Ken Follett - World Without End

Annet nodded again.

Peg softened, now that she had got the truth. She put her arms around her daughter and hugged her. “You poor child,” she said. “My Poor baby.”

Annet began to sob.

Gwenda left the house.

The men would be home soon for their midday dinner, and they would quickly find out that Ralph had raped Annet. Annet’s father, her brother, her husband and her former lover would be mad with rage. Perkin was too old to do anything foolish, Rob would do what Perkin told him and Billy Howard probably was not brave enough to make trouble – but Wulfric would be incandescent. He would kill Ralph.

And then he would be hanged.

Gwenda had to turn the course of events, otherwise she would lose her husband. She hurried through the village, speaking to no one, and went to the manor house. There, she hoped to be told that Ralph and Alan had finished their dinner and gone out again; but it was a little too early and, to her dismay, they were still at home.

She found them in the stable behind the house, looking at a horse with an infected hoof. Normally she was uncomfortable in the presence of Ralph or Alan, for she felt sure that whenever they looked at her they remembered the sight of her kneeling naked on the bed at the Bell in Kingsbridge. But today the thought hardly entered her head. Somehow she had to make them leave the village – now, before Wulfric found out what they had done. What was she going to say?

For a moment she was struck dumb. Then in desperation she said: “Lord, there was a messenger here from Earl Roland.”

Ralph was surprised. “When was this?”

“An hour ago.”

Ralph looked at the groom who was holding the horse’s foot up for inspection. The man said: “No one came here.”

Naturally, a messenger would have come to the manor house and spoken to the lord’s servants. Ralph said to Gwenda: “Why did he give this message to you ?”

She improvised desperately. “I met him on the road just outside the village. He asked for Lord Ralph, and I told him you were out hunting and you would be back for dinner – but he wouldn’t stay.”

This was unusual behaviour for a messenger, who would normally stop to eat and drink and rest his horse. Ralph said: “Why was he in such a hurry?”

Inventing excuses extempore, Gwenda said: “He had to get to Cowford by sundown… I didn’t make so bold as to question him.”

Ralph grunted. The last part was plausible: a messenger from Earl Roland was not likely to subject himself to cross-examination by a peasant woman. “Why didn’t you tell me this earlier?”

“I came across the fields to meet you, but you didn’t see me and galloped past.”

“Oh. I think I did see you. No matter – what’s the message?”

“Earl Roland summons you to Earlscastle as soon as possible.” She took a breath and added another layer of implausibiiity. “The messenger said to tell you not to wait to eat your dinner, but take fresh horses and leave at once.” It was barely credible, but she had to get Ralph away before Wulfric showed up.

“Really? Did he say why he needs me in such a terrible hurry?”

“No.”

“Hm.” Ralph looked thoughtful and said nothing for a few moments.

Gwenda said anxiously: “So, will you go now?”

He glared at her. “That’s no concern of yours.”

“It’s just that I wouldn’t want it to be said that I hadn’t made the urgency clear enough.”

“Oh, wouldn’t you? Well, I don’t care what you would or wouldn’t want. Be off.”

Gwenda had to go.

She returned to Perkin’s house. She arrived just as the men were coming in from the fields. Sam was quiet and happy in his crib. Annet was sitting in the same place, with her dress pulled down to show the bruises on her arms. Peg said accusingly: “Where have you been?”

Gwenda did not answer, and Peg was distracted by Perkin coming in and saying: “What’s this? What’s the matter with Annet?”

Peg said: “She had the misfortune to meet Ralph and Alan when she was alone in the forest.”

Perkin’s face darkened with anger. “Why was she alone?”

“It’s my fault,” Peg said, and she began to cry. “Only she was so lazy about the laundry, as she always is, and I made her stay back and finish it, after the other women went home, and that’s when those two animals must have come along.”

“We saw them a while ago, riding across Brookfield,” Perkin said. “They must have just come from the place.” He looked frightened. “This is very dangerous,” he said. “It’s the kind of thing that can ruin a family.”

“But we’ve done nothing wrong!” Peg protested.

“Ralph’s guilt will make him hate us for our innocence.”

That was probably true, Gwenda realized. Perkin was shrewd, beneath his obsequious manner.

Annet’s husband, Billy Howard, came in, wiping his muddy hands on his shirt. Her brother, Rob, was close behind. Billy looked at his wife’s bruises and said: “What happened to you?”

Peg answered for her. “It was Ralph and Alan.”

Billy stared at his wife. “What did they do to you?”

Annet lowered her eyes and said nothing.

“I’ll kill them both,” Billy said furiously, but it was obviously an idle threat: Billy was a mild-mannered man, slim built, and had never been known to fight, even when drunk.

Wulfric was the last to come through the door. Too late, Gwenda realized how attractive Annet was looking. She had a long neck and pretty shoulders, and the tops of her breasts were showing. The ugly bruises only emphasized her other charms. Wulfric stared at her with undisguised admiration – he never could hide his feelings. Then, after a moment, he registered the angry bruises, and he frowned.

Billy said: “Did they rape you?”

Gwenda was watching Wulfric. As he grasped the significance of the scene, his expression registered shock and dismay, and his fair skin flushed with emotion.

Billy said: “Did they, woman?”

Gwenda felt a surge of compassion for the unlovable Annet. Why did everyone feel they had the right to ask her bullying questions?

At last, Annet answered Billy’s question with a silent nod.

Wulfric’s face was suffused with black rage. “Who?” he growled.

Billy said: “This is none of your business, Wulfric. Go home.”

Perkin said tremulously: “I don’t want trouble. We mustn’t let this destroy us.”

Billy looked angrily at his father-in-law. “What are you saying? That we should do nothing?”

“If we make an enemy of Lord Ralph, we could suffer for the rest of our lives.”

“But he’s raped Annet!”

Wulfric said incredulously: “Ralph did this?”

Perkin said: “God will punish him.”

“So will I, by Christ,” said Wulfric.

Gwenda said: “Please, Wulfric, no!”

Wulfric made for the door.

Gwenda went to him, frantic with fright, and grabbed his arm. Only a few minutes had gone by since she had given Ralph the fake message. Even if he believed it, she did not know how seriously he would take the urgency. There was a good chance he had not left the village yet. “Don’t go to the manor house,” she pleaded with Wulfric. “Please.”

He shook her off roughly. “Get away from me,” he said.

“Look at your baby!” she cried, pointing at Sammy in the crib. “Are you going to leave him without a father?”

Wulfric went out.

Gwenda followed, and the other men came after. Wulfric marched through the village like the angel of death, fists clenched at his sides, staring straight ahead, his face twisted into a rictus of fury. Other villagers, on their way home for the midday meal, spoke to him but got no reply. Some followed him. In the few minutes it took to walk to the manor house he gathered a small crowd. Nathan Reeve came out of his house and asked Gwenda what was happening, but all she could say was: “Stop him, someone, please!” It was useless: none of them could have restrained Wulfric even if they had dared to try.