Countryside near Ledecestre, thirteen years before, 721 AD
The sense of guilt tormenting Heremod for the death of his cousin led him to make enquiries about the king"s court. What he learned about it at Tame Weorth gave him hope for justice. It must be true that the king defended the poor and oppressed, if this was the opinion held by everyone he had spoken with at market. In that case, he must convince Goda to appeal to Æthelbald.
Heremod"s common sense told him their situation was unsustainable. Scraping a living for himself and Osythe was hard and with a babe on the way… now, the widow and her two children were a burden beyond his strength and means. For the moment, the woman was paying her way, but the money could not last forever.
Steeling himself for a difficult conversation, he r
