Cynehelm asked what her name was, and after a moment’s hesitation she said in a small voice, no more than a squeak, ‘Eawen.’
She’d brought with her a knapsack, which she presented to Cynehelm. Inside were cheese and sausage wrapped in cloth, a brace of carrots and a few handfuls of nuts.
‘I’m sorry there isn’t more,’ she said. ‘This was as much as I could safely take without anything being missed.’
She broke into tears as she said this, and none of us was sure whether they were tears of sadness or gladness. Small though her gift was, it was welcome, and we put the carrots to use straight away, tossing them into the broth that was cooking. I gave her my own bowl, ladling some out for her. She took it, cupping it in her hands as if grateful for the warmth, but she didn’t eat. Maybe she was too scared to be hungry. She was probably eleven or twelve years of age, but huddled under all those layers of wool and linen, I remember thinking how small she looked, and how thin. Skin and bone and precious little else.
I asked, Where’s your sister?
‘At home,’ she said, ‘asleep like everyone else. Don’t be angry with her, please. She’s only thinking of what’s best for everyone. She thinks she’s doing the right thing.’
I said, Has she told anyone about us?
She shook her head.
I asked, Are you sure?
‘She won’t tell. She isn’t like that. She isn’t as heartless as you think. She’s just frightened, that’s all. We all are.’
I said, Does she know you’re here?
She shook her head. ‘No one does. I was worried that if I didn’t try to find you tonight then you’d all be gone come the dawn.’
You risked a lot just to bring us a few provisions, said Cynehelm. If someone notices you’re gone, there’ll be questions.
‘That wasn’t why I came. I came because I want to help.’
Wihtred snorted. ‘You want to help?’
‘In five days Malger will be celebrating Christmas in his new hall,’ she said, undeterred, and explained that was why she and Ymme had been sent to collect the holly. Malger had invited some of his Norman friends from nearby to join him for the feast, and after that he was going to rejoin the king’s army. She said to me, ‘If you’re going to do anything, you have to do it soon.’
We would if we could, I said. We’ve watched him. He rarely steps beyond his gates, and when he does he’s always well guarded.
That was when she told us that the very next day Malger was planning to ride to market to choose a hog for the feast, after complaining that the ones at Stedehamm weren’t fat enough and saying he’d get a better meal if he slaughtered Herestan the swineherd instead.
Enough about the swineherd, Cynehelm said sourly. You said Malger will be going to market. Where?
‘Ledecestre,’ she said. ‘He’ll be taking six men with him for protection.’
I said, Just six?
‘It could be more,’ she said, ‘but he usually leaves half his men behind to guard the hall. They’ll be going at first light, so as to get there and back before the day is out. They’ll be taking the winter road.’
We’d all seen enough of Stedehamm and its surroundings by then to know what she meant by the winter road. It was the one that made the steep climb up the ridge rather than the track that lay in its shadow, which the last few weeks’ rain had turned into a thick bog that neither man nor horse could cross.
The old fort, Cynehelm murmured.
We all nodded, knowing what was in his mind, for we were all thinking the same thing. At the top of the ridge, a mile or maybe two from the village, the track passed a series of banks and ditches, which at some time in the distant past must have served as some sort of stronghold. An ideal place for an ambush.
Pybba said it was too risky to trust the word of a girl. His arms were folded, and he was frowning. Maybe he was still sour that he’d been shown up by her.
I pointed out that we wouldn’t get a better chance than this, and that if we didn’t take it we might as well give up. We put it to another vote. This time eleven were in favour, with only Pybba against, but he soon relented. And so it was decided.
It was foolish, I see now, allowing hope to get in the way of my better judgement, but at the time I really thought we could do it. Fate had delivered this girl to us. And fate would deliver us victory. Of that I was more sure than ever.