Falls Ende

Chapter 9

While Godwin prospered as a result of Lord Mellester's decision to award him with title on his lands, not everything had gone well. Sir William Ainsley, Lord of Mellester, passed away in his sleep about four years ago, and Sir Wystan Ainsley, his heir, became Lord of Mellester.

Eager to prove himself and influence other lords and knights, the new lord began to hold regular feasts. He spent an enormous amount of money to impress his guests, and even hoped that word of his feasts and generosity would reach the ears of the king.

In fact, the king had heard about the goings-on at Mellester, but not quite in the manner Sir Wystan envisioned. Rumours surfaced at court about lavish spending by the new lord of Mellester, and word went around that Sir Wystan incurred substantial debt while the manor failed to prosper.

Ever since that fateful day when Lord Mellester released Sir Wystan of his oath, things hadn't gone well for young man. His circle of close friends diminished, he was no longer invited to events and gatherings of social importance, and to compensate for the expenses the manor couldn't afford, against all wise counsel, Sir Wystan raised taxes and levies and the people of Mellester suffered. Small businesses and merchants dependant on a flourishing local economy began to struggle. Many went hungry and where jobs were once plentiful, now quite a few flag-fallen7 beggars roamed the streets and petty crime increased.

Reeve Norman tried unsuccessfully to change the ways of the young lord. As a reward for his diligence and years of dedicated service, he was replaced by Reeve Merick, a sycophant with far less experience in overseeing farming. Norman now lived in his cruck8 house, selling a few eggs to help make ends meet. The childless Norman was like a surrogate father to Odo, and as he advanced in years, he welcomed the relationship with the young man.

Odo's cows produced milk, which he sold to Gerald, who in turn made cheese - they were both dependant on each other. However, Odo intuitively knew that if he were to succeed, he would need customers beyond Mellester Manor, and would have to produce more milk with higher efficiency.

His milking cows were not large animals and thus produced a small amount of milk. He had an untested theory; if he cross-bred one of his cows with a larger bull from a different breed, he could end up with a bigger cow that produced more milk per day, for a longer period of time.

He knew of a local bull that would be adequate for testing this theory. It was stabled only a few miles away and owned by Lord Mellester. He approached the new reeve, asked about renting the bull to service his cows and was told he would need to take the matter up with the lord.

Since that memorable day in Mellester Hall ten years ago, Odo had little interaction with the new lord. Lord Mellester seldom wandered his lands and chose not to involve himself in the mundane and routine matters of farming, preferring to hunt and host feasts instead. Odo decided it was time to go to Lord Mellester and seek permission to obtain the bull.

Rather than act rashly, Odo sought counsel from Norman and Gerald. Both were supportive of his idea but reminded him it was an expensive gamble. He could end up with a larger cow that ate more grass and produced the same amount of milk as the smaller breed. Charlotte, ever faithful, believed and shared in Odo's vision, and encouraged him as much as she could. She was also the moderated voice of reason, however, and insisted he be extremely careful.

Rain continued to fall and the sky was bleak. There was no hope that the weather would improve anytime soon. The deluge beat down on Odo and Norman as they trudged up the carriageway towards Mellester Hall, and by the time they were both granted admittance, they were soaked through.

Understandably, Odo was a little nervous and unsure how the lord would react to his request. He didn't know if there was any lingering animosity towards him. Norman believed there was some resentment and Charlotte agreed, they both urged caution. Lord Mellester was unpredictable and fickle.

Their visit was short-lived, and by the end of it Odo believed he should have stayed home. Lord Mellester, slouched in his seat, drank wine and barely looked at him or even listened as he pleaded his argument for creating a cross-breed of cow. The lord wanted no part of it and offered no explanation on his decision. With an indifferent wave of his lordship's hand, Odo was dismissed, and he and Norman dejectedly sloshed home.

Charlotte insisted that the lord's rejection was in fact an opportunity to look for a better bull elsewhere and that Sir Wystan had actually done Odo a favour. Norman suggested that Odo should visit the neighbouring Ridgley Manor. Herdsman Searl, he said, had access to a very large bull.