LONDON NOVEMBER 1067
In mid November Alan and Anne were back at the house at Holebourn Bridge outside London. Autumn had closed in and the ride south from Colchester had been accomplished in a single day of hard riding in a cold wind, pushing man and beast to exhaustion. Both Anne and Udelle, the single young maid Anne had brought with her, had to be assisted from their horses and into the house.
Aikin and his children, the servants Aidith and Tiw, were delighted to see them, Aikin wanted to conduct an immediate tour of the newly-completed renovations and improvements to the house, and had to be told firmly that the only things his masters were interested in was a warm fire, food and drink, a bath and bed in that order. Aikin had as instructed appointed a new cook, named Wilda. She was a pleasant and stout woman and had moved into Aikin’s chamber in the attic, while Aidith now had her own room also in the attic and Tiw slept in an alcove in the barn. Although the precise date of their arrival had not been previously arranged, Wilda soon had a tasty stew of goat and vegetables ready and served into wooden bowls, accompanied by fresh-baked bread and apples, the latter slightly wrinkled from age despite having been stored a barrel in the cellar. With profuse apologies she promised to obtain better fare for the following day.
Aikin broached a barrel of ale for the men and a jug of mead for the ladies, and they were feeling somewhat more human as they left the Hall for their sleeping quarters.
Next morning they did indeed inspect the repairs and renovations and were more than satisfied, Anne asking Aitkin to have the contractors call around to collect the balance of their payment, subject to the correction of a few small issues.
They next went to the docks where they saw ‘Zeelandt’ and ‘Stormsvale’ drawn up on the mudflats with two men caulking and scraping the hulls. ‘Birgitta’ was over-wintering at Ipswich.
Anne took Alan for his first look at the warehouse on Fish Street, not far from the Bridge. The labourer/guard opened the locks to let them into the dimly-lit building, what light there was coming through several small barred wall openings near the roof. As they walked through the warehouse Alan carried a rush torch and there were scurrying noises in several dark corners. “Looks like I need to get the rat-catcher back,” commented Anne.
“It smells intriguing,” said Alan as he peered about, noting the aromatic smells. He could almost taste the air- pungent, acrid, slightly bitter and persistent. “What have you got here?”
“Uncle Lidmann’s factor runs this part of things, although I think we need our own man now.” She picked up a roughly-bound book off a table. “This will only be his rough copy, but we have tuns of French wine over there. Those barrels are whale-oil from Norway; those are salted herrings; those bales are dried herrings; both of those are also from Norway. Bales of woollen cloth and bales of wool fleece. They’re from Yorkshire, Suffolk and Norfolk,”
She pulled out a pinch of wool and rubbed her fingers as she sniffed the lanolin and continued with her inventory. “Several tons of ingots of tin and copper from Cornwall are stacked over there. We mainly deal in bulk commodities, but over here,” she continued as she led the way to an area with small sacks each of about ten pounds weight, “we have the pepper, spices and so on. Grain of paradise, pepper, saffron, fresh and dried ginger, cinnamon, cumin, nutmeg, mace and allspice. Sugar, dried figs and dates. Almonds. Over there we have barrels of Iberian olive oil in nine gallon firkins. I’d have to check the inventories, but I’d expect that we have a good?1,000 worth of stock here waiting to move elsewhere, which we’ll sell for twice or three times that amount. I’ll arrange for some small quantities to go to both our properties for our own use.”
“How much money do we actually have?” asked Alan with interest.
“I’d need to work it out,” replied his wife. “It changes day to day, but will be reasonably steady at the moment as the ships aren’t sailing- that confuses things as what’s worth?100 in London today will be sold for?300 in Norway next week. At a guess,?3,000 or?4,000, if we take the cargos and commodities at cost, rather than sale prices. Twice that if we assume the ships don’t sink and the cargos are sold in May. We also have over?2,000 in cash, mainly with the Jews but some also on loan to men to help pay their Heriot, secured against the land, so if they don’t pay by next Christmas we receive the land. No interest charged on those loans as we are not allowed to engage in usury,” she concluded regretfully.
Alan blinked, not sure whether to marvel more at the amount or the fact that?1,000 was apparently a matter of unconcern to his wife. Most knights’ wives had to budget down to the penny- and all this had been built up within a year from the proceeds of the Danish ships carrying off booty from the sack of the warehouses at Colchester. It was small wonder that Anne had never complained about the cost of the armed retinue that Alan had gathered.
That evening they invited Bjorn, the captain of the ‘Zeelandt’, for dinner. Despite the day being Friday they ate a variety of meat pies. Anne and Osmund stayed with either fish pie or vegetable pie, but most of the men were eating the veal or beef pies with spiced vegetables. “Delicious,” said Bjorn as he wiped meat gravy from his long red beard with the table-cloth. “I’m glad you don’t go in for that religious fish-eating shite. I saw enough fish by the time I left Norway to last me a lifetime. There’s no other damn thing to eat up there, so you have fish dried, fried, smoked, pickled, roasted, grilled or any other way you can think of- three times a day, every day. I say I had my whole life’s supply of Friday and Wednesday fish by the time I was seven! Give me a nice piece of tasty beef anytime!”
“You managed to get a couple of voyages in to Aquitaine before the autumn,” said Alan. “That’s a long way, and I understand a difficult journey. How did things go?”
“Yes, we managed two trips between August and early October, when I called it quits. The Bay of Biscay can be a bit difficult in late autumn and winter. Storms come up out of nowhere. It’d be easier if we only sailed to Nantes instead of all the way to Bordeaux. If you know what you are doing the coastline is easy enough once you get to Brittany and the Biscay coast- there’s plenty of places to take shelter if you’re paying attention to the weather signs. The Factor is going to arrange to start to haul spices and other items from Iberia. The Moors get them from North Africa much cheaper than you can get them from the via the Venetians Levant.”
“Any problems from pirates?” asked Anne.
“Only the first time,” said Bjorn complaisantly. On being pressed he continued, “We were rounding Pointe St-Mathieu. Two ships came out from Brest and started to follow us. I let them catch up and hoisted a flag, black with a white diagonal cross, so they can recognise us next time- that’s only fair. The sea was a bit lumpy, a swell about twice as high as a man is tall, so I let them get quite close. Then I used your ballista. It worked just as you said. We took three shots to hit them and then all hell broke loose. The first ship burnt to the waterline in a couple of minutes and I left them with the second ship picking up those few who could swim. I don’t expect to have any problems again, which will be a pity as it livened up an otherwise boring voyage.”
Alan was smiling broadly at the laconic and understated delivery and promised himself the opportunity to talk in more detail in the future.
“And what would have been your most interesting journey?” asked Osmund with interest.
“Ah! That would have been when I was a lad, about eighteen, young and foolish. I joined Knut Sweinsson. Three longboats. Finland. To the Niva. Lake Ladoga. The Volkhov River. Novogrod. The Volga. Astrakan. The Caspian. Constantinople. The Levant. Greece. Iberia. Back home. The voyage took three years. We brought back a shit-load of treasure- the boat was nearly sinking from the weight of the gold and silver. Porting the boats overland was shit,” replied Bjorn.
Alan gave a laugh that such an epic voyage could be dismissed in so few words and spent the rest of the evening wheedling the details out of Bjorn’s capacious memory. He suggested that Osmund and Bjorn spend a few days together to record what was clearly an outstanding achievement.
King William sighed and sat back in his chair, tapping on the table a roll of parchment which was tied with a red ribbon. A pile of other parchment rolls occupied part of the table. Chancellor Regenbald and a French scribe sat at the ends of the table with Alan sitting facing the king. “You seem to have managed to have infuriated just about everybody you have come across, except Regenbald here who speaks in your favour.”
Alan frowned and said, “That’s a little unfair. I’ve come across a lot people since last I saw you eleven months ago, and most of them haven’t complained!” It was Monday the 10th of December and they were at the palace at Westminster. William had returned to England four days previously and Alan and Anne had been at their newly refurbished house at Holebourn Bridge outside London when he arrived.
“Accusing royal officers of corruption, including the earl of your own shire. Spreading dissent by seeking out those with grievances, not only in your own shire but also in Suffolk. Abusing your position of Chief Judge of the Hundred court. Illegally fining a Norman landholder for the actions of his servant. Threatening another that you would cut off the stream that feeds his fishery. And castrating and putting out the eyes of the Norman servant of a Norman lord. You almost seem to be at war with your own people. Oh, and creating a miraculous victory against a raiding Danish army, calling on God to destroy them with fire and raising your own private army! I believe that they call you ‘the king of Tendring Hundred’. Let me assure you that Tendring and the rest of England only has one king,” said William ominously.
Alan laughed long and loud, slapping the table in his mirth, with William raising an eyebrow as if he did not see the allegations as being grounds for humour.
“I see Bishop William and Earl Ralph, and possibly fitzWymarc and Engelric, have been in your ear already, although I think Engelric too clever to overstate his case,” he said. “The fact is that all four men have been raping your kingdom while you’ve been gone- along with many others. Obtaining money for the royal treasury under your instructions is one thing. Unlawfully enriching themselves at the expense of the people, and you, is another. These depositions show just some of their actions, from men and women strong enough to stand and say nay and appeal to you. I’m sure that they have all been resolved as administrative mistakes by now, Chancellor Regenbald?” asked Alan.
Regenbald nodded and said, “Apart from a few cases of junior officers either exceeding their authority or acting for their own benefit.”
Alan gave a sarcastic laugh. “The extent to which you wish to review the decision regarding the Redemption Relief by the various officers in your shires is up to you, Sire, but they have been receiving nearly as much money as you have.” Deciding to take the bull by the horns Alan continued, “William fitzOsbern has done a good job, while much beset by problems with the Welsh. Your other half-brother Odo has been having problems in Kent largely as a result of his own thievery and the theft of property, including church property. In the circumstances, who did you expect me or anybody else in the kingdom to complain to?
“What next? The decisions of the Hundred court? The transcripts were forwarded to Regenbald and I am happy to abide by whatever you decide after reading them. Confessions in court by those accused. The fact that the servant died after being blinded and castrated wasn’t my fault. I had him returned to his lord to be cared for. Is it my fault that he was then thrown out on the street and bled to death? All proper procedures were followed and the sentences were according to law. The fact that Bishop William and his men and their servants believe themselves above the law is not my fault.
“Winning a victory against the Danish raiders? I would have thought that a matter for congratulation rather than condemnation. They’d ravaged part of Lexden Hundred and I suppose I was supposed to let them do the same with Tendring Hundred while the sheriff sat safe and snug in his city walls and did nothing? Yes, I called out the fyrd. No, I had no authority to do so. I was the man on the ground, having to make the hard decisions. You’ve been there and done that yourself. Sometimes a decision must be made within minutes. That’s what you and I have been trained to do. I made a decision that really was not mine to make. The men came as called and we took the Danes by surprise and ‘kicked arse’. Having God ‘rain fires from the sky’! How many bishops did you have at Hastings? If they, and the pope, can’t get that to happen, what chance do I? Absolute rubbish! I did have some onagers to throw some rocks on their heads,” said Alan with less than honesty, bending the truth almost beyond recognition.
“Onagers?” asked William.
“Yes, I have four now, and a few ballistae,” replied Alan.
“I’ll have to make sure you are at my next siege!” commented William.
“It’s all nothing new. It’s all in the books the Romans wrote 500 years or so ago. No real changes since then, except that the cataphracts are now called knights and don’t have bows. You’ve learned your history and that tells you what to do now. I just apply what other people learned in the past. If you don’t have copies already, I can send you copies of the works of Vegetius’ Epitoma rei militaris.”
William inclined his head. “I do have a copy, thank you for the offer. Perhaps I need to read it again! What of being ‘the king of Tendring Hundred’?” he asked with a smile.
“That’s not a big kingdom!” replied Alan. “As you said, Tendring, like England, only has one king- which is not me! Certainly I have some influence there, your gift of manors and jurisdiction in the Hundred court made sure of that. The Danish raiders provided both an incentive and an opportunity. The Hundred learned that the sheriff would not act to protect them, and when they protected themselves they won booty, mainly in weapons, that was distributed amongst those who fought. Myself and my Norman retainers have spent some time teaching the fyrd how to fight, and they’ll give a good account for themselves next time they’re in the battlefield. My men are your men, and the fyrd when next called out will do well.”
“When next called out by whom?” asked William, tilting his head to one side in query.
Alan smiled. “To be honest, probably by me. FitzWymarc had the opportunity in the spring to protect the shire from the Danes. He sat at Colchester and did nothing. The shire residents remember that and also remember who did take up the challenge. I have my obligations to you and also to my people. As regards fitzWymarc, there are seventeen Hundreds in Essex. If you make a full call for the fyrd, I expect my men, from one Hundred, would account for a quarter of the total who respond- and who will all be trained and properly equipped, not arriving at the battlefield with pitch-forks and scythes and no idea what to do. The fyrd fitzWymarc raises cannot protect the shire. The fyrd I raise from my Hundred can and has.”
William sighed and said, “I’m told to beware of your political ambitions.”
Alan laughed. “I have no political ambitions. I made my oath of homage to you. I hold eight manors. I seek no more. I don’t want to be an earl. That’s too much work and too much responsibility. I’ve been quietly sitting in my little corner of England causing as little trouble as possible, while looking after my people, Norman and English, and doing my duties as best I can. Some Normans seem to think that the law and accepted practice don’t apply to them. Even in Essex we have been hearing of Hugh fitzGrip’s pillaging of Dorset, apparently in your name as he is the sheriff, and fitzScrob in Hereford.”
William snorted and said, “And your ‘army’ in Essex?”
“I’m not sure that you can call 26 huscarles and 20 mounted men-at-arms an army,” replied Alan. “Most armies have more than 50 men. These are more than I can afford from the revenues of my estates, but my wife and her family are wealthy merchants and at the moment are prepared to support the military men I have raised to support the defence of the Hundred- from their money, not mine. My obligation is six men, which I can afford,” said Alan, blithely ignoring the truth. “I had to take possession of three of the manors you gave as part of my honour from the family of the previous landholder, and my men had to kill two of those who felt they had a better claim. One was killed by my Englishmen as he attacked me with sword drawn. Most of my ‘army’, led by two of my Normans, is garrisoning those three manors to keep the locals in line.”
“My Norman lords tell me that you ‘have gone native’ and become more English than the English.”
“Hardly! I have four Normans in charge of my troops. As you yourself know, finding Normans in the army who will act reasonably and honestly and cause their lord no difficulties is like finding gold on the beach. By definition, the Normans and Frenchmen who have come here are ambitious men seeking money and position. I don’t have a problem with that, but many men are going outside of what is acceptable behaviour even for invaders. I count myself lucky to have the four I have. As for the junior officers and spear-fodder, the English do well enough for that. I speak their language, which I need to do if I want to understand them and be able to give even simple instructions to a spearman. Even with a quite liberal policy to my geburs and thegns I find I still need the mailed fist inside the velvet glove.
“I have preferred, in the Hundred court, claims by English against the men of Bishop William. Ordering an English servant to severely beat the steward of a neighbouring thegn who is relaying a complaint, or a Norman servant who blatantly rapes an English maid of good repute in a neighbouring village, is not acceptable to me as Justice of the Hundred court. If you expect a different approach, I’m happy enough to resign and you can appoint who you wish. Even on campaign you regularly hang those of your soldiers caught in rape- without the benefit of a trial. You forbade me to hang Normans or French, so I used the penalty you specified- blinding and castration. It wasn’t my fault that the man died after his own lord turned him out after we returned the felon to him after punishment.”
“And you’ve taken an English wife, I hear.”
Alan nodded and said, “I’m not alone in that, both before and after the conquest. Until the Norman lords returned with you this week, England wouldn’t have had a handful of eligible ladies from Normandy, Maine, France, or wherever. England has a surfeit of young eligible women of quality, at least 1,000 of them widows of the thegns killed at Stamford Bridge and Hastings. Most currently have a dislike for us ‘Frenchmen’, but the bartering of brides, particularly those with land, has already begun and I’m sure will gain pace now that the great lords who accompanied you to Normandy have returned.
“I understand that there is a rush for places in nunneries by those seeking to avoid the marriages arranged for them. Arranged marriages are usual of course, but not usually in return for cold hard cash! My lady Anne was in the process of being sold off by fitzWymarc to an elderly Norman knight who has a reputation for beating his wives to death. She was reluctant to acquiesce and saw me as a viable alternative. There is some question regarding her estate of Wivenhoe, which I would ask that you resolve. Her former husband Aelfric held the manor for over ten years. He died at Stamford Bridge. He paid no laen, no rent, to anybody, but the land ownership book cannot be found and I expect that Earl Ralph the Staller will shortly be seeking an audience with you, if he hasn’t already, claiming that land is his to dispose of as he wishes. It would cause me some difficulty, and a potential conflict of my interests to you as your man, if I had to swear fealty to Ralph for Wivenhoe.”
“You would have taken Anne to wife whether she had Wivenhoe or not?” demanded William, apparently living up to his reputation as a man who gave nothing for nothing. Alan frowned and nodded. Before he could say anything further the king continued, “Well, let’s remove that potential conflict and give the land to another needy Norman knight.” William looked closely at Alan for his reaction.
Alan thought for a moment and then said, “That would be… ungenerous, particularly given I have already paid a Redemption Relief on the land of four times its value.”
“I’m not known for my generosity,” rejoined William.
As Alan paused for reflection he made a non-committal gesture with his hand. He couldn’t tell if William was being serious, testing him or enjoying himself by making an underling uncomfortable. “I had intended to raise with you a separate matter after our other business was concluded, but it may be best to raise it at this time.” Alan paused again, leaning forward with his elbows on the table and rubbing his chin reflectively with his right hand. “When we defeated the Danish raid earlier in the year we took a certain amount of booty, which in the main I distributed to the men who fought, and fought well, to earn us that victory. I’m sure that most gambled, whored or drank it away in days, but that’s the way of soldiers.
“Amongst the booty I have eight Danish longships. I would like to keep two myself, for local transportation, but I had intended today to make a gift to you of the other six. Since 1051, when King Edward disbanded the small fleet he had, England has had nothing more than what trading ships can be requisitioned at short notice. These longboats are warships of twenty oars, ten aside, and are able to carry sixty men. If armed with cross-bows they would be a formidable force. If I did have political pretensions, I’d retain these until I became the earl of East Anglia!
“With these, you could protect the shipping moving between Dover and Calais, which would allow the ladies of the royal court to move backwards and forwards without risk, other than from storms- and if you can’t get a ship captain who can tell a storm is only two hours away he shouldn’t be in charge of the transport. If the weather is good they could sail up to London, which would be quicker and more comfortable than riding from Dover. You’d need to crew the ships of course. I don’t have the men, which is why they are laid up at Thorrington, so don’t ask me to contribute. But a levy of one man from each manor in Kent, Middlesex and Sussex, and the hiring of six professional captains, perhaps Norwegians, should take care of that. Normandy and England have no professional fighting fleet. The English are paying a massive amount of money in Danegeld for protection- it’s not just a tax. They’re not getting anything in return.
“I sold a couple of boats in Norway after I captured them. What I have been doing in Essex, on your behalf and that of the people of my Hundred, does not come cheaply and really is a royal, or at least an earl’s, responsibility. I received?57 for each ship sold- which would be?342 for six. As proof of my loyalty, you can have the six ships for nothing. When and not if the Danes come, you’ll need them- and twenty or thirty more besides.”
William looked at Regenbald who commented, “Having warships to escort the transport and passenger ships and the trading ships will give much heart to the nobles and their wives who are travelling in dangerous conditions. Wind, tide, storms and pirates are all something they have difficulty in dealing with. Small groups of a dozen or so people would be able to travel on the warships themselves. A naval force at Dover would also encourage the merchants to be more active as they would have better protection.”
William gave Regenbald a flat look. “What the merchants want is not high on my list of priorities, but making travel safe between Flanders and England would be useful.”
William was transferring his gaze to Alan when the latter interrupted and said, “You discount the benefits of the merchants too much, my liege. A successful trading voyage sees the crew spending perhaps?50 in wages and share of profits in their home town. The merchant will spend several hundred pounds buying cloth, or wool or whatever is to be exported, a substantial part of which finds its way into your coffers as taxes or other fees that you charge. Some finds its way into the coffers of your knights and is used to support their services to you.
“Most particularly, a laden merchant ship coming into one of your ports will pay port taxes, excises, import taxes and so on of perhaps?50. Each week there will be perhaps 25 or 30 vessels arriving, from which as I said you probably receive on average?50 each. That’s over?1,000 a week to the royal treasury. That amount is four times as much as you receive from your royal estates. It’s not an amount to be discarded just because you dislike the merchant class. Money is money and it matters not where it comes from.” Here Alan was talking William’s language.
“Regenbald, every time I talk to this man he talks sense, even if I don’t agree with him,” said the king. “I know that he’s on the Curia Regis. Put him on my Inner Council. As for Wivenhoe, forget it- the Charter will be in your hands tomorrow. I intended to reward you for your loyal actions with the grant of manors in Herefordshire along the Welsh border, with a view to keep you too busy to cause any more problems. I’ll get Regenbald to give you the details of those fiefs. Perhaps your novel ideas are worth the problems they cause and you’re better left in London. How would you treat the problems with the Welsh and with this Eadric ‘The Wild’?”
“I don’t know. I’ve been too busy with affairs in the east. I can look at it and make some suggestions in two to three months,” replied Alan.
“Two to three months. I thought you were going to say two to three days,” said William with some asperity.
“The English have been fighting the Welsh for 500 years and you want an answer in a week?” rejoined Alan cheekily.
William pulled a wry face and replied, “Yes, perhaps it’s not an easy answer.” After a pause he continued. “On a different vein, I’m having a Hunt in two days time. A big affair with lots of beaters- deer, boar and so on. You’re invited. Also, William de Warenne’s wife, Gundred of Flanders, is holding a soiree tomorrow night. I’ve given instructions to ensure that you and …Anne, isn’t it?… are invited. It appears we need to have you brought back to the fold of us Normans.”
“I’m not sure which will require more nerve, dancing or going out where I’m likely to get an arrow in the back,” said Alan sardonically. William raised an eyebrow in question. “Hunts are notorious places for ‘accidents’. And I hate dancing,” explained Alan. William smiled sympathetically.
Later that day, despite Alan’s objections, Owain took Alan to an armourer on Coleman Street and arranged a padded vest to be made, with metal plate inserts, to be ready the following morning. Owain was as aware as Alan of the risks of Hunts and the opportunities to dispose of opponents, and with Anne’s agreement he brooked no refusal. Alan agreed, as long as he could also wear the armoured vest to the dance. Anne refused, as she thought that the ladies were unlikely to put a knife in his ribs during the dancing. His dancing wasn’t that bad.
The soiree was held at the Great Hall in Westminster. Just as most of the Norman nobles had accompanied him to Normandy during the summer months, now they had returned with him, many with their wives. William’s wife Matilda had not yet journeyed to England as her husband was not prepared for her to risk the winter storms even for a journey of twenty or so miles.
Again conservatively dressed, Alan and Anne joined the short line for an introduction to William de Warenne and his wife Gundred. Gundred took Anne aside for a brief chat and then arranged for Alan and Anne to be introduced to the Normans in the party by Roger Bigod, the sheriff of Suffolk and who Alan had already met, and his wife Alice, of the de Tosny family.
Alice was about 22 years old, took Anne in hand and disappeared with her into the crowd.
Alan and Roger both took a cup of wine from a passing servant. Both drained them at a gulp. Alan sighed. Roger commented, “You appear to still be standing in the sun with the king.”
Clapping an open hand on Roger’s shoulder Alan replied, “We are two honest men together. A rarity in England today! Yes, I’ve spoken to the king. I’ve been promoted to his Inner Council, where we’ll discuss a load of shite that has nothing to do with the proper working of the kingdom. Thanks for forwarding the depositions of complaint I gave to you.”
“My job,” replied Roger briefly.
“But not that easy! The king is aware of your actions and honesty,” said Alan.
“You got in before I could be corrupted, and having an alternative option was beneficial. If Earl Ralph had put pressure on me before you did, who knows what I may have done? If nothing else, I can demand a higher bribe next time! By the way these two young gentlemen with me are Gilbert d’Aufay and Raoul Boutin. Raoul is a man of Richard fitzGilbert of Clare and Gilbert came with Count Robert of Mortain.” Both the men introduced were in their mid-twenties.
“Then my visit to you was a timely intervention on my part!” replied Alan, sipping at another cup of wine that had been delivered, before clasping the arm of each of the two men he had been introduced to. “How are you two getting along? You both have fiefs?”
Raoul nodded and replied, “I hold Haughley in Stow Hundred in Suffolk from Richard fitzGilbert, and Gilbert has a manor in Herefordshire. We were just discussing the problem of ruling a manor, and indeed a country, where every man hates you.”
“I’m sure that the ‘king of Tendring’ can give you some hints,” said Roger with a twinkle in his eye.
Alan pulled a wry face. “Remember two simple things. Firstly that, apart from a few slaves, all the men and women on your manors are freemen and freewomen with rights before the law- they are not villeins or serfs. Also, most of the slaves only have that status for a short period until they have paid off the debt or fine that gave rise to their bondage. Secondly, pay respect to the traditions and laws of the villagers and the English in general. Now Gilbert, where is your manor? I’ve just been lumbered by the king with four manors on the Welsh border, so it seems we’ll be neighbours of a sort.
“My manor is at Burton, in the Golden Valley,” replied Gilbert. Both he and Raoul were agog that somebody of apparently modest mean, not mixing with the great lords, could see the gift of four manors from the king’s own hand as being a nuisance rather than the ultimate accolade that a knight could receive.
“Your manors are to the west of Hereford, so there’s probably not much left after Bleddyn of Gwynedd and Eadric cild have been burning most of the shire during the summer and autumn. That’ll keep you busy,” said Roger with a grimace.
“That’s the king’s idea, I think,” said Alan with a scowl.
Roger continued, “Gilbert here was just saying that with any luck most of the English thegns won’t be able to afford their Relief and there’ll be more land parcelled out to good Normans. Perhaps earls Edwin and Morcar will fall out of favour and their lands will also be redistributed.” Here Roger pointed a finger to a small group of Englishmen who Alan hadn’t noticed so far.
“Indeed,” replied Gilbert eagerly, as Roger and Alan gave them a nod and began to move away through the crowd.
As they moved away Alan commented “What a fucking mess! We have people like you and me who do our job and try to preserve the kingdom. And we have the robber-barons who extort every penny they can for their own benefit, including a half-brother of the king. One senior baron, who led one wing of the attack at Hastings, decides in a huff to attack the king’s own castle at Dover, because he thinks he should have been appointed castellan, and then tries to blame the Kentishmen! Osulf of Northumbria, of the Bamburgh family, murders Copsi the king’s appointed earl, and then a month or two ago gets himself killed by bandits. And the Normans are lining up like vultures to take every manor they can. Let’s get some benefit from this evening. Can you conduct me around the room and introduce me to the various counts and nobles? I’ve seen most of them at a distance and it may be helpful to meet them socially- outside of business, as it were.”
Those at the party were in their way more notable than those at the soiree held by Queen Edith months previously. Although some of the lords had brought their wives with them when they had returned with William, or those who had stayed over the summer had sent for them, the great majority of those present were male. The wives of some of the greater nobles were present, along with those of the middling and lesser lords.
The younger men were almost exclusively bachelors. They had been poor landless second and third sons in Normandy before the invasion, and since arriving in England their chances of marrying a wife of Norman, French, Flemish or other continental origin, let alone marrying well, had been virtually nil as there had simply been no suitable women available. A few, like Alan, had married Englishwomen, but even fewer had brought them to the soiree.
Of the men, they were divided into three distinct age groups. The first was those more elderly than William, who had helped protect him and secure him in his position as Duke of Normandy. These included Count Robert of Eu and Hugh de Montford.
The second group was comprised of William’s contemporaries- mostly his friends, but a few such as Hugh de Grandmesnil with whom William had fallen out with over the years and more latterly reconciled. They were in the main between 45 and 50 years old and included Roger de Montgomerie, Richard fitzGilbert, Geoffrey de Mandeville and the somewhat younger William de Warenne, who with his Flemish wife Gundred was hosting this party. Judging by the sour expression on his face and the amount of wine he was consuming, the party clearly was something that wasn’t William de Warenne’s idea. This tight-knit group were closely related by marriage or birth. Bishop Odo of Bayeux and Count Robert of Mortain were half-brothers to the king. William fitzOsbern and most of the others were cousins and similar relations.
A few younger long-time supporters such as Stephen, the Count of Treguier, Brittany and Lamballe, fitted in between William’s cronies, along with the sons of the older group, such as William of Eu and the new men achieving position as a result of the invasion- including Alan himself, Roger Bigod, Hugh fitzGrip, Ivo Taillebois and many others.
Noticeable amongst the absentees were most of the clergy, including Odo of Bayeux and the Englishmen Aealdred of York and Stigand of Canterbury.
It would be unfair to describe King William as paranoid. He’d had a difficult late childhood with repeated attempts to murder him. He’d had to fight to take his position as duke against a number of rebels, most of whom had been close to his father, Robert the Magnificent. He had lost three guardians either to murder or in defending him as a child as he was taken to safety.
His guardians had moved him every month or so to preserve his security. William, at the age of 19, finally secured control of Normandy by defeating rebel Norman barons at Caen in 1047. He then had to fight off two invasion attempts by the French in 1054 and 1057- the French once again had some treacherous Normans fighting on their side in those invasions.
During the time, until he had Normandy fully under his iron fist, raids, battles and murder between the nobles of Normandy had been common. William had extended his power and influence with a series of carefully considered steps.
One of those steps was marrying Matilda of Flanders, which had initially secured his northern flank, and more latterly since the death of King Henry of France and the appointment of William’s father-in-law Baldwin of Flanders as guardian of the young King Philip, also secured the east. The west had been secured by the installation of a friendly regime in Brittany when invasion had not initially been successful, after Duke Conan died of poison in suspicious circumstances. In the south Maine had been annexed and formed a buffer against the hostile Angevins. It was the relative peace and security in Normandy which had permitted William to make his bid for the English throne.
It would be fair to say that by winter of 1067 William was very, very careful about who he trusted and to whom he gave power and land- land which gave the ability to raise military forces for or against him. Even as late as the summer of 1067 William had suffered the defection of Eustace of Boulogne, who made a raid on Dover. Those who received the main benefits of the invasion were those who had supported William for 20 years or more and who had contributed substantially to the invasion fleet. Most were close relations, with ties of kinship or marriage.
As Alan progressed around the Hall it was almost as if he had the same conversation a dozen or so times. The Norman barons were interested only in military matters, land and developing relations that improved their access to military forces and land. Many were illiterate, with no knowledge or interest in French or Latin literature, and had most had no interest in writing, poetry or anything that didn’t improve the strength of their swords.
Based on their own experience in Normandy over the last thirty years they saw ‘might as right’ and had no respect for law, whether it be Norman or English. They expected England to become a reflection of Norman society and had no understanding of, and even less interest in, English society, heritage, language or literature. They had some understanding of the English fyrd as a potential foe, but not as a force to be used for their own benefit. In discussion with them Alan felt as if he was talking to foreigners. These were men with whom he shared only nationality and language, not ideas.
All were more or less polite- Alan’s position on the Curia Regis saw to that. Almost without exception they showed a keen intelligence and focused interest in their own welfare. The fact that many were illiterate did not mean they were stupid. Some had been taught at least rudimentary scribing to allow them to scan documents and letters.
Earl Ralph of Anglia, against whom Alan had intended to bring a number of charges before the Curia, acknowledged Alan briefly before turning away. Only William fitzOsbern, the Marcher Lord of Hereford who would need Alan’s support and co-operation to protect the shire, showed any real interest in Alan and made a suggestion that they meet at some stage to discuss what Alan intended to do to protect a substantial stretch of fitzOsbern’s western border.
Some of the Norman lords now had their wives in England and of those only a few of those were absent from what was in effect the first Norman social event in England. Largely the men and women stood and chatted in separate groups, although there was some intermingling between the males and females. FitzOsbern had his wife Adelize at his side for most of the evening. Alan was introduced to Hawise Sourdeval, wife of Stephen Count of Brittany; Matilda, wife of Robert Count of Mortain and daughter of Roger de Montgomerie; Beatrice de Builly. wife of Robert Count of Eu; and the famed beauty Adelize de Tosny, the wife of Hugh de Grandmesnil, who still looked ravishing despite now being in her mid-thirties. Notable by her absence was Duchess Matilda, William’s as yet uncrowned wife, who remained in Normandy.
Most of the grand ladies had at least two or three of the wives or daughters of lesser lords in attendance on them, with the parties of ladies moving, coalescing and separating. Alan could see Anne moving amongst them, escorted by Roger Bigod’s wife Alice, and thought that Gundred’s choice of a de Tosny, a respected Norman family, the wife of a man who was a middling landholder and the sheriff of one of the lesser shires, was an excellent choice of escort- not least because Alice’s outgoing and humorous nature would make her naturally popular.
The recent political events dominated conversation. Although not recent news, the invasion of Herefordshire by the combined forces of the Welsh and the Englishman Eadric ‘the Wild’ had caused extensive damage and loss of life in that shire, to the particular concern of those who held manors in the west. The curious actions of Count Eustace of Boulogne, who had fought under William at Hastings and then retired back to the continent in a pique of wounded pride when he failed to receive what he felt was due reward, received much discussion.
Eustace appeared to believe that he had some claim of right to the town of Dover dating back to a visit he had made when Edward was still king. In September he had returned apparently at the prompting of some disaffected Kentishmen, although why he would receive such encouragement from the men of Kent nobody knew, given their hatred of him. Even though Odo of Bayeux and the castellan of Dover Castle Hugh de Montford were absent with most of the garrison, the remaining garrison had driven Eustace off and he had taken ship and fled back to his own lands on the continent.
However, the main talk was of the rebellion of the city of Exeter, which had been the immediate cause of King William’s return a few days previously. Exeter had refused to swear fealty to the king, unlike London and Winchester, stated they intended to maintain their ancient rights and expelled the small local garrison. Their main concerns appeared to be the reintroduction of the geld tax and what they saw as their loss of privileges. Unfortunately for the citizens of that city King William was in no mood to conciliate their concerns and was gathering an expeditionary force.
Roger and Alan gravitated towards the group standing near the head-table, which currently comprised King William and most of the English party, including Edgar the Aetheling and both Earl Morcar and Earl Edwin, about a dozen young Englishmen to the age of twenty-five or so, and several older English nobles including Thorkel of Arden and Aethelnoth of Canterbury. Of the three young English lords the eldest was Edwin at nineteen. Edgar the Aetheling, the sole remainder of the line of King Alfred, was barely fifteen.
Seeing the direction of their progress, both Hugh de Grandmesnil and his wife Adelize drifted with them. After the nine months or so in Normandy after Hastings, when William had toured the duchy in a triumphal procession in which the English earls had been displayed as trophies, the younger Englishmen were aping the Normans and wearing Norman tunics and hose, rather than tunics of English cut and trews. The older Englishmen, who had stayed in England, were more traditionally dressed. Apart from King William, the group contained half a dozen Norman lords including Aubrey de Vere, Robert Malet, the son of William Malet, and William Peverel.
Alan thought that Edgar the Aetheling was looking around like a small loach in a pond of big pike, feeling like he was about to be gobbled up at any moment. Morcar and Edwin looked self-satisfied at the attention they were receiving. The senior English lords looked as if they would prefer to be in the deeper reaches of hell rather than chatting amiably with Norman barons.
Alice Bigod had clearly been keeping a close eye on matters and with impeccable timing that would have done a general proud brought Anne to the group just as the men arrived. Adelize de Grandmesnil had not met Anne, and Alice dealt with the introductions, with mutual cooings, as Alan, Roger and Hugh made their obeisance to the king. Then Alan presented Anne to William. After a half-bow to first Adelize and then Alice, William took Anne’s hand and raised it to his lips as his eyes took in her short slender build, rich auburn hair, fair face, her tasteful heavily-embroidered but restrained dress and heavy jewellery. At eighteen Anne was in the full bloom of her beauty, and while William was faithful to his wife Matilda this did not prevent him from appreciating beautiful women who were presented to him. He reluctantly released her hand and allowed her to take her husband’s arm, as already had Alice.
Alan nodded heavily to Edgar, not quite a half bow but showing significant respect. With a smile he said in English, “Greetings, Edgar the Aetheling! There’s no need to be on your guard tonight against the Normans- if they were going to kill you they would have done so months ago! The English I can make no promises about!”
Edgar looked surprised to hear his own language spoken in such a friendly tone and smiled in response. “It’s good to be back on my home soil again, and King William has promised that after the hunt in two days time I’ll be free to return to my own manors in Sussex and Mercia.”
“Just be careful of the company you keep when you get back home,” Alan gently warned the likeable young lad.
The other two teenagers, Morcar of Northumberland and Edwin of Mercia, two of the remaining English earls, were much less likable, standing with their cronies and with supercilious looks on their faces, their hair pomaded with scented oils and careful attention paid to their clothing and coiffure. Given their ages the moustaches so beloved of the English warrior were barely nascent stubble on their upper lips. They stood slightly aloof from the group containing King William and Edgar and, while looking at Alan and his lady with interest, made no attempt to join them- forcing Alan and Anne, arm in arm, to take the several steps to approach them.
Roger Bigod did not know the earls or their party, so Alan introduced himself as ‘Alan of Thorrington’, naming his lady and the Bigods, speaking in Norman French. Morcar, the younger of the brothers, replied abruptly in English, “Thorrington? Never heard of it!” Anne’s face coloured at the deliberate rudeness.
Alan gave a slow smile, allowing contempt to cloud eyes and both contempt and sarcasm his voice. “No reason you should,” he replied, still speaking in Norman French-a language he knew that the earls understood “It’s an English property, not some tiny village in Normandy, but it is outside your earldom so I suppose we can forgive your ignorance. My friend Roger is the sheriff of Suffolk. I would imagine you have heard of the shire of Suffolk? Roger speaks some English, but his beautiful wife Alice does not. As you and your friends speak French, I’m speaking French out of courtesy to her.” Alan noted that King William had followed quietly behind them and from several paces away, while looking absorbed in other matters, was listening to the conversation. “As for not having heard of me, I am sure that in due course events will overcome that. After all we’re all members of the king’s Curia and will meet shortly in an official capacity.”
“And you, Lady Anne, what are you doing in such disreputable company?” asked Morcar, in English, in a light tone of voice, pretending the comment to be a joke rather than the veiled insult it was.
Still arm in arm with Alan, Anne patted his hand on her arm and replied in Norman French, “I’m in the company I choose to be in- friends I’ve made at court, both Norman and English. My good friends the Bigods, some other friends made here tonight. My husband treats me much better than Aelfric, my previous husband. I chose my current husband and wasn’t sold off to the highest bidder. And my husband has proven his ability to defend myself, my people and my village.”
Edwin snapped the fingers of his right hand. “Ah! The Defender of Wivenhoe. We have indeed heard of you. A significant effort to defeat the Danish. You must have been proud of the men of your shire that day!”
“And it proves the value of the Englishman as a warrior,” interjected Morcar.
Alan gave flat and expressionless look at first one and then the other. “As to the ability of the English as fighters, the two of you as veterans of the battle of Fulford Gate would have better knowledge, as my force had no huscarles and few thegns.”
The English present gave a perceptible wince at hearing this. Edwin and Morcar had led the English forces against the Norwegians when they had landed in the north the year before, suffering a humiliating loss of both the battle and the city of York, only overcome days later when Harold Godwinson had achieved surprise by arriving from the south by forced marches and taken the Norwegians by surprise on the day they had been expecting to receive hostages from the people of Yorkshire and were unready to fight.
Alan continued, “We fought as a combined force in the Norman manner. Almost all of my men were English and, yes, I was proud of the way they fought! Right down to the slaves wielding pitchforks to protect themselves and their families. Properly equipped, properly trained and properly led, the English make the finest foot-soldiers in Europe. The problem the English have had for the last 300 years, since Alfred the Great, is that apart from 1,000 or so huscarles and a similar number of thegns, they have neither been properly equipped or trained. And since Alfred they have not been properly led. Edmund Ironside, had he lived beyond his early twenties, may have been a man to lead you to greatness, but from your point of view, regrettably not.”
One of the English party burst out, “What about King Harold, don’t you rate him well as a leader?”
“Harold and before him Godwin were certainly good administrators. They basically had to run the kingdom for The Confessor. As I understand it, Harold Godwinson was a very capable and likeable man. As a good general? He won the victory at Stamford Bridge by gathering and moving his army quickly and falling on the Norwegians by surprise when they were unprepared. Good aggressive tactics in forcing the encounter on his own terms, but once he had achieved surprise and his army was fighting a Norwegian army that were largely improperly armed and armoured, a ten-year old should have been able to lead his forces to victory, particularly when Hardrada was killed early in the battle.”
Alan felt Anne’s fingers digging into his arm, either in warning or annoyance he could not tell. “As to Hastings, again he got his army there quickly, assumed an excellent defensive position that should have been unassailable, but from what we Normans could see once he set up his flag he didn’t move all day. We saw no evidence of any leadership at Hastings. The English just stood and fought- and fought well! Unbelievably well. They refused to give up even when the battle was clearly lost, and still fought on with courage and ability- but with no leadership, just dogged determination.
“At Wivenhoe we fought smart. We knew the Danes would be coming. We’d seen them row up the river. Whether they won or lost at Colchester we knew they would be coming back and stop at Wivenhoe. We had time to plan, prepare and undertake some basic training of the raw troops, and to call in every man in the Hundred. The Danes came in dumb and stupid, totally unprepared and thinking it was like an afternoon walk. We took them by surprise and made them pay for their arrogance- although there were too many English bodies lined up by the church waiting for burial after the battle. The Danes we just threw in a ditch and filled it in.”
“I’m sure that 500 of my men would be more than a match for yours, and your vaunted ‘combined forces’ theory,” said Morcar hotly in English.
Alan gave him a calm look and confident smile before replying in Norman French, “I would hope that never happens, Morcar, because that would mean that something is very amiss in the kingdom if North is fighting South. But if it does, we will see what we will see! Now, I do see that we are being called to table for the feast, so we will bid you both farewell as I’m sure you will have a much more exalted place than we poor country folk.”
The guests were indeed heading towards the tables and being shown their seats.
As they walked slowly across the Hall Hugh de Grandmesnil clapped Alan on the shoulder and said quietly, “The king and I were listening in on your conversation with the English and what you said put the insolent young puppies in their place! Well said! After their defeat at Fulford Gate, having their balls saved by Harold taking a new army north, and then failing to march south to support him at Hastings, I think that they’re hardly qualified to give anybody a lecture on military tactics!”
Anne had been surprised by the positive reception she had received from the few Norman ladies at the levee when introduced by Alice. She had anticipated a Norman anti-English clique. Instead she had found a number of women of several nationalities, almost all of whom were related by birth or marriage, who had their own cliques and were more than happy to see a new face and hear new stories. Long-held family conflicts and more recent instances of perceived slights and arguments had fractured the female Norman nobility into several groups.
Alice Bigod was not firmly the member of any group and both she and Anne were welcomed as they moved around the room. Anne’s accent was not an issue when all the other ladies spoke French with Norman, Flemish, Breton, Danish or other regional accents. Many of the ladies of the great barons remained in Normandy where it was deemed safer- after all, the king had not yet brought his wife Matilda to England. Matilda, with the advice and assistance of Roger de Montgomery and Hugh d’Avranches, ruled Normandy during William’s periodic absences.
As Alan had anticipated he and Anne were seated at one of the lesser tables with other minor lords, including the Bigods, William Malet, William de Bernieres and Ivo Taillebois. The high table held the grand lords- de Warenne, de Mandeville, fitzGilbert, fitzOsbern, de Montford, Robert of Mortain, de Grandmesnil, the king’s niece Countess Judith, together with others including the English earls.
Two other Englishmen, Thorkel of Arden the son of Aethelwine the sheriff of Warwickshire, and Edward ‘The Rich’ of Salisbury and the sheriff of Wiltshire, sat at the high table with King William. Thorkel and Edward had kept their distance from the Aetheling’s party all evening and clearly had no wish to be associated with them. The small landholders and hangers-on sat on benches at long trestle tables that had been quickly put up by the servants and which would be taken down again later when the dancing started. Alan noticed his old friend Robert de Aumale sitting amongst the hoi polloi and made a mental note to speak with him before the evening was over.
The meal was a typical Norman feast, beginning with apples, stored in a cool place but still a little wrinkled due to their storage since harvest, and dried dates and figs. Then came the first remove of roast chicken and roast goat kid with cooked vegetables, including lettuce, cabbage, purslane and spinach. Later came the second remove of pork and beef with beet, radish, beans and parsnip. The meal finished with aged cheese and sweet desserts. The repast was taken leisurely and lasted about one and a half hours, with servants bringing bowls of water and linen cloths for the guests at the higher tables to use to clean their hands after each course.
Alan shared a trencher and a cup with Anne, using his knife to prepare her food into bite-sized pieces to allow her to remain neat, delicate and immaculate, and to preserve the cleanliness of her clothing. The wine they drank, well watered, was of reasonable quality. Alan assumed that both the food and drink at the high table was more elaborate than they were receiving, and that the masses below were receiving simple but substantial fare. After all, catering for over 100 guests would not be an easy exercise for Gundred’s cooks.
The conversation and gossip continued to flow, with William fitzOsbern’s appointment as an earl, although currently without any geographical appellation, being discussed favourably. FitzOsbern held large tracts of land in the west and south-west, having been granted much of the land formerly held by the House of Wessex. It was agreed that the intransigence of the citizens of Exeter, not really sufficiently serious to call a rebellion, was most likely the result of the presence in the city of Gytha, the mother of both Harold and to King Edward’s widow, Edith. As Queen Edith was now, after the death of her brothers at Hastings, a staunch supporter of King William, it was agreed that this state of affairs must be deeply embarrassing for her as Exeter was part of her dower lands.
As the guests finished their meal the lesser members of the company were chivvied away from their tables, which were dismantled and removed. The musicians who had been quietly playing lutes, a harp, several flutes, a recorder and a dulcimer, were joined by a drummer and two tambourines.
The hosts William de Warenne and his wife Gundred led the dancers on the floor for a simple processional dance. Alan partnered Anne. This was followed by several circle and line dances, again of relatively simple performance. Next came more complicated line dances, at which point Alan and most of the senior and middle-level Norman lords retired to their tables. This was in turn followed by dances involving pairs, with three or four groups of couples on the dance-floor. The relative paucity of women ensured that Anne and the other ladies were kept busy on the dance-floor, mainly with the younger unattached men who had spent time at court and had learned the social niceties that the older men had missed during their martial training. Some of the dances were processional, some were lively with the dancers singing, clapping their hands and in some cases leaping or hopping.
Alan took time to speak to Thorkel of Arden, an Englishman with substantial land holdings north and south of Coventry, who he found to be a level-headed and intelligent man of about thirty years. Thorkel’s primary concern, like almost all the men in the room, was protecting and expending his lands. Although he had been seated at the table with the Aetheling’s party he had studiously avoided speaking to them and made clear in his discussion with Alan both this distrust and dislike of the young earls. Thorkel had clearly attached himself to the Norman party and had decided that the Aetheling’s party held no benefit or attraction to him.
Robert de Aumale was sitting on a bench far from the high table, sipping a cup of the slightly sour wine provided for the lower-class guests, with a similarly slightly sour expression on his face, when Alan walked up and clasped his shoulder.
“How go things with you, Robert?” he asked. “Have you made your fortune with Geoffrey de Mandeville yet?”
Robert tilted his head as he raised his cup in salute and gave a genuine smile to his friend. “No, not as yet! I’m still accommodated amongst the ‘hangers-on’ with nary a manor in sight.”
“I thought de Mandeville received over 100 manors for his contribution to the invasion,” commented Alan.
Robert snorted in amusement. “Yes, but there were well over 100 knights in the line ahead of me. Not all of us were lucky enough to save the king’s life! There’ll be a few more manors to be handed out in the next few weeks, but I’m so far down de Mandeville’s list of favourites I doubt I’ll see a single acre. I’m thinking about going back to Normandy. There are so many men over here seeking their fortunes that I may be better off back home.”
Alan spent a few minutes asking Robert questions to test his attitude towards the English and found that, unlike most Normans who had a firm dislike of the English, Robert was neutral in his attitude and had taken some steps to learn the basics of the language. As he put it, “You need to at least be able to order a decent meal and drink at a tavern and make sure your horse is being looked after.” Mindful not to make the same mistake he had made in the engagement of Brother Wacian, Alan invited Robert to his house for dinner the next evening at dusk, and provided directions.
Anne spent several rest periods with Alan and the others on his table, and then near midnight she and Alan took their leave and after collecting their escort from the guardroom they walked the short distance to their house. There Anne collapsed tiredly on their bed and fell asleep without even removing her clothes. Alan was never one to miss an opportunity and Anne woke next morning naked and warmly covered by the quilt with Alan asleep curled up into her back. Anne’s gentle but insistent stroking hand soon had Alan awake and hard and they spent an energetic hour or so snug under the covers before rising at midmorning.
Alan and Anne ate a late-morning brunch by the roaring fire in the Hall, warmly dressed against the bitterly cold wind that was blowing that day, which forced itself through every nook and cranny in the building and caused the servants to blow on their hands to warm them as they moved about the house. Usually, in accordance with custom, they ate with the rest of the household but they had risen late, much later the others. Although it was Friday, Alan had instructed the cook Wilda to prepare a brunch of bacon, eggs and sausages, with black pudding- quite different from what the household would be eating that day. Although more religiously observant, Anne made no objection, given the private nature of their meal. Accepting the orders of her husband, she promised herself to say a ‘Hail Mary’ in contrition.
“I’ve asked a friend of mine, Robert de Aumale, from Normandy to come for the evening meal today,” said Alan. “His father, Thibaut, has a manor close to my family at Gauville and we came across together. He’s in Geoffrey de Mandeville’s entourage but isn’t prospering. We were close companions before Hastings. I thought we could use him to administer the manors King William has just given me in Hereford, so I don’t have to spend all my time there chasing after small raiding parties of Welsh hill-men. I’m sure that’s the reason that William gave me those lands was to keep me too busy to cause anybody any trouble! I thought I could appoint Robert Seneschal, and if he proves capable then possibly at a later time enfeoff him with two of the manors.
“For a Norman he’s reasonably intelligent and doesn’t just let his sword do his thinking for him. The Border Country is fighting land and if there is one thing that Normans do well, it’s to fight and protect what they hold. I’ll get you and Osmund to have a look at him tonight and get your opinions first,” continued Alan, showing his respect for the judgment of both his wife and the Englishman who had gone beyond being a servant and was rapidly becoming indispensable.
Anne nodded her agreement and said, “That’s a good idea. I don’t want you out in the wilds of the Welsh border if somebody else can do the job. I’ll look forward to meeting Robert. After all, it’s not as if you have a lot of people you can call friends and it’s good to do a friend a good turn if you can. If he proves capable, by all means let us reward that. While we’re on the topic, I think that it is time to reward Osmund, and make sure we retain his services. There are two virgates of land near Great Bentley where the cheorl who held it in laen from you has died with none to inherit. It’s near to Thorrington and won’t cause any great distraction to Osmund. I’m sure that he’ll feel much more settled if he has land of his own. That would be enough land for him to settle down and perhaps get married, as he would then be most eligible.” Alan’s only objection was a comment that it was probably also time to similarly reward Brand. Anne agreed and continued, “Fine, I’ll arrange the deeds.”
Alan smiled amiably at this typical example of their partnership. He dealt with the military aspects associated with his position with the assistance of Hugh, Brand and the other warrior leaders, and with most of the political matters- although the latter in consultation with Anne and Osmund. His military duties and judicial duties, with him dealing with them properly, together with his ‘tinkering’ in the workshop, left him little time during the day and he was determined that the time after the evening meal at Vespers was his own family time.
Anne dealt with the household and business matters. Administration of the estates was dealt with as a joint responsibility, although in practice Anne made most of the decisions after consultation with Alan and Osmund. They viewed themselves as partners not just physically but also intellectually and economically.
“I’ve invited some ladies for tomorrow afternoon, while you and most of their husbands are off at the Hunt that the king has arranged,” said Anne. “Some are friends I have made at court functions, others may become friends and some will be politically advantageous to be involved with. They’re all either from the same clique, that of the de Grandmesnils, or not associated with any group. A few are English ladies.
“We’re having a poetry recital. Osmund will handle the Latin and French poems and he’s found a suitably impressive speaker to perform some English poems. I’ll host a few more similar events over the next couple of weeks, so I can ‘spin a web’ amongst most of the ‘French’ ladies. I know that description isn’t really fair, as many of them are Flemings, Angevins, Danes and so on, and that the Normans and their language are quite different to the French.
“Many of the ladies have close ancestors or relatives who are Anglo-Saxons, Anglo-Danes or Danes. Most are at best semi-literate and wouldn’t know a good poem if it was a charging horse that ran them over. But with their social pretensions, a poetry recital is both novel and something they can’t resist being seen at, as it proves their intellectual and discerning nature. Some of them I like, and it should be fun.
“I’ll go out this afternoon and arrange some suitable food to be delivered tomorrow morning. Wilda says that she can do a good dish of braised quail in white wine, fruit pies and custard tarts. I’ll order some small gourmet pies, pasties, small sausages and pastries and get some mead and some herbs to make teas. We have plenty of good white and red wine, of course, as well as aged cheeses and candied fruits. Ladies aren’t used to ‘fine dining’ as usually they’re left at home while their husbands go out, so I am sure the food and drink will ‘dazzle’ them, and that going out for a social function while their husbands are doing the same will be attractive, even if some of them have no idea what the performers are saying.”
Alan smiled and nodded at the astuteness of his wife. While they had no political pretensions, the goodwill of the influential families, both their male and female members, could only be of benefit for the future.
Osmund had arrived several days previously following Alan’s request that he contact each of the people from whom they had received depositions with allegations against Bishop William, Earl Ralph and Engelric. Alan had thought that the trio would take steps to resolve the allegations against them and was determined not to be embarrassed by making allegations that would be responded to by the waving of a counter-deposition advising that the matter had been resolved. Alan’s mediocre political position would be seriously damaged by making several dozen complaints if William, Ralph and Engelric had taken steps to resolve them.
“Never trust anybody to do what you expect, especially your enemies,” Osmund had commented in agreement when he had departed on the mission, and his report had shown that Alan had been correct to harbour his suspicions. Each of those who had provided a deposition had been visited by a minion of one of the trio and with many expressions of regret at the misunderstandings and mistakes made, Heriot amounts had been decreased and threats withdrawn. Complainants had been inveigled to sign new depositions stating their satisfaction and sworn to secrecy.
“What do you intend to do?” asked Anne.
Alan shrugged and replied, “We’ve achieved what we set out to do- obtain justice for those being oppressed. The fact that justice was handed out by the malefactors themselves, out of fear of the consequences if they didn’t do so, doesn’t change that fact. Hopefully others will also have benefited already, or may benefit in the future, if the wolves feel something of a collar around their neck- a collar of hemp rope- and modify their behaviour even a little. There appear four or five matters outstanding, which I’ll leave to the Chancellor and the king to investigate. They both know the true state of affairs from my report, so I’d expect these to be resolved quickly. I expect the king to keep a closer eye on things now- not because he’s concerned about the welfare of the cheorls or thegns but because he was being cheated out of the money being extracted. I’d look silly and vindictive if I raised just one or two cases against each malefactor in the Curia, so I’ll let things slide- with a certain amount of relief I must admit.”
Robert de Aumale arrived on time as the sun was setting. It was snowing gently outside and he was rubbing his leather-gloved hands together and shedding drops of water from his cloak as he was ushered into the warm and by now quite richly-furnished Hall. Aidith took his cloak to dry and warm by the kitchen fire as Robert stood by the fire, removed his gloves, which he tucked into his belt, and rubbed his hands together over the red glow of the fire.
The room had been set up with a small table, able to accommodate six, on one side of the central fire and two larger tables for the household staff and soldiers, the three tables arranged in a triangle around the fire. Anne and Alan followed the usual convention of eating together with the household, except of course the kitchen staff and serving maid, and Robert’s eyes widened slightly as eight huscarles swaggered into the Hall and took their places at one of the tables.
“Two are on guard duty,” said Alan as Aidith brought wine for the high table and ale for the others.
“You seem to think that you have some who are not your friends, to have such protection for your house,” commented Robert.
“We know that we have some who are not our friends,” replied Anne firmly as platters of fresh bread, still hot from the oven, were placed on the table, quickly followed by a thick and delicately-seasoned bacon and vegetable pottage. The noise level in the Hall rose as the huscarles and household members consumed their ale. Many a comment was made in a friendly manner to Aidith, but all in the house knew to keep their hands to themselves and that over-familiarity would be tolerated neither by Aidith nor their masters.
During the meal Robert was quietly sounded out by Anne, Osmund and Brand. Alan asked a few questions also, but was satisfied that he knew his friend sufficiently from past experience. Robert’s comments showed him to be intelligent. Although illiterate like most Norman nobles, he was he had a quite wide knowledge of the world and its principal characters, and even a reasonable knowledge of literature and poetry- although entirely memorized. As was the norm with illiterate people his memory hung onto details that many others would forget. Over the main course of barnacle-goose pie with a rich meat gravy and steamed vegetables Robert commented, “I don’t know. Perhaps I’d have been better staying in Normandy, or maybe going to Sicily or Italy. There are so many ahead on me on de Mandeville’s favouritism list that even with the Redemption defaults I expect to happen in a few weeks, that I can’t see myself getting a manor.”
“You see the Redemption defaults as a good thing?” asked Anne.
“Not as such, but they do provide an opportunity for those, Norman or English, with the cash to acquire an honour or two. That doesn’t include me,” he concluded with an evident tone of regret. As the meal progressed Robert showed himself to be a companionable man. Intelligent, without being learned; respectful without being subservient; a good conversationalist with a wry sense of humour. He showed no sign of an over-inflated sense of self-importance- quite the contrary, being modest and self-effacing and with an understanding of the need of a manor lord to work together with his English equals and subordinates. As the main course was cleared away and those at the table washed their hands in bowls of water, Alan looked enquiringly firstly at Anne, then Osmund and Brand. Each in turn gave a nod.
Toying with a piece of bread Alan looked Robert in the eyes and said, “I don’t think you need to go to Sicily. The king has just given me some manors in Herefordshire, right on the Welsh border. I need somebody who can protect and administer those estates properly, as Seneschal. I’m making no promises of a fief at this stage- that will depend on how you perform your duties over the next year. Are you interested?”
With a stunned expression Robert stammered his thanks, which Alan waved away with a comment about ‘mutual advantage’ and instructed Robert to find several men-at-arms to accompany him to the west after Christmas, promising to travel with Robert and bring a suitable company of his own men.