In a controlled voice she replied to his accusations, “I suggest you tell Sara not to listen to gossip from the Hall and it would do you good to stay in that water and cool off before going back to her.”
“I’m not going back to her, Juliana. I’m going to confront this Ulfric and tell him to let you go. You belong to me and have done since birth!”
“Erik, please!” she pleaded, “We must put the past behind us and enter a new phase of our lives. My father is dead and Ulfric will kill you if you try to molest me again.”
“I care not for all that. I still love you, Juliana and I cannot give you up.”
There was little she could say in response so she turned and picked up her gown and slippers and hurried back to the Hall, hoping that everyone would be too busy to notice her. She prayed that Ulfric would not have returned yet from his morning exercise but, unfortunately, he was sitting eating breakfast when she entered the Hall. He looked surprised to see her in a dishevelled state, lifting an eyebrow as if in question, but she ignored him and went to stand in front of the fire to dry her clothes and hair. She felt his presence behind her and held her breath until he spoke.
“You look like a woodland nymph, my love, clean with the smell of flowers in your hair.” She turned quickly and found he was leaning over her breathing in the scent of the soap still lingering in her hair. As she turned he took her into his arms, bending to kiss her neck in a most intimate fashion. Her face began to burn with embarrassment but she tried not to anger him and forced a laugh, “I will need another swim if you don’t keep your distance, my lord. In fact, perhaps you should have one now.”
Just then there was a commotion outside and two of Ulfric’s men brought a still-dripping wet Erik into the room and forced him to kneel before their lord. Ulfric’s hand slipped round her waist and he held her closer than he normally would. His eyes grew cold and he smiled icily.
“Well, well, what do we have here? Two woodland nymphs, I see.”
He looked from Erik to Juliana and back again. She tried to return to her place at the fireside but she was held fast. It was obvious that he had been the one lurking in the woods by the beck, and if so he would have seen or at least heard Erik’s accusations.
“What is your name, sir?” Ulfric asked.
“My name is Erik, my lord Ulfric, and Juliana is my fiancée. We were promised to each other from the cradle and you must not touch her. She is mine!” His voice trembled with emotion and Juliana felt pity for him. He seemed not to understand how much his life was in danger.
“Stand him up!” Ulfric ordered and his men raised Erik to his feet. Juliana saw his hands were tied behind his back and gasped as Ulfric revealed a dagger he had concealed in his boot.
“No, please my lord. Please don’t harm him. He is only recently returned from the battlefields and doesn’t understand what has happened here.” She grasped Ulfric’s arm and slid to the ground pleading on her knees for his mercy.
“Stand up, Juliana! Begging doesn’t suit you. I respect your anger more.”
By the time she was standing again he had moved closer to Erik, who stood his ground looking Ulfric in the eye as he approached. “Do you have family hereabouts, Erik?” Ulfric asked.
“Well - yes sire but I haven’t seen them yet since my return. My mother probably thinks I’m dead and it looks like very soon she may be right.” He lowered his eyes as tears formed and Juliana felt her heart wrench as he shook his head.
Ulfric’s next words astounded everyone, “Erik, you seem like a good man to have as a friend. Will you pledge your allegiance to me as your lord and I will show you mercy on this occasion?” He lowered his voice and she could only just hear his words, “Juliana is now mine but I understand your heartache. Women can do that to you, but only let it happen once. After that you must harden your heart and not let them get under your skin. Now do you pledge yourself to me?”
Erik nodded silently, but then added, “I will pledge myself to you, my lord Ulfric, but I’ll find it hard to see you with Juliana. I’ve loved her for many years.”
“Very well - you will take a horse from here and return to your family to give the news to your mother that you are still alive. Stay away for a month and then come back to this Hall and we will find work for you. Do you know the duties of a steward?” He used his knife to cut the bindings on Erik’s wrists.
“Yes, my lord.” Erik glanced back towards Juliana, smiled sadly and then left the Hall.
After he had gone she began her thanks but Ulfric turned away from her and resumed his seat at the table, so she went upstairs to the chamber they shared and dried herself properly putting on her green gown again. Her mother came to brush and tame her hair until it shone, plaiting it with green and gold ribbons to match her dress.
Ulfric was in the Hall staring into the fire having sent Thorvald to ready the horses. On seeing she was dressed and presentable he appeared to find his good humour once again.
“Come, Juliana. Sit beside me and have something to eat. Today I want you to take me around your town and introduce me to the people. It will come better from you as they treat me with suspicion or run away whenever I approach them.”
She smiled, “Can you blame them? You have taken my father’s place and his shoes will be difficult if not impossible to fill. The town has a lot less young men now since they joined my father and went with him to fight your William and that blackguard, de Gant, so we are missing a lot of skills which once benefitted the town.”
Ulfric nodded and thought about her words for a long time. In the meantime, one of the servants brought her some porridge from a large pan by the fire. It had dried a little so she put some honey and fresh milk on it and it tasted wonderful after the drama of the morning.
After breakfast Ulfric dressed in a loose tunic and leggings using cross-garters in the Norse fashion and they went to his horse, Elding, which had been brought out to await him.
“I noticed a fine mare in the stables, Juliana – is she yours?” he asked.
“Yes but I haven’t had much time to exercise her for a while. Her name is Randalin and was a present from my father. We often used to go riding together with my brother, Aldred.”
“Then I think now is the time that we give her an outing.” He ordered Randalin to be saddled for her and she found herself looking forward to showing off her town to this new lord. Randalin was slightly skittish to start with as she had not been ridden for a while, but Juliana could handle her moods and they set off with Thorvald behind them as usual.
As they rode slowly down Burgate the people looked at them warily but Juliana knew most of the people as friends, and gradually they formed a line to the side of them, some of them shouting their complaints to Ulfric who occasionally stopped and listened. Thorvald was a constant protector at Ulfric’s back and sometimes came close to warn him not to tarry when the crowds started to get rowdy. The road turned at the top of Burgate and they rode down Hungate passing small cottages with thatched roofs, their occupants coming out to see them pass. Juliana pointed to a large hall which stood behind some of the cottages at the bottom of the street.
“That is the Moot Hall where my father and the other local nobility held court. I suppose you will have to take your place there for the customary meetings.”
Ulfric nodded and turned his horse to weave his way through the cottages and dismounted in front of the Hall. This was the place of justice where the people brought their complaints to their lord. He stood back to admire the wooden painted shields which adorned the front of the building.
“My father was born here,” Juliana added. “My grandparents lived here in the old days but as the town grew, a place was needed to dispense justice so my father gave up this home and built the present Hall where we live now.”
“Who is the Reeve here?” Ulfric asked.
“Peter, known as the Reeve, followed my father to war and was lost. We have no Reeve now,” Juliana said sadly. “There are precious few young
men left to learn their father’s trades. Luckily we have James the blacksmith,” she pointed to a forge opposite the Moot Hall, “but we are missing woodworkers and potters who served my father and this town for many years.” She looked around and pointed out the cluster of workplaces used by many of the people she once knew. The tannery was still working evidenced by the smell, and skins were being stretched and dried on frames outside.
“Show me inside the Hall, Juliana,” Ulfric asked gently, seeing her frown at the thought of so many people lost.
He lifted his arms to help her dismount but she was confused as she felt a tiny spark between them. Her hand wanted to linger in his hair and she became flustered. She gathered her skirts and saw that Thorvald was holding the door open to the Hall and she led the way inside, hoping neither men would notice her flushed face. It was a typical Hall of its type with seats and a table at one end where the lords would gather to discuss plans and also to hear complaints and squabbles between neighbours. It was made from good English oak beams with wattle and daub walls. At one time there had been a fire in the centre of the room where the smoke had filtered through the thatch at the top, but Juliana’s father had installed a hearth and built a chimney which had cleared the air and reduced the risk of fire. Her father had travelled abroad when he was a young man and seen how other people designed their homes, bringing the knowledge back to Bertone with him. The Hall itself was dark having an unused air about it and Juliana felt sad, remembering the vitality of her father and how he had enjoyed helping the townspeople although he had never shied away from meting out justice if it had been deserved.
Noticing her demeanour, Ulfric offered his arm and once again she took it and they emerged into the sunshine, leaving Thorvald to close the Hall up again. The horses were dancing with suppressed energy so they rode into Southgate and gave them their heads riding in the direction of Caistor. Juliana was using her side saddle but would have preferred to ride astride as she had done many times with her father and brother, but even so, she rode like the wind behind Ulfric. Thorvald brought up the rear, his friend always in view. At length Ulfric reined in Elding and waited for Juliana to catch up. Her cheeks were flushed with the exercise and her eyes shone with the pleasure of the ride but she pulled up at his side.
“You ride very well, Juliana,” he smiled. “You must have had a good teacher.”
“My father taught me. I remember the first time he lifted me and held me in his lap and cantered around these hills.” She looked earnestly at Ulfric, “I wish you’d known him, sire.”
“Me too, Juliana. Me too.”
“My lord Ulfric!” they both turned at the shout from a young boy who was riding fast to catch up with them. Thorvald, ever ready to defend his friend, started to draw his sword but noting the youth was unarmed, he sheathed it again.
“What is it?” Juliana asked, recognising one of the stable lads.
“There’s a messenger back at the Hall, he’s from the King, sire, and he has news for you. He says he will only hand over the scroll to you personally,” the lad gasped.
Ulfric exchanged a knowing look with Thorvald and kicked his horse into a gallop while the others followed apace.
Chapter 5
It was late in the evening of the same day and only Ulfric and Thorvald were left sitting before the fire in the Great Hall.
“So, the King wishes you to meet him at Lincoln, Ulfric. You are honoured to be chosen as a member of his Council.”
“I know, but I wish I didn’t have to go now. I feel that I need to get to know the people here and listen to their concerns. Juliana has told me of the people’s love and respect for her father and if I’m away for any length of time, they might despise me even more than they already do.”
“They don’t despise you, Ulfric. They’re just wary of a new lord, especially after what happened to the last one.”
“De Gant!” he snapped, “if only I’d come sooner rather than wait for the title to be signed by William. No wonder Juliana and her mother don’t trust me.”
“I think she’s warming to you, Ulfric.”
“Who? Juliana? You wouldn’t say that if you saw how quickly she jumps beneath her furs at night.”
“I’ve seen a light in her eyes when she looks at you. Admittedly, she covers up her feelings very well, but I think she sees you as her protector.”
Ulfric shook his head, “If that’s so, it’s because of de Gant. Now, she does hate him and I understand why. That’s another reason why I need to stay here, Thorvald. There’ll be no stopping him if I’m not around.”
“I’ll stay and watch him.”
“No, I need you at my back. There’s only one thing for it, she’ll have to come with us. She’d decorate any court in the land and I’m sure William will approve.”
“But will she leave her mother?”
“She’ll have to. I can’t risk de Gant taking advantage of the situation if I don’t take her with us.”
At that moment the door slammed open and de Gant stumbled in, weaving a path to the table where the ale was kept in a large jug. He lifted a drinking horn and slopped some onto the table before knocking it to the back of his throat and laughing as it dribbled down his tunic. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand before saying,
“So, Ulfric. I hear you’ve been summoned to Lincoln by the King himself.”
“You hear correctly, Sir Richard, not that it’s any of your business.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. My father will be with William and he’s asked me to join you.”
Ulfric stifled a groan. The last thing he needed was de Gant around Juliana while they were away but he pretended otherwise.
“Good, you might be recalled to Normandy to your family’s estates there. You can’t neglect those forever can you?”
De Gant scowled and refilled the drinking horn before stomping to his bedchamber. A few minutes later he returned to fetch Alice to his bed, who by now had ceased struggling in case she was given another black eye.
Ulfric watched him with distaste. How on earth he had become a knight he had no idea. His manners were disgusting and his mistreatment of the fairer sex knew no bounds, in fact his particular code of chivalry would shame any other knight in Christendom. He would have liked to have thrown him out of the Hall but he owed de Gant’s father for paying for his own education and training for knighthood when he was a youth.
“I’m going to my chamber, Thorvald. I’m weary with de Gant’s games and I need to plan the next move.”
He entered the chamber quietly and undressed, putting his clothes carefully folded on the chest where Juliana kept her gowns. The light from the full moon enabled him to see her face which was flushed with sleep. Her complexion was clear, her long red hair fanned out on the pillow and Ulfric felt his stomach tighten with a mixture of want and need, and something else – was it affection? He swallowed and forced himself to get into the big bed alone and closed his eyes wishing that sleep would come immediately and oblivion would take away the feelings he had for this young girl. Instead, he listened to her even breathing and wondered whether Thorvald had been right in his observations about her softening towards him. She was friendly enough when they were in company but as soon as they were alone she became distant and uncommunicative. Women! he thought. You can’t trust any of them so why shouldn’t he take her to his bed like de Gant would have? Because you want her to come willingly came the reply in his head.
He tossed and turned for at least an hour before sleep mercifully overcame him but when he awoke late the following morning, Juliana had risen before him to spend time with her mother. “Damned women!” he muttered to himself. His mood had not improved overnight and he felt sluggish and bad tempered as he stomped around the chamber trying to get dressed but every item of clothing seemed to thwart him and by the time he had tamed his breeches and shirt into submission, he was ready to fight anybody who crossed him.
Downstairs in the hall Juliana was daintil
y eating her breakfast, “Good morning, Sir Ulfric, how did you sleep?” she asked pleasantly.
“Huh!” he growled, and she looked at him questioningly as he grabbed a bowl of porridge from a servant’s hand and began to eat. “Bring me some milk!” he bawled, not noticing the full jug on the table.
Juliana passed it to him but she could see he was fighting his temper and did not speak. He sloshed the milk onto the food which overfilled the bowl and splattered the table. In a great show of frustration he flung the offending jug towards the fire and it smashed on the stone fireplace. Unaccustomed to this show of temper from their new lord, the servants scurried out of sight and Juliana started to rise to her feet, her appetite quite gone.
“Where do you think you’re going?” he snarled.
“To speak to my mother, sire,” she answered plainly.
“Not till I say so, you’re not. Do I have to keep reminding you of your place in this household, Juliana? Have I not said that I am the lord now and you are here under sufferance?”
As soon as he said the words he wished he could bite them back. Those beautiful green eyes sparked with fire and she stood with her hands on her hips facing him squarely.
“If that’s how I’m supposed to live, sire, under your sufferance, then perhaps you will let me and my mother leave. We have kin in the mid-shires who would welcome us, also in York. My mother’s family abide there and they would not see us without a roof over our heads. Just say the word, Sir Ulfric, and we’ll be gone from your sight.”
Ulfric stared at the beauty he saw before him and wanted nothing more than to snatch her to him and kiss her until she was breathless. He wanted to take her to the big bed in their chamber and find out for himself if she was still as pure as she made out, or if Erik had taken her first. He shook his head in defeat, rising to his feet he went to the door, looked back and pointed a finger at her, “You go nowhere until I say so, Juliana. Do you hear me?”
Fire and Ice Page 3
