wanted to please Caris, and atone for his curmudgeonly attitude. He also felt sad and indignant that two such honest and hard-working people as Wulfric and Gwenda should be poor and thin, and their children sickly, just because of Ralph's vindictiveness.
His parents were living in a house in the village, not in Tench Hall itself. Merthin was shocked by how much his mother had aged, though she perked up when she saw Lolla. His father looked better. "Ralph is very good to us," Gerald said in a defensive way that made Merthin think the opposite. The house was pleasant enough, but they would have preferred to live at the hall with Ralph. Merthin guessed that Ralph did not want his mother watching everything he did.
They showed him around their home, and Gerald asked Merthin how things were in Kingsbridge. "The town is still prospering, despite the effects of the king's French war," Merthin replied.
"Ah - but Edward must fight for his birthright," his father said. "He is the legitimate heir to the throne of France, after all."
"I think that's a dream, father," said Merthin. "No matter how many times the king invades, the French nobility will not accept an Englishman as their king. And a king can't rule without the support of his earls."
"But we had to stop the French raids on our south coast ports."
"That hasn't been a major problem since the battle of Sluys, when we destroyed the French fleet - which was eight years ago. Anyway, burning the crops of the peasants won't stop pirates - it might even add to their numbers."
"The French support the Scots, who keep invading our northern counties."
"Don't you think the king would be better able to deal with Scottish incursions if he were in the north of England rather than the north of France?"
Gerald looked baffled. It had probably never occurred to him to question the wisdom of the war. "Well, Ralph has been knighted," he said. "And he brought your mother a silver candlestick from Calais."
That was about the size of it, Merthin thought. The real reason for the war was booty and glory.
They all walked to the manor house. Ralph was out hunting with Alan Fernhill. In the great hall was a huge carved wooden chair, obviously the lord's. Merthin saw what he thought was a young servant girl, heavily pregnant, and was dismayed to be introduced to her as Ralph's wife, Tilly. She went to the kitchen to fetch wine.
"How old is she?" Merthin said to his mother while she was gone.
"Fourteen."
It was not unknown for girls to become pregnant at fourteen, but all the same Merthin felt that decent people behaved otherwise. Such early pregnancies usually happened in royal families, for whom there was intense political pressure to produce heirs, and among the lowest and most ignorant of peasants, who knew no better. The middle classes maintained higher standards. "She's a bit young, isn't she?" he said quietly.
Maud replied: "We all asked Ralph to wait, but he would not." Clearly she too disapproved.
Tilly returned with a servant carrying a jug of wine and a bowl of apples. She might have been pretty, Merthin thought, but she looked worn out. His father addressed her with forced jollity. "Cheer up, Tilly! Your husband will be home soon - you don't want to greet him with a long face."
"I'm fed up with being pregnant," she said. "I just wish the baby would come as soon as possible."
"It won't be long, now," Maud said. "Three or four weeks, I'd say."
"It seems like for ever."
They heard horses outside. Maud said: "That sounds like Ralph."
Waiting for the brother he had not seen for nine years, Merthin had mixed feelings, as ever. His affection for Ralph was always contaminated by his knowledge of the evil Ralph had done. The rape of Annet had been only the beginning. During his days as an outlaw Ralph had murdered innocent men, women and children. Merthin had heard, travelling through Normandy, of the atrocities perpetrated by King Edward's army and, while he did not know specifically what Ralph had done, it would have been foolish to hope that Ralph had held himself aloof from that orgy of rape, burning, looting and slaughter. But Ralph was his brother.
Ralph, too, would have mixed feelings, Merthin was sure. He might not have forgiven Merthin for giving away the location of his outlaw hideout. And, although Merthin had made Brother Thomas promise not to