The Remembered (8 page)

'I made it meself using some of the glass that I broke when I first saw you from the Glazier's shoppe. Sumedee I will replace it with a real pendant and a fine chain,' said Richard.

'Nay, I luv it just as it is. I will wear it everydee. It is so kind of you, me luv.'
'Marry me, Elizabeth,' asked Richard. 'I am aboot finished with me apprenticeship and I will make a gud 'usband.'
'I know that you will, Richard, boot I do nay believe me father is ready to give 'is permission.'
'Bromley and Margaret will witness for our 'andfasting, then we do nay need 'is permission,' offered Richard.
'Whot is 'andfasting?' asked Elizabeth.
'One of the glaziers was married by 'andfasting. If we each consent, we can make it official by joining our right 'ands in the presence of witnesses. We will then be married for a year and a dee,' explained Richard.
'And then whot 'appens after a year and a dee?' asked Elizabeth. 'I want to be married to you forever.'
'We wuld make the 'andfasting known during the year and receive your father's blessing and then be married by the priest.'
'And whot 'appens during that year? Where do I live?'
'You wuld live with your parents, until we make the 'andfasting known,' urged Richard.
'Alright,' said Elizabeth tentatively.
'Gud,' exclaimed Richard. 'Let us do it tomorrow near the market. I will bring Bromley and Margaret.'
The next day, Bromley and Margaret met Richard outside the Glazier's shoppe and walked to the market. They planned to do the handfasting in the walkway that Richard had used to watch Elizabeth before he met her.
When they met Elizabeth, she was more quiet than normal. Once in the walkway, she said, 'Richard, I am nay going to do the 'andfasting, I will nay do it withoot me mum and father's permission.'
Richard was surprised and disappointed. Bromley and Margaret walked a little way away to give Richard and Elizabeth time to speak.
Richard looked down, taking a moment to gather his composure so by that he wouldn't say something that he would regret. Elizabeth could see Richard's disappointment and stepped close to him. 'Just ask me father. 'e may surprise you,' she urged.
Despite Richard's embarrassment he pulled Elizabeth closer to himself and smiled at her. 'I will then. When shuld I speak with 'im?'
'Ride the wagon with us and just speak with 'im.'
'I will,' responded Richard with a smile.
Bromley and Margaret left to return home and Richard and Elizabeth began helping her father load the wagon.
As the wagon slowly made its way through the streets toward the gates of the towne, Richard tried to figure out what he might say to Elizabeth's father. He knew that he could not support a wife on an apprentice's wage, but his apprenticeship was almost completed and that should be a strength to his request. Richard had thought about this conversation many times and he had several persuasions that he could use to support his case if needed.
To this point of the evening Elizabeth's father had engaged Richard in conversations about the weather and the cow that was not giving milk, but as the wagon started crossing the bridge, Richard found the courage to change the conversation to more serious matters.
'I am nairly finished with me apprenticeship,' stated Richard.
'Wonderful,' replied Elizabeth's father. 'Do you luv being a glazier, then?'
'Aye, I luv creating windows that tell the ancient stories of the prophets and of our Lord. There is nuthing that I wuld rather do.'
'Aye, it is a great thing to praise God in our work. Where will you work when your apprenticeship is completed?'
'I understand that there is repair work being dune on the Bourne Abbey. I think that I can get work there,' replied Richard hopefully. 'An apprentice that finished last munth was able to get work there.'
Elizabeth's father looked straight ahead and encouraged the ox. Elizabeth had been listening and she knew what was coming next and hoped that it would turn out well.
'Me wage will be sufficient to support a wife,' hinted Richard without looking directly at Elizabeth's father.
With that, Elizabeth's father looked straight at Richard without saying a word for a moment or two. He then looked at the road ahead and asked, 'So, are you asking for me Elizabeth, then?'
'Aye,' replied Richard with some confidence that the response would be favorable. 'I wuld care for 'er and make 'er 'appy.'
Elizabeth's father drove on in silence. Richard glanced backward at Elizabeth with a look of desperation. After what seem an eternity to Richard and Elizabeth, her father turned to Richard and said, 'Aye, that wuld make me very 'appy. I know that you will take care of 'er. 'er mum will be pleased.'
Richard could hardly believe what he had heard. He was so excited that he lighted from the wagon to the ground and ran a few paces ahead and then back. Elizabeth gave her father a hug around the neck from behind as he drove the ox.
'I am so 'appy, Father,' she whispered quietly in his ear.
'Your mum will be pleased,' he replied.

November 1437

Stamford, England
 

'Gud morning, me luv,' Richard whispered into Elizabeth's ear.
Elizabeth rolled over and smiled and took her husband into her arms. They had been married one month and she could not have been happier. She was saddened every day that she had to send him off to the Glazier's shoppe, and she looked forward to his return each evening. On market days he was able to come and see her in the market briefly for a midday meal and he was able to accompany her and her father home in the evenings.
Today was Richard's last day as an apprentice. He hoped to soon go to Bourne and secure work and lodging and then to return for Elizabeth. During the course of the last month since their marriage they lived in a room behind the cottage of Elizabeth's parents. It was a good life, but no place to raise a family. They needed a place of their own. They were hopeful that Elizabeth would conceive a child soon. Richard and Elizabeth wanted several children of their own and were saddened that Bromley and Margaret had not been able to conceive after a few years of marriage.
'Todee is me last dee at the Glazier's shoppe,' whispered Richard with an air of excitement.
'Aye, and that is wonderful,' whispered Elizabeth with a hint of sadness, 'boot, then you will leave me.'
'Only for a brief time, me luv, nuthing can separate us for long.'
''ow soon will you return then?'
'I will either find work in Bourne right away and will be back within a week to fetch you, or per'aps they will put me to work right away and then I will be back within the fortnight. Either way, I will comb back to you soon. Nuthing shall keep me away from you. I promise.'
'I believe you, still I do nay want to let you go,' Elizabeth whispered and held him closer and closed her eyes for a time.
Richard got out of bed and dressed for the day. He then loaded the wagon for Elizabeth's father. As he ate his morning meal, he mentioned to Elizabeth that he had not seen her father yet and that he was going to have to leave for the Glazier's shoppe. Elizabeth hugged him and sent him on his way then went to the cottage to check on her father. She met her mother coming outside.
'Your father is nay well todee. Your brothers will be going to the market with you,' explained her mother.
Elizabeth went inside and spoke with her father. He looked older than she had noticed before. He lay upon a course mattress filled with straw. He smiled as she approached, coughed a little and spoke her name.
'Be still, Father,' urged Elizabeth. 'You are nay well todee.'
'Nay, I am nay well. I will be fine on the morrow. The boys will go with you to the market todee.'
'That will be fine, Father.'
'Todee is Richard's last dee at the shoppe, aye?'
'Aye, Father, todee is 'is last dee.'
'I suppose that 'e will be wanting to move to you Bourne then.'
'Aye, Father, boot I will nay go until you are well.'
'Nay, your place is with your 'usband.'
'Aye, boot you will be well soon enuf.'
'The boys can 'elp me. You will go with your 'usband.'
'Aye, the boys will 'elp,' Elizabeth assured her father.
The boys entered the cottage then and announced to Elizabeth that it was time to leave for Stamford. Elizabeth kissed her father and hugged her mother and left the cottage. It seemed odd, she thought to see her father so weak. She couldn't remember a time when she had seen him ill. She had been with him everyday of her life and had always assumed that he would be healthy and strong. Her mother too looked weak and vulnerable this morning. For the first time in her life, Elizabeth considered what it must be like for a woman to peer into a future without a husband. She was sure that her father would be well soon enough, but the thought of facing a future without a husband suddenly seemed real and frightening to her. It must be especially frightening to a woman the age of her mother. At once, Elizabeth's concern with Richard leaving to go to Bourne had a new sense of dread.
Richard walked into the Master Glazier's shoppe and looked around at the surroundings that he had become so accustomed to. He could smell the smoke from the fire and hear the billows that stoked it hot. He could smell the sheep urine that was occasionally used as a cutting agent. Long tables filled the room, and windows in various stages of completion lay upon the tables. Finished windows awaiting delivery to their final destination lined two of the walls.
'So, this is your last dee,' said a voice from behind Richard. It was the Master Glazier. 'I suppose that you did nay think that this dee wuld ever comb.'
'Aye,' replied Richard with a little wistfulness in his voice.
'Well, comb it 'as,' stated the Master Glazier. 'You are a fine glazier, Richard. I will give you a let'er of reference stating that you are a journeyman now.'
'I am grateful to you, sir.'
'I wish that I culd keep you 'ere, boot we just do nay have enuf work for me to pay you a journeyman's wage and me new apprentice begins todee,' explained the Master Glazier.
'You 'ave been a gud teacher. That is all that I needed, sir.'
Richard finished the day and welcomed the new apprentice. He felt that he saw a reflection of himself in the lad. It seemed so long ago that he had walked into this shoppe for the first time. Now he was starting a new life. It struck him how much had changed in a month, with his marriage to Elizabeth and the completion of his apprenticeship. He felt good about the future.
Richard was not able to return from the market with Elizabeth and her brothers, but back at Burghley, Richard found Elizabeth and her mother caring for her father. Her father rallied when Richard came in because he didn't want his illness to stop Richard from seeking work in Bourne.
'I am proud of you, Richard,' said Elizabeth's father. 'So now you are a journeyman. When will you leave for Bourne?'
'I will nay leave until you are bet'er,' promised Richard.
'Nay, you will nay stay. We will be fine. I am feeling bet'er already. The boys will 'elp me. It is time for them to become men,' asserted Elizabeth's father.
Richard glanced at Elizabeth and her mother. They nodded that he should obey the will of her father.
'Aye, I will leave tomorrow, boot I will be back soon enuf,' replied Richard.
That night Richard sang a song to Elizabeth that he had written for her.
"Faire Maiden, "Flower of Youth", From whence forth springth thy charm?
Commanding attention. Over none thou doth loom, But, mighty ones are disarmed.
Thy voice, as sweet as all arias sung, Calms the most covetous clamor.
A pavilion of grace to which all may come, Thy presence a delicious nectar.
How canst thou forgive this gargoyle face? Loveliness escaped me at birth.
But, I can offer thee in its place A loyalty that is beyond worth."
Elizabeth smiled and her face beamed and she asked Richard to sign it again as she hummed along. Soon, they fell asleep in each others arms.
The next morning, Richard watched Elizabeth sleep for a moment and gently kissed her on the forehead. She was so sweet and lovely he thought. She seemed so tired that he didn't want to wake her. Before he quietly left the room, he left for her a note that he had written:
"Fair Maiden, I love you with all me heart. I will be back to you soon enough. Until then, I will sing the song and think of you every day. - Richard"
A heavy fog hung over the entire area when Richard left Burghley. It was so thick that as he passed through Stamford the buildings on the side of the road were barely visible. He felt as though he were traveling through a dream. There were few people in the streets at this early hour and Richard passed though Stamford quietly without seeing anyone that he recognized.
He expected that he could be at Bourne by midday. He was concerned about the fog though because of his unfamiliarity with the area, he had never been very far outside Stamford to the north. He left Stamford by way of the Ryhill Road. Outside the towne, the fog thickened still. He thought that it was so thick that he could almost taste it. A heavy fog such as this gently and slowly deposited moisture on him. Twice he was startled by the ghostly figures of travelers that seemed to suddenly appear out of the whiteness.
After walking for about three hours he sat down beneath a tree and had a few bites of bread. He would need to conserve his bread, because he didn't have much money with him. By this time, he felt the wet and cold though his clothing.
After walking another hour, Richard began to be concerned. He should have been in Bourne by then. With fog so thick as it was, he could not be sure that he was even still traveling in the right direction. He was cautious about engaging other travelers and so he hadn't asked about the directions to Bourne of the two travelers that he had encountered. He didn't see any other option but to keep walking. After another hour of walking he suddenly realized that there were buildings on the side of the road. Could it be possible that this was Bourne? A sense of relief washed over him despite his desperate condition. He saw the faint outline of a public house sign. When he was nearly beneath it he could read 'The Bull's Head.' He didn't want to spend any of his limited funds on food, but a warm bed for the night would be a welcomed relief.
There was a warm fire inside and Richard stood next to it to warm himself for several minutes. He saw that only two tables were occupied. The proprietor knew that Richard was not from around those parts and he was not going to have any vagrants in his public house.
'Do you 'ave muney for a room or food?' asked the proprietor. 'If you nay 'ave muney, you can keep moving.'
Richard asked the proprietor whether he was in Bourne.
'Bourne!?' the proprietor laughed. 'Nay, you are in Swinstead. Bourne is 9 miles east of 'ere.'
'Swinstead?' Richard was shocked. 'The fog was thick. I must 'ave missed me road.'
Those who were seated at the tables laughed at that thought of someone being so far off track.
''ow do I get to Bourne?' Richard asked. The proprietor gave him directions to Bourne and Richard left to the sound of laughter.
Leaving the warmth and safety of the public house was not made easier when Richard saw that it had started to rain. At least the fog had lifted a little thought Richard. Swinstead was a very small village, so it was easy for Richard to find the road toward Bishopshall Wood. The road outside Swinstead was muddy as Richard walked toward the Bishopshall Wood. Soon, it started raining harder and the road was getting difficult to negotiate. It seemed that the mud grabbed on to his shoes and hung tight with each step. It was as though the road itself did not want him to go to Bourne.
It was well after dark when he reached the Grimsthorpe castle. The rain had stopped, but his clothing was still wet through to the skin. Even though Bourne was only 3 miles further down the road, Richard was exhausted and decided to try and find a place to rest and to dry out a little. He found a public house in Grimsthorpe and went inside. Richard immediately felt the warmth of the fire from across the room and he was drawn to it. Standing in front of the fire, he warmed his hands. He could smell fresh bread and he also saw potatoes being served to other guests. He was so hungry, but would not be spending his meager savings on food tonight. He would dine again on the bread that he had carried from home.
'You luk like you 'ave been oot in the weather all dee,' said the proprietor.
'Aye, I 'ave comb from Stamford,' replied Richard.
'And where might you be 'eaded?' asked the proprietor.
'I am 'eaded to Bourne,' replied Richard somewhat quietly, hoping to not get the same reaction that he had received in Swinstead.
'You seem to 'ave missed Bourne, then.'
'Aye, I got off course due to the fog.'
'Aye, a heavy fog, that it was,' observed the proprietor. 'I assume that you will be needing a room. A person shuld nay spend the night as wet as you are.'
'Aye, do you 'ave a room for the night?' asked Richard.
'I do 'ave a room, boot you will 'ave to share it.'
'I do nay mind sharing a room.'
'You will nay 'ave a fire in the room, boot you may warm yourself 'ere for as long as you wuld like.'
'I am grateful, kind sir,' said Richard.
''ow aboot a meal?'
'Nay, I 'ave sume bread with me,' stated Richard as he gazed at the food being served to others.
They settled on a price for the room and Richard continued warming himself. When he was somewhat warm and dry, he went upstairs to the room. This reminded him of sharing a room with Bromley for so many years. The room had a wooden floor, one window that over looked the road and one bed. The bed was already occupied. Richard didn't like the idea of sharing a bed, especially with a stranger. He had never shared a bed with anyone other than Elizabeth. Although it was common for travelers to share a single room and bed, Richard didn't like it. Richard could tell that the person in the bed was of ample proportions, but there was still a small slice of bed on the edge that was available, so Richard laid his coat on the floor and crawled into bed quietly. Before doing so, he tied the string of his pouch to the middle finger of his left hand. This was the only money that he had and he didn't wish to 'lose' it. The bed had one thin blanket that was slightly larger than the person already beneath it, so Richard had removed his own woolen blanket out of his satchel to use also. His blanket was still damp, but being wool it would still keep him warm. The mattress of straw felt so good to Richard.
He would have fallen asleep right away, but his mind was on Elizabeth. He had thought of her most of the day. It was the thought of her and his duty to care for her that had kept his feet moving one in front of the other all day long. Now he wondered whether he had done the right thing in leaving her. He realized that he could not have brought her with him, walking in the sort of weather that he had been in all day was no place for a woman he thought. Besides that, he didn't have enough money to purchase food for both of them and also she was needed at home to help care for her father and see that the boys get the wagon and goods to market. Oh, how he missed her. His last thoughts for the evening were of her as he said a silent prayer asking the Lord God to watch over her.