They arrived back just before dark and Alfward disappeared off to the kitchens as Bertwold and his men took charge of the horses while Alan and the others dismounted stiffly and stretched their legs before proceeding to remove their armour and then to quickly wash the day’s sweat away at a horse-trough.
Word seemed to have spread since last night, and Alfward reappeared with his wench, named Eanfled, and three other female kitchen scullery staff all bearing trays of food, two buttery staff, one male and one female, with mead and ale and another half a dozen hangers-on. That night there were probably thirty people in the hayloft, eating, drinking, talking or singing quietly and enjoying companionship. This time in the dark Alan had two young sweet-smelling women cuddling up to him, one on either side. In the dark Alan was a little confused about which woman to approach, but with their caresses and nimble hands they soon sorted that out themselves, and each took their turn several times.
A few days later they were at Coventry when Alan’s men were caught by a particularly severe and cold storm while at the east end of their patrol beat, near the village of Walsgrave-on-Stowe. Certain that the flank was secure and that no enemy army was bearing down on them, they took refuge in the Hall of the young local thegn named Manwine. Over a convivial mid-day meal Manwine mentioned that the village was having problems with a troublesome pack of wolves located nearby in the forest, with sheep and swine disappearing on a regular basis. The hunters were reasonably sure that they had located the lair but their traps and stake-outs had provided no success.
Alan promised that they would look into it when, God willing, they returned the following day, and asked for two freshly-killed deer to be available when he returned. The storm lessened somewhat during the afternoon and as they rode back to Coventry along the path through the forest Alan kept disappearing into the forest, until he returned at last with a large clump of roots that he handled with hands wrapped in cloth.
Arriving back at Coventry Alan visited the local apothecary and found his efforts had been unneeded. Instead of preparing his own distillation of monkshood, he bought, in return for two shillings and the exchange of the roots he had collected, a quarter-pound of aconite powder. The apothecary asked no question as to why his customer wanted enough poison to kill everybody in the castle.
Back next morning at Walsgrave, still in the rain, Alan cut the deer into fist-sized pieces, cutting pockets in each into which, while wearing old leather gloves, he carefully poured the powder. The baits were scattered near the suspected location of the lair. He then burned the gloves.
Returning the following day they found one dead badger, three foxes and nine adult wolves. An investigation of the lair found five cubs, which were quickly dispatched by the hunter. During the celebratory mid-day meal Alan asked, as they would be moving on the next day, that the wolves be skinned and, with fur intact, tanned and sent to him at Colchester by way of payment.
FitzOsberns’s travelling troupe moved on from place to place, impressing the locals and taking submissions on behalf of the king. Alan and his men spend most of Easter Day shivering in the rain as they rode their prescribed beat, fortunate to find a village where Easter Mass was being said and where, despite their soaked appearance, armour and weapons, they were made welcome. Alan was glad that Taillebois had said that their service would be shortened to twenty days as, despite his youth, he doubted his stamina to ride hard all day and all night, despite his recent experience with Edyth. And despite the best care he could give it, his armour was becoming rusty in the constant rain.
On the evening of the 20th April at Leicester fitzOsbern’s clerk signed their release and they began the two day ride home to Thorrington, while the rest of fitzOsbern’s men turned west to act as the basis for the army for the spring campaign against the Welsh.
Arriving back at Colchester Alan found the tanned wolf-skins waiting and after collecting them, and after a courtesy visit to see Lady Anne at Wivenhoe as they passed, which included an invitation for the mid-day meal, they arrived back at Thorrington.
The ploughing of the demesne and the planting of Alan’s crops of wheat, barley, oats and rye and the ploughing and sowing of the fallow demesne land with beans, peas and alfalfa had been completed the week before as the traditional time for sowing seed had arrived. The village fields had been ploughed the previous month and despite the day being Sunday the villagers were out in the fields scattering seeds and harrowing.
Baldwin reported little activity for the last three weeks other than ongoing training with the troops, both full-time and fyrd, at Thorrington, Ramsey and Great Oakley. Another ten additional mounted men-at-arms, mainly the sons of local cheorls, had joined the program full-time. Also eight sons of thegns had joined, all bringing their own horses and most their own armour and weapons. Those who did not have their own armour had been issued with byrnies- a sleeveless coat of mail which, compared to a hauberk, provided less protection by being shorter and leaving the arms and neck exposed. These, together with helmets and swords, had been procured by Alan at Hastings. Other helmets and swords had been issued to the more steady and promising fyrd members, ten each at Thorrington and Ramsay, these being the men who would soon by the sergeants of the force.
Not all the cavalry recruits were from Alan’s manors. It was of interest that Edward and Edwold of Alresford, Godwin of Weeley and Leofstan of Great Holland and Little Holland had sent their sons, along with Alan’s laenmen Toli and Swein. All of these were training with Hugh at Ramsey.
Also of interest was Kendrick’s reaction to Alan’s unexpectedly early return. Kendrick was out in the field tending to the sowing of his own strips of land. He came hurrying back, wiping the dirt from his hands and stamping the mud from his boots, didn’t seem to know what to do after he had greeted his master and stood around seemingly aimlessly, but watching closely, until Alan sent him back to the fields.
“What was that all about?” asked Alan.
“I would guess that he thought he had another two weeks to finish hiding the evidence of his theft,” replied Osmund dryly in Latin. “I’ve finished doing my figures for the last Quarter Day, Lady Day. He seems to have stolen two wagon loads of un-milled grain; ground flour- wheat and rye; four barrels of salt; firewood from the estovers- not a few sticks but whole wagonloads; about a dozen swine from the pannage; a dozen bales of wool and the list goes on and on. I estimate about 120 shillings.
“He cheated me as well, as he only paid me 23 shillings for my bribe, not the promised one third. Most of the goods have already been sent to Colchester and sold, but I think that the herd of swine are being hidden in a forest near Elmstead. I’ve confirmed the quantities of items delivered with the freemen concerned, and the quantities delivered into your store. I had your housekeeper Lynne count them with me as they were delivered. A good, honest woman that one, and very kindly with the youngsters. I’d suggest this evening would be a good time to visit Kendrick and search his house. I’ll arrange for Toland and his assistant Erian to be there, as well as Lynne and Baldwin.”
They met at the Hall kitchen at six in the evening, an hour or so before sunset and while most of the villagers were still busy in the fields. Erian had escorted Kendrick from the fields and together the seven proceeded to Kendrick’s cottage in the village. Barging in through the door the crowd they overwhelmed the small place, and Alan apologised to Kendrick’s woman Sunniva for disturbing her and the two children. She had been giving suck to a baby and it wailed in protest as she covered herself. Lynne suggested that Sunniva and the children might like to wait outside.