Housecarl

by Griff Hosker

  Robert of Jumièges came out of his room sword in hand. His eyes flashed around and , seeing my opponent on the ground he stabbed him in the throat crying, “Assassin!”

  I turned in horror to my uncle who grabbed the churchman’s hand. “Why did you do that? We could have questioned him and found out whom he served.”

  The archbishop looked flustered. “I thought he might try to kill the king. I was protecting his royal person.”

  “He was disarmed. I had my foot on his hand.”

  “I could not see that. Who can think in a moment besides it is obvious they were sent by Malcolm Canmore, they are Scots.”

  My eyes narrowed and I looked at my uncle. How could he have known that? Before we could speculate the King emerged. Robert reacted quicker than I could. “Majesty these two Housecarls have just saved your life and foiled a plot to kill you.”

  The King’s grateful, eyes widened and he embraced first me and then Ridley. “Tomorrow we shall reward you.”

  Other guards arrived, having been summoned by Ulf who looked darkly at Aethelward. My uncle shook his head and turned to the four of us. “You have done well and saved the king, now you need to get your rest and we will talk in the morning.” The message was obvious, talk in private where the Archbishop could not hear us.

  I found it hard to sleep as I ran the events through my head. My father was involved with the two Scotsmen and so was the Norman churchman, that was obvious but what linked them and what was their purpose? My head was too fuzzy with the action and tiredness. This was all I could know I would need daylight and my friends to unravel the knotty problem .

  Before we had chance to discuss the events we were summoned into the presence of the king. The Archbishop stood behind him his darting, dark eyes never leaving our faces. The King looked a little calmer than he had the previous night. “We would like to thank these two brave Housecarls for their bravery in saving the life of ourselves. As a reward I am giving each of them a piece of land and title in their native Northumbria . To you Aelfraed of Medelai I give the parish of Maiden Bower close to Topcliffe and to you , Ridley son of Oswin , I give the parish of Coxold and title therewith. “ One of the priests with him gave us both a document with the royal seal appended. We both knelt and kissed the proffered hand. “Today we will return to London knowing that our city of Winchester will be well protected by Earl Harold’s brave Housecarls.”

  When the King’s retinue had left I noticed the look I was given by Robert of Jumièges; it was a look of pure hate. I had, in some way, unwittingly earned the enmity of a mighty Norman. We were still exhausted the next day but I sat with Ulf and my uncle to run through the events. Aethelward agreed with me that the Norman bishop had shown his hand by acknowledging that they had been Scottish assassins. The only way he could have known that was if they were involved. The fact that he disposed of the loose end merely confirmed that he had known something. “But it is your father and his involvement which is more worrying. We know that the Normans want Edward dead and Duke William on the throne. With Earl Harold a prisoner of the Duke it would be a perfect time to remove the king of England and then the Council, of which the Archbishop is a member , would have the Norman Duke as king.”

  Ulf looked at Aethelward, “The sooner the Earl returns the better.”

  When I left the hall I was thronged by my comrades who were delighted that I was now a lord. I had not thought of that but I did feel for Ridley. He was now a superior to his father. His parish was smaller than mine but would provide an income. The two were adjacent and I knew that our lives had changed forever in that moment. I was now Aelfraed of Topcliffe and Ridley was the Lord of Coxold. Neither of us knew that we would hold those titles for a mere three years but once given they could never be taken away. We were lords. We both wished to travel north to see our lands but we knew that to do so whilst the Earl was a captive would have been dishonourable so we stayed. I used the time to question Ulf and Aethelward about my responsibilities. I learned that both men had lands of their own but used a steward to manage them. Neither of us wished to be absent landlords besides the thought of riding to battle at the head of my own men appealed to me.

  Surprisingly quickly Earl Harold was returned to us. There were rumours that he had sworn an oath to support the Duke’s claim to the throne should Edward die but he assured us that it was a lie. We believed him, because he was our liege lord but I for one was not convinced. He seemed inordinately proud of the fact that I had acquired lands and immediately acquiesced to our request to visit them and have some time away fro m his Housecarls. The one regret I had was that I did not get to see Gytha but I did impress upon both the Earl and my uncle that I desired to make her my bride and, now that I was a lord, I could so. They patronisingly smiled and nodded; they did not know me. I meant it and one day I would achieve my aim.

  We parted from our friends Wolf and Osgar. They both nodded to us and said, “Farewell my lord.”

  “I will never be my lord to you two. You are our friends and remain so. I will be insulted if you refer to me as my lord again. I am Aelfraed and this is Ridley and we will always be Housecarls.”

  Their smiles at my words showed me that they were happy and the two of us headed north up the great Roman road. We had not travelled far when Ridley spoke , “Master. Could I visit with you at your demesne?”

  “Firstly I am not Master and secondly, why?”

  He hung his head. “I am pleased that I am a lord but I do not know how to act. If I watch you then when I go to mine own lands then I will not look quite so foolish.”

  How I loved the simple uncomplicated Ridley. He never let me down through our whole lives and I never had a better friend. In that moment I knew that I could not let him down and I agreed. I knew that I would protect Ridley with my life and he would become a great lord, as I hoped to be.

  When we crossed into Northumbria we detected a change. There were more beggars and the people appeared to be less well off than those in Mercia. We stayed in a small inn close to Doncaster and when they discovered that we were Earl Harold’s Housecarls and that we had fought the Welsh they relaxed. We found out that Earl Tostig was taxing the life out of his land and the people were suffering. He was using the threat of the Scots as the excuse but, as the inn keeper told us, the Scots still ravaged the land despite the high taxes.

  We bypassed Jorvik for I had no wish to swear fealty to such a man. I would claim my lands first and then visit Jorvik. I know that sounds cowardly but I did not like Earl Tostig and never had. Another part of me worried that I might see my brothers. I was not afraid of my brothers but I had no wish to spill their blood and if we met again then I knew it would come to that . So we eventually came to Maiden Bower at Topcliffe and I fell in love with it immediately. To the north east lay the hills of the white horse which seemed apposite bearing in mind that that was the sign of Earl Harold. The parish itself was at the junction of two rivers and was close to the great Roman road. I could see now that King Edward had given me a strategically import ant post. If someone could build a fort here then they could deny any invader passage south. I wondered where the previous owner was.

  When we reached the small village the Steward came to greet us. “Greetings my lord, how can I be of service?”

  I glanced over at Ridley who was watching my every move. “ I am your new lord,” I flourished the document given to me by the king. “I am here to claim my demesne. This is Ridley lord of Coxold.”

  He and his wife fell to the ground. “ I am sorry my lord no one warned us.”

  “Rise er ,,,”

  “Thomas sir, Thomas of Topcliffe and this is my wife Sarah .”

  “Well Thomas I would like to inspect my lands. Do you have a horse?”

  He looked panicky . “Er yes sir. But it is not …”

  I knew he looked at our fine mounts and that his would be a nag at best. “It can be an ass for all I care , Thomas, just so long as we can see my lands this day.” I smiled as I s
aid it and to my relief he smiled too. This would work.

  I was pleased when we visited the farms for it looked to be a prosperous place but I was concerned with the finances. “Thomas, tell me , the farms are producing much?”

  He beamed at me, “Oh they are doing very well. God has been kind to us and we have not had floods.”

  “And the last lord, before me; when did he die?”

  “He went north ten years ago to fight the Scots and did not return. He had no heirs.”

  “So the profit from the estate. Where does that go to ?” I kept my voice even for it seemed to me that there should be a horde of silver and I could see no evidence of that . Thomas looked like an honest man and his words had sounded truthful but there was a gap between what I had seen and what I could touch.

  Thomas was a bright man and he understood the implications of what I had said. “All of the money is given to the church for the priest to care for. He was the friend of the lord.”

  I smiled, I could see the picture clearly now. My run in with other men of the church, latterly the Archbishop, had given me a different perspective to the men of the soil who saw them as Christ’s protectors on earth. I saw them as greedy, voracious and political beasts who feathered their own nests. “Then let us visit with the priest and find the lost money for we shall need men at arms and money for building.”

  The Steward looked up at me. “Building? Men at arms?”

  “Tell me Thomas what do you do when the Scots come through rampaging or the Danes?”

  “The Danes have not done so for years but when the Scots come we go to Ripon or Jorvik.”

  “And that can be done swiftly?”

  “Oh no my lord. We leave the farms and get there as quickly as possible. The Scots never take everything, they always leave a little and we start again.”

  I sighed and looked at Ridley who understood me far better than this man of the soil. “If we had our own castle and men at arms then all the valuables could be gathered and protected and the Scots would leave empty handed. We would not need to start again and we would have more money.”

  I could see that he was dubious but it mattered not for I was lord and I would make that decision. Thomas was there to carry out my orders. The church was a fine stone church with a small bell tower. I could see that it did well. The priest who greeted us was a round, well fed man called Osbert. When I introduced myself a cloud appeared to pass across his face and he glanced at Thomas. “Welcome my lord I am pleased that the king has sent another master for the land.”

  “Could we go in the church father for it is cold?”

  In truth it was not but I wanted to see the interior before he had the opportunity to hide what I knew we would find in there.”Please, it is your parish church now.”

  “It is, isn’t it priest?” The harshness of my tone made him flinch. Inside I was immediately struck by the gold which glittered on various objects, the crosses, the communion plate all had the tinge of gold. I wondered what we would find in his dwelling? “My Steward tells me that he has been leaving the profits from the estate in your care.” I smiled disarmingly at him, “I would like to thank you for that. Of course now that I am here I will, of course, require my gold.”

  I have seen men pale in battle but never in a church. He paled. The blood drained from his face. “But my lord, the church needs upkeep and…”

  I picked up the golden crucifix. “This does not look like the roof, or the walls.” I gestured at Thomas who was behind me as though he feared the priest. “I am sure that Thomas here, being a good Steward will have kept a good accounting of my money.” Thomas eagerly nodded. I pointed a mailed finger at the shaking priest. “That amount is what I expect from you so let us go to your dwelling and begin to count out the first amount that I will take with me today.”

  “But my lord I must protest. The bishop in Jorvik loves my church and he would not wish it to be as it was.”

  My voice lost its sweetness. “Listen priest, this is my church and the Bishop can go and kiss his own arse for all that I care. My people have suffered at the hands of the Scots whilst you, no doubt were safely behind Jorvik’s walls. I am here now and things will change. Do you understand me?”

  I could see from his frightened piggy eyes that he did and he led me to this home which was a fine stone dwelling and, as I had expected, well furnished. He went to a trunk and took out a wooden box. He took a key from around his neck and opened it. There was a quantity of silver in there but not what I expected.

  “This is it?”

  “The rest went into the church my lord.”

  I grabbed a handful of his cassock. “Then get it from the church or Ridley and I will rip if from the walls ourselves.” His face was filled with fear. I heard Thomas have a sharp intake of breath. I saw, on his table two silver candle holders and I grabbed them and dropped them into the box. “Ridley, Thomas, find anything else which looks valuable and you my pudgy little friend, have one week to find the rest of my gold.”

  Whilst my companions cleared out the house I returned to the church and took all the silver and gold ornaments I could find. My absence had emboldened the priest. “My lord I must protest. When the Bishop…”

  “Never mind the Bishop what about the Earl?”

  He looked non plussed. “The Earl?”

  “I assume you have been paying his taxes?” I knew that he had not and his skin whitened once more. He had gambled on the Bishop protecting him but Earl Tostig valued gold above the church.

  His shoulders sagged. “A week my lord.”

  As we rode back to the Steward’s house I wondered where he had secreted the rest. Probably in Jorvik with some of the Jews who lived there. It mattered not to me and if he ran, then good riddance, I already had enough to make the start I want to on the improvements to my estate. When we returned to Thomas’ house he said, “My wife and my family will move into the barn my lord.”

  It took me a moment or two to understand that the house he occupied was the lord’s house. It was a rough building and not worthy of a lord. I assumed that the previous occupant had not stayed there much. “No Thomas. Lord Ridley and myself are used to privations and we will sleep in the barn but on the morrow we will purchase the men and materials we need to begin on my home.” He tried to protest but I waved them away. “Is the inn still on the Roman road at Catherick?”

  “The Angel? It is my lord.”

  “Do not prepare any food for us we will visit there and we will see you on the morrow.”

  As we rode the few miles north to the inn Ridley asked me all the questions that had been simmering in his mind. “How did you know that the priest had been stealing from you?”

  “The things he had in the church and his look. Brother Aidan was a real churchman and he had a lean look about him. The priest was too well fed.”

  “I would not know what to look for .”

  “I will visit with you when you go to your parish.”

  “And why do we visit the inn?”

  “We both need men at arms and our parishes will not have them. We can spread the word and the inn is the best place for that. There will be many men without lords and if they travel south they will have to call at the inn.”

  The rest of the questions were easily answered and Ridley appeared satisfied with the answers. His problem was that his father had ignored him and he lacked confidence. The Housecarls had given him confidence in war but not with people. I hoped that he would survive but I knew that I could not be watching over him all the time. He would have to make his own mistakes and live with them just as I would make my mistakes.

  The Angel, so called because of the small crudely carved wooden statue of a winged angel which adorned the door lintel was a popular inn. I would have stayed there but I knew that, until the priest made good with his promise to repay the money, I would have to cut my cloth accordingly. Everyone stared at us as we walked in. To me the sight of heavily armed men was normal but here, on the road
it was unusual for the lords normally stayed in each other’s homes when they travelled the land. The landlord took one look at our weapons and decided to defer to us. “Welcome to my inn. How may I serve you?”

  “Two ales for a start and food if you have it.”

  “Aye sir we have a hunter’s stew on the pot and freshly made bread.”

  “That will do.” I turned to face the patrons but continued to talk to the landlord. “I am the new lord of Topcliffe, Lord Aelfraed, and this is the master of Coxold, Lord Ridley.” I felt Ridley squirm for he was still unused to the title. “I am seeking men at arms to serve with us landlord, if you hear of any men seeking employment then please direct them to my demesne.”

  “Certainly my lord.” I could see from his face that he was adjusting his prices to accommodate the new land owner. He pushed two old men away from the table by the fire and pulled out the crudely carved chairs for us. We sat there supping the frothy ale from the two goblets fashioned from some animal horn. The food when it came was tasty and filling. We were both used to hard rations and any food would have been welcome. When we had finished two men came over, their heads bowed. I say men but they were only just in their twenties. The taller one spoke first, his accent had the hint of the coast further north; it was recognisable for strangers thought it sounded Scots but we, in the north, could differentiate.

  “My lord I am Osbert and this is Branton my brother; we are from Persebrig.” I knew of it. There were Roman ruins there and it guarded the river which divided Northumbria. “We served a lord who died fighting the Scots and we seek employment.”

  “What weapons did you use?”

  “My brother is a skilled archer and can use a sword. I can use a sword and a spear and I can ride.”

  “Where do you stay this night?”

  He jerked his head to the left. “In the barn.”

  “If you will come to my home and sleep in the barn as we do I will try you out tomorrow. If you are not suitable I will pay you to help build my castle and if you are then you help me to begin my retinue.”