by M J Porter
It had also been Earl Hakon’s father who’d been one of Cnut’s most loyal supporters, holding the land to the north after Ealdorman Uhtred’s death. Earl Erik’s death had been as unexpected as his own father’s and yet it had resulted in a rewriting of the political landscape. Perhaps it had only been Cnut’s great success that had enabled his kingship to survive uninterrupted with the few men he had as earls. Certainly, there was no longer any continuity from Æthelred’s reign, apart from himself, and really, he’d had little part to play in Æthelred’s reign other than being his father’s son, the brother of the traitor Northman.
Of the other earls who’d been placed over the English, Ulfr and Eilifr were now in Denmark. Ulfr had battled for Cnut at the Battle of the Holy River but seemed to have been involved in some sort of rebellion against his king. The two brothers were now in disgrace and Leofric doubted the brothers would live for much longer. Hrani remained in England, keeping the borders protected against the Welsh kingdoms, a role Leofric had once thought would be his own.
The two of them had long since come to a grudging understanding, and on occasions, Leofric even approved of the way that Hrani handled England’s closest neighbors but his focus was now on the lands in his wife’s domain, nearer to the heartlands of Mercia. Deerhurst remained his, ruled over by his brother, but to all intents and purposes, it was Hrani who was earl over the land his father had once ruled.
When the men had all spoken, and even Emma had ensured that everyone within the hall remembered that her husband was trying to ensure the retention of Denmark and the larger empire of Norway and Skåne, the crowd began to disperse. Leofric was unsurprised when Earl Hakon took the effort to come and speak with him.
“Sheriff Leofric,” the other man said, reaching out to grasp his forearm in welcome. “I’m glad you came. I would speak with you before I leave England.” Leofric was at once pleased, and then burdened. It seemed that it was Hakon who would lead the king’s new attacking force. That would mean that Earl Godwine would remain in England.
“Earl Hakon, you look well.” Hakon smiled at the words, but his eyes were busy behind Leofric, trying to see who watched their conversation. Leofric took the time to really look at the man. He was little older than him, and yet he’d been an important individual within Cnut’s inner circle since before Cnut was even king of England. He dressed as a warrior, but a wealthy one, his ceremonial equipment adorned with jewels and precious metals. He wore his hair long and his moustache was well groomed. His eyes flashed with intellect and Leofric was at once intrigued and dismayed by what Hakon might want him to do in his absence.
Hakon snaked his other arm around Leofric’s shoulder and together they moved outside the great hall and into the late summer day. Leofric shivered a little with the change in temperature. The summer had been a chill one.
“I’m pleased I caught you,” Hakon began, when he was sure that the conversation couldn’t be overheard by anyone.
“Why’s that?” Leofric questioned, but as he watched the pensive expression on Hakon’s face as his eyes followed Earl Godwine leaving the hall behind them, Harthacnut with him, he thought he knew where the conversation was heading.
“I plan on speaking to the king about him,” Hakon muttered, whether intentionally or not, Leofric was unsure, but he saw distaste on the other man’s face and realized he wasn’t the only man to fear Godwine’s ambitions.
“Apologies,” Hakon said about his words, but Leofric thought it was an artfully orchestrated show of his true feelings.
“I wished to speak to you about some rumors I’ve heard about the Lady Ælfgifu.” Those words surprised Leofric and he doubted he kept the guilt from showing on his face. He’d pushed Ælfgifu aside at the beginning, but since then he had made some small overtures of friendship. He thought he’s been clever about it, but it seemed not.
“The Lady Ælfgifu?” Leofric attempted to play dumb but he caught the small spark of amusement on Hakon’s face and realized Hakon knew about as much as he did. Yet Hakon allowed his professed denial as he continued to speak.
“The king doesn’t forget his older sons, and neither it seems, does the Lady Ælfgifu forget his promises to her with regards to the boys. Yet, I understand she’s as restless as some of Cnut’s other supporters with his long absence.”
Deciding that it was better for Hakon to speak than for him to incriminate himself, he kept quiet, although he raised his eyebrows as though much of what he was hearing was news to him. Hakon didn’t watch his face, and Leofric thought it was probably a good thing that he didn’t.
“I understand that she works to grow her own allies, worried that the queen has too many who flock to her, and that this jeopardizes her sons chances.”
Now Hakon did look at Leofric and he hoped his expression didn’t flicker and give away that he knew much more than he was pretending.
“I’m not a fool enough to think that you don’t know about the Lady Ælfgifu, I know your wife knew her and probably still does. I would ask only that until Cnut remains you attempt to keep the peace a little. If the queen discovers the extent of Ælfgifu’s web of contacts, she’ll take some action to move against her, and she’ll use Cnut’s long absence as justification.”
“The Lady Ælfgifu is no ally of mine,” Leofric tried to blunder but Hakon fixes me with a stern stare and his denials to melted away.
“The king would wish the Lady Ælfgifu to have followers, just perhaps not as many as she tries to grab. He would also want the queen to have her own allies, but he doesn’t wish there to be animosity between the two.” His words were so bland and yet they masked a whole host of problems and Leofric chuckled out loud, not bothering when Hakon raised his eyes with mock outrage. Leofric thought that Hakon must know, just as surely as Leofric did, how ridiculous Cnut’s wish for the women in his life to live together peacefully, was. He was either stupid or he’d just taken leave of his senses.
The Lady Ælfgifu and Queen Emma were enemies who’d never met because Cnut ensured they stayed apart from each other. Yet Cnut wanted the fruit of both of his unions to have positions of power. If Cnut didn’t reassert himself quickly over Norway, he’d soon be facing a similar situation within England, brought about by his warring wives, of all things.
“What would you have me do?” Leofric asked, disbelieving the notion that after his failure with Olaf Haraldsson, he was now likely to be tasked with placating Cnut’s wives.
“Listen, utter some platitudes to the woman, congratulate her on her sons.”
“And if she asks for more?”
“Just do what you can,” Hakon uttered, perhaps irritated by the questions but then he answered in all seriousness.
“The king needs Ælfgifu and Emma to maintain their aloofness of each other, to respect each other and to, well, to put it bluntly, to bloody well behave.”
Leofric grunted with both amusement and annoyance at that impossible statement.
“Wouldn’t one of the bishops or abbots be better placed for this sort of task? Surely they’re more used to cajoling their flocks?”
“Well, yes they are, but none of the bishops and abbots have your father as their father. Leofwine was close to both Emma and Ælfgifu. You’re uniquely placed to attempt something as difficult as this.”
Leofric sighed deeply.
“The king will reward you,” Hakon offered, but even he must have known just how impossible a task he was asking Leofric to accomplish, because his words were only half-hearted.
“Aside from the king’s two wives,” Leofric thought to ask, trying to change the subject so that he had time to think, “what are the plans regarding Godwine?”
“Godwine will be coming with us,” Hakon muttered, but Leofric shook his head, feeling a trace of anger.
“He said that last time but he hid at Sandwich,” Leofric hissed and in those words he felt as though his anger and rage from the last year exploded. Just saying the words riled and then calmed him, but Hakon watche
d him unhappily.
“I know all that, but Cnut, well Cnut has had other events on his mind. But I promise you, if you do this for your king, for me, I’ll ensure he hears about it. I’ll also make sure that he knows of Godwine’s treachery and your own loss at Holy River. Leofric, I assure you,” and Hakon’s voice was quieter, more hesitant, “the king is merely distracted. He’ll do what needs to be done, but he needs men to support him, and women as well,” he tried to smile as he spoke but Leofric was left feeling that Hakon was making excuses for the king, and Leofric didn’t like that.
The king spoke through Earl Godwine, and thought through Earl Hakon, and sent messages for his holy men to disperse amongst the general population, but where was the king in all this? He’d fought for England for many years and yet he’d abandoned it quickly enough.
“Hakon, I’ll do what I can, but I make no promises. You need to tell Cnut to come home to England. He has matters here that are more pressing than he realizes. But, I won’t leave with that thought. I wish you luck and wind in your sails as you support the king. I’ll do what I can, but as I said, I make no promises. Ælfgifu and Emma are both stubborn women, with much to play for and Earl Godwine will meddle as well.”
Once more Hakon placed his had on Leofric’s arm and nodded solemnly to him.
“I’ll speak to the king. You have my word.”
With that, Hakon moved away from Leofric, keen to mingle with the higher nobility and Leofric watched him go pensively. It seemed that if the king wasn’t aware that he was simply storing problems in England by his continual absence, then at least Hakon was. Leofric could wish the king were so perceptive.
Although he thought his conversation with Hakon had been long and detailed, people still lingered within the king’s hall, and Leofric watched with interest as the men and the few women invited to attend, dispersed from the hall, speaking quietly to their chosen allies.
He’d have liked to see who trailed Earl Godwine, but Godwine was long gone, and instead he watched the queen with her son and daughter. He was surprised that Emma insisted on her children attending the Witan and even more surprised that Harthacnut had the capacity to sit attentively throughout the long, and often tedious discussions, when he was such a creature of action.
He’d gone to watch him on the training ground as soon as he arrived, keen to see how the boy progressed, and secretly comparing him with Ælfgar’s progress, and he’d not been disappointed. Harthacnut still had much growing to do, but his skill and ease with a weapon was clear to see. Ælfgar had spent all of his waking time in the last year trying to master the same skills, but he still lagged some way behind. Leofric knew it was only his slight build that hampered him, and yet he wanted him to have the same skills that Harthacnut possessed. He didn’t want him to be a victim of Harald and Swein’s aggression again.
The king’s daughter was truly a beautiful child, but there was little hint of the woman she’d become in her blue eyes and bright blond hair and Leofric wondered how he’d have coped with a daughter, instead of just a son. He still wished for more children, but with each passing year he felt his hopes fade a little, and now that his sister had her second child as well, he knew he wasn’t the only one who felt the lack of children in his marriage keenly. He’d had many brothers and a sister, whereas his son had many cousins. He supposed it still made for an interesting childhood for his son, very similar to his own father’s, and as Leofwine had been such an able politician and warrior, he thought he was worrying over nothing. Time would tell, but not yet.
Harthacnut must have felt the force of his gaze for he walked toward him and inclined his head smartly.
“Sheriff Leofric,” he said politely, before all pretense faded from his face.
“I saw you watching me yesterday,” he galloped through his words. “Have I improved, do you think? I hope I have but my mother doesn’t seem to understand the questions I ask her, about my stance, and my positioning and the way I hold my sword, shield and war axe.”
Leofric chuckled at the aggrieved tone in the lad’s voice.
“I assure you that you’ve improved greatly in the last year. Your stance is far firmer, and the grip on your sword is excellent. But I do think you could do with a shorter handle on your war axe.”
Harthacnut flung his arms in the air in frustration at Leofric’s words, and Leofric thought he’d offended him, but it seemed he wasn’t the cause of Harthacnut’s wrath, but rather his mother.
“See mother, the men aren’t telling me honestly when I ask them how I progress, and neither are you. I need to hear these sorts of things. How else will I correct them and learn from my mistakes?” Leofric met the queen’s eyes in dismay but she merely smiled at her son and offered a welcome to Leofric.
“It’s different for the sheriff, Harthacnut, he’s not seen you practice for over a year, of course he’ll see how you progress with a more critical eye. He doesn’t watch you each and every day, as I do, and as the men do.” The queen was trying to quell her son’s agitation and Leofric tried to concur with her words, but Harthacnut watched him and ignoring his mother.
“Will you come and watch me again in the morning,” the boy asked imperiously and Leofric was taken aback by the sense of entitlement in just those few words. Still, and considering his conversation with Hakon only moment ago, he realized it would be best to go along with his wishes, and was just about to speak his agreement when Harthacnut spoke once more.
“Your son is here?” he asked. “Bring him as well if he is, I want to see how much I’ve improved compared to him.” Without waiting for an answer, Harthacnut ran off, distracted by a group of youths who seemed to be waiting for him. Leofric was pleased he’d left Ælfgar at home and turned to the queen, expecting an apology for her son’s behavior, but instead she watched her son with affection.
“Good day my lady,” Leofric thought to mutter, more a farewell than a hello, and took himself away from the hall. He had much to think about and none of it was good.
It seemed that Harthacnut was just as much in need of his father as the entire kingdom was in need of its king. Without Cnut here, everyone seemed to be following their own wishes and desires with little thought for others.
Chapter 15
Summer AD1027
Northampton
As usual the roads were crammed with the carts and temporary market stalls of the men and women who’d come to sell their goods to the people of Northampton. On any other day, Leofric would have been entertained and entranced by the spectacle of the skilled athletics and the vast array of goods for sale, but today his head pounded and he felt a pulse of rage rushing through his body.
King Cnut was still absent from England and despite the more positive news coming from Denmark, Leofric was angry that Cnut thought only of expanding his empire and not of protecting what he already had.
England was peaceful in and of itself, but just as Earl Hakon had foreseen, the two women in Cnut’s life were making it increasingly difficult to remain neutral in their escalating attempts to win support for their sons and Leofric was finding his patience tested on an almost daily basis.
That his wife was firm in her intention to support only Ælfgifu meant that even his home life was disturbed and that infuriated him even more. He wasn’t sure he wished to make any overt show of support for either of the women, after all, that wasn’t what Hakon had asked him to do, no, he’d asked to do something far more difficult. He’d asked him to keep the peace. Whether he’d known or appreciated just how far Ælfgifu was prepared to extend her reach was something that plagued Leofric. Had he once more been put in an unwinnable situation by somehow he’d mistaken for a friend?
He shook his head angrily as he guided his horse through the throngs of people. He wanted to be careful and injure no one, but at the same time, he wanted to get his meeting with Lady Ælfgifu over and done with. He had a good idea of whom she’d been talking with and he felt it was his duty to caution her.
As m
uch as she might believe that Cnut had given her his blessing to do whatever she must to make her sons powerful men in their own right, when the time came, he doubted that Cnut would welcome her interference in her father’s old earldom of Northumbria.
No, he needed to speak with her and tell her to leave the status quo as it was. When Cnut returned, and it had to be sometime soon, he’d be displeased if he found Northumbria in open revolt against his kingship. Not that it took the old northern kingdom much to rise in revolt against anyone’s kingship, but with the old and cantankerous king Malcolm II of Scotland hovering on the border, prepared to take advantage of any sign of weakness, Leofric knew that Ælfgifu wasn’t being careful enough.
She could incite some of the older families to support her, those who remembered her father and her brothers blinding by Eadric, and despite the change in kingship since then, she’d still be able to call upon that old, and by now, misplaced loyalty. That she was a woman and had two growing sons fathered by the king, meant that she was appealing to any unhappy with the current arrangement.
Northumbria could be an unsettled land. The king of Scotland had covetous eyes, and the ancient House of Bamburgh, the effective buffer zone between Northumbria and Scotland, was weaker than in the past. It could well welcome the support of the English king’s first wife. The land was divided between those who’d come to England in the first wave of Viking attacks and the native inhabitants. Those with any Viking ancestry might be happy to support Ælfgifu’s sons while the native inhabitants might look to the House of Bamburgh. If she could ally with Bamburgh, there was the potential for disaster.
It was a situation that really needed its king to be in attendance. But as he wasn’t, Leofric felt honor bound to speak to Ælfgifu about her meddling. His wife was angry with him for interfering, but he knew that in the long term, Ælfgifu would welcome someone explaining how dangerous her current ideas were, especially as it might earn her the wrath of Cnut, if she didn’t rein her efforts in.
