Page 45 of Summer of the Viking

Alwynn inwardly winced. The last thing she wanted to do was intrude and make Urien’s suffering worse, particularly as Cleofirth appeared to be so concerned about her.

Valdar had seemed unsurprised by the announcement, but did remark about how he had enjoyed meeting Urien earlier. He gave Cleofirth a strange look.

‘Are you going to tell me why you asked me here?’ Alwynn said in an undertone. ‘I doubt it was to see a hidden storeroom filled with sheep. You could have forced the issue if you thought they were indeed Owain’s sheep.’

‘And started a feud with your neighbour’s tenant? I think not,’ he answered quietly. ‘This needs to be done with you. Cleofirth has to see you are in charge so he cannot deny what happened later to Lord Edwin. Plus, you need to see his wife.’

‘What do you hope to find?’

‘Honestly? I hope for nothing, but I suspect that there is more than meets the eye. If I am right, he should be thrown off this land for sheep stealing.’

‘This had better be good. Cleofirth is well thought of and Lord Edwin will be displeased if I accuse one of his tenants without proof. He is the king’s instrument of the law in these parts.’

‘If you will come over here, you will see the difficulty,’ Valdar said in an undertone. He moved some of the straw which had hidden the small trapdoor. ‘The barn is slightly too big on the outside for its size on the inside.’

She stared at it for a long moment, trying to recall if she had seen it, before turning back to Cleofirth. ‘What do you say about this? Is there a secret room?’

The farmer had the grace to go beet-red. ‘I’d forgotten it was there. It is quite a small storage space. My wife’s uncle had used it to store turnips. Your steward is making a mountain out of a molehill. No doubt in time he will learn our ways.’

‘Then it should be empty. And there is no reason not to show it to us. Valdar may be new here, but it is no excuse for you to refuse a reasonable request from my steward.’ She gave both of them a look.

‘I don’t know how the sheep got there. Honest. But I am sure they will all bear my mark.’

‘If you don’t know how the sheep arrived there, how can you be sure that they belong to you?’

Valdar put his shoulder against the door and it opened with a loud creak. ‘You need to see this, Alwynn.’

The large storage area was full of sheep and sacks of wool. Alwynn’s mouth dropped open. She recognised various notches in the ears which were not Cleofirth’s mark.

‘It would appear you have a problem, Cleofirth. The third sheep to the left sports Owain’s notch, not yours.’

Cleofirth’s mouth opened and closed. ‘Owain’s sheep must have wandered on to my land and got mixed up with mine. You know how careless he can be. I know my rights. I demand to see Lord Edwin. He is the law in these parts. Not this here foreign steward. Lord Edwin is my overlord now.’

Cleofirth the Plough was far more prosperous than she’d considered. Silently she kicked herself for not inspecting the farm more closely before selling the title to Lord Edwin. She knew Cleofirth had been good friends with her former steward. She clenched her fists, hating that she had been naive and ready to believe the best of everyone.

Cleofirth had had Urien plead a poor lambing season last year and all the while he’d been amassing this. If he had paid the proper amount due, she would never have had to sell the land.

Her stomach ached and she stumbled from the barn. She drew deep breaths of fresh clean air, hating that she had made another mistake.

‘How long have you been keeping things back?’ Valdar demanded. ‘How much have you cheated? Where I come from, men have had been deprived of their lands for less.’

‘I didn’t want the Northmen discovering all my secrets,’ Cleofirth began pleading. ‘A man has to make preparations.’ He gulped twice. ‘That is...I knew nothing about the sheep. Urien...’

‘Valdar is my steward, Cleofirth, not a raiding Northman. Urien does not farm here. You do,’ Alwynn said in a measured tone, but her insides churned. ‘Lord Edwin will hear of this. It will be up to him to administer the proper punishment.’

Cleofirth rubbed the back of his neck. ‘Some of Owain’s sheep might have become mixed with mine. During the storm, like. I haven’t had time to sort them and then I heard your steward was poking his sharp nose in. I panicked. A man is allowed to make a mistake. But it were Urien who did it originally. I won’t have my name blackened.’

‘Shall we see about getting Owain’s sheep returned to him?’

It made her blood boil that Cleofirth had used her in this way. She concentrated on breathing steadily. Her mother had taught her many years ago that giving in to her temper solved nothing. It was important that she appeared calm and confident, even if she wanted to shake him. ‘Why did you hide this behind the straw? Why did you say that you would be unable to make the full rent because of two poor years? How long has this sheep stealing been going on?’

---