The farmer began complaining about how Lady Alwynn never questioned him and what a liar and braggart Owain was. Lazy and unreliable. Because he wasn’t from around here, Valdar might not be aware of his neighbour’s reputation. On and on.
The vague irritation Valdar had grew. He might not know Alwynn very well, but instinctively he knew she would not stand for a man using his fists on his wife. He concentrated his anger on moving the straw quickly.
In a few heartbeats, Valdar could see the outline of a door hidden behind the straw. He stopped. The sound of shuffling feet and baaing could be clearly heard. ‘And you say there is nothing behind here.’
The farmer’s eyes widened. ‘I could have sworn...’
‘There are sheep behind that door.’ Valdar drew his sword. ‘Would you mind explaining who they belong to?’
‘Wife!’ He added a few other choice phrases, each filthier than the last. ‘Where did these sheep come from? What have you been hiding from me?’
Valdar clung on to his temper by the slenderest of threads. It was not worth removing the man’s head from his shoulders, a treatment he was sure the man richly deserved. He also couldn’t touch a man who wasn’t his lady’s tenant.
The woman appeared in the doorway and sank to a low curtsy.
‘I was asked to put the sheep there by my husband. I guess I did it wrong.’ The woman visibly flinched at the farmer’s tone. ‘I... That is...we know nothing about it. We never do anything to harm my lady. It is all our sheep. I wanted to hide them from the Northmen.’
‘The Northmen?’
‘They are demons in human form who steal sheep and take them back to their homeland.’ She glanced at her husband for confirmation. ‘Everyone knows that. Now that Lord Edwin and his steward have gone to protect the king...’
‘The Northmen travel across seas in boats. What need do they have of your sheep? Where would they put them on the boats?’ The words burst from Valdar before he had time to consider.
‘How would I know what they want them for!’ she exclaimed. ‘All’s I know is that they take ’em.’
Valdar’s jaw ached from holding back his temper. If he continued on, he would make enemies, not friends. Northmen stealing sheep? What a lie! And Alwynn needed to be here to see the woman and assess her injuries. She also might be able to get to the bottom of the mystery in a way he couldn’t. This man and his wife had been her tenants until recently. She would know the whole story.
Valdar refused to consider that he’d missed Alwynn.
‘Very well, we go to the hall and fetch my lady and see what she thinks of the sheep.’
The farmer puffed out his chest and flexed his knuckles. ‘What are you accusing me of? Those are my sheep. I ain’t going anywhere. You can’t make me.’
Valdar drew his sword and held the point of it under the farmer’s chin. ‘Can you prove it? In my country we mark sheep to show which flock belongs to which farmer.’
‘Aye, we do that here and all,’ the woman said.
‘Hush your mouth,’ the man retorted and lifted his fist.
Valdar caught the man’s wrist. ‘No. Your wife has the right to speak her mind without fear.’
‘Lady Alwynn shall hear of this high-handed treatment!’ the man whispered. ‘I promise you. You will be out on your ear for spreading lies about a respected member of the community.’
‘We fetch her together. Owain as well. I presume he knows his sheep when he sees them.’
* * *
‘My lady. This new steward of yours, he is impossible.’ Cleofirth the Plough stormed into the hall, closely followed by Valdar.
Alwynn blinked in surprise to see one of her former tenants visibly upset. Valdar should not have been anywhere near that farm. This was her fault. She had deliberately not been getting involved in his day-to-day activities. She’d hoped that her blood would cool if she avoided him for a few days. ‘What is the problem?’
‘He behaves worse than any Northman.’ Cleofirth threw his hands up in the air. ‘Go on, ask him what he has done. I demand compensation for blackening my good name! Those are my sheep, not Owain’s! There is a simple explanation.’
‘Then why did you hide them behind a secret door in your barn?’ Valdar shrugged, seemingly unconcerned, but his bulk filled the doorway. Her heart did a little leap to see him. ‘It seems odd for a man to hide sheep in a room behind a pile of straw if they belong to him.’
‘It were on account of the Northmen, my lady...’
‘Sheep stealing isn’t one of the crimes I have heard laid at Northmen’s feet before.’ A muscle jumped in Valdar’s cheek. ‘However, I am always willing to learn about these monsters from people who seem to know them so well.’
Alwynn put her sewing down as her maids began to gossip. There was no mistaking Valdar’s sarcastic tone.
Her heart sank. She had given Valdar instructions to go slowly and now this. Sarcasm and accusations of sheep stealing. Cleofirth was one of the most prosperous farmers in the area and had a reputation second to none.
In one way, she had been sorry to sell that particular hide of land. Although he was a good farmer, she had never liked his bluster nor been impressed by the rumours of his heavy fists on his hired hands. But she couldn’t afford to alienate her neighbour’s tenants, plus every time she spoke to Urien, his wife, she spoke of how hard her man worked and how pleased she was to have found him.
Urien had worked at the hall until her marriage and the couple seemed happy enough, despite Urien’s repeated miscarriages and the loss of their baby girl last winter. The familiar hollow opened within Alwynn. She had not been able to find the words to comfort Urien. The last time they’d spoken, the woman had begun sobbing uncontrollably. And after that Alwynn had avoided her.
Cleofirth had assured her that, though his wife was fragile, they did not need any help.
‘What is the precise problem?’ she asked.
‘This farmer believes that he can keep sheep hidden in a secret room behind piles of hay—sheep which most likely belong to one of your farmers—and claim them for his own,’ Valdar answered, crossing his arms. His entire being glowered. ‘I suggested that he might like to take his complaint directly to you, since he doesn’t trust a foreigner to do his job properly.’
Alwynn held out her hands.
‘What would you have me do? Lord Edwin would be the one who would normally handle this type of complaint.’
‘I believe you should come out to the farm and see what is going on. Make up your own mind. We can all look at the markings on the sheep to see who they truly belong to.’
Alwynn tilted her head to one side, confused. ‘Good idea.’
‘This farmer objected although he believes you will back him.’
‘Is this true, Cleofirth?’ A hollow opened within Alwynn. She had been avoiding going out there ever since Urien had lost her baby girl. What could she, a barren woman, say to Urien, who had lost a much-longed-for child?
The man’s ears went red. ‘I may have been a bit hasty in my speech, my lady. No man likes a stranger to question his honour like this here steward is doing. You should have had a steward from around here, one who understands local ways.’
‘My lady’s choice of steward has nothing to do with the sheep that are hidden in the barn!’ Valdar thundered. ‘Will you allow me to look into that storeroom or not? See what else is hidden there?’
‘I don’t see the point,’ Cleofirth said with a curl of his lip. ‘My word should be good enough. They are my sheep. Like I said, you might not understand our marking system, being a foreigner and all. Here, my lady, you tell him I was a good tenant to your late husband. He never had any trouble from me. I paid what I owed on time.’
‘Will you allow my lady to inspect your barn?’ Valdar asked in a silken tone. ‘You can have no objection to my lady viewing the sheep with her own eyes.’
‘In the late lord’s day, my word was good enough.’ Cleofirth held out his hands and screwed up h
is eyes. ‘My lady, why would I try to hide anything from you? Owain is always losing his sheep. You know that as well as me. Every year, he complains someone has stolen his sheep and that is why he needs more time to pay his rent. To have your new steward brand me as a sheep stealer is insulting.’
‘But that still doesn’t explain why those sheep were hidden and why you swore to me that all your sheep were out on the fields,’ Valdar said, his accent becoming stronger with each word he spoke.
‘Maybe your steward’s grasp of our language isn’t good. Him being foreign and all.’
A muscle flickered in Valdar’s cheek. ‘I understand well enough.’
Alwynn pasted on a placating smile. ‘My steward has my full support. If he asks for a credible explanation for hidden sheep, then I see no reason for you not to give it.’
‘He is a foreigner. He could be a Northman for all I know. Set to murder us all in our beds. A spy! He could be selling the information for gold.’
There was an inward take of breath and all eyes turned towards Valdar. With his height and flowing hair, she could see why he might be taken for a Northman. But being from this place called Raumerike didn’t make him a Northman barbarian. She felt sure of it.
‘Cleofirth! Remember to whom you are speaking. Are you questioning my judgement?’
‘A thousand apologies, my lady.’ Cleofirth wrung his hat between his hands. ‘In your husband’s day, proper stewards were hired. Not strangers from a strange land.’
Alwynn pressed her lips together and counted to ten. In her husband’s day, the steward had been crooked, but she could sympathise with Cleofirth. Since the Northmen’s attack, there was a natural wariness of strangers. She wanted her tenants to see her as a fair mistress, to respect her and her judgement. But they also had to know that her steward, despite being a foreigner, had her support and that they needed to obey him.
She glanced up at Valdar and had the strange suspicion that he had manipulated this so that she would have to go out. She wished she knew why he was doing this, but she had to trust him.
She stood and pressed her hands together. Silently she cursed the dream for putting ideas in her head. Valdar was not interested in her as a woman. ‘Perhaps it would be best if I went to inspect the sheep. It is bound to be a simple misunderstanding. Then when Lord Edwin returns, a full account of the matter can be put before him with me as an expert witness. Surely you are not going to accuse me...’
Cleofirth gulped twice. ‘No, my lady. I merely didn’t want you to have to make an unnecessary journey. Urien tells me how hard you are working these days.’
Alwynn frowned. He made it seem as if she had seen Urien recently, but it had been months. ‘It has been a long time since I saw your wife. How does she fare?’
‘She is doing well. As you know, the loss of the bairn in the new year hit her hard.’ Cleofirth’s face crumpled slightly. ‘Hit us both actually.’
Alwynn’s heart squeezed. She should have gone to offer comfort to Urien, but she had not known what words to say, and besides, they were no longer her tenants. ‘I hope she will visit my hall one of these days.’
‘When she feels up to it. It is a struggle to get her to go to church, to be honest with you.’
‘Then you should have allowed my new steward to investigate and determine whose sheep they are to get this matter over and done with. I would hardly want to have a dispute between my steward and someone as important as you, Cleofirth the Plough.’
Cleofirth gave a self-satisfied smile. ‘I want no more than justice.’
Valdar met her gaze. It was obvious that he wanted her to go to the farm. She gave a mental sigh. She had hoped to hide in the hall and forget that the kiss had happened, but she would have to get this problem sorted. She would have to go out and spend some time alone with Valdar.
* * *
When they arrived at the farm, Cleofirth took them directly to the barn. Alwynn was surprised that Urien did not come out to greet her, but Cleofirth had informed her that Urien was having one of her bad days and wanted to be alone.
Alwynn inwardly winced. The last thing she wanted to do was intrude and make Urien’s suffering worse, particularly as Cleofirth appeared to be so concerned about her.
Valdar had seemed unsurprised by the announcement, but did remark about how he had enjoyed meeting Urien earlier. He gave Cleofirth a strange look.
‘Are you going to tell me why you asked me here?’ Alwynn said in an undertone. ‘I doubt it was to see a hidden storeroom filled with sheep. You could have forced the issue if you thought they were indeed Owain’s sheep.’
‘And started a feud with your neighbour’s tenant? I think not,’ he answered quietly. ‘This needs to be done with you. Cleofirth has to see you are in charge so he cannot deny what happened later to Lord Edwin. Plus, you need to see his wife.’
‘What do you hope to find?’
‘Honestly? I hope for nothing, but I suspect that there is more than meets the eye. If I am right, he should be thrown off this land for sheep stealing.’
‘This had better be good. Cleofirth is well thought of and Lord Edwin will be displeased if I accuse one of his tenants without proof. He is the king’s instrument of the law in these parts.’
‘If you will come over here, you will see the difficulty,’ Valdar said in an undertone. He moved some of the straw which had hidden the small trapdoor. ‘The barn is slightly too big on the outside for its size on the inside.’
She stared at it for a long moment, trying to recall if she had seen it, before turning back to Cleofirth. ‘What do you say about this? Is there a secret room?’
The farmer had the grace to go beet-red. ‘I’d forgotten it was there. It is quite a small storage space. My wife’s uncle had used it to store turnips. Your steward is making a mountain out of a molehill. No doubt in time he will learn our ways.’
‘Then it should be empty. And there is no reason not to show it to us. Valdar may be new here, but it is no excuse for you to refuse a reasonable request from my steward.’ She gave both of them a look.
‘I don’t know how the sheep got there. Honest. But I am sure they will all bear my mark.’
‘If you don’t know how the sheep arrived there, how can you be sure that they belong to you?’
Valdar put his shoulder against the door and it opened with a loud creak. ‘You need to see this, Alwynn.’
The large storage area was full of sheep and sacks of wool. Alwynn’s mouth dropped open. She recognised various notches in the ears which were not Cleofirth’s mark.
‘It would appear you have a problem, Cleofirth. The third sheep to the left sports Owain’s notch, not yours.’
Cleofirth’s mouth opened and closed. ‘Owain’s sheep must have wandered on to my land and got mixed up with mine. You know how careless he can be. I know my rights. I demand to see Lord Edwin. He is the law in these parts. Not this here foreign steward. Lord Edwin is my overlord now.’
Cleofirth the Plough was far more prosperous than she’d considered. Silently she kicked herself for not inspecting the farm more closely before selling the title to Lord Edwin. She knew Cleofirth had been good friends with her former steward. She clenched her fists, hating that she had been naive and ready to believe the best of everyone.
Cleofirth had had Urien plead a poor lambing season last year and all the while he’d been amassing this. If he had paid the proper amount due, she would never have had to sell the land.
Her stomach ached and she stumbled from the barn. She drew deep breaths of fresh clean air, hating that she had made another mistake.
‘How long have you been keeping things back?’ Valdar demanded. ‘How much have you cheated? Where I come from, men have had been deprived of their lands for less.’
‘I didn’t want the Northmen discovering all my secrets,’ Cleofirth began pleading. ‘A man has to make preparations.’ He gulped twice. ‘That is...I knew nothing about the sheep. Urien...’
‘Valdar is
my steward, Cleofirth, not a raiding Northman. Urien does not farm here. You do,’ Alwynn said in a measured tone, but her insides churned. ‘Lord Edwin will hear of this. It will be up to him to administer the proper punishment.’
Cleofirth rubbed the back of his neck. ‘Some of Owain’s sheep might have become mixed with mine. During the storm, like. I haven’t had time to sort them and then I heard your steward was poking his sharp nose in. I panicked. A man is allowed to make a mistake. But it were Urien who did it originally. I won’t have my name blackened.’
‘Shall we see about getting Owain’s sheep returned to him?’
It made her blood boil that Cleofirth had used her in this way. She concentrated on breathing steadily. Her mother had taught her many years ago that giving in to her temper solved nothing. It was important that she appeared calm and confident, even if she wanted to shake him. ‘Why did you hide this behind the straw? Why did you say that you would be unable to make the full rent because of two poor years? How long has this sheep stealing been going on?’
Cleofirth adopted a face of injured innocence. ‘It was an accident. My wife has already confessed. I panicked when I heard your new steward was coming looking for sheep and things. My wife will back me up.’
Valdar looked at her and slowly shook his head. She understood the unspoken message. ‘Where is Urien? Is she even here?’
‘She is in the house.’ Cleofirth ran his hand through his thinning hair. ‘Look, it is a simple misunderstanding. The room must have been here since before my time. I honestly thought it was just a few mouldy turnips not worth bothering with.’
‘Lady Alwynn should question Urien without you being there. In the interests of justice.’
Alwynn caught Valdar’s gaze. He wanted her to see Urien on her own. Alwynn’s stomach knotted. How much had she allowed to go unnoticed?
‘Somehow I doubt what you say, Cleofirth. You came to me accusing my new steward of being unjust, but it was you.’
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