keep ten percent of the gross, which no doubt will really upset him as he usually doesn’t work for less than fifty percent. Now, how many of the longboats do you want to keep? You have fourteen and that seems a bit greedy.”
“I’d like to keep six, maybe eight, and use them to provide some protection for the estuaries of both the Colne and Orwell. I’ll probably put a ballista on the bows of each one, which should make up for any lack of numbers,” said Alan with some confusion. “I hadn’t really thought about it.”
“Fine. Send six up to Ipswich and my father will sell them back to the Danes or the Norwegians. You should get a good price for them.”
Alan shook his head in bemusement. “This really doesn’t make sense. Why would I sell ships to the Danes for them to send back here to raid us again? And why would I want four trading ships? I’m a soldier, not a merchant. Not that I have anything against merchants,” he added quickly.
“The Danes and the Norwegians will build as many ships as they think they need for whatever purpose they want them, including raiding or trading. If you’re worried about trading with the Danes, we can sell them to the Norwegians- who will use them to raid the Scots, the Russians and the Danes. They don’t come down here. Hopefully that’ll satisfy your conscience. I’ll send off the trading cogs with the two longboats that still have plunder in them, with the best crews, with the next high tide. The boats still at Wivenhoe can be brought up here when you have the crews- that’s something else I’ve asked my father to attend to. You need reliable and knowledgeable captains and a few extra seamen. For ten percent of the gross I expect him to do some work.”
Alan shook his head again in confusion. “What is this all about?” he asked plaintively.
Anne reined in her enthusiasm, “I’ll explain in more detail later, but until this week you have been a prosperous and respected landowner in a small and remote corner of England. This Danish raid has delivered to you the means to be very wealthy and you can then do what you want with your wealth. Clearly you have designs to improve the local military. That will cost a lot. If you operate eight longships with their crews, that will also cost a lot- after all you can’t turn pirate and subsidise the cost by taking local shipping, although you could turn the tables on the Danes and go and raid them. Trust me.”
Alan gave in and shrugged. “Whatever you like! Select the six crews for the boats you’re most interested in and I’ll have the other boats at Wivenhoe brought here. After all, in six days we’ll be dividing up the rest of the captured booty with the other thegns who took part.”
“But not what you took last night. Those were your forces and that booty is yours,” instructed Anne. “Today is Friday the 31st of May, the Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary” she continued. “Sunday is Trinity Sunday. Would you care to come and share it at my Hall?”
“Certainly, with pleasure! We’ll leave in the morning,” replied Alan. “Meanwhile, come and have a look at my new Hall at the fort. It’s basically finished and the workers are just completing putting on the last of the wood shingles on the roof. I still haven’t got the chimney working properly yet, though.”
Anne patiently withstood the detailed tour of the fort, showing genuine interest in the innovations such as the under-floor heating system; water piped in from a nearby spring to the stables and kitchen; the bathing house with a hot tub big enough for four; and, the piece de resistance, flushing latrines. Alan had opted not to use the Roman system of continuous flushing, as it would cause problems with needing too big a cesspit outside the walls in the low-lying land, but would use a flush-on-demand system where periodically a sluice would be opened to allow water stored in a tank to wash away the waste.
The barracks and stables were already occupied, the barns and granary were full and Gimm and his assistant were going through the armour and weapons stored in the armoury to see if any equipment needed repair after the recent battles. Stable-master Teon had boys at work in the tack room checking and oiling all the horse harnesses.
As promised, the Hall itself was virtually complete, with only a small section of roofing needing to be completed. Anne admired the paved floor, sturdy construction, private apartments and guest quarters. “And after this week I’ll be able to afford to put glass in the windows, instead of just using shutters or oiled cloth,” enthused Alan with what Anne felt was not unwarranted pride. He also proudly showed her his workroom, where there were three ballistae in various stages of completion, diagrams drawn in chalk on a large piece of slate attached to the wall.
That night Alan enjoyed his own bedchamber, and Edyth. Anne slept on the mattress in the Solar, lying awake drumming her fingers on the bedclothes in annoyance at the sounds of pleasure coming from next door.
Next morning Alan gave Anne a hand-up into the side-saddle on the quiet horse that had been found for her. As the escort of six mounted men-at-arms was falling in behind them Alan saw Leof looking dejected and called for Teon to fetch a quiet pony. “Do you know how to ride, boy?” asked Alan as Leof mounted clumsily. When Leof shook his head Alan gave a kind laugh and said, “Well, now is as good a time to learn as any! You have a nice patient pony and Lady Anne and I will give you some tips as we ride. You should be an expert by the time we reach Wivenhoe!”
Alan was content to leave the hosting of the Trinity Sunday feast to his new steward Faran and his scribe Osmund. As instructed by Anne, Alan had arranged for the six boats containing the majority of the Dane’s booty to sail on the high tide that night. Alan had also dispatched Owain on horseback to Cardiff with an order for 50 longbows, a large purse of 200 shillings and four trusted armed guards- nobody in his right mind would let somebody he hardly knew carry?10 in cash 200 miles all the way across the country and into hostile territory. Alan sincerely hoped that his trust was not misplaced and that Owain and the bows would return.?10 was more than most men earned in a lifetime.
Anne rode alongside Alan, on his right so that she faced him in her side-saddle. After some idle chatter she paused and said, “Alan, there is an ulterior motive behind this invitation.” Alan gave a polite look of enquiry but kept his silence, allowing Anne to continue. “You were, as usual, correct. It’s one of your annoying habits. When you were away in April, Robert fitzWymarc’s clerk came to see me, a little weasel of a man called Foucoud. His breath stank of garlic and obviously hadn’t had a bath since winter began.
“As you said was likely, he claimed that Aelfric had only taken up the land in laen for his lifetime and that I have to vacate. I told him that it was landboc owned by Aelfric. He demanded to see the ownership books, which of course I don’t have. I don’t have the charter to prove that and I don’t know if that is true or not, but presumably they wouldn’t be able to prove it wasn’t true. He then said that this caused no problems. Aelfric, my former husband is dead, there is no heir and as a widow fitzWymarc would be kind enough to find me a suitable husband. Indeed he had already found a suitor. An elderly knight, a Breton like fitzWymarc, who has been married three times before. Geoffrey of Rennes is his name.
“I asked Foucoud’s English assistant about this Sir Geoffrey and was told he is 45 years old, drinks heavily and beat at least one of his previous wives to death.” Anne paused but continued before Alan could interrupt. “I declined, and remembering your kind previous offers presumed to tell him that I already had an arrangement with a local knight of some renown. Foucoud told me that such an arrangement wouldn’t allow me to keep my manor. I told him that it would as both my former husband and my betrothed were both tenants-in-chief, holding directly from the Crown, so my lands aren’t in the gift of the local lord. That seemed to confuse him. He departed and I’ve heard nothing since.” Anne paused again “So I thought I’d better tell you that you are betrothed, before you heard it from somebody else,” she said with a small smile.
Alan had pulled up his horse in surprise and, having heard Anne out, turned Odin closer to Anne so he could reach across and give her a kiss on her lips. His initial chuckle soon grew into a belly-laugh that continued for a minute or so, before he kissed her again and said, “I’m delighted to hear of both my excellent taste in prospective spouses and my extreme good fortune. Better the devil that you know, eh?”
Anne blushed. “Not at all! I’ve been thinking seriously about your proposal for some time. You’re everything a woman could want. Handsome, educated, erudite, sensitive, caring, apparently passionate, honest. Not violent- your leman bears no bruises. A very good soldier and leader of men. The only problem is you’re French.”
“Norman,” corrected Alan automatically, still with a grin on his face, as he turned Odin to continue the journey. “Well, that explains some things you’ve been up to in the last few days, and I suppose I can trust my prospective father-in-law with my prospective fortune. What’s his name, anyway?”
“Orvin,” replied Anne with mock seriousness. “My mother is Lora Augstdottir. My uncle, who runs the shipping part of the business, is Lidmann. I have two brothers Betlic and Garrett, and a sister Mae. Garrett and Mae are older than me and both married. Betlic is nine, a late addition.”
