The Remembered

Chapter Eleven

November and December 1437



Richard was shocked and bewildered when he arrived at Trowell and found no evidence of Elizabeth or her family. Desperation started to set in as he realized the enormity of the task now before him. Trowell was a very small village and he determined to ask every person in towne whether they had seen Elizabeth and her family. If necessary, he would then fan out to the other nearby villages. He first went to the inn to speak with the innkeeper. 'If anyone knows whot 'appens in the village, it will be the innkeeper,' reasoned Richard to himself.

Finding the innkeeper outside, Richard greeted him, 'Oy, I am Richard of Easton-on-the-'ill, near Stamford. I am looking for a family that may 'ave comb through Trowell recently.'

'Aye, I may 'ave seen soch a family,' stated the innkeeper with some caginess. 'I can nay say with certainty.'

'Aye, will this 'elp,' offered Richard and held out a coin to the innkeeper.

The innkeeper took the coin and put it into a pocket. Scratching his head, he said, 'Aye, there was a family that stayed 'ere one night recently. Strange family, the father seemed very ill.'

'And where did they go after leaving 'ere,' asked Richard.

'I can nay say. They left airly without saying where they were going.' Then looking at the road toward Nottingham, the innkeeper pointed and said, 'When I saw them last, they were on this road and 'eaded in that direction.'

Richard was excited to glean this little bit of information from the innkeeper. 'Was there a father, mother, two boys and a girl?' asked Richard with some excitement.

'Aye,' replied the innkeeper.

With that Richard thanked him and turned to leave. Surprised at how abrupt the conversation ended and also still with room in his inn, the innkeeper tried to wave him back. 'It is too late to travel tonight. Stay 'ere and enjoy a warm bed.'

Richard wasn't going to be delayed and kept walking without so much as acknowledging the offer.

It was well past nightfall by the time that Richard arrived at Nottingham and he had no choice but to find lodging for the night. He reached into his pouch and counted his coins. He knew that his search for Elizabeth could only last as long as the coins in his pouch, but he had high hopes for finding her the next day.

Morning couldn't come soon enough for Richard and when it did, he got an early start in his search. He reasoned that he would start with every innkeeper in Nottingham and then if necessary, he would speak with every priest. If that didn't yield results, he would visit the market and speak with vendors.

Richard searched all day. His feet felt as though he had walked every street of the towne. Tired and dejected he retired to his room in the inn. ''ow can a family vanish so? Why wuld Elizabeth nay leave word where they were going?' he wondered to himself.

He reasoned to start visiting villages near to Nottingham the next day, but he knew that he would only be able to visit one or two and then he would have to leave for Boston. Without money, he would not be able to continue his search, and without a job, he wouldn't have money. He wondered whether he had already delayed too long. 'Whot wuld the Master say?' he wondered.

The next morning was colder than it had been all year and a light snow had fallen. He gathered the only belongings that he had, his cloak, blanket and pouch and left the warmth of the inn. Before leaving Nottingham, he stopped at the baker and purchased some bread with a few of his dwindling supply of coins.

He decided that he would ask about Elizabeth's family from every priest and innkeeper in every village and hamlet that he passed through on his way to Boston. But more particularly, he would ask in the villages and hamlets closest to Nottingham. He realized though that he didn't even know whether Elizabeth and her family were in the vicinity of Nottingham. Just because they had been on the road toward Nottingham doesn't mean that they didn't keep on traveling to Sheffield or to Leeds or to any of a thousand other locations. The thought caused his head to spin and only brought discouragement, so he chose not to think about it.

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After leaving Trowell, Elizabeth and her family made it to her mother's family near to Nottingham without incident. The initial excitement on the part of Elizabeth's mother family in receiving relatives so long separated from them was short lived when they realized that Elizabeth's father was dead. They were not overjoyed to receive four mouths at their doorstep without means of support, but they could not turn them out into the cold either. The meager supplies that had been stored for the winter would just have to be spread more thinly.

The family there were well acquainted with the priest and he offered prayers on behalf of Elizabeth's father and held a quiet service. The family had very little money and so he was buried in the church yard without a marker. The marker could wait, they decided.

'Elizabeth,' her mother said to her a few days after their arrival, 'it is going to become obvious soon that you are with child.'

'Aye,' replied Elizabeth as though to encourage her mother to continue. She expected that there was more to this than idle conversation with her mother.

'When me family learns of this, they will send you straightway to a priory until you 'ave the baby and you will nay be allowed to keep the child.'

Elizabeth already knew that this was the fate of girls who were with child and had no husband, but she had a husband, and she was sure that he was alive. She didn't mind so much the possibility of going to a priory until the baby was born, but the thought of giving the child up caused her deep concern and her heart started pounding rapidly.

'I will nay give this baby up,' she said ''ow can you ask me to do soch a thing?'

Her mother put her arms around her and held her close. 'It is nay I that will ask you to do soch a thing, boot this is your uncle's 'ouse. When 'e learns the truth, 'e will put you oot. A priory is bet'er than the street.'

Elizabeth was crying now and wishing so desperately that Richard would walk through the door. She was starting to feel that she was in a bad dream that she couldn't wake from.

Just when Elizabeth thought that things could not get worse, her mother told her, 'Your uncle mentioned that you 'ave caught the eye of 'is friend'

Elizabeth knew too well the implications. 'I will nay marry again. I am married, to Richard.'

'You are married to a deed man,' said her mother pointedly.

For the first time in her life Elizabeth suddenly wished that she was not a woman. She thought that her life would be different, but now she was going to be treated like property, just like any other woman. But, the thought was fleeting, she loved being a woman and now she loved being a mother even though the child had not yet been born and she was determined to do whatever it took to keep the child.

It had been nearly a month since Elizabeth and her family had left Burghley and now she was giving up hope of ever seeing Richard again. Her conversation with Bromley played out in her mind often and it seemed that she relived Richard's death each time, but she did notice that the pain was subsiding a little and that bothered her.

A few days later, in mid-December, as Elizabeth returned from the market, she noticed a horse tied to a rail outside her uncle's cottage. 'Odd,' she thought, 'that sumeone with soch affluence wuld be at the cot'age.' She recognized the owner of the horse as soon as she opened the door. She didn't know his name, but she had seen him at church services. Her uncle and his friend stood as she entered.

'Thomas, this is me niece, Elizabeth,' stated her uncle.

Elizabeth looked down at the floor so as to not make eye contact. She had never spoken to Thomas, but had seen him looking at her during church services. Thomas was shorter than Richard and more stout. Not necessarily fat, but stout. The top of his dead was bald, but he wore his hair to the shoulders on the sides and back. He was a baker by trade and was quite successful. He was also many years older than Elizabeth. She thought him to be maybe 30 years old.

Thomas held his hat in one hand and gently took Elizabeth's hand with the other. 'Gud dee, Elizabeth,' he said, 'me name is Thomas.'

Elizabeth didn't look up and she withdrew her hand from his. Her mother and aunt were also in the room and her mother nudged her from behind for rejecting Thomas's hand.

'I 'ave gud news,' her uncle boldly announced. 'Thomas and I 'ave reached an agreement. 'e 'as offered to marry you, Elizabeth, and I 'ave agreed.'

With that, Elizabeth dropped her package and dashed out of the cottage into the cold December air. Her mother was not far behind her.

'You get back inseed and accept 'is proposal child,' her mother demanded. 'You may never get another offer. Thomas is a successful man, you shuld be pleased.'

'Pleased,' retorted Elizabeth through clenched teeth. 'Why wuld I be pleased? I am married to Richard.'

'Richard is deed, lass. When are you going to accept that?'

'Never!'

'You are with child! Your condition will begin to be obvious soon and then whot will you do? Will you go to the priory? Will you give your child up?'

''e is so old,' said Elizabeth in a quieter voice that was on the brink of breaking into a cry.

''e is a successful baker and a gud man. 'e will take gud care of you and your child,' urged her mother, sensing that she was wearing Elizabeth down.

Elizabeth was crying now and would not look at her mother.

'And if you know whot is gud for you, you will nay say anything aboot your child. If you are fortunate, 'e will accept it as 'is own.'

Elizabeth wiped her eyes, but she was still gasping for air as she tried to stop crying.

'Comb inseed now,' said her mother as she took her by the elbow and directed her into the house.

Thomas smiled as they entered, but Elizabeth did not look up. He took her by the hand and told her how beautiful she was and that he would make her very happy. Then her uncle announced that the marriage would take place in three days hence. Elizabeth bit her lip so hard that it nearly bled. 'Three dees!' she thought to herself. ''ow dreadful.' Her head began to hurt. ''ow culd this be 'appening to me?' she wondered. Just a few weeks earlier she was the happy wife of a handsome young man that loved her dearly and she loved him. Now it felt as though that life was a world away and maybe it had not happened at all. It seemed as a dream that she had awaken from all too soon.