The Remembered

Chapter Ten

November 1437

Boston, England



Richard surveyed the window that he had been working on for the last several days. The window was completed and it was magnificent. It was large enough that it required metal bars to be attached for reinforcement. He had just finished adding the bars and the window would be lifted into place the next day. This window told the story of Moses leading the children of Israel out of Egypt. Richard wasn't even sure where Egypt was, but he loved the story of God's power.

The work had gone well for Richard at St. Botolph's in Boston. He got along well with the Master and the other glaziers. He had found a small lodging that would work well for he and Elizabeth for now. The rooms were in towne, near to the church and the Glazier shoppe. They were on the second floor of a two story building that was also connected to other buildings. Richard had never lived in towne and was finding that living in such close proximity to others didn't suit him well. It would have to do for now though.

Richard did however enjoy living near to the River Witham. It was a tidal river that ran next to St. Botolph's and emptied into the North Sea. The river was the means of much trade moving through Boston. Richard enjoyed the solitude that walking near the river brought him. Before his day started at the Glazier shoppe, he had often followed the tidal river to the docks to watch the birds and the trade moving in and out of Boston. He noted that there was significant quantities of wool being shipped from Boston. Seeing the wool being shipped caused him to wonder how his friend John was doing. He hadn't seen or thought of John for a very long time it seemed.

The tidal river also had other benefits. One of the other glaziers had shown him that at low tide fish could be easily caught in the river. The meat of the fish was a welcomed addition to his otherwise bland diet.

He had been in Boston for more that a fortnight and now that the window was done, the Master was allowing him to return to Burghley for Elizabeth. How he had missed Elizabeth. He had never been away before and now he was so anxious to return. He found that if he thought about Elizabeth and home too frequently, his mood turned melancholy. But, regardless, it seemed that he thought of her continually. He thought of her laugh and the sparkle of her eyes when she smiled. He loved the way that she danced with so much gaiety. He imagined her braided hair wrapped around her head like a crown, each braid adorned with flowers, like jewels. In his mind he could see her dress flare out as she twilled to an imaginary song. He longed to hold her and look into her beautiful eyes.

With work done for the day, he was free to leave for Stamford, Burghley and Easton-on-the-hill. He collected his wages and left straightway. He didn't like traveling after dark, but he hoped to be in Burghley before dark the next day. If he made good time tonight, he could get a room in Spalding before midnight. He was carrying most everything that he owned. He had come to Boston with almost nothing, but now he had a new cloak with a hood, a nicer blanket and money in his pouch. He would keep the pouch beneath his long shirt so as to not call attention.

It appeared that this trip would afford him good weather, except for the expected November chill. The flat fens offered no protection from the wind as it blew off the North Sea. He pulled the cloak tightly around himself and held the hood close to his chin. He also wrapped the wool blanket around his shoulders. He was happy that there was no rain or snow.

A few miles outside of Boston, the dark night yielded slightly as the moon began to rise. 'The moon will be welcomed company,' he thought as he noticed it rising over his left shoulder.

Because the roads were fairly dry and with the advantage of the moonlight, Richard traveled faster than he had expected and he was sure that he was in Spalding before midnight. The innkeeper still had the lamp lit at the 'Boar's Head' and Richard went inside and secured some potatoes, bread and milk and a room. The room had a large bed with a fine straw mattress and he wasn't sure that he had ever slept in so fine a room. He marveled at the ease of travel when a traveler had money in his pouch. Before retiring to the bed, Richard prayed for Elizabeth as was his custom.

Richard got an early start the next morning. Finally, today was the day that he would be reunited with his dear wife. He crossed the River Welland a few miles outside Spalding and imagined it flowing through Stamford and near to Burghley. He imagined that the same water flowing beneath the bridge that he was walking across was the same water that had flowed beneath the Stamford Bridge the day previous and that Elizabeth was on the bridge when it passed beneath. He spotted a flower floating in the water. In his mind's eye he saw Elizabeth toss the flower into the water with a smile on her face while thinking of him. The thought drew his heart more to Elizabeth.

It was still daylight when Richard walked into Stamford. He realized that nothing seemed to have changed, and why should it, Stamford had always been as he knew it. But, he realized that he had changed. He had faced obstacles, loneliness, hunger, and the elements and had survived. He had found a job on his own in a strange place and had traveled and worked with strangers. He was returning to his home with more courage and strength than he had possessed when he left. 'Elizabeth will be pleased,' he thought and he picked up his pace.

With great anticipation, he approached the cottage in Burghley. The cottage appeared strangely quiet he thought. No animals around it and no one in the garden. He didn't bother knocking on the door, but went right inside. He was shocked to find the house completely empty. There was not even a pot by the fireplace.

Richard's mind seemed to swirl as he looked around the room in disbelief. He walked back outside and stood at the doorway and surveyed the surroundings as though to convince himself that he was at the right cottage.

Burghley is a small hamlet with only a few houses. 'One of the neighbors will know where they 'ave gone,' he thought. His heart was racing as he dropped his bundle and ran to the nearest cottage. He found a man working on a fence and blurted out, 'Where 'ave they gone? The cot'age is empty.'

Richard must have surprised the neighbor because he jumped to his feet and spun around to face Richard while holding the hammer in front of himself like a weapon.

'Who is gone, who are you?' demanded the neighbor.

'Do forgive me,' he blurted out as he gasped for breath, backing off a bit so as to not appear threatening, 'I am Richard Easton, me wife Elizabeth lived with 'er family in the cot'age at the bot'om of the 'ill.'

With that information, the neighbor was set at ease and lower the hammer. 'They 'ave gone. Kicked off the land when they culd nay pay rent.'

'Gone? Where 'ave they gone?' pled Richard.

'I do nay know where they 'ave gone,' replied the neighbor. 'They left suddenly and it is a real shame, 'er father being sick and all. Boot, if you do nay pay the rent, whot can the landowner do?'

The shock and the run had made Richard warm and despite the November cold, he removed his cloak and held it in his hand. 'Does anyone know where they 'ave gone?'

'Nay, I 'ear that they went to live with family though. Sone, you luk tired and 'ungry. Comb inseed and 'ave sume supper,' offered the neighbor.

'Nay, boot you are kind,' replied Richard. 'I must find where they 'ave gone.' And with that, Richard left the yard briskly. He only stopped at the cottage long enough to pick up his bundle and then he headed for Easton-on-the-hill.

Richard rushed along the Kettering Road as quickly as he could to reach Easton-on-the-hill. He hadn't been on the road long when he heard the pounding of horses hooves behind him. He turned and in the gathering darkness could see 10, maybe more, horses pushing toward him. He quickly stepped off the roadway and into the bushes to let them pass and also to not be seen if he could help it. As the men on horseback thundered past with mud flying from their horses hoofs, Richard could see their swords and he knew that they were knights and wondered why there were so many together and where they might be going.

'To travel on a fine 'orse wuld be grand indeed,' Richard spoke out loud, but to himself.

'Aye, indeed it wuld,' someone nearby said.

Richard spun to face the speaker and instinctively put his hand on his pouch.

'Who goes there?' demanded Richard.

'It is only a lonely traveler,' spoke the person half concealed by the gathering darkness. 'Shall we walk together?'

'Nay,' replied Richard, 'I 'ave no use for a companion.' He knew all too well that robbers worked in pairs or in groups. And with that, he bounded back onto the road and ran toward Easton-on-the-hill.

Richard soon reached his father's cottage and burst through the door without announcing himself. Doing so surprised his mother, father, Margaret, Geva and Ralf who were just beginning their evening meal together. Bromley was lying on the floor asleep.

Lind and Ralf jumped to their feet with such surprise that they upset the table and milk spilled from glasses. Lind was already reaching for something to use as a weapon when Gleda and Geva almost simultaneously shouted out Richard's name. The shock was too much for Gleda and she momentarily lost all strength.

'Richard? Is that really you, me boy,' shouted Lind as he grabbed Richard by the shoulders with both arms.

Geva and Margaret were overjoyed and both ran to Richard and grabbed him about the waist with such momentum that it knocked Richard against the wall and almost off his feet.

'Richard, Richard,' were the only words that they seemed capable of uttering.

Richard had certainly never experienced such a greeting and hadn't expected it now after being gone only a little over a fortnight.

Gleda had regained her strength. She pushed aside the other women and hugged Richard tightly and rested her head on his chest. 'Richard, you are alive,' she said, 'you are nay deed!'

'Deed?' replied Richard. 'Of course, I am nay deed. Why wuld I be deed?'

'Bromley told us that you were deed,' said Lind. Lind explained that they had sent Bromley to find Richard and that he had thought that Richard had died in Bourne.

'I was only in Bourne for one night, then I went to Boston as there was no glazier work being dune in Bourne. Why was Bromley luking for me then?

'I sent Bromley to luk for you to tell you where to find Elizabeth,' said Margaret.

Richard grabbed Margaret's hands and looked intently into her eyes. 'Where is Elizabeth? The cot'age was empty.'

''er father was kicked off the land and they went to Trowell to live with relatives until 'er father is well. I promised Elizabeth that I wuld send Bromley to tell you where to find them,' Margaret said. She then looked down at the floor and took her hands out of Richard's hands and started to cry. 'Boot, Bromley thought that you were deed, Richard.' She hesitated, hoping that Richard would figure out what she was about to say so that she would not have to say it. Richard gently lifted her chin so that he could look into her eyes. Tears were now coursing down her cheeks and her lips were quivering.

'Why the sadness, Margaret? I am grateful to you for sending Bromley,' Richard said in a gently and soothing tone.

Margaret now stated what should have been obvious. 'Richard,' she started with halting speech, 'Bromley told 'er that you were deed!' She couldn't look at Richard any longer and sat down and buried her head in her hands and dress.

Gleda and Geva were now crying also. Richard was shaken to think that his wife thought him dead. He knelt by Margaret and held her close. 'Whot will you do now?' Margaret asked him.

'I will go to Trowell and find me Elizabeth. I will leave tonight.'

'Nay sone,' urged Lind. 'You must nay leave tonight. You are tired and weak and it is dangerous to travel at night. Stay with us.'

'Please me sone,' pled Gleda, 'do stay with us tonight.' Geva and Margaret agreed.

The urgency of finding Elizabeth weighed heavily on Richard, but he also thought of the person that he had met in the wood that night and decided that it was prudent to wait until morning. 'Aye, I will stay tonight.'

Until then Richard had not noticed Bromley laying in the corner. Now that he noticed him, he stepped near him and knelt beside him.

'Whot is wrong with Bromley,' he asked.

They related to Richard how Bromley had been gored by a bull and how he had seemed to be getting better, but that now his leg was swollen and the flesh was raw and smelled badly. He was getting progressively worse. He was in pain most of the time and only received relief when he managed to fall asleep from exhaustion. He also had a fever that would not disperse. They were planning to have the leg amputated, but Bromley refused. He felt that he wouldn't be any good to anyone if he were missing a leg. He would sooner die.

Richard was saddened to hear of Bromley misfortune and now his decision to never run with the bulls was solidified.

Richard kneeled close to Bromley and whispered quietly in his ear. 'I am grateful to you, dear brother, for finding me Elizabeth. I forgive you for telling 'er that I was deed. I will find 'er meself. You 'ave been a gud brother to me. I am soory...' Richard placed a hand on Bromley's head for a moment and then stood. He felt that this was in some way his fault. If he had not gone to Bourne and to Boston when he did, Bromley would yet be well. A guilt swept over him.

His father sensed what he might be thinking and feeling. He stood by Richard and placed a hand on his shoulder and said to him, 'Richard, you must nay blame yourself. It is nay your fault that Bromley ran with the bulls. He wuld 'ave dune it anyway.'

Richard knew that was true, but he felt badly regardless.

Richard turned away from Bromley and toward the others. He realized that they were discussing the many knights that had been on the roadway for the last couple of days. Each had been heading south.

'I saw per'aps 10 knights on the road tonight on me way from Burghley,' said Richard. 'Whot does it mean?'

Ralf was first to speak. ''ave you nay 'eard that Henry VI will ascend to the throne? The knights are going to the coronation.'

Richard hadn't heard. 'I do nay care much who the king is. I only 'ope that the ascendancy can be dune without bloodshed,' he replied.

'Aye,' Ralf agreed.

Lind had been listening and now offered his thoughts. Speaking with a low, but intense tone, he said, 'When the royals fight, they often cause commoners to bleed. I do nay care for the lot of them.'

'Aye,' agreed Ralf.

Richard suddenly realized that he was tired. It had been a long day of travel and the news that he had learned had taken an emotional toll.

'Where may I sleep?' he asked.

'Margaret and Geva are in the loft,' stated his mother. 'You may sleep on floor near to the fire.'

Richard looked at his mother closely for the first time since he had walked into the door. When had she gotten so old? Surely, she was not yet 50 years old, but the hard life that she had led was written clearly in the lines on her face. Her hair was mostly white and she wore it in a long braid down her back, a back that appeared to be bending slightly. Her hands clearly showed their veins. Richard wondered whether she had looked this way before he left. 'Per'aps she did,' he thought, 'and I culd nay see beyond Elizabeth to not'ice.' He wondered whether the strains of life that she was experiencing with Bromley might be contributing to her aging. Moments before, she thought that she had lost one son already and was loosing another. Now, she was grateful to have Richard back, but felt that she was loosing Bromley. She was a mix of emotions.

No one in the house got much sleep that night as Bromley awoke in pain off and on through the night. His low moaning and whimpers seemed to fill the cottage. Each time he stirred, one of the women would be at his side with a damp cloth and an offer of water. He had stopped eating a few days earlier and water was all he would take.

The next morning as Richard prepared to leave the cottage, Lind asked him to go and get the priest to pray for Bromley. Lind didn't want to leave Bromley's side now and it seemed that Bromley would not last to see night fall.

Richard was torn between his duty here with his family and his duty to find Elizabeth. He reasoned that a few more hours would make little difference and he went to fetch the priest.

When he returned with the priest, the entire family seemed to be consumed with sadness. It was as though they too were experiencing Bromley's pain. Richard stepped aside and let the priest enter. Richard looked about at the fields and meadows below the hill and at the church across the lane. He had always taken this beautiful scene for granted, and now he realized that Bromley may never see this scene again. Richard felt uncomfortable about going inside the cottage. He wondered what he might say or do to ease the pain of his mother and sister. 'And whot aboot Margaret?' he thought. 'Whot will she do if Bromley dees or loses leg? She is so yung.' His heart went out to Margaret probably more than the others since the feelings that she must have now would be similar to what Elizabeth must be feeling right then for himself. The thought filled his heart with pain and he turned to leave that instant to be at Elizabeth's side.

Richard didn't take more than a few steps when he heard the door of the cottage open. Turning about, he saw Margaret wiping tears from her face. 'She is so sad,' he thought. ''ow can I leave 'er right now?' Memories of their childhood seemed to flash through his mind. They had been dear friends as children and never once had he considered that she would feel such pain and sadness. He couldn't leave now and he walked to her and gently held her hand and invited her to sit.

'Margaret,' he started with some hesitation, 'do nay lose faith in God. 'e will care for you. Bromley is a gud man, 'e will take care of 'im also.' He realized that the words may not be as comforting as he intended them, but he didn't know what else to say.

Before Richard could offer other words of encouragement and solace, they heard the door of the cottage open again. This time it was the priest. He looked in Margaret's direction and said, 'God rest 'is soul.' Margaret and Richard ran into the house and found Gleda, Geva and Lind holding each other near the fireplace. Margaret went straight to Bromley and knelt by his side, cradled his head and cried. Her loud sobs pained Richard and he could almost not bear it. He thought of Elizabeth and wondered whether she had cried as Margaret did now. He didn't know what to do so he just sat down and didn't say anything. The priest had followed them back into the cottage. He pulled Richard aside and said, 'We will need to bury him tomorrow, will you be digging the grave?'

Richard's first thought was, 'No, I will be leaving for Trowell straight away.' But he realized that his obligation here had intensified.

'Your father is nay able to dig the grave in his sadness,' the priest stated as though he knew Richard's thoughts.

'Aye, I will go and begin the grave now,' said Richard and he left the cottage.

They buried Bromley the next day near to the graves of his grandparents, Ian and Winifred. Richard collected his cloak, blanket, his pouch with his remaining funds and kissed his mother goodbye. He hugged Margaret and Geva and told them that he hoped to see them within a year. He intended to find Elizabeth and return to Boston. When the work there was done, he would return to Easton-on-the-hill to visit.

Lind was waiting for Richard outside. He had been using a yard tool and now leaned on the handle as Richard approached.

Looking at the ground, Lind said, 'Comb back 'ere, Richard, when you find Elizabeth.'

This is exactly what Richard did not want to hear, but expected to hear. He realized that to work the farm at his father's age was going to be difficult. But, Richard was not a farmer.

'I am nay a farmer,' he protested.

'Whot will I do with this farm without Bromley? 'ow will I pay the rent?' questioned Lind with a hint of desperation in his voice.

'Speak with Ralf. He wuld marry Geva if you wuld give 'er to 'im and if 'e 'ad prospects of providing for 'er.'

Still looking at the ground and shifting his weight from the handle of the tool, Lind offered a mild protest, 'I always wanted a sone to work the land with me.'

Richard suspected that Lind was only being polite and replied, 'Ralf can be your sone.' He really wanted to add, 'just as much as I am,' but stopped himself. There was no point in airing his own disappointments at a time like this.

Lind looked directly at Richard and asked, 'Will I be able to luv 'im as I luv you?'

Richard had never heard such words from his father and it caught him by surprise. Richard felt a lump in his throat and moisture in his eyes.

Lind agreed to speak with Ralf and they shook hands. Richard promised to return before spring to see whether Ralf had agreed to farm the land. If not, Richard promised to become a farmer himself.

'God speed, me sone,' said Lind and with that, Richard turned and left his father standing outside the cottage.

He turned and looked back just before he rounded the corner on Church Street. Margaret had come out of the cottage and was speaking with his father. Richard thought how sad it was that she was a widow at such a young age. She looked up just then and waved. 'She is kind and beaut'iful,' he thought. 'Surely she will marry soon.'