The Copper Sign (49 page)

“Stop tormenting yourself, Ellen! You couldn’t know what was going to happen. It didn’t bring your mother any happiness, either. She died less than three weeks after Aelfgiva’s death, shortly after Leofric was born. I’ve often wondered if he is Sir Miles’s son…”

“Fortunately, he looks like Osmond. Otherwise, I don’t know if I could have stayed in that house with him under the same roof.”

The two of them kept walking along slowly toward the tannery and could already smell its heavy odor in the air.

“It didn’t bring any luck to Sir Miles, either. Almost one year to the day after Aelfgiva’s death he had a hunting accident, fell from his horse and broke his neck. After that he had trouble walking, and when the king had Thomas Becket assassinated, he was the first of his men in Orford to vanish. I’m sure that Aelfgiva put a curse on both of them at the moment of her death.” Simon appeared satisfied with that outcome.

Ellen had no objection to this sort of justice, either.

Hard work had given Simon’s mother a gaunt look, but otherwise it was astonishing how little she had changed. She smelled just as strong as before and smiled lovingly at her son as soon as she saw him.

When Ellen walked up to her, she squinted and cried out, “By all the saints! So it’s true, Ellenweore! You look well, like the very flower of life!” Her whole face beamed. She had only a single tooth left in her upper jaw and two in the lower. The rest must have rotted away. She took Ellen in her arms joyfully and held her tight. The strong tannery odor almost made Ellen ill, but she tried to be cordial and smiled at Simon’s mother.

“And things are going well, too. I’m working again in the smithy.”

Ellen stepped back a bit.

“The brush maker said just recently that there was a red-haired woman working in the smithy, but I couldn’t believe it was really you.” She turned around to her son. “Simon, did you know?”

“Hm…” he replied with some embarrassment.

“And until now you didn’t bring her over to visit?” She laughed in disbelief. “He never forgot you, Ellenweore. His heart always belonged to you!”

Ellen blushed. “I think I’ll have to return home. No one knows where I am, and Osmond gets worried so easily,” she stammered.

“And who can blame him!” Simon’s mother nodded with understanding and stroked Ellen’s cheek with her gnarled fingers. Ellen smiled reluctantly and said good-bye.

“I’ll go back a ways with you,” Simon offered.

“That’s not necessary, really,” said Ellen, not looking him in the eye.

“Oh, but I will,” he insisted. “I won’t be able to sleep tonight until I know you are safely back home.”

Simon’s tender gaze was suddenly too much for Ellen to bear.

“I’ll get a horse from the stable and leave for Ipswich today. You can’t imagine what I saw in Woodbridge yesterday,” Ellen said excitedly as she entered the shop.

“Are you back already?” asked Jean and Leofric, looking at her questioningly. They hadn’t expected her until the following day.

“An oculist! Do you know what an oculist is?” Ellen’s cheeks glowed with excitement.

Leofric was the first to respond. “No, I have no idea. What is it?”

“I saw him in Woodbridge in the market square. He announced he could make blind people see again!”

“Oh, he probably thinks of himself as a miracle worker.” Jean smirked. He had traveled too much in the company of magicians to believe in miracles. Most so-called miracles were not that at all. They alleged that they could heal the lame and give sight to the blind, who until just the day before had enjoyed perfect eyesight. Those allegedly sick people were members of the group of healers and saints and financially part of their success.

“Maybe you don’t believe it, but I have seen it!”

“Oh, really?” Jean teased her.

“The man’s eyes were completely white, just like Osmond’s, but after the oculist had stuck a long needle in his eye, the white disappeared and the eye was clear again. The man cried with joy and swore that the pain of the operation had been worth it. I saw the whiteness in his eyes, and that is not something you can fake,” she countered, insisting that the miracle was genuine. “I want the man to treat Osmond, as well, but it’s expensive, and what with the fire and the long winter we haven’t been able to save enough money yet. I’ll ride to Ipswich and ask Kenny for money, or if necessary, Aedith.”

Jean and Leofric exchanged glances and shrugged. “Well, if you think so…”

“I’ll start out early, and I’ll be back in a few days. The oculist will be in St. Edmundsbury soon, and we can spend the night there with Mildred.” Ellen blew a kiss to them both. “You’ll get along just fine without me, won’t you? Jean, if the sergeant comes about the lance and you’re not finished, tell him he’ll have to wait a bit longer because I had to leave and there are only two of you here. Don’t worry if he makes a fuss. And you, Leofric, clean the tools and get the shop in order. When I get back, every corner will be tidied up!” Jean grumbled while Leofric looked resigned. He had learned from experience that it was better to do what Ellen demanded.

The very next morning, Ellen rented a horse from the largest stable in Orford. For the first time she chose not a pony but a regular riding horse in order to get to Ipswich faster.

“Don’t worry, it’s as tame as a lamb and especially suited for a less experienced rider,” the owner assured her, saddling up the plain-looking brown mare and putting its bridle on.

Simon was at that moment delivering leather to the stable, and when he heard of Ellen’s plan he volunteered to accompany her.

Ellen declined politely. She liked Simon and knew how much he adored her, but the thought of being alone with him for a long period of time made her uneasy. People were talking about her too much already. She set out in haste and arrived in Ipswich before nightfall.

She rode directly to the Cloth Merchants Lane and knocked on Kenny’s door. After what seemed an eternity, someone came shuffling to let her in.

A grim-looking servant stood in the doorway. “What do you want?” he demanded crossly.

“I’d like to see my brother.”

“Your brother?” he asked, irritated.

“Yes, I’d like to see Kenny.”

“Ah, I didn’t know he had a third sister,” he grumbled. “Come in, I’ll take you to him if you want, but you won’t like what you see.” Holding a small lantern, he lighted the way for her down a narrow corridor. “This way, follow me!” The lantern in his hand swung back and forth violently.

Ellen wondered anxiously what the servant might have meant with his comment as she followed him up a steep wooden staircase.

The oak door to Kenny’s room creaked loudly as it opened. At first Ellen saw only the huge pile of documents on the large desk, and then she saw her brother sitting behind it. He had to be about seventeen years old now, but he looked older. He grabbed a silver goblet and eagerly drank from it, then, squinting, leaned over the desk toward her. “Ellen?” he asked. The red wine flowed down his chin as he took another long gulp. “I’m happy that Aedith wasn’t lying, and that you are still alive!” he mumbled. Then he set the goblet down, wiped his mouth on his sleeve, and belched. “This is my last drop. All I have left is debts. In the last two years I have lost three shiploads,” he lamented in a voice full of self-pity. “And ever since Grandfather died, all my clients have left me as well.” He stared at Ellen with glassy eyes. “I’ll lose the house, my creditors are breathing down my neck, and there is nothing I can do. I can’t do anything right, not as a smith nor as a merchant, and I’ll end my days as a beggar.” In despair, Kenny took another swig from the goblet. “And what do you want?” he growled at his sister. “Do you want money from me like all the others?” He burst out laughing and gulped down the last of the wine.

Ellen didn’t say why she had come. It was clearly not the right moment to talk with him about someone else’s grief. She walked over to him, put her hand around his shoulder, and looked him in the eye. “You can come home anytime. You are always welcome in Osmond’s house. You know that, don’t you?”

Kenny groaned. “I’d be embarrassed to death.”

“You were too young for such responsibility. If Grandfather had been able to be there for you longer, everything would have been different. Please, Kenny, there’s always a way out, but this isn’t the answer.” Ellen pointed at the pitcher of wine. “May I stay here tonight? I want to go and see Aedith tomorrow. You know where she lives, don’t you?”

“Of course I know, I still have some cloth to deliver to her. Unfortunately she has already paid for it, and I don’t have a single bale of decent cloth left to give to her.”

“She’s your sister,” Ellen said, trying to console him.

“And she’d send me to the gallows without blinking an eye if her husband were not such a reasonable man!”

“You’re being too hard on her, Kenny,” Ellen scolded.

“I’m as soft and pliable as a feather in comparison to her, but you’ll see for yourself. It doesn’t matter why you are going to see her tomorrow, she’ll treat you like dirt, the way she treats everyone else. I’ll show you the way to her house, but I won’t go in with you.” He turned away and mumbled something, shaking his head. “No, I won’t do that.”

Even though Kenny gave her Grandfather’s old room, the one with the large bed, many pillows, and soft down comforter, she had a bad night’s sleep, with too many doubts about what she planned to do. What could she do if Aedith actually refused to help? And what could she do for Kenny? She’d have to encourage him to come to Orford, and perhaps he actually could help a bit in the smithy. After all, he was Osmond’s son, and there would certainly be something he could do. In the morning, she washed her face, neck, and hands, looked for the little bag of herbs in her pack, and cleaned her teeth. Taken with a little drink of water, the herbs left a refreshing taste in her mouth. She put on the green dress she had brought along for the visit to Aedith’s house in the hopes of impressing her sister and convincing her to help. Although the dress was not the latest fashion, the material had a pretty sheen to it and in contrast with her other clothes was clean and didn’t have any burn holes in it. Ellen combed her locks with her fingers and tied them together with a green ribbon.

Kenny went along with her to Aedith’s house. He looked dreadful—too much wine and too many worries about money had left deep shadows around his swollen eyes. “I’ll wait back there for you. I don’t think you will be long.” Kenny laughed bitterly. “It doesn’t matter what you want from her, she’ll first listen and then throw you out,” he predicted.

Ellen walked over to the large door and knocked. A neatly dressed servant opened the door at once and asked politely what she wanted. He showed her into the courtyard and looked her up and down. He seemed to doubt that she was really the sister of his lady and asked her to wait. Before long Aedith appeared.

“Ellen!” she said with a smile, but her voice sounded as cold as a winter’s night. She moved a few steps closer. “Let’s have a look at you…” she said, taking Ellen by the hands and looking down at her. “Well,” she said sarcastically, “in any case, I like you better this way than when you were dressed in boys’ clothes.”

“You look very well, Aedith!” Ellen tried hard to strike a conciliatory tone.

“Of course, and I do things to keep myself that way. Fortunately, I have no children—they just ruin your figure,” she said in a harsh voice.

Kenny is right
, Ellen thought.
She is just as disagreeable now as before
.

“I’ve come to ask you for help. Not for myself,” she added quickly, as her sister’s eyes narrowed to angry little slits.

“If it’s that rascal Kenny who’s sent you, then I’ve got to disappoint you. He won’t get another penny from me. I paid for my last order in advance, because he asked me to. I’ll probably never get to see the material.” Aedith had stepped back and was looking at Ellen as if she were a traitor.

“I’ve heard about Kenny’s problems, and perhaps you are even right with your doubts about the material, but I’m not here because of him, but because of Osmond.”

“What does he want?” Aedith asked, her voice full of contempt.

Ellen had to get a good grip on herself not to kick her sister again in the shin.

“He’s blind, Aedith. I’d like to take him to an oculist. Have you ever seen how they can restore sight to blind people?”

“Bah!” was all Aedith said.

“The oculist charges a lot of money. I work for Osmond, and we have plenty of work, but the winter was long and hard this year. In addition, the smithy burned down a while ago and I built it up again, but it took all my savings. We couldn’t put much money aside, and we still need eight shillings for Father’s treatment.”

“My husband is old and ugly, and I’m really paying more than my share for my prosperity. And you dare to come here and beg me for money? How stupid to you think I am? Do you think I don’t know that all you want is to have a life of luxury at my expense?”

Ellen was shocked at what Aedith suggested. “You’re wrong, Aedith! I only want Osmond to get his eyesight back,” she started to say. But when she saw Aedith’s cold stare, she turned away. “Forget it, Aedith, just forget I was even here. Forget who we are and where you come from. I’ll save the money and take him to the oculist next year.” Ellen turned away and left her sister standing there. Angrily she slammed the front door behind her. “Such a silly goose,” she muttered, and returned to the corner where Kenny was waiting for her. “I should have listened to you, that silly…”

“It’s not worth it getting upset over her. You didn’t tell me what you wanted from her, but I knew she wouldn’t help. That’s just the way she is—I think she enjoys being mean.”

Ellen fell silent. She was much too angry to give any further thought to her sister. Instead, she asked her brother if she could stay one more night. Because Kenny’s pantry was empty, she went out and bought a large meat pasty, flour, eggs, and a loaf of bread. Shortly before nightfall Ellen knocked at his door, and a few minutes later the old servant appeared and invited her to come in.