He was embarrassed again. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“It’s not you, really.” She did not want to complain about how awful England was. She fastened on the outlaw. “I lost something precious today.”
“I’m sorry. What was it?”
“A gift for my husband-to-be, a belt with a silver buckle. I was so looking forward to giving it to him.”
“What a shame.”
“It was stolen by a man wearing a helmet.”
“That sounds like Ironface. He’s an outlaw. He tried to steal my family’s piglet, but my dog gave warning.”
A man with a bald head came into the house and approached Ragna. Like Dreng, he bore a faint resemblance to Wilwulf. “Welcome to Dreng’s Ferry, my lady,” he said. “I’m Degbert, dean of the minster and landlord of the village.” In a lower voice he said to Edgar: “Push off, lad.”
Edgar got up and left.
Degbert sat down uninvited on the stool vacated by Edgar. “Your fiancé is my cousin,” he said.
Ragna said politely: “I’m glad to meet you.”
“We’re honored to receive you here.”
“It’s a pleasure,” she lied. She wondered how long it would be before she could go to sleep.
She made small talk with Degbert for a few dull minutes, then Edgar returned, accompanied by a stout little man in clerical dress carrying a chest. Degbert looked up at them and said irritably: “What’s this?”
Edgar said: “I asked Cuthbert to bring some of his jewelry to show the lady Ragna. She lost something precious today—Ironface robbed her—and she may like to replace it.”
Degbert hesitated. He was clearly enjoying his monopoly of the high-ranking visitor. However, he decided to yield gracefully. “We at the minster are proud of Cuthbert’s skill,” he said. “I hope you’ll find something to your liking, my lady.”
Ragna was skeptical. The best English jewelry was splendid, and was prized all over Europe, but that did not mean that everything produced by Englishmen would be good; and it seemed unlikelythat fine things would be made in this little settlement. But she was glad to get rid of Degbert.
Cuthbert had a timid air. He said nervously: “May I open the box, my lady? I don’t want to intrude, but Edgar said you might be interested.”
“By all means,” said Ragna. “I’d love to see.”
“You don’t have to buy anything, don’t worry.” Cuthbert spread a blue cloth on the floor and opened the chest. It was full of objects wrapped in woolen cloth. He brought items out one by one, carefully unwrapped them, and laid them in front of Ragna, glancing anxiously at her all the time. She was pleased to see that the quality of the workmanship was high. He had made brooches, buckles, clasps, arm rings, and finger rings, mostly silver, all engraved with elaborate patterns, often inlaid with a black substance that Ragna assumed was niello, a mixture of metals.
Her eye lit on a chunky arm ring with a masculine look. She picked it up and found it satisfyingly heavy. It was silver with an engraved pattern of intertwining serpents, and she could picture it on Wilwulf’s muscular arm.
Cuthbert said slyly: “You’ve picked my best piece, my lady.”
She studied it. She felt sure Wilwulf would like it, and wear it with pride. She said: “What’s the price?”
“There’s a lot of silver in it.”
“Is the silver pure?”
“One part in twenty is copper, for strength,” he said. “Same as our silver coins.”
“Very good. How much?”
“Would it be for Ealdorman Wilwulf?”
Ragna smiled. He was not going to name a price until he had to. He was trying to figure out how much she would be willing to pay. Cuthbert might be timid, she thought, but he was sly, too. “Yes,” she replied. “A wedding gift.”
“In that case, I must let you have it for no more than it cost me, as my way of honoring your nuptial celebrations.”
