Fire and Ice

Chapter 10



Ulfric received orders to attend meetings the following day and his spirits recovered with the hope he might see Juliana and perhaps be allowed to speak with her. The previous night had been a cold and lonely one, feeling the loss of his lady deeply by her absence. By the time they set off, Thorvald was silently contemplating Ulfric’s demise due to his bad temper. His men had felt the brunt of his anger and were sent out to practice their drill, even though there was no need and they had been given leave to attend the fair that day so grumbles abounded. Ulfric dressed in his finest clothes and he and Thorvald presented themselves at court, but he was to be disappointed as the only glimpse he saw of Juliana was her back as she walked with the other ladies of the court. She was wearing a woollen gown the colour of golden amber and he could see it was her because he knew those curves so well.

The King called his knights, advisors and local dignitaries to order, “My lords and ladies, I have called you here today to unveil my plans for this town. If you have been into the centre of the upper town you will know that I have ordered the present wooden fortress to be taken down and replaced with a stone structure, built by Norman and Saxon alike. There are many skilful craftsmen who can contribute to making this town a fortified city, and my men will be garrisoned here, work has already begun and I am hoping another year will see it complete.”

The King paused to give his words time to register then continued, “I have also taken counsel and advice from the Bishop of Lincoln, who reminds me of the spiritual needs of the men and townspeople here. I intend to construct a cathedral outside of the castle which will be one of my offerings to God for delivering England to me – to us! Craftsmen will be employed from near and far, I want the best men to work on it and the people will also help to bring the stone in and shape it. Plans have been drawn up and I have given my approval. The people can pay their tithe in labour as well as coin until the construction is complete and I will need to leave the supervision of this work to all of you.”

The assembly looked around, some of them shrugging their shoulders as if to say they knew nothing about building, so what could they do.

“Sir Ulfric and Sir Thorvald,” the King went on, “You will divide your time between here and your lands further north. There is still a threat from the Norse warriors north of the Humber and the men will need good leadership. De Gant, you too will take your turn here before I decide what to do with you.”

William looked pointedly at Sir Richard de Gant and it was noted by all that he did not use his title to address him. De Gant had not missed the slight and made an exaggerated bow. “You can depend on me to get the best out of the workforce, my liege,” he smiled ingratiatingly.

Silence fell in the room but William chose to ignore the jibe this once, knowing that de Gant was spoiling for a fight and of his reputation as a cruel leader on and off the battlefield. He had noticed the knight’s attentions to the lady Juliana earlier in the day and saw how she had stiffened at his approach, and wondered what had occurred to make her so nervous around him.

The King continued to speak about his plans for the shire in broader terms but Ulfric had stopped listening, wondering how he could keep Juliana safe from de Gant. His mind worked overtime but was brought back to the present by a nudge from Thorvald. Ulfric started and looked around noting that the King was looking at him expectantly.

“Forgive me your majesty. I was thinking about er... Bertone,” he said hastily.

The King smiled benignly knowing that Ulfric was probably wondering about Juliana, “Relax, sir knight, your lady will be presented to you at dinner tonight.”

The assembly began to laugh and Ulfric’s colour rose but he smiled with them and eventually laughed out loud, “You know me too well, your majesty,” he said in response.

William smiled at his favourite and nodded, “I was saying that I would like you to reconstruct the tower of St Peter’s church in Bertone. The current spire is of a wooden construction I believe and the Bishop tells me it is constantly in need of upkeep. I want you to oversee the construction of a stone tower which will weather the storms better than wood. Monies will be given to the Bishop to finance the changes. Now, do you have any questions?”

“No, Sire. The priest, Father Matthew, will be grateful for a new roof I’m sure. He complains frequently about the water dripping through the spire.”

“He has every right to complain, Ulfric. It is your duty to see to the spiritual and physical comforts of your priest.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

Ulfric was suitably chastened but the meeting dragged on and it was early evening before they were released to find their ease in the grounds of the fine house and it was in the gardens where he finally met with Juliana. He saw her from a distance laughing and playing with a small white dog whose fur was thick and looked soft to the touch.

“Juliana!” he called, seeing her turn in answer to her name. His heart began to pound in his chest and he hastened to her side.

“Ulfric,” Juliana smiled at him. “Look at this pup, isn’t he beautiful. The King said I can keep him as a gift. I’ll call him Kyle – what do you think?”

“He’s certainly a good dog and I cannot gainsay what the King has already given. If he pleases you, you may keep him.”

Juliana squealed her delight and Ulfric was mesmerised by her girlish behaviour. He had never seen her so relaxed. She reached up to kiss his cheek which surprised and delighted him. “Thank you, Ulfric. William said he was from somewhere high up in the mountains but I’ve forgotten the name of the place.”

Other ladies approached Juliana and drew her away but she looked back at Ulfric saying, “I have to go and ready myself for tonight’s feasting. I’ll see you there.”

He raised a hand to wave but she had already turned back and was hurrying with the others into the house, the dog jumping and bouncing alongside her. He lowered his arm and sighed wistfully, wondering what it was about this young woman that had captured his heart. She was certainly beautiful but he had known other women with a similar outward beauty, but none could measure up to Juliana.

“Well, Ulfric. I see your lady has deserted you once again.” The mocking voice of Richard de Gant reached his ears and he turned to face the loathsome knight.

“Not that it’s any of your business, de Gant, but she will be joining me at the feasting table tonight and has gone to ready herself.” Ulfric was angry with himself for even explaining why Juliana was not with him.

In a low and threatening voice de Gant murmured, “Take heed, Ulfric. She will yet be mine and when she is, I will marry her and she will have my legitimate children, but you won’t see her or hear from her because you will be dead and Bertone will be mine by default!”

De Gant walked past him brushing his shoulder against the other man’s, causing him to stumble. Ulfric was momentarily stunned by the menace in de Gant’s threat but his mind could not think further than Juliana being forced into a marriage with this evil man and so made no reply.

Thorvald appeared around the corner of the house and found Ulfric sitting on a stone bench under the shade of a large leafed creeper which climbed up the house. “Come, Ulfric. The King wants to speak with you privately.”



***



Ulfric found William in a private courtyard which had an ornamental stream running at the bottom. They walked for a while discussing their lives since they had last seen each other but gradually William brought the conversation round to Juliana.

“Your lady is of tender years, Ulfric. I hope you are treating her well?”

“Yes, your majesty. I have never beaten a woman yet and I don’t intend to start now.”

“I’m glad to hear it, but I sense a problem with de Gant and wondered if you would care to enlighten me.”

“I can handle de Gant, sire.”

“I’ve no doubt, Ulfric, but what are your intentions towards Juliana? I feel that if you do not put this precious gem in the finest setting, then you must release her to find happiness elsewhere.”

Ulfric stopped and stared at his King. “Has she been complaining, my lord?”

“By no means, she has been a delight and not one word of complaint has passed her lips, but I see she has been brought up as a lady and I know your aversion to marriage. Now, I would not interfere in your private life, my friend, but I know what an asset a woman can be, especially an educated one like Juliana.”

“You refer to your own Matilda, I know, but she is exceptional is she not?”

“To me there is no woman in any land who comes close to her, she is my wife and that is my point. Ulfric, this is hard to say even to a friend, but I would not see you lose your lady for the sake of your stubbornness. You have served me well, Ulfric. Many times I have relied upon you and Thorvald to lead the men into battle but it’s time you settled down with the right woman and brought fine sons and daughters into the world. They will either be as brave as their father or as beautiful as their mother.”

“Sire, I will think on what you have said but I beg leave to take Juliana back to Bertone tomorrow. I do not trust de Gant even though I respect his father.”

“You have my permission to withdraw from court tonight, Ulfric. I will give orders for Juliana’s things to be brought to your lodgings after the feasting. Now, let’s speak of other things – tell me about your Bertone. I might even call to see you when I move north to meet with the Danes, although they are very quiet at the moment you never know when they will bring their ships and do battle again.”