Fire and Ice

Chapter 11



Juliana was very quiet on the way home to Bertone the following day, even though Ulfric tried to make conversation and Thorvald played the fool for her, she just smiled and looked around at the countryside. Much of the land had been cleared for farming but there were still areas of forest and copse littering the landscape. Ulfric gave up on his attempts to amuse her with conversation and it was a very quiet party which entered the stable yard back at the Hall in Bertone. A strange wagon was drawn up to the stables and Ulfric wondered who might be calling on them but his curiosity was put to rest when a woman ran out of the Hall chasing the young boy, Sam. She caught him and was about to deliver a blow to his head when Thorvald shouted, “Leave him alone, Giselle! He is but a child; go and pick on someone your own size.”

The woman stopped and let the boy go who scrambled out of reach and ran away. “Well, if it isn’t the lord of the manor and his pet Norseman. It’s about time you turned up, this place is a disgrace and the servants are as worthless as you.”

“In that case, you won’t be staying long I presume,” Ulfric commented drily as he slid from his saddle and handed Elding over to the stable lad. He reached up to help Juliana down from Randolin and saw her look questioningly at the other woman. “This is Sir Richard’s sister, Giselle,” he mumbled, noting the look of horror on Juliana’s face at this latest revelation.

“So this is your Saxon whore is it? Her mother was going to refuse our entry until I put her in her place.”

Juliana’s face paled at the woman’s words, “What did you do?” Juliana jumped out of Ulfric’s arms and fled into the Hall to find her mother.

“Giselle!” Ulfric growled, “You’ll watch your tongue while you’re here and show Juliana some respect. She is the lady of this Hall and you have no right to abuse her or her mother.”

“No right! What do you mean, Ulfric? We are the conquerors! Have you gone soft since I last saw you? Since when have you cared about women’s feelings let alone respected them?”

“Since your brother killed her father by disobeying my orders. I’ve given safe refuge to the lady Juliana and her mother.”

“I bet you have!” she scowled and turned on her heels to return to the Hall, her features pinched with anger.

“Trouble seems to follow me wherever I go. Now we have two de Gants sharing our home,” Ulfric sighed as he looked at Thorvald.

Even Thorvald could not see the funny side of this particular problem and they both dragged their heels approaching the Hall.

There was no sign of Juliana or her mother when they entered and Ulfric noted an air of discontent among the servants, although no one dared to speak of it. Erik sat before the fire scowling into the flames and jumped when Ulfric spoke to him.

“Sire, forgive me. We have been waiting for your return and now you find us unprepared.” He jumped up from his chair and bowed to Ulfric. “As your Reeve I would like to speak to you privately, my lord, as soon as possible.”

Ulfric did not miss the sideways glance he gave to Giselle and wondered what other mischief this unwelcome guest has caused in his absence. Just then the ball of fluff named Kyle, bounced into the room and sniffed around until he found Juliana’s scent and bounded up the stairs.

“What was that?” Erik asked.

“That is Kyle and is a gift to Juliana from the King himself,” Ulfric laughed. “I fear he’ll be more trouble than he’s worth but Juliana has taken a liking to him, so what could I say?”

Erik smiled, “It’s good to have you home again, sire,” he said with feeling.

Ulfric slapped him on the back and laughed again, “It’s good to be home, Erik. I will speak with you as soon as I’ve seen the lady Hilde. Tell me,” he whispered, “has she suffered badly at the hands of Giselle?”

Erik again glanced at Giselle who was standing with her arms crossed listening to their words. “You must decide for yourself, my lord, once you’ve seen her,” he mumbled in return.

Ulfric turned on his heels and pushed past Giselle without looking at her and climbed the stairs, knowing what she was capable of and fearing for Hilde. He heard Juliana crying through the door of her mother’s chamber and Kyle was lying outside seemingly aware of his mistress’s pain as he whimpered to be let in. Ulfric stood for a while bracing himself to enter. Eventually, he composed himself and eased the door open, pushing the dog back into the corridor, but what met his eyes was worse than he had expected. Hilde was lying propped up on pillows. She carried bruises along both sides of her neck and face and her eyes were tightly closed by swelling and discolouration. One side of her face had dropped and Juliana sat with a cloth and mopped her mouth as she dribbled.

“How?” he whispered as he approached the bed.

“How do you think, Ulfric?” Juliana was in no mood for small talk. “Are we always to be blighted by these de Gants? Look what she has done to my poor mother – I can’t bear it,” she leapt from the bedside and flung herself into Ulfric’s arms. He enfolded her gently and stroked her hair whilst she gave vent to her tears. Ulfric held her tighter and wondered what on earth he was going to do about their unwanted visitors. He and Thorvald had been taken in by their father at such a tender age and the older man had given guidance and even love to the young boys so Ulfric felt duty-bound to honour that debt. He looked over Juliana’s head to the woman who had suffered so much from the Norman hand and decided that enough was enough.

Juliana sniffed away her tears, completely spent now and moved away from Ulfric to sit once more by her mother’s bedside. “I wish Alice was still here, she would have cared for my mother as well as anyone.” She thought for a while then added, “Ulfric, can I bring Sara here to look after her with her potions?”

“Of course, my love, she can sleep on a pallet next to the bed. Anything she can do for your mother to aid her recovery will be rewarded. Come now, there is someone outside who wants to say hello to you, listen!”

The sound of whining from behind the door brought a smile to Juliana’s face and Ulfric went to the door to let Kyle in. The dog seemed to sense the atmosphere in the room and approached the bed cautiously. Juliana picked him up and his wriggling body seemed overjoyed to be reunited with her, his long tongue lashing out at every opportunity to lick her face.

“I’ll leave you with Kyle, Juliana. I have something to do downstairs.” He kissed her forehead, receiving a lick from Kyle which he wiped away with the back of his hand. “I can see I have competition for your affections,” he smiled as he left the room.

Downstairs once again Ulfric barked an order for Erik to fetch Sara from her cottage and for the servants to make up a straw pallet in Hilde’s room. The knight gave no quarter and dragged Giselle from her stitching and pulled her from the Hall and into the woods until she called for him to stop. Once alone he turned on her, “What by all that is holy, have you done to Hilde?” he snarled; his face so close that he could feel her breath.

“Nothing that she didn’t deserve,” she replied curtly.

“She looks as if you tried to hang her once you had beaten her senseless.”

Giselle gave a small grin, “It’s true, Ulfric, she disobeyed me so I tied her with the hounds with a rope around her neck, but I didn’t beat her – she fell down the stairs.”

“A likely story! She bears the signs of punches to her face and her eyes didn’t swell and close of their own accord.”

“She is a disobedient servant, Ulfric. Let it be a lesson to all the other servants that we are a strong and mighty nation and will brook no disloyalty.”

“Hilde is the mother of my... of Juliana who is now the lady of the Hall. You have no power over them, Giselle, and when your brother arrives back from Lincoln he can take responsibility for you. I will not tolerate your abuse of my people – is that understood?”

“Richard won’t agree with you. He’ll think as I do.”

“I don’t care what Richard thinks. You and he are alike in so many ways but neither of you take after your father.”

“Our father is weak like you. He always showed you favour over us, Ulfric.”

“That’s untrue, but even if it were it still doesn’t give you the right to beat my people. Now, I want your word that you will observe the courtesies I show to the people around me, ladies and servants alike or I will throw you out of the Hall together with your brother.”

Giselle considered his threat and tossed her head in defiance, but knew she was beaten. If Ulfric told her father of her misdeeds then he would send her back to Normandy but she was tired of that place and wanted some adventure. Under his stare of disapproval she lowered her eyes and nodded her head. “So be it, Ulfric, but don’t think this is the end of the matter.”

“For your sake I pray that it is!” he said and walked past her back to the Hall cursing the day he ever met the de Gants.