Chapter 6Barking Abbey, Lunden, 695 - 705 AD
When life is led by the intermittence of bells, the seasons pass and lose their importance in favour of daily chores. Thus, Cynethryth lost count of the winters by which she numbered the passing years and yet she, more than her sisters, referred to the seasons. A knowledge of plant growth determined by the weather conditions was essential for an infirmarian. The revelation from the lips of the mother superior that nine years had passed since the visit of Cuthburga shook Cynethryth. A rapid calculation told her that her son would now be a youth of ten and five years – almost a man. How she ached to see the changes in him. But the abbess's sharp tone brought her back to matters in hand.
“Are you paying attention, Sister?”
“I'm sorry, Mother. I-
