close to Ralph's brother, Merthin. Perhaps he can think of something."
Any hope was better than none. Gwenda stood up to go. "I'll see her right away." She leaned forward to kiss her brother goodbye, then realized that he was forbidden such contact now. Instead, she clasped his hand, which seemed peculiar.
"I'll pray for you," he said.
Caris's house was opposite the priory gates. When Gwenda went in, there was no one in the dining hall, but she heard voices in the parlour, where Edmund usually did business. The cook, Tutty, told her Caris was with her father. Gwenda sat down to wait, tapping her foot impatiently, but after a few minutes the door opened.
Edmund came out accompanied by a man she did not recognize. He was tall, and had flared nostrils that gave his face a supercilious look. He wore the black robe of a priest, but no cross or other sacred symbol. Edmund nodded amiably to Gwenda and said to the stranger: "I'll walk you back to the priory."
Caris followed the two men out of the parlour and embraced Gwenda. "Who was that man?" Gwenda asked as soon as he had left.
"His name is Gregory Longfellow. He's the lawyer hired by Prior Godwyn."
"Hired for what?"
"Earl Roland has stopped the priory taking stone from its quarry. He's trying to charge a penny a cartload. Godwyn is going to appeal to the king."
"Are you involved?"
"Gregory thinks we must argue that the town will be unable to pay its taxes without a bridge. That's the best way to persuade the king, he says. So my father will go with Godwyn to testify at the royal court."
"Will you go too?"
"Yes. But tell me why you're here?"
"I lay with Wulfric."
Caris smiled. "Really? At last! How was it?"
"It was wonderful. I lay beside him all night while he slept, then when he woke up I... persuaded him."
"Tell me more, I want all the details."
Gwenda told Caris the story. At the end, even though she was impatient to get on to the real purpose of her visit, she said: "But something tells me you have news of the same kind."
Caris nodded. "I lay with Merthin. I told him I didn't want to get married, and he went off to see that fat sow Bessie Bell, and I got upset at the thought of her sticking out her big tits at him - then he came back, and I was so pleased I just had to do it with him."
"Did you like it?"
"I loved it. It's the best thing ever. And it gets better. We do it whenever we get the chance."
"What if you get pregnant?"
"I'm not even thinking about that. I don't care if I die. One time -" she lowered her voice - "one time, we bathed in a pool in the forest, and afterwards he licked me... down there."
"Oh, disgusting! What was it like?"
"Nice. He liked it, too."
"You didn't do the same to him."
"Yes."
"But did he...?"
Caris nodded. "In my mouth."
"Wasn't it foul?"
Caris shrugged. "It tastes funny... but it's so exciting to feel that happen. And he enjoyed it so much."
Gwenda was shocked but intrigued. Perhaps she should do that to Wulfric. She knew a place where they could bathe, a stream in the forest far from any roads...
Caris said: "But you didn't come all this way just to tell me about Wulfric."
"No. It's about his inheritance." Gwenda explained Ralph's decision. "Philemon thought perhaps Merthin could persuade Ralph to change his mind."
Caris shook her head pessimistically. "I doubt it. They've quarrelled."
"Oh, no!"
"It was Ralph who stopped the carts leaving the quarry. Unfortunately, Merthin was there at the time. There was a fight. Ben Wheeler killed one of the earl's ruffians, and Ralph killed Ben."
Gwenda gasped. "But Lib Wheeler has a two-year-old!"
"And now little Bennie has no father."
Gwenda was dismayed for herself as well as for Lib. "So a brother's influence won't help."
"Let's go and see Merthin anyway. He's working on Leper Island today."
They left the house and walked down the main street to the riverside. Gwenda was discouraged. Everyone believed her chances were slender. It was so unfair.
They got Ian Boatman to row them across to the island. Caris explained that the old bridge was to be replaced by two new ones which would use the island as a stepping stone.
They found Merthin with his boy assistant, fourteen-year-old Jimmie, laying out the abutments of the new bridge. His measuring stick was an iron pole more than twice the height of a man,