The Remembered

Chapter Seven

1437

November 1437



Elizabeth woke slowly and reached across the bed where Richard slept. She roused with a start at the realization that he was not there. Where he had lain the night before was now cold to her touch. Tears filled her eyes. How she wished that he had awaken her to say goodbye. But she knew that it was like Richard to be considerate of her and to not wake her unnecessarily.

At the realization that he was gone, she had no desire to get out of the bed, but she didn't have the luxury of staying in bed. Doing so would not put food on the table. As she arose, she discovered the note that Richard had left for her. She could read very little, as it was not custom to teach the girls of common families to read. Still, she was able to make out the words:

".... Maiden, I love you .... heart. I ... back ... you soon.... ... I ... sing ... song and think of you ... day. - Richard"

She held the note close to her heart and closed her tearing eyes. Carefully she folded the note and put it into her pouch. She would check on it often in the coming days to ensure that it was safe.

After several days of waiting for Richard, Elizabeth began to worry. Was he safe? Had he found work? Surely, if he was gone this long, it was good news. That would mean that he must have found work. But, traveling presented many dangers, he could be injured or worse. Perhaps he was sick with the same illness that plagued her father.

Elizabeth kept very busy working the garden, and field with her brothers and had taken produce to the market on a couple of days. She was accustomed to hard work and fully expected that would be her lot in life. She didn't mind, but she had felt ill most mornings recently. The illness made it difficult to do her morning work, but she generally felt better in the afternoons. She wondered whether she was getting the same illness that her father had. Her father was improving it seemed, but very slowly. Elizabeth was concerned whether she and her brothers would be able to keep up the garden and field long enough for him to get better.

Elizabeth and her brothers had gone to the market and were returning when she noticed their landowner on his horse riding away from their cottage. As the wagon that she was driving pulled slowly up to the cottage she discovered her mother crying in the garden.

'Mum, whot is wrong,' asked Elizabeth. She knew that her mother was a strong woman and crying did not come easily to her. 'Is father more ill?' For a moment, Elizabeth's only thought was that her father had died. The very thought caused a sense of panic within Elizabeth's breast and breathing became difficult.

Her brothers had lighted from the wagon and had dashed into the house to check on their father.

'No, me luv. Father is no worse than 'e was this morning,' said her mother between sobs.

'Whot is it then, Mum?'

'We are to be off the land and oot of the cot'age by the end of the week,' cried her mother.

'Whot?' exclaimed Elizabeth. ''ow can that be? We 'ave been 'ere all of me life. Why must we leave?'

'We 'ave been be'ind on our rent since before your father was ill,' said her mother without looking up. 'Now that your father is ill, we just do nay 'ave the muney. We were 'oping that we culd make up the rent, boot now we can nay do it.'

'Where will we go, then?' asked Elizabeth. 'Whot will becomb of us?'

'We will go to Trowell, near to Not'ing'am.'

'Why will we go there, whot will we do?' asked Elizabeth with some urgency in her voice. ''ow will Richard find us?'

'Your father 'as a sister there, we will ask 'er for 'elp.'

''ow will Richard find us? I will stay 'ere until 'e returns.'

'You can nay stay 'ere child,' said her mother. 'You can let the Easton's know where we 'ave gone and they will tell Richard. 'e will find you there.'

'I will stay with the Easton's then,' exclaimed Elizabeth as she tried to contain her emotions.

'You can nay stay with the Easton's. I must 'ave your 'elp since your father is ill. I and the boys can nay do it withoot you,' pled her mother.

Elizabeth could no longer contain her emotions and she ran inside to see her father. The news that they must leave the land had injured her father's already frail health. She could see that he was laboring with the news. She wanted to plead with him, but she held her tongue for his sake.

The next morning Elizabeth left as soon as she could to go to Easton-on-the-hill. The first person that she saw when she neared the Easton's cottage was Margaret. She ran and held Margaret close and between sobs let the news pour out of her. Lind and Bromley were already in the pasture caring for the animals, and Margaret took Elizabeth inside to speak with Gleda and Geva.

Gleda and Geva were visibly shaken by the news.

'Stay 'ere with us,' urged Geva.

'Yes, me luv,' agreed Gleda, 'you must stay 'ere.'

'I can nay stay 'ere,' sobbed Elizabeth as she explained that her father's poor health required that she go with the family.

'I will send Bromley to fetch Richard,' offered Margaret. 'Bourne is nay far.'

'Why is 'e delayed?' questioned Geva.

''e must have found work,' offered Gleda hopefully.

'Sending Bromley will nay do gud, it will be too late. We are leaving tomorrow,' cried Elizabeth.

'Even still, I will send Bromley perchance Richard is still in Bourne working. Richard can then catch up with your family on the road to Trowell. ' insisted Margaret.

'Yes, please do send 'im,' agreed Elizabeth. This comforted her greatly and she dried her eyes on her dress. She looked up for the first time and coaxed a smile to her face. Her red eyes and smile made quite a sight and the four women had a good laugh as they embraced each other.

Elizabeth didn't feel so well and attributed it to her quick walk to Easton-on-the-hill and to her distress.

'You poor dear, you must stay and 'ave sume bread and but'er before you return to Burghley,' insisted Gleda.

Gleda gave her some bread and butter and Elizabeth rested for a few minutes. On the way back to Burghley, Elizabeth again didn't feel well and lost the food that she had eaten. Suddenly, the illness made sense to her. 'I am nay ill,' she almost exclaimed out loud, 'I am with child.' She resolved right then that Richard would be the first to know. This new realization gave her great pleasure and turned her tears of sorrow to tears of joy and she said a silent prayer of thanks to God for this blessing.

Arriving in Burghley, she found her mother and brothers loading the wagon with their few household items and some farming equipment.

'Why are you loading the wagon?' asked Elizabeth.

Her mother was carrying one of their two wooden chairs to the wagon and didn't even look in Elizabeth's direction when she answered. 'The landowner came this morning and told us that we must be off todee,' exclaimed her mother.

'Todee?' asked Elizabeth with some disbelief. 'Why wuld 'e do that to us?' She instinctively placed her hands on her face as though to contain her emotions and gazed around the surroundings that were so familiar to her.

'I 'ate 'im,' proclaimed one of Elizabeth's brothers.

'Shhh, lad,' insisted her mother. She had placed the chair in the wagon and was heading back into the cottage. 'We will start our trip to Trowell. If it rains, we will sleep beneath the wagon.'

'And if it snows...' Elizabeth started to ask. Her mother stopped and faced her for the first time.

'We 'ave no choice, lass. It will nay snow todee and may nay snow for weeks. Either way, we must be off.'

After loading the wagon, they hitched the ox and slowly pulled away from the cottage. Elizabeth's father lay in one corner of the wagon amongst the household items, her two brothers walked, Elizabeth drove the wagon and her mother sat next to her. Elizabeth looked straight ahead, not daring to glance back at the only house that she had ever known. Despite not looking back, she couldn't help but think about the wonderful childhood that she had spent there. The large oak trees that stood guard and the creek that ran nearby were etched into her memory forever.

It was a couple hours before sunset when they left the cottage. Elizabeth wasn't even sure how far it was to Trowell or how long it might take to get there. She had heard of Nottingham, but all she knew concerning it was that Robin Hood had supposedly lived in the woods nearby, a wood called Sherwood Forest. She had heard that the wood was a dangerous place full of robbers. Her father assured her that their route to Trowell would be south of the wood and that there was nothing to fear. Her father was vaguely familiar with the road there, having traveled it once.

The roadway was fairly dry, making travel easier and a little quicker, but they were only able to make it as far as Empingham before it got dark. They stopped for the night at an inn. They had little money, but the innkeeper accepted some potatoes as payment. Elizabeth's father was afraid that someone would steal the wagon and their belongings during the night, so he insisted that Elizabeth's brothers spend the night outside with the wagon.

The next morning as they were preparing to leave the inn, the innkeeper asked them where it was that they were headed. Elizabeth's father did not want to share their plans exactly, so he told him that they were traveling to Oakham.

'Aye, you will 'ave gud weather if you are only going to Oakham,' said the innkeeper.

'Aye, the weather is fair,' replied her father.

'You shuld nay travel with suuch a pret'y lass,' said the innkeeper looking at Elizabeth. 'There are plent'y of robbers in the woods.'

'Nay, we will be fine,' replied Elizabeth's father, but he had been concerned about that exact thing.

After they were outside Empingham, Elizabeth's father told her to stop the wagon.

'Get in that bag, me luv and retrieve sume of me old clothes,' he told Elizabeth. 'Put them on be'ind that tree over there.'

'Nay Father, I will nay wear man's clothing,' protested Elizabeth. 'It is 'eresy. Do you nay recall whot they did to the maiden in France?'

'Aye, boot she wore man's clothing as a woman. You will be wearing the clothing to appear as a boy. No one will know that you are a woman.'

'Boot Father...,' Elizabeth started to protest.

'Do as I say, Lass,' exerted her father.

Elizabeth quickly changed into the clothing. Wearing man's clothing was very distasteful to her and she felt that it was a sin against God. Still, she was obedient to her father.

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Bromley kissed Margaret and told her goodbye. 'I shall be 'ome before nightfall.'

'You 'ad bet'er be,' said Margaret smiling. 'I will nay sleep until I 'ave you in me arms. Now off with you. 'urry and find your brother.'

As Bromley neared the meadows just outside the gates of Stamford he saw that several bulls had been pastured there in preparation for the annual running with the bulls in Stamford. Though the running of the bulls was an ancient tradition in Stamford, he had never been allowed by his father to participate. But now, he thought, 'I am married and can do as I wish.' The bulls weren't running for three days hence and so he was sure that he would have no problem getting back from Bourne so that he could also run. He stopped and watched for several minutes as some men and boys from the towne poked and tormented the bulls with sticks. Bromley had heard that tormenting the bulls for several days made them wilder. When the bulls were wild, running with them was exciting. Still Bromley wasn't sure that it was necessary to torment them so. They looked very wild already. Following the run, the bulls would be butchered and the villagers would be invited to enjoy the feast. Bromley thought that Margaret would enjoy that very much.

It was soon after midday when Bromley reached Bourne. He straightway looked for the Glazier shoppe, but there was no such shoppe to be found. He decided to visit the church and see whether glass work had been done there or whether the priest could say where the glaziers had gone.

Bromley found the priest at the church working amongst the headstones in the church yard. The priest was facing away from Bromley and was clearing some grass away from a headstone. Bromley didn't wish to startle the priest, so before getting too close, he cleared his throat and said, 'Oy, Father.'

Turning and rising to his feet, the priest greeted Bromley, 'Gud dee, me sone. Is it nay a beaut'iful dee? No rain yet todee.'

'Aye, it is a luvly dee,' agreed Bromley.

'You are nay from Bourne, are you sone,' observed the priest, eyeing Bromley closely.

'Nay, I am luking for me brother, a glazier. 'e came 'ere for work. I do nay see any glaziers working in Bourne. 'ave you seen 'im, or can you tell me where the glaziers are?'

'Nay, there is no glass work being dune in Bourne. There was work being dune at the abbey, boot the glaziers finished that work and left recently,' the priest told Bromley.

'Do you know where they went after finishing the work?' asked Bromley.

'Nay, sume say that they went to Boston, boot I do nay know. It was a shame that one of them deed on their last dee 'ere.'

'One of them deed?' asked Bromley hoping to get more information.

'Aye, they say 'e fell as 'e was placing a window.'

'And this man that deed, do you know 'is name?' asked Bromley.

'I am nay certain that anyone knows 'is name, 'e was recently comb to Bourne. All I know is that 'e was from sumewhere south of Bourne.'

'Whot did 'e luk like, then?'

The priest looked down at the ground and scratched his head and said, 'Well, as I recall, 'e was taller than sume and 'e 'ad dark 'air. I know 'e was a yung man, boot 'e was a journeyman.'

'That sounds just like me brother,' stammered Bromley and he felt a lump grow in his throat.

'O, I am so soory,' offered the Priest. 'I 'ave prayed for 'is soul.'

Bromley kneeled down by one of the headstones to hide his emotions and rubbed his fingers across the name as though he knew the person who lay there. Slowly he said, 'e 'ad a yung wife. She is going to be so sad, I 'ate to tell 'er,'

The priest placed his hand on Bromley's shoulder to comfort him. 'Stay 'ere tonight. Do nay return to your village until tomorrow.'

'Nay,' said Bromley quietly as he rose to his feet. 'I muust be off. 'is wife is traveling with 'er family to Trowell. If I leave right away, I can catch them and give them word.'

'Please, 'ave a meal before you go,' urged the priest. 'You 'ave probably nay eaten all dee.'

Bromley had eaten very little and he hadn't prepared to go further than Bourne. He had expected to be home by evening.

The news that the priest bore had drained the energy from Bromley. 'Aye, I am 'ungry and tired. I will receive a meal gratefully,' said Bromley hanging his head.

'Give thanks to God,' returned the priest and directed Bromley to the house.

The priest's house was very finely appointed and it made Bromley feel a little uncomfortable. He had rarely been in a house so nicely furnished. The priest sat Bromley at a long table. The priest left Bromley at the table and went for the food. This gave Bromley ample time to study the room. Over the table was a beautiful chandelier. Many crystals dangled from the chandelier and scatter light rainbows around the room. The chandelier was not lit, because light entered the room from two large windows on opposite walls. A large fireplace was at the opposite end of the table from where Bromley sat.

The priest returned with bread, milk and some meat. Bromley didn't often get to enjoy meat and he was glad that he had accepted the priest's invitation. The sight of the wonderful meal took Bromley's mind off his brother momentarily and the meat caused Bromley to think about the bulls that he had seen earlier in the day. It would be so nice to be able to run with the bulls and then dine on their flesh. What a treat that would be.

Bromley finished the meal and expressed thanks to the priest.

'Me sone,' said the priest, 'you are nay prepared to spend the night on the road. I am sure that you 'ave no muney, and I can see that you 'ave no food or bedding. 'ere, take these.' With that, the priest handed Bromley a bundle. It was a nice wool blanket with some food wrapped inside.

Bromley was very grateful. 'Father, you are very kind.'

The priest had an old piece of leather and he drew a rough map of the area for Bromley. Bromley expected that Elizabeth and her family would at least make it to Oakham that day, not realizing that they had left the day before. He resolved that he would travel straight to Melton Mowbray to get ahead of them and then come back on the road toward Stamford until he met them. He expected that he would have to travel at least twice as fast as they would be traveling in order to make his plan work. 'That shuld be possible,' he thought, 'since the ox wuld be so slow.'

Leaving Bourne, he made a good pace for the first several miles, then the sky began to darken and a light rain began falling. Before long the rain had picked up and Bromley was getting cold and wet. He found himself wishing that it was August and not November and he really wanted to find a warm and dry place to rest. He didn't dare do so for fear that he would miss Elizabeth and her family. After about 8 miles, he passed a public house and he could see people inside enjoying a meal and a warm fire. He didn't allow himself to gaze on the scene or to think about how nice it would be to stop, but instead, he pressed ahead.

______



Elizabeth didn't feel right about wearing men's clothing. She had never seen a woman wearing trousers. She had even considered that Joan of Arc had deserved her punishment for doing so. Now as she climbed into the wagon with her hair up under a hat and wearing her father's shirt and trousers, she wondered whether her fate might be the same.

The road was clear for the first several hours as they traveled. Twice they met wagons coming in the opposite direction. In each case her father told her to not make eye contact with any of the other travelers.

It began to rain in the late in the afternoon. Initially, it was a light rain, but it continue to increase. Her father covered himself with some heavy cloth. She was getting wet and cold as was her mother and brothers. Soon the road became very slick and it was difficult to keep the wagon aligned with the ox because the back of the wagon seemed to want to slide off the road. Eventually they came to a gentle hill. The ox leaned into his harness as the wheels sunk deeper into the mud. Elizabeth shouted encouragement to the ox. One of her brothers pushed on the back of the wagon and one brother pulled on a rope around the head of the ox in the hope of guiding the ox to stay on the road. After much struggle, they reached the top of the small hill. Being afraid to attempt a decent on the other side and also knowing that there were other similar hills, coupled with the fact that it was getting dark, with no indication of a let up on the rain, they decided to stop for the night.

They were in a small wooded area now and so there was no stone fence near the side of the road. Elizabeth directed the ox off the roadway and under a large oak tree. The ground away from the road was covered with grass and the wagon was easier to manage. Elizabeth was wishing that the entire road was covered with grass.

The large oak tree provided some shelter from the rain and the family gathered tightly beneath the wagon. There would be no fire tonight, since all of the wood was wet. They silently ate some bread and cheese and did their best to stay warm and dry. It was so very cold though.

______



Because of the rain, Bromley was not progressing as quickly as he had hoped. He was slipping in the mud occasionally and had fallen three times. He wanted desperately to stop and find a hollow tree or a ledge of some sort for shelter. His dedication to finding Elizabeth and his fear of being colder still if he stopped, kept him moving one foot in front of the other.

The night was very dark. The thick blanket of clouds blocked out all evidence of the moon. The night was made darker still because he was now traveling beneath a thick canopy of trees. 'Was this the Sherwood Forest?' he wondered. He found himself listening very intently to his surroundings for fear of robbers. Suddenly, a dark figure moved across the road in front of him. He was startled and almost let out a gasp, but managed to hold it in. He stopped and froze motionless in the road and then he realized that it had been a deer. Initially, he was relieved, but then he wondered what had scared the deer, why was it running? He didn't have to wonder for long.

'Drop your bag, or I will slit your throat,' a gruff voice ordered from right behind him.

Bromley felt the pointed edge of a knife in the small of his back. He had never been in such a situation and now that he was, he was very frightened. He dropped the rolled blanket that he was carrying and started to run. He hadn't gone two steps when he ran into another person that stepped in front of him. He hadn't even seen this person standing off to the side. Bromley hit him with such force that it knocked the second robber off his feet and they both rolled through the mud. Bromley leapt to his feet and ran. He could hardly see the road or the trees. He didn't know whether the robbers were chasing him or not, so he kept running and slipping. He stayed on the road for fear of tripping over rocks or running into trees. Finally, he could run no more. He quickly got off the road and hid in a bush beneath a tree and waited. His heart beat furiously within his chest. After some time, he was more calm and decided to stay put for the night.

Morning couldn't come soon enough for Bromley. It had stopped raining in the early morning hours and he would have continued on the road, but now he was afraid to be seen on that road. As soon as it began to be light, he started on his way again staying in the trees and avoiding the road. After a short distance, he decided that his best course would now be to leave the road entirely and travel southwest toward the route between Stamford and Melton Mowbray. He decided that would be the only way that he would be able to catch up with Elizabeth. This seemed the best course because of the time that he had lost time during night and also because he now had no food and would need to start working his way back to Easton-on-the-hill soon regardless of whether he was successful in finding Elizabeth.

He was able to make much better time though the woods due to the lack of mud. He was careful to be observant of his surroundings so that he would not be caught by surprise again. After an hour he was out of the woods and crossing fields. At the edge of each field he had to climb the rock wall or work his way through the hedge, but he was satisfied with his progress. After a couple more hours, he was on a road that he was fairly certain led back to Stamford. Hoping that he was now ahead of Elizabeth and her family, and that he was on the right road, he headed toward Stamford.

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Morning was a welcome relief for Elizabeth and her family. It had stopped raining, but the roads were going to be muddy all day. Elizabeth's father struggled to his feet despite the protestations of his wife and Elizabeth. The movement caused him to start coughing violently. He held himself up against the wagon until he had stopped coughing. Surveying the road ahead, he decided that to get down the gentle slope, they could stay off the road and in the grass, but then they would have to get back on the roadway.

After a brief meal of cheese and bread, Elizabeth and her brothers helped their father into the wagon. Elizabeth's hat had fallen off and her father insisted that she return it to her head and put her hair under it. She did so and they continued on their way.

Descending the hill was much easier without being on the road. At the bottom of the hill were rocks and trees, so they moved back onto the muddy road and continued slowly on their way. They didn't see anyone on the road for a couple hours and then they past one wagon, two men on foot and a horseman in short succession heading in the opposite direction. Each time, Elizabeth looked down and used the hat to cover her face as much as possible.

______



Bromley felt more comfortable on this road than on the road that he had been on the previous day. He had seen very few other travels on that road, but he had already past a couple travelers on this road. If he passed a wagon going the opposite direction, he looked closely at those traveling with it to see if he spotted Elizabeth. After a couple of hours, he was starting to get discouraged and expected that he had missed them. Such as it was, he would now be required to continue his journey home for lack of food or blankets.

Bromley was cresting a small hill when he saw a wagon a little way off that had a number of travelers with it. He wasn't sure how many. He could tell from that distance that the wagon was loaded with household belongs. Perhaps this wagon was Elizabeth's family, he hoped. As the wagon neared he studied the travelers. He knew that Elizabeth would be traveling with her father, mother and two brothers. Surely, this would be the right wagon. As the distance between he and the wagon closed further, he could see that there were two lads walking beside it. He could see that another lad was driving the wagon pulled by an ox. There was also two other individuals inside the wagon. One of the individuals sitting inside the wagon was a female. He heart raced and he quickened his pace. As he passed the wagon however, he could see that the female was an older woman. His heart sank with disappointment and he trudged on through the still muddy road past the wagon.

He was past the wagon when he heard a voice call, 'Bromley?'

He was shocked to hear his name and for a brief moment wasn't certain that he had. He turned about and faced the wagon. The lad driving the wagon was now standing in the wagon and facing Bromley. 'Bromley? Is that you?' the lad called out.

'Elizabeth?' Bromley questioned. He didn't recognize her in men's clothing with her hair inside her hat, but the voice sounded familiar.

'Yes, it is I,' shouted Elizabeth with some excitement. 'Whot are you doing on this road?' she asked.

'I am luking for you,' responded Bromley. 'Why are you dressed like a man?'

'Me father thought that it was safer for me to travel this way,' she explained.

With that she removed the hat and shook her hair loose and it fell down below her shoulders.

'I thought that you were in Bourne luking for Richard,' stated Elizabeth with some hesitation. 'Why are you 'ere?'

'Aye, I have comb from Bourne and I do nay 'ave gud news for you.'

Elizabeth was off the wagon now and walking toward Bromley. 'Did you nay find Richard then?' she asked.

'Nay, I culd nay find 'im,' said Bromley. 'That is why I was luking for you.'

'Whot is the news then, Bromley?' asked Elizabeth. She was visibly shaken now by the expectation that the news Bromley bore was not good news. She knew that he must have gone to great effort to get in front of them since he had left later.

Bromley looked down at the ground. He didn't want to be the bearer of unpleasant news and if he was, he certainly didn't want to see the reaction on Elizabeth's face when he shared it. He had rehearsed many times during the previous day and night what it was that he might say to her. Now he couldn't remember any of the careful words that he had chosen.

'There were no glaziers in Bourne. There had been glaziers there, boot the work was dune and they moved on.'

'And where did they go?' asked Elizabeth, trying to pull the news out of him.

'Sume say that they went to Boston, boot I do nay know.'

'Is that where you think Richard is then?'

'I do nay know, Elizabeth. Boot, there was one glazier who came from south of Bourne soon before the work was completed. By the description given to me, 'e may 'ave been Richard.'

'Yes, go on,' urged Elizabeth.

'This glazier was a yung man and 'e was a journeyman,' said Bromley as he seemed to be stalling to say anymore.

Elizabeth sensed that the worst was yet to be said. Her lip started to quiver and her heart started to race. Then she started crying. Sobbing, she said, 'Where is Richard, Bromley? Tell me where Richard is.'

'I do nay know. All that I know is that I was told that this yung man matching Richard's description fell from one of the windows of the abbey where the work was being dune and deed.' Bromley felt as though he had blurted out the words, but it seemed that was the only way that he was going to be able to get them out.

Elizabeth was sobbing now and fell to her knees in the mud at Bromley's feet. She grabbed his legs and cried out, 'No, this can nay be true. Me Richard can nay be deed.'

Her mother was kneeling next to her now and hugged her close. Neither said a word. Elizabeth laid her head on her mothers breast and cried. Her mother looked up at Bromley and she started to weep.

'I am so soory, Elizabeth,' Bromley offered. He genuinely meant it and his heart ached.

He was uncomfortable with the situation and was not prepared for such emotion. He then did something that he regretted from that moment on. He turned and walked away toward Stamford. He didn't mean any harm, he just was not equipped emotionally to be the support that Elizabeth needed.

After what seemed a hour, Elizabeth lifted her head and wiped her eyes on the shirt that she was wearing. Her face was dirty from traveling and the wetness of the tears left streaks on her face. She slowly stood and looked back down the road. She could still see Bromley slowly trudging along. His shoulders seemed stooped and his head hung. She felt sorry for him. He hadn't wanted the responsibility of carrying such awful news and he must have gone to great effort to find her. Her heart ached for him, for herself and for Richard. She hoped that Bromley would find Margaret well.

As she climbed resolutely into the wagon, her father squeezed her hand. 'Elizabeth,' he said. 'Bromley did nay say that 'e knew for certain. Do nay give up 'ope so easily.'

Elizabeth held the reins in her hand and gazed at her father. 'You are right,' she said, 'I must nay give up 'ope so quickly. I shuld trust in God.'

With her mother in the wagon now, she gave the reins a quick shake and the ox pressed against the harness again. She stared straight ahead with a gaze that didn't focus on anything. Her mind was on Richard. Was it really he who had fallen? How would she know? She should have told Bromley to tell Richard to find her in Trowell if he was alive. But, surely Bromley would do that without her asking.

The ox moved slowly under the strain of the wagon. Elizabeth's brothers fell slightly behind the wagon and spoke to each other in quiet voices. Elizabeth, her father and her mother rode on in silence.