Lasse joined me to see the progress on his house. Ranulf had come along to see the Sommer house which would serve as a classroom for Ranulf and Knut’s children. Eventually, I hoped that Lasse’s children would join them.
Little Karl latched onto Ranulf and the two disappeared in the woods. I had scouted the whole forest and saw no evidence of bears. I had already warned them of the deer and they knew to keep clear. Valla and her maid had joined us, mostly to visit Laurelei and help her get her house set up.
“You will need a good maid when you have your baby. You simply won’t have time to tend to all that and cook for your family too,” I heard Valla counsel.
“When I was born, it was Fall harvest time. Mother returned to the fields the next day. Grandmother took me to the field to nurse but kept the house with the help of my sisters who were too young to cut grain. But my mother is no longer living. I will need help to tend a house this size. I would value your recommendation. Perhaps someone who could help with the cooking. I love cooking but there is a lot for just one woman to do,” Laurelei speculated.
“I have the perfect girl in mind. And of course, our maids will help when you need it, Valla promised.
“Once I have a system for everything, I will find it easier. Not everything needs doing daily. Our children have always pitched in. Our Senna helps with firewood and cleaning the stoves and hearths. He likes being useful. Kasper is quite good with a needle and thread, Karl and Emmaline are still very young but Karl will struggle with a log for the hearth. Emmaline is watchful and she is learning the needle with Kasper to show the way,” Laurelei lauded.
“Your children will learn what they need to learn. Teach them with love and don’t make a chore of it. That’s how I learned. I know how to empty a chamber pot and many other supposedly unseemly tasks for someone of my station. My mother told me that I may have to fend for myself at times. Cooks and maids get sick or need time away. Besides, I could never be one of those women who sit on a cushion eating sweetmeats and fanning their corpulent bodies all day, Valla concluded.
I heard a lot of laughter and some whispering, So I rose and shut the doors between the two rooms. What they were discussing now was not for the ears of men or boys.
It can be difficult having acute hearing. Dog hearing Poppa calls it. I hear things I’m not meant to, and sometimes things I’d rather not hear. It comes from living in the forest, a person’s hearing is tuned to the environment. The crack of a twig under a man’s foot is different from the same sound from a deer or a woman. A grown clansman can pass through a forest unheard by any other man. Smells are another thing. At a distance, I can tell if someone has bathed with store bought soap or homemade. I can tell if it’s been a while since they have bathed at all. Not everyone has the resources to bathe more often than a fortnight, some even longer.
I asked Knut if he had any advice for a new groom.
Some men will tell you to show her the whip first thing. I believe that to be folly. I wanted a loving wife, not a fearfully obedient slave. I presume that’s what you want as well. I doubt if your Valla would ever be cowed by a whip, kindness and equality is the best course in my experience. It worked for my parents. They each had their areas of expertise and authority, but when it came to us children they were a united front. I know you will indulge Valla, and she will do the same for you in many ways. But my best advice is not to accept too much advice. If you admire the way your parents get along, then follow their example. That and have long conversations about your desires and goals, both of yours. I am a happy man and it seems to work for me. But I married a woman who was raised with responsibility, Valla seems to have taken responsibility and not depended on servants. That is an admirable quality. This is the same as I will tell my children when they consider marriage,” Knut finished.
“I have lived in two households, in the first I never heard my parents raise a voice in anger at each other, nor have I heard it with my present parents. I intend to follow their example. You have confirmed my attitude towards marriage. Our clan law dictates that marriage is a partnership. We are meant to work together with our mate to increase our lot. The head man or the Noaidi makes a speech to that effect at the ceremony. I will instruct our sogneprest on the merits of including that in the ceremony. I am converting slowly and it doesn’t seem to be at odds with Lutheran teaching,” I added.
“I am learning quite a bit about the process, just listening to you two. I hope I can find a good woman who will embrace this way of life. Freyanhjem is not far from here, so a woman should not feel isolated here. Plus there are your wives and the servant women to chat with when they have the time. I will doubtless need a maid for myself. Unlike you Sir Edrich, I cannot cook, and if it weren’t for the laundress at the academy, I would look like the dogs dinner,” Lasse chuckled.
We continued talking and sipping wine. Knut brought out his pipe and had a bowl of very sweet smelling tobacco.
I brought out the cards and we played Gnav and later Gris. I have always been pathetic at card games, despite Jørgen’s best attempts to tutor me.
Ranulf and Karl presented themselves at the kitchen door filthy as beggars. I skinned them both and left their filthy clothing on the service dock.
I called Knut and Lasse to join me upstairs. I lit the boiler and once we had hot water we dumped the boys in the tub and scrubbed them off.
“Watch and learn Lasse, you need to know how this is done. The process is slightly different with girls but generally it is the same job. You need to check carefully for bites and boils. You might find ticks. You can deal with them with a hot wire or just some fat to shut off their air. They will emerge and then you can kill them. If you pull them too forcefully the mouth parts stay imbedded and an infection can start,” Knut instructed.
I spread Ranulf’s cheeks to see if he had any unwanted passengers. He was clear back there but he had one just behind his little marbles. I used a small brand from the boiler to encourage the tick to back out and then crushed it when it emerged.
“You have to be willing to get your hands dirty when dealing with children. Propriety goes out the window. They will let you know when they are old enough to tend themselves,” Knut shared.
“So this is my first lesson in fatherhood?” Lasse peeped.
“Yes, but for now you will just observe. We’ll teach you to fold a diaper and change a dirty once we have a subject for you to practice on.
Karl had a tick on his groin and another on his ankle. They were swiftly dealt with by Knut and we dried the boys off. I passed Ranulf to Lasse, a bachelor and an only child, he had never held a naked child before. I showed him how to support his bottom and Ranulf wrapped his arms around Lasse’s neck. Lasse looked shocked and surprised at first, but he warmed to the notion of accepting the trust Ranulf was offering. I suspected that Lasse would find a good woman within a year, and be bathing his own children soon after. The look in his eyes was priceless. With the two exhausted boys sleeping soundly in Ranulf’s bed, we returned downstairs and met up with the ladies.
“We have several good candidates for maids for Laurelei. I may have to find another if Bodil won’t come with us. I can’t force her of course. I hope she’ll come but that’s her decision,” Valla told me.
“Bodil? Do you know that means healer in old Norse? Does she have healing talents?” I asked.
“She’s good with burns and some women’s concerns. You would want to consult her for more information,” Valla replied.
I filed that away for a later date.
“You caught me off guard, handing me your boy like that. In all my years of teaching boys, I haven’t had much exposure to naked ones. It was an odd experience but one I found strangely enjoyable. They trust you with their very lives when they are vulnerable like that, I’ve never associated tenderness with children and being a parent. My focus has always been getting them to learn what was required for their future. Thank you for the lesson. How did this boy come into your care?” Lasse inquired.
I told him about the night I found him near death in the snow. He was horrified that a child such as that would be ignored by passersby.
“As long as I am able, any child who needs shelter and food will have it, either here or perhaps in a place specially built to accommodate them. Perhaps a school of some sort. I want them to be warm and comfortable, and to learn a trade that will ensure a good income. That goes for girls as well. I hope the idea will spread to other areas. Orphanages are all being reformed by the Governor general. Things have to change if Norway is going to move forward in this new age of machines. Designing machines is one thing, but they need maintenance. As for girls, classes in healing, nursing and child rearing would prepare them for a career in those fields or just to be a responsible parent. I would love for everyone to care for all children as their own, but this will never be. There are selfish people who care for no one but themselves. That is human nature. Father has taught me that there is no changing that. But I believe the majority of people have a good heart. I have seen people feed someone, even though it meant less for them to eat. If the poorest among us can do that, what’s wrong with the rest of us?” I asked.
“I can see you feel strongly about this subject. I do not know the answer to the problem, but I will give it a great deal of thought. I have been rather blind to it myself. People have to be made aware of a situation before they can act,” Lasse replied.
“I agree, I will need advice from all quarters to fulfill my duties,” I added.
The next morning the three of us men set out to hunt game birds. I took my bow while the others used fowling pieces. I took two wood grouse and they shot a turkey and two more wood grouse. It was enough to feed everyone for days. Between that and venison we were well fixed for meat. The river held plenty of good fish as well, and no one need go hungry with just the basic skills. I had taught Knuts boys about spearing fish along with Ranulf and Ivy.
I was pleased to see them struggling to carry a bucket of water to Laurelei’s kitchen. The pure water from the river didn’t have the taste of water from a pump. Lorelei boiled acorns in saltwater and leached out the poisons. She ground the dry acorns into flour and added ground almonds into the mix and then added it to a bread recipe. The result was both sweet and nutty in taste. With a bit of jam it took on a unrivaled flavor. Valla assisted her at every step. She looked good in a simple dress and apron. She enjoyed cooking and baking and often helped Mother and Samilla in the kitchen. She helped the palace cook when allowed, but the woman was territorial and quite brusque. Her assistants were more forthcoming with training.
It was a lovely visit. We loaded everyone into the coach and set out for Halla. We reached a point well north of Freyanhjem, I took Rødhest to scout a location for lunch. I passed a shadowed wood when I heard the grumble of a horse being spurred into motion. Two men emerged from either side of the road. They bade me hold and I wheeled Rødhest to face them. They were armed with swords and held them like amateurs.
“You will dismount and lie on the ground if you wish to survive this day,” I told them. I pushed my cloak aside, revealing the two double barreled pistols trained on them. The swords dropped and they complied with my order. I hadn’t long to wait before the coach appeared. It came to a halt and the footman and one guard jumped off and took the riders into custody. I had not wanted Knut to leave his wife in her condition. I thought that with the guards and coachmen, Lasse and I could handle any problem that arose.
“You are more intelligent than your occupation indicates. These pistols leave a beastly hole in a man. They have been known to carry arms away and render legs nothing more than mincemeat,” I told them. “What were you seeking when you assailed me?”
There was no answer, only a look of confusion and dismay. They had someone to answer to, and they had fouled their attempt whatever the ends might be. Emil would get to the bottom of this.
We searched them and tied them to their saddles.
We found a place to stop and water the horses while we ate the luncheon we had brought along. The guards and coachmen took the prisoners to have a toilet and retied them.
We stopped as planned at an inn that I had stayed at before. There were more guard there and they gave our men a chance to rest while the others watched the prisoners. In the morning I passed custody of the men to the guard contingent. They would deliver the men to Emil and we would follow behind with a couple of extra guards in our company.
It bothered me, any decent excuse for a bandit would know that the road was now heavily patrolled by guard and the Haluken watch. I suspected other motives. Fathers men had been rooting out corruption in the Reichsparliament. This could have something to do with that or it might have been a simple ransoming. Neither of these two were smart enough to formulate a plan more complicated than sword pointing. We would soon get to the bottom of it.
When we delivered Valla and her maid to the palace, I informed Emil of the two highwaymen. We had gone through their kit for any weapons but stopped at that. Now their possessions would be searched for clues as to their mission. I suspected certain members of the Reichsparliament were behind the attempted abduction. One of the men had a calling card of Eric Vorschstag who was secretary to Armand Kriegen, a member of the Reichsparliament. Father appeared shortly after that on unrelated business. He sent a message to his office and several senior deputies were summoned.
After a lengthy conference with Emil, Father and Halkar, it was agreed the men would be held for trial. If found guilty Halkar would instruct the magistrate that hanging would not be allowed. It was departure for crimes against government officials and peerage, but he wanted to give these young fools a chance to see the error in their ways. Both of the men were older than me, but I kept quiet and observed Halkar’s method of converting a liability into an asset.
When I returned to the palace after a bath and change of clothes I spent some time in Emil’s company.
“I believe that Kriegen is one of the ringleaders in this attempt to subvert the Governor’s control of the Reichsparliament, he apparently offered the two fools quite a sum to send a message to Lord Halkar. That message was to resign or see his daughter’s corpse on his doorstep. They were to take her to a safe place and hand her over to Kriegen’s men. They have agreed to tell their story in open court. They will not be hanged but they will spend some time in prison. I feel confident that they had not read the letter that was to be delivered to Lord Halkar. They were only told to deliver lady Valla to a particular location, they would probably not have seen another sunrise,” Emil surmised.
“Fools, how did they think they would get past the guard and myself? They were sacrificial lambs I suspect,” I agreed.
“I suppose I should get in the habit of wearing a cuirass. Perhaps a leather one will do. I don’t wish to make Valla a widow before she becomes a bride.”
“Your father has dispatched deputies to instruct the marshals in Oslo. We’ll get the secretary to talk and then follow where it leads. I’d like to get them all in one sweep, but that’s unlikely,” Emil observed.
I have someone who could be of assistance. Edvard Gundersen is a man I met on my way back from Oslo. I have some influence over him. He may know nothing, but he is a bureaucrat and they always know more than they should. He will probably have something useful to contribute,” I suggested.
You have learned well My Lord, nothing much gets past you does it?” Emil smiled.
“I’ve had a good teacher,” I replied.
At my office I did a little business on behalf of the engineers organization. I approved all but two of the requests for farmland. I made notes where the application letter omitted things I wanted to know. I sent all of them back to my agent and looked over more plans for buildings in Freyanhjem. A public hall for weddings, dances and community gatherings, away from the church had been suggested.
There was room for that and more. I consulted with Father about most things, but some like the hall, were my decision alone.
I made the rounds of the local innovators. Jan was busy but made time to talk to me. He showed me new designs for other construction machines, including a towering digging machine. It looked like a siege engine and had two winches powered by donkeys. I urged him to test the tensile strength of the lines that operated the booms and bucket. I gave him the name of a shipwright in Bergen and suggested that he discuss the issue with him. Olaf Knudsen could introduce Jan to the finest makers of rope in all of Norway.
May approached rapidly, Valla would be turning sixteen on the twenty-eighth.
Before I prepared for the party, Father called me aside. He presented me with a razor and bade me learn to use it. He spent over an hour instructing me on its use. I mixed the soap and lathered my face, then used a wooden stand-in to remove the lather. Father took pity on me shaved me with his own hand. He didn’t want me looking like I had lost a saber battle.
It was a grand affair, most of the eligible young women and young men attended the soiree. I took a little ribbing for pursuing an older woman.
I danced with Valla exclusively. Although she did dance with a couple of other boys. They had all been friends long before I arrived in Halla.
Valla made a lovely speech, her lilting voice thanked all of her friends for attending. A toast was given and we all cheered.
There were younger mothers and fathers in the woods near Haluken, but that was the clan way. If a girl was fifteen, she could take a mate. Often, conception preceded the wedding ceremony. As long as they were promised, they were considered married.
After that, I needed to make another trip to Haluken and then Oslo. I was expected to sit in on the trial of the conspirators. A prosecutor and three Magistrates had come from Copenhagen.
Father, Jørgen and I would take my carriage and exchange horses along the way. We were all heavily armed. Pistols swords and short muskets, plus crossbows. We all carried daggers as well.
Father and I had improved the brake design on the carriage. It would need adjustment when in Oslo, but the guardsmen would supervise closely. I had taken two of them through the procedure and they would know what to look for. Halkar had sent along a contingent of Stillesoldt to go ahead of us and observe the roads for suspicious activity.
The trip down was rapid because we never stopped, longer than it took to exchange horses and guardsmen. During these stops, I checked the brake mechanism and then had a piss or whatever else I needed to do. As we neared Oslo we slowed our gait to be less conspicuous.
When we arrived at our house in Oslo, the royal guard were already surrounding the place.
Twenty-three men were on trial for their lives. Five of them were senators of the Reichsparliament. It would be a tense several days. Marshals were at every port and on every road checking to see who wanted to leave Norway by sea or land. Two men were apprehended trying to cross into Sweden. They used fraudulent diplomatic documents and were returned to Oslo. They were like rats and mice driven before a forest fire.
Kriegen had agreed to testify against other conspirators who were yet unknown to the marshals. He was stabbed by another inmate during his afternoon exercise period. He died from his wounds, but not before naming some very prominent names. Now there were seven more men on trial. The inmate was kept under heavy guard until he could testify who had paid him. Oskar Ludt would serve the rest of his life in prison. Oskar was a very influential man in Oslo and in Stockholm. It had always been suspected that his sentiments lay with the Swedes. All of his assets were frozen by the state and forfeit to the crown. His fleet of cargo ships were handed to new masters. Men who were known to be loyal to Norway and Denmark. The old masters of the ships were simply given other assignments, they just weren’t allowed to go to Sweden. It didn’t mean they were guilty of anything, it was a security measure. Oskar Ludt used the ships and their small crews to take untaxed monies to Sweden to invest in businesses with nearly guaranteed profit. He had the backing of the Swedish crown. Nothing escaped the eyes of the Stillesoldt at the crossing to Sweden, or the Marshals at the ports. Watch was kept on any bit of coast that one could land a boat. There were one hundred and three names on the list of men who were presumed to be involved in a treasonous conspiracy. As soon as Ludt was arrested, prominent men began to go missing.
Edvard Gundersen turned out to be of some assistance to the marshals. One of the other bureaucrats was handed a note by a runner. The man turned quite pale and left his desk, dropping the note in the waste bin. Gundersen waited long enough for the man to leave and retrieved the note. He took the note outside to a marshal and handed it over. It was a warning to leave Norway and keep his mouth shut. Linde Sorensen was thorough, he cut his hair, shaved off his beard and put on the clothes of a sogneprest. But instead of wearing more modest footwear, he wore his favorite shoes which were always highly polished. It didn’t add up to the Marshal who encountered him at the dock. The Marshal was a devout Lutheran and questioned the priest over a matter of church law. Sorensen couldn’t answer, he was catholic. Eventually he admitted who he was, after Gundersen pointed him out from ten feet away.
Gundersen may have been a philanderer, but he was loyal to Norway.
Of the hundred and three, one was murdered, eight committed suicide. The rest, depending on their part in the scheme, would spend time in prison and had their assets seized. The surviving main actors in this farce went to the gallows in Copenhagen. Lord Longlund was the last man captured. Christian placed him under house arrest in Copenhagen because he was a member of the peerage. A small percentage of the seized assets were released so that the wives and children of these men, would not freeze or starve. They would have to do without servants and carriages. The settlement was fair and if managed correctly, the families would be comfortable but not wealthy. Some of the men were my neighbors. I commissioned Eskind to bid on a couple of properties that were suddenly available and auctioned by the government. The one I was successful on, was four times the size of our nice little house that Valla loved so, and half the price.
It had been a whim and I expected to be outbid, I was surprised when I wasn’t. I took possession of the place two days after the payment had been registered. It was lavishly furnished. Even the cellars had polished stone floors. The wine cellar was full of the finest wines available.
I had the cheeses and meats delivered to the children’s home. It would just spoil if left on its own. Before I could make a decision about the place, I needed to speak with Valla. I had no intention of living there. I considered turning into flats for government workers. Most of them had to live quite a ways from the Reichsparliament.
It was four stories, it could accommodate twelve flats easily. There was a coach house and stables in the rear.
I toyed with the idea of having a caretaker live in the cellar. There was room for a comfortably sized flat, even with the equipment. I decided to discuss it with Valla. If she agreed, I would have someone perform the needed changes. I could consult Halkar on the subject of future tenants.
I was right in guessing that Valla wouldn’t even consider living in a barn like the place I had just purchased. She agreed that turning it into a block of flats was better use of the space. The only hurdle was getting approval for the conversion. I consulted with Ingmar, he was Father’s chief deputy marshal and controlled the Oslo sector. He not only approved but was sure that he could convince the neighbors of the practicality. He also had suggestions for possible tenants. I agreed to let him know when the flats were ready.
I asked Eskind to find a good contractor for the changes needed. Without intending to, I seemed to have become Eskind’s employer. I suggested we work out a budget for acquiring worthy properties. He could manage them and hire caretakers and cleaners for the common areas. There was space for a live in stabler over the stables. It wasn’t lush but it was comfortable. It had room for a family or two single men. I had another idea that I would discuss with my own stable master. There were no liveries within a reasonable walking distance. Most were near the harbor or at the other end of town. I was thinking in terms of a coach service and horses to hire. I would file that away for after the wedding.
Life returned to normal, at least as normal as it could be in my situation. I divided my time between Halla, Freyanhjem, Haluken and Oslo. Halkar often preferred to go by carriage and had obtained a carriage with an extremely good brake system. I should know, I had designed it. I had also received an open patent, which meant anyone could use the innovations.
The engineering society was doing well, I had attended several meetings. Danish engineers had visited and decided to start a branch in Copenhagen. They adopted our rules of operation and our organizations became linked.
I had to deal with a bit of trouble east of Freyanhjem. It was a dispute about who owned which parcel and where the property line was. Neither of the men owned a compass and wouldn’t admit they were directionally challenged. The surveyor went back and laid out the stakes again and the men were happy.
Before long, leaves were turning, Fall would be upon us soon. That would lead to winter and soon after the new year, I would be installed as the Viscount. Once that was completed, Valla and I would be wed. We planned an April wedding. We hoped that Christian would attend, but it mightn’t be possible for him to get away. He was still vetting replacements for the officials who had been arrested. He would consult with Halkar, but there were more candidates for appointments in Denmark.
I spent an evening with our new Sogneprest at his home. His lovely young wife was grateful for all the help she had received from the clans people. The grocer and his wife were doing well and had hired a young man to help out. The Smith now had four apprentices.
I had arranged for a Clan wedding to take place near Haluken after our official wedding in Halla. I thought a lot about all the changes of circumstance I had undergone. My life would certainly be busy. Hopefully we would have a houseful of children in a few years. We had discussed spreading them out, but Valla said nature would decide.
I often thought of little Edgar, it no longer gave me as much pain. I had dreamed that he and his mother were reunited in the next life. I had also rescued Ranulf, something I will always be grateful for. He was learning at a phenomenal rate. He would probably never be physically large, but he was strong, he had spent too much time without enough to eat. It had stunted him, or possibly it was something that ran in his family.
He and Ivy were sad that they would be split up, but I assured them once again that they would have visits as often as we could manage.
Rilla told me he would miss me in many ways. Our affection for each other would survive, but it would be different. We didn’t lie together very often. He was very attached to Trina. I suspected he had found his bride, but he didn’t confirm it.