Egelric is thrice damned

“Good morning, gentlemen,” Alred said.

Sigefrith and Cenwulf looked up from a piece of parchment on Sigefrith’s table.

“Oh!” Sigefrith cried. “I didn’t send for you, you worthless pile of poetry. Where’s Egelric?”

“That’s what I should like to know.”

“What? Wasn’t he with you?”

“I haven’t seen him since yesterday. I thought he was with you.”

“Now… that’s odd.”

Cenwulf snorted. “Either of you missing a maid this morning?”

“He doesn’t run off with them,” Sigefrith said.

“Perhaps one of them ran off with him?”

“Perhaps a jealous husband got the better of him at last?” Cenwulf suggested.

“Now… He doesn’t bother the married ones,” Alred said.

“A jealous sweetheart then.”

“I don’t know,” Alred shrugged.

“He’s had a few fights with a couple of my guards,” Sigefrith admitted. “Fistfights, mind. But supposing it got more serious, they know how to use a sword better than he.”

“Jupiter, Sigefrith!” Alred cried. “Don’t even joke about that! What shall we do without Egelric?”

“Well… where could he be? Have you checked at the lake?”

“I haven’t checked anywhere. Damn! I don’t know whom I dislike enough to send out there in this rain. I only came to find out why you were sending to me for Egelric if you were supposed to have him.”

“Do you suppose it has anything to do with the new moon?” Cenwulf asked.

“That’s tomorrow.”

“I know it. But I imagine that he would be eager to find the woman who attacked his daughter.”

“So he gets an early start of two days?”

“This is very un-​​Egelric-​​like,” Sigefrith huffed. “I have work stopped waiting for him.”

“Not very,” Alred said. “Sometimes he disappears for a few days like this. Or he has in the past.”

“Well – Damn!”

“I agree,” Alred nodded gravely. “Damn!”

Cenwulf shrugged. “Damn!”