinner, when Sweyn had gone to his bed, Edwin and I talked.
‘I’m glad you are here. It is good to have an English
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