I returned to my beloved Estrid with my mind in a turmoil. Cnut’s betrayal of the men of Lindsey weighed heavily upon me. I needed to share my feelings with somebody and in the absence of Asbeorn, who had gone back to Upsal, who better than Estrid? So I thought, yet she did not understand my scruples and did not attempt to improve my black moods which were made worse by her lack of comprehension. Was she trying to defend her brother’s cowardly behaviour or simply diminishing the importance of my qualms? Either way, the risk of souring our marriage over my principles proved so real that I decided I would deal with my obsession elsewhere.
I made the choice to leave Estrid in Trøndelag to shake her out of the complacent belief I would adore her regardless of differences on matters of princip
