Often my best ideas come to me as I lie half-awake in my bed in the morning and so it happened on this occasion. After breakfast, I kissed my mother and hurried through the village to my favourite spot near Edwy’s Cross. I sat on the tree bole and stared at the stonework. This was the idea that had come to me in bed. Right here in Riding, I had the template for my scrollwork. The interlacing around the panels was intricate. I gazed until my eyes were sore, understanding how it had been crafted. Only now did I begin to realise what a task the monk had set me to please the king. I knew that I was now as good if not better than father at tooling leather.
Where had I seen similar decorative work? Ah, ay, my mother’s jewellery. Heaven knew, she possessed very little, but I recalled the shoulde
