Robert pondered the situation for a while.
‘Well, it might be difficult at first, but it will blow over.’
‘Robert, you know as well as I do that it won’t “blow over”; at the very least, Estrith will have to leave the Crusade. Adhemar Le Puy, the Papal Legate, is an ambitious and devious man and he knows that the zealots won’t tolerate a pregnant abbess in their ranks. Worse still, Raymond of Toulouse still holds a grudge against us after the argument Sweyn had with him in the crypt of St Sernin’s in Toulouse; he could call for Estrith’s excommunication, or worse.’
Hereward spoke for the first time. ‘Estrith, do you want this child?’
‘Do you mean, will I get rid of it? The answer is emphatically no.’
‘That’s not what I meant. Will you nourish it and nurture it and devote your life to it?’
‘Father, it is my child and I will do everything in my power to care for it as it should be cared for.’
Hereward stared at his daughter for a long time before making a suggestion.
‘I would like some time to talk to Estrith alone and also to have some time with Adela and Sweyn. May we reconvene at the same time tomorrow?’
We all thought this a good idea and agreed to his plan.
There was no setting sun the next day. The long hours of sunshine were becoming fewer, reminding us all that winter would soon be upon us, and that even in the eastern Mediterranean the days could be cold and miserable.
It was my turn to lead the meeting; Hereward asked for permission to speak.
I often wondered what words had been said by the three of them in the hours between the two gatherings, but they had been spoken by a very select group within our Brethren: two sons of Bourne, a daughter of Bourne and one of its granddaughters; and they concerned yet another generation from that small but far from inconsequential Fenland village.
‘I have a suggestion which I believe will resolve the dilemma we face and, more importantly, is in the best interests of the child. This siege is going to take many months. Antioch must fall if Jerusalem is to be taken, so the army will be camped here for some time. Adela should not be here in her condition throughout the winter; she needs warmth and the care of the best physicians. Estrith hardly shows, so we are the only ones who know she is pregnant…’
Hereward paused to gather his thoughts before continuing.
‘Estrith and Sweyn have agreed to the following; it is important that it is endorsed here, so that our Brethren can continue in its bond of loyalty. What will be agreed here will be known only to us, until such time as Estrith, Sweyn and Adela decide to tell the child about our decision. If that hasn’t happened at the time of the death of the last of us, it falls to the last surviving member of the Brethren to care for the child and tell it the truth about its birth. In due course, the child will be admitted to the Brethren in its own right.’
He put his right arm around Estrith’s shoulders and sat her down next to Adela. Then he asked Sweyn to sit on her other side.
‘We four are now the only survivors of our home in Bourne. Until recently, it looked like its lineage would die with us, but now, miraculously, my grandchild will continue not only that ancestry, but also Torfida’s and mine. Estrith and Adela have agreed to travel to the coast at St Symeon, where the Emperor is establishing a supply base for the siege here at Antioch. They will then sail to Constantinople, where Estrith will enjoy her confinement under the protection of the Emperor and where Adela will be able to recover away from public view in the Blachernae. I have spoken to Tacitius; he will provide an escort, make the arrangements with the Emperor and tell him about our deception and need for the utmost discretion. If, by the time the child is born and weaned, it is safe for it to return to the Holy Land, they will join us, hopefully in a liberated Jerusalem.’
There were smiles all round from the four children of the Fens, but Hereward had saved the crucial part of the plan until last.
‘After the birth and weaning, the three of them will emerge from the Blachernae and Adela will be presented as the mother of the child. No one will know otherwise, except us. Estrith will, of course, stay close to the child, but it will be raised as the natural child of the marriage of Adela and Sweyn. In truth, we Brethren will all be its family and guardians, as we are for one another. We will tell the Princes and those whom Estrith has been caring for that she is returning to Constantinople to care for Adela’s wound and to help her with what would be a very difficult pregnancy.’
Adela laughed out loud. ‘A difficult pregnancy — it’s the conception that would have been the difficult part, with me in this condition!’
There was laughter all round and the four of them embraced warmly. Robert and I looked at one another. We both smiled. It was a remarkably simple solution, but one that could only work through an exceptional rapport between Estrith and Adela.
I had to ask the question.
‘Can the two of you deal with this — especially you, Estrith?’
‘As my father said, it is in the best interests of the child and of the Brethren, so we will make it work. I know that the bond between mother and child is very strong, but I’m not giving my child up. We will still be a family, and I will see the child all the time.’
‘That could make things worse, not better.’
‘Perhaps, but I think I can cope with being Aunt Estrith rather than Mamma. Adela will be better at that.’
Adela seemed relaxed; her demeanour was certainly very different from the day before.
‘I’m not sure I will make a better mother — it’s the last thing I ever thought would happen. But the only things that matter are the six of us and our new member — the little beast. And mark my words, girl or boy, it will be a little monster; I will make sure of that!’
Everyone laughed at a typical Adela comment, but I had one more question.
‘All you have ever wanted to be is a warrior. You have achieved that and won the admiration of your fellow knights and thousands of Crusaders. Are you prepared to give that up to raise a child, one that isn’t even yours?’
‘Well, it certainly helps that I have achieved what I’ve achieved. The welcome we received when we returned from the raid on the Seljuks was everything I had been looking for. But I’m now forty-three years old, I don’t have many warrior days left — especially with the disadvantages I have as a woman barely five and half feet tall. Hereward and I talked for a long time last night. He explained some things which helped me realize that perhaps I have finally buried the past. He also told me some home truths about what is eating my backside. I may not survive at all. And if I do, I may not be able to walk properly, let alone ride a horse. But this child offers me a new challenge — one that I’ll meet head on — the first part of which is to survive for at least nine months so that our plan can succeed.’
Robert nodded and smiled at me; perhaps it might work, after all.
By midday next day, Estrith and Adela had left for the coast and we threw ourselves into the complex business of laying siege to the mightiest fortress in the eastern Mediterranean.
Hereward proved to be right about the length of the siege of Antioch. The Crusaders faced interminable difficulties, unable to encircle the vast walls completely. Yaghi-Siyan, the wily governor of the city — a former slave from Turcoman, far to the east — was able to bring in provisions from time to time and had an army formidable enough to sally forth occasionally from the walls and attack us, causing mayhem, much loss of life and a significant lowering of morale.
The winter threw itself into the conflict and became a key part of the city’s defence. Rain, mud, and even snow, made life miserable for the besiegers in their tents, while those under siege enjoyed the comforts of their firesides, kitchens and beds. Although some supplies were getting through from the Emperor’s base at St Symeon, Yaghi-Siyan’s allies — Ridwan, Sultan of Aleppo, and his brother, Duqaq, Emir of Damascus — made constant attacks on the supply lines and even engaged the Christian army in full-scale battle.
It was a long and debilitating winter, which seemed to go for ever.
We had to build defensive towers of our own to protect our supply lines from the coast. By May of 1098, six months into the siege, our army was demoralized and, through the ravages of war, famine and disease, had been reduced to fewer than 25,000 men, with no more than 1,000 war horses, none of which were heavy Norman destriers.
