‘Everyone is,’ I said, ‘including you, lord King.’
‘But if the pagans of Cumbria can be converted,’ he went on, ‘then they will fight for their Christian king, not for some pagan adventurer from Ireland. Yes, Guthfrith is a foul man, but Christ’s grace is working through him! He has agreed to be baptised. He has agreed to let me place burhs in Cumbria, garrisoned with my troops who will shelter the brave priests who will preach to the unconverted. He has agreed that two Saxon ealdormen will rule in Cumbria, Godric and Alfgar, and their troops will protect our priests. The pagans will listen to Guthfrith, he is one of them, he speaks their tongue. I have told him he must deliver a Christian Cumbria to me if he is to stay king. And think what would happen if Guthfrith were to die.’
‘Women would be safer.’
Æthelstan ignored that. ‘That family may rule in Ireland, but they believe their destiny is to rule both Dyflin and Eoferwic. If Guthfrith dies then Anlaf will try to take Northumbria. He will claim it as his birthright. Better to endure a drunken fool than fight a talented warrior.’
I frowned at him. ‘Why not just kill Guthfrith and declare yourself king? Why not say Northumbria no longer exists, that it’s all Englaland now?’
‘Because I’m already the king here, because this,’ he thumped a foot on the turf, ‘is already Englaland! Guthfrith has sworn loyalty to me, I’m his overlord, but if I remove him then I risk revenge from his Irish family, and if the Irish Norse attack in the west I suspect Constantine will attack in the east. And then the Norse in Cumbria and the Danes of all Northumbria will be tempted to side with the invaders. Even the Welsh! Despite Hywel’s promise. None of them like us! We’re the Sais and they fear our power, they want to diminish us, and a war between us and all our enemies will be a more terrible war than any that even my grandfather fought. I don’t want that to happen. I want to impose order on Northumbria. I don’t want more chaos and bloodshed! And by keeping Guthfrith, and by keeping him on a tight rein, I will convert the northern pagans into law-abiding Christian folk and persuade our enemies that Northumbria is not an opportunity for ambitious men. I want a peaceful, prosperous, Christian island.’
‘Ruled by Englaland,’ I said grimly.
‘Ruled by Almighty God! But if God decrees that Englaland is the most powerful kingdom in Britain then yes, Englaland must lead.’
‘And to achieve that,’ I still spoke sourly, ‘you’re relying on a drunken fool to convert us pagans?’
‘And to keep Anlaf at bay, yes.’
‘And you told the drunken fool to demand tribute from me.’
‘You live in his land, why should you not contribute to his treasury? Why should you not swear an oath of loyalty to him? You live in Northumbria, do you not?’ I was so shocked at his suggestion that I should swear loyalty to Guthfrith that I said nothing, though my indignation must have been stark on my face. ‘Are you above the law, Lord Uhtred?’ Æthelstan asked sternly.
‘Guthfrith has no law,’ I snapped. ‘And pay him tribute? Why should I pay for his ale and his whores?’
‘Lord Ealdred will keep a garrison in Eoferwic. He will ensure your silver is spent wisely. And as for the oath? It will be an example to others.’
‘Damn the others,’ I said angrily, then turned on him belligerently. ‘I hear that Lord Ealdred,’ I almost spat the name, ‘was made an ealdorman.’
‘He was.’
‘Ealdorman of what?’
Æthelstan hesitated. ‘Northumbria,’ he finally said.
I had believed him till that moment. He had spoken urgently and passionately, driven by ambition, yes, but also by a genuine faith in his god, but that one-word answer was evasive and I challenged it harshly. ‘I’m the Ealdorman of Northumbria.’
He smiled, recovering his equanimity. ‘But a lawless country needs authority and authority flows from the king through his nobility. This king,’ he touched the gold cross at his breast, ‘has decided that Northumbria needs more than one ealdorman if it is to be tamed. Lords Godric and Alfgar in the west and two more, you and Lord Ealdred, in the east. But before you protest remember that I have come to pay you a debt.’
‘The best payment is to leave me alone,’ I growled. ‘I’m old, I’ve fought since your grandfather’s day. I have a good woman, a good home, and I need nothing more.’
‘But suppose I was to give you all of Wiltunscir?’ he asked. I just stared at him, astonished, and said nothing. He looked back at me and it seemed impossible that I had raised him, protected him, even loved him as a son. He had a confidence so far removed from the boy I remembered. He was a king now and his ambition embraced the whole island of Britain, maybe further. ‘Wiltunscir,’ he said again, ‘is one of the richest shires in Englaland. You can have it, lord, and with it the greatest part of Æthelhelm’s estates.’ Again I said nothing. Æthelhelm the Younger, Ealdorman of Wiltunscir, had been my enemy and the man who had challenged Æthelstan’s right to the throne of Wessex. Æthelhelm had lost, and had died losing, and his wealth had passed to the king. It was a vast wealth and Æthelstan had offered me most of it; the great estates spread across three kingdoms, the towering halls, the forests full of game, the pastures and orchards, the towns with their prosperous merchants. And all of it, or most of it, had just been offered to me. ‘After the king,’ Æthelstan said, smiling, ‘you will be the greatest lord in Englaland.’
‘You’d give all
