were leaving Constantinople his son was drowning in the English Channel.”
Wulfstan said, “ Wyrd !”
Brother John made the sign of the cross and said, “The will of god.”
“But she is a woman. This Salic law you mention means she cannot inherit.”
“You have a sharp mind. As her father has named her as his heir she can but in all likelihood it will be her sons who reign.”
“How many has she?”
“None but she is but eighteen summers old. You will like her, young sir. She is clever and she has a witty tongue. Some say too witty for an Emperor. They have no children yet but she is young.” He waved an impatient hand having gossiped more than he had intended. “I must get on with the documents you need. It is good that you can read for many of those you will meet cannot!”
We left the brother and wandered the mighty town of Caen. “We will buy two slaves here, Alfraed, we have done the difficult part of the journey. We do not need to travel as quickly.”
We bought many items which my father thought we might need. Already, just since arriving in Caen I had noticed the chill winds which whipped off the sea. I was not used to such a climate. The cloaks we bought were thicker and warmer than the fine ones we wore to show off in the east.
“When we reach England we will have some boots made. Your days of wearing sandals are over, sadly.”
“Thank you Wulfstan, you are a constant source of good news.”
He shrugged, “I never liked sandals anyway.”
We also bought the pots they made here. They were of a better quality, or so Osric said, than the ones we would find in England. More importantly they would be cheaper.
There was not a great deal of choice at the slave market. I was more used to the huge bustling markets of Constantinople than the one in Caen. There seemed little variety of skills. I left it to my father and Ralph to make the decisions. They knew what they wanted. They just watched without making a bid. Others went to examine teeth, hair and arms but the two of them just stood. We bought some of the local wine and sat at a table to watch.
Eventually Ralph went over to a woman. She looked to be younger than Wulfstan but older than me. She appeared to have all her teeth; that was always a good sign. It was hard to judge her age accurately but she looked to be thin. It looked as though she had not had a good life. They brought her over to us. “This is Faren. She is English and she can cook.”
“How do you know?”
My father looked at me, “She told me.” I was about to ask how that was proof but I saw Wulfstan give a shake of his head and I held my tongue.
They went back to the slave market. There were far fewer of them left now. They eventually approached a youth of no more than fourteen summers. He was thin and wasted. I wondered if he would even last the journey across to England but my father seemed satisfied, after speaking with him, and he paid the money and brought him over. “This is Aiden. He will look after the horses. He was born in Ireland but raised here.” He turned to the two of them. “You are now my property. I am Ridley of Norton and this is my son, Alfraed. We will be travelling to England in the northern marches. If you serve me well then I will be generous and may even grant you your freedom for I am not a cruel man. If you try to run then you will be blinded.”
My father’s voice and face were so honest that even strangers trusted him. I saw the two slaves nod eagerly. Perhaps they were used to being threatened with blinding. They looked to me to be the runts of the litter but the others seemed happy enough. When I became the holder of the purse strings I would buy better slaves than these two.
My father anticipated that the deeds and titles of Norton would be ready on the morrow and we arranged passage on a cob which was travelling to London. The ‘ Maid of Rouen’ looked nothing like the ships we had
Wulfstan said, “ Wyrd !”
Brother John made the sign of the cross and said, “The will of god.”
“But she is a woman. This Salic law you mention means she cannot inherit.”
“You have a sharp mind. As her father has named her as his heir she can but in all likelihood it will be her sons who reign.”
“How many has she?”
“None but she is but eighteen summers old. You will like her, young sir. She is clever and she has a witty tongue. Some say too witty for an Emperor. They have no children yet but she is young.” He waved an impatient hand having gossiped more than he had intended. “I must get on with the documents you need. It is good that you can read for many of those you will meet cannot!”
We left the brother and wandered the mighty town of Caen. “We will buy two slaves here, Alfraed, we have done the difficult part of the journey. We do not need to travel as quickly.”
We bought many items which my father thought we might need. Already, just since arriving in Caen I had noticed the chill winds which whipped off the sea. I was not used to such a climate. The cloaks we bought were thicker and warmer than the fine ones we wore to show off in the east.
“When we reach England we will have some boots made. Your days of wearing sandals are over, sadly.”
“Thank you Wulfstan, you are a constant source of good news.”
He shrugged, “I never liked sandals anyway.”
We also bought the pots they made here. They were of a better quality, or so Osric said, than the ones we would find in England. More importantly they would be cheaper.
There was not a great deal of choice at the slave market. I was more used to the huge bustling markets of Constantinople than the one in Caen. There seemed little variety of skills. I left it to my father and Ralph to make the decisions. They knew what they wanted. They just watched without making a bid. Others went to examine teeth, hair and arms but the two of them just stood. We bought some of the local wine and sat at a table to watch.
Eventually Ralph went over to a woman. She looked to be younger than Wulfstan but older than me. She appeared to have all her teeth; that was always a good sign. It was hard to judge her age accurately but she looked to be thin. It looked as though she had not had a good life. They brought her over to us. “This is Faren. She is English and she can cook.”
“How do you know?”
My father looked at me, “She told me.” I was about to ask how that was proof but I saw Wulfstan give a shake of his head and I held my tongue.
They went back to the slave market. There were far fewer of them left now. They eventually approached a youth of no more than fourteen summers. He was thin and wasted. I wondered if he would even last the journey across to England but my father seemed satisfied, after speaking with him, and he paid the money and brought him over. “This is Aiden. He will look after the horses. He was born in Ireland but raised here.” He turned to the two of them. “You are now my property. I am Ridley of Norton and this is my son, Alfraed. We will be travelling to England in the northern marches. If you serve me well then I will be generous and may even grant you your freedom for I am not a cruel man. If you try to run then you will be blinded.”
My father’s voice and face were so honest that even strangers trusted him. I saw the two slaves nod eagerly. Perhaps they were used to being threatened with blinding. They looked to me to be the runts of the litter but the others seemed happy enough. When I became the holder of the purse strings I would buy better slaves than these two.
My father anticipated that the deeds and titles of Norton would be ready on the morrow and we arranged passage on a cob which was travelling to London. The ‘ Maid of Rouen’ looked nothing like the ships we had