Alred spends an evening at home

“Alred, can’t you see he’s tired? Why don’t you take him up to bed?”

“All right, Matilda, all right,” Alred sighed as he got to his feet. “You know I can’t get enough of him. He barely said three words when I left and now he’s having intelligent conversations with me.”

“He would if you didn’t talk nonsense to him, Alred.”

Alred laughed and picked Yware up off the floor. “I know someone who didn’t mind when I used to talk nonsense to her.”

“Is that what you call your poetry?”

“That’s what you called it, Matilda Cild!”

“I may have,” she smiled.

When Alred returned, he sat at her feet again and laid his head on her knees with a sigh.

“What is it, dear?” she asked gently, wondering if he were not overtired himself. He had been riding around all day in the cold with Egelric, and she didn’t like it.

“Dunstan called me into his room. He wasn’t sleeping. What’s the matter with him, Matilda? Last night he was afraid of the dark, so I lit a candle. Tonight he was afraid of fire, so he made me blow out his candle. Before that he was afraid of rats, and spiders, and something called the Spackbear, and I can’t even figure out what that is, except that it isn’t a bear.”

“I don’t know,” she said, stroking his wild hair. “He’s been this way for a while. I thought he was afraid because you were gone, but now you’re home and that hasn’t changed anything. Perhaps… perhaps he sees you are sick and he still worries. I know I do.”

Alred sat up.

“I keep telling you, I’m not sick, Matilda,” he said testily. “I just ate bad food for too long and traveled too far, and the mosquitoes sucked half the life out of me. I shall be fine in a few weeks.”

“Say, did you ask Maud about her cook?” he smiled. “If you’re so worried about me, tell her I’m wasting away over here for lack of good food.”

“Oh! Maud!” Matilda said with a dismissive wave of her hand.

“What, Maud?”

Matilda drummed her fingers on her lap in annoyance.

“What’s this?” Alred laughed. “Have you had words with our dear Queen?”

Matilda snorted.

“How is that even possible? Shame on you, Matilda! Fight with that poor defenceless lamb?”

“You don’t know that ‘poor lamb’ as I do. The ‘words’ were hers, and she insulted me.”

“I never heard anything about this!” he said eagerly. “What did she say?”

“Oh! She’s only a stupid child. This was before you came home – she was telling me about this ridiculous dream she had, wherein Sigefrith had his head cut off with a sword, and when I tried to tell her it was not likely, she got angry and told me that I would be pleased if you never came home, because I was too happy playing the lord and spending the whole day with – ” She stopped short.

“With what?” Alred asked, grinning up at her, but his smile faded as he saw the flush spreading over her face.

“With Egelric Wodehead,” she finished weakly.

Alred was perplexed. “That’s no kind of a thing to say!” he said after a moment. “Did she mean…?”

“I think so.”

“That’s not like Maud. She must have been worried about Sigefrith… not thinking straight.”

He sat quietly for a moment and then asked, “Did you spend a lot of time with Egelric?”

“Of course! I saw him every day, except when he was looking for Finn – and then after his wife died. Just as you do.”

“Of course,” he agreed, “but I don’t think I’m his ideal woman.”

“Nor am I.”

He looked up at her and thought of Elfleda. Matilda was not malicious, but she was willful enough. No, Matilda would flatten Egelric within a week. In any case… “I think his ideal woman is about three years old,” he said, “and has blonde hair and pointed ears.”

“That kind will break his heart in the end,” she said softly, thinking of how jealously her father had defended her against all suitors – for several years even after he had died, somehow. Until Alred.

“Don’t pity him too much,” Alred said, pulling her to her feet. “At least he has the discernment to pick out a pearl like that one. There are those who fall for short, scruffy knights who write nonsense poetry and cry like girls when they drink too much ale.”

She laughed, “My father would have eaten you for breakfast!”

“And asked for second helpings,” he winked.