WORLD WITHOUT END by Ken Follett The sequel to "The Pillars ofthe Earth"

Outline-Final draft with additions 350,000 words anticipated 17 June 2005 Part 1: All Hallows' Day, 1327

Kingsbridge is now one of the largest cities in England, with 7,000 population. For comparison, York is England's second city with 11,000; London has 35,000; and Florence is probably the largest city in the world with 70,000 people.

Chapter 1 1. It is Sunday 1 November. Just before dawn, thousands of people crowd into Kingsbridge Cathedral for a special service that takes place only when All Hallows falls on a Sunday. The cavernous interior is lit by a few torches that cast cavorting shadows. The church bell tolls once. The torches are extinguished by hooded monks. The congregation falls silent. In complete darkness, a terrible scream is heard. More noise follows: drumming, wailing, clanging, animal sounds. Small children cry and adults laugh nervously. In the congregation is Oran, from the nearby village of Wigleigh, with his wife, Ethna, and two of their children, Philemon (12) and Gwenda (9). They belong to the lowest stratum of village society, for Oran is a landless labourer, hiring himself out to whomever will employ him. He gets work in the busy summer months, but during the winter the family struggles to survive. Our point of view character is Gwenda. She is frightened-but not of the noise, which she knows to be made by the monks. In the darkness, she must steal. If she is caught, she will be punished; but if she refuses, her father will beat her mercilessly. She slips through the crowd, emptying purses she identified before the lights went out. Her brother, Philemon, used to do this, but now he is too big and clumsy. A new sound arises: music. The choir is singing. Gwenda knows she has only a few more seconds of darkness left, but she fears she has not got enough loot to satisfy her father. She decides to rob one more purse. As the choir becomes louder, the cacophony dies away. A candle is lit, then another, then dozens. Outside, dawn is breaking. Gwenda is almost caught robbing the last purse, but she slips out of her victim's grasp. She feels sure she has been spotted by another child, a richly dressed girl slighter older than Gwenda; but the rich girl says nothing. The church fills with music and light. The prior, Anthony, appears before the altar and says: So, once again, the evil and darkness of this world are banished by the harmony and light of the church. Gwenda hands her takings over to Oran, trembling with relief.

2. The person she robbed last is Sir Gerald Porlock, a knight down on his luck. He is with his wife, Maude, and their two sons, Merthin (11) and Ralph (10). Sir Gerald is an impractical romantic. He often tells the story of how he fell in love with Maude instantly, on seeing her in a crowd, but she disappeared before he could speak to her, and he carried a torch for her for years, until by chance he encountered her again. The loss of his purse is merely the latest misfortune to strike Sir Gerald. He is in trouble, and cannot pay his debts. His wife is more sensible, but has been unable to

2 prevent her husband mismanaging their money. However, she has persuaded him to stop letting matters drift, and they have come to Kingsbridge to work out a solution with his main creditor, the priory, with the help of Gerald's old friend and distant cousin Roland, the earl of Shiring. Sir Gerald is proud of his noble ancestry. His great-grandmother, Lady Aileen, was sister to Earl Roland's great-grandfather. They in turn were the grandchildren of Thomas, who became earl of Shiring in the year that Archbishop Becket was murdered. Earl Thomas's parents were Lady Aliena and Jack Builder. Merthin is our point-of-view-character. The older son, he is smaller than his brother. He has red hair and light-brown eyes that are almost gold in colour. Bright, charming and impish, he is his mother's favourite. To his soldier father, he is a disappointment. He is keen to be a knight and fight for the king, but in fact he shows no aptitude for anything military. The younger son, Ralph, is his father's consolation. Tall and athletic, he excels at all sports and games. He sometimes bullies his smaller elder brother, though Merthin, being cleverer, usually gets his own back. Their mother always says to Merthin: "Look after your little brother." This seems ironic, given that Ralph is bigger and stronger than Merthin. But Merthin knows what she means: Ralph's aggression and foolhardiness can get him into trouble. After the service, the Porlock family eat communal breakfast at the priory hospital, where they are lodging. A hospital at this point in history is the same as a hotel and a hostel. It is used by pilgrims, travelling merchants, and visiting noblemen as well as sick people. Poor people stay free (but only for one night), others pay. It consists of a long main room with an altar at the eastern end, plus one or two private rooms for aristocratic guests. (This mingling of sick with healthy visitors will be an issue later in the story.) It is a fine day, cold but sunny. After breakfast there is compulsory archery practice-a royal edict intended to improve the military skills of the population. The longbow is the stealth bomber of the Middle Ages. Six feet high, it fires a three-foot arrow that can kill a man at 200 yards. It has given English kings victory over Scottish mountain men and armoured French knights. Merthin and Ralph want to join the practice, but they are laughed at. The longbow requires a pull of l OOlbs, impossible for a child. Anticipating this, Merthin has made a bow of his own, smaller, but no one believes it will be any good. They meet up with several other children who will feature in the story as adults: Charis ( 10) is the only child bright enough to interest Merthin. Bored by girls her own age, she will all her life resist attempts to make her behave as a lady should. She is a born leader, and the most popular child in her age group. Philemon (12) is a sneaky boy they all dislike. He hangs around the priory, sucking up to the monks, pretending to be pious. He is a thief, always ready to steal from other children or even adults if he can get away with it. We have already met Gwenda, Philemon's kid sister. She is a plain-looking little girl. She has with her a three-legged dog called Hop. Charis gives Hop a piece of mouldy bacon and he becomes her friend for life.

3 Charis, always the leader, proposes that they hold their own archery practice in the forest--even though they are forbidden to go into the forest alone, and the punishment is severe. But Charis is a rule-breaker; and Merthin and Ralph are still smarting from their rejection, so they agree. They shake off Philemon, who would betray their secret, but Gwenda tags along. All the while, Merthin is worrying about the family crisis. He is old enough to understand the trouble his father is in, and young enough to be frightened of the break-up of the family. Ralph's reaction is different: he is fearful and angry about the humiliation his father may suffer. They find a clearing and try out the bow. Although it is small, its power is awesome. Merthin turns out to be a poor shot, to his distress. Like most small boys of his time, he reveres knights, with their swords and warhorses, and dreams of going to war with the king. His lack of ability distresses him, particularly as it has been witnessed by a girl he would like to impress; but does not cause him to abandon his dreams. Charis demands a try, but Ralph bullyingly says girls can't shoot. Ralph himself turns out to be a natural. First try, he hits a tree. Then he shoots the dog, Hop, killing it. He is pleased with himself, but Gwenda is heartbroken. After more practice, he kills a hare. Suddenly they hear voices. They are frightened of being caught, for they will be punished; but worse will happen if they are taken by outlaws. They hide. They see a knight being chased by two others. The pursuers catch the knight and overpower him. They question him. They find in his possession a letter, written on vellum (paper is not yet in use) and rolled up like a scroll, which they seize triumphantly. It is clear that the two pursuers intend to kill the knight. But he catches them in an unwary moment and draws a concealed knife. There is a fight, and he is wounded, but he kills one and overpowers the other. With his knife at the second man's throat, he asks who sent them. "Earl Roland," comes the reply. The knight kills him. Bleeding, he conceals the bodies perfunctorily. At that point, he spies the children. He grabs Merthin. The others flee. Merthin is terrified. The wounded knight makes him bury the letter in its leather bag. He says: "When you hear that I am dead, bring a priest to this spot and dig up the letter. But if you do so before I'm dead, I will kill you." Then he lets Merthin go. Merthin meets up with the other children. He does not tell them of the buried letter. They are all frightened (all but Gwenda, who has barely taken in what she has seen, being more upset about her dog). They swear an oath never to speak of what they have seen. (Merthin privately worries that Gwenda will not be able to keep the secret, but there is not much he can do about it.) They return to the town. Merthin and Ralph find their parents with Earl Roland, a stem, harsh man, more concerned to be right than kind. The earl has brokered a deal. Sir Gerald will forfeit his modest landholding to the priory in payment of his debts, and will become a pensioner of the priory, or corrodian, living rent-free in a house owned by the monks and supplied with food and drink, for the rest of his life. But what about the boys? Seeing Ralph with the hare he has killed, Earl

4 Roland says: The big one can be a squire in my household, when he is fourteen. Merthin is outraged, and says: But I made the bow! In that case, says Roland, when your brother becomes a squire, you shall be apprenticed to a carpenter. The parents agree, because it gives them both what they want: Sir Gerald will have a soldier son, and Maud's favourite is saved from a life of danger. But Merthin is humiliated and furious.

3. Charis returns home, taking Gwenda with her. Charis was the girl who saw Gwenda stealing in church, but she feels sorry for her and does not betray her secret. The family dog has a litter of puppies. Charis is going to keep one, which she has named Scrap. She gives another to Gwenda, to replace Hop. Gwenda is thrilled, and names the dog Skip. Gwenda becomes Charis's friend for life. Charis belongs to the town's leading family. Her father, Edmund, is a wool merchant, and alderman (i.e. leader) of the guild. Her mother, Rose, is an invalid. Edmund's brother, Anthony, is prior of Kingsbridge. They have an older sister, Petronilla, a widow. Their late father, who started the wool business, was a devout man who vowed to "give" his eldest son to the church. His first child was a girl, Petronilla. His second, Edmund, was born with a deformity, a twisted leg, so was considered not good enough for God (but his intelligence and determination enabled him to take over the business). The third child, Anthony, became a monk. At dinner today, Petronilla tells this well-known family story. Edmund is a strong personality and a bon viveur, something of a Falstaff. He often clashes with his brother, Anthony, who is spiritual and impractical. As a boy, Anthony was given the best of everything-food, clothing, education-and Edmund still resents that. Petronilla is a powerful and domineering personality. She often talks about their father. "My father always wore the finest cloth ... When my father was alive, there was meat on the table at every meal ... The archbishop personally thanked my father for his donation ... My father was educated, that's why he gave me a Latin name-Saint Petronilla was the daughter of Saint Peter, of course ... " She also claims the family is descended from Tom Builder, the original architect of Kingsbridge Cathedral. Since Rose fell ill, Petronilla has tried to take on the role of matriarch of the family. Rose, always a weak person, gives in to Petronilla. Charis hates Petronilla, and is angry with her mother for giving in to her. Charis has an older sister, Alice, who is snobbish and haughty. Alice gets on well with Aunt Petronilla. When Charis arrives home the prioress, Mother Cecilia, is there, attending to Charis's mother, Rose, who has taken a tum for the worse. Charis admires Cecilia as a powerful and independent woman. With Cecilia is an older nun, Sister Juliana. Cecilia talks to Charis and takes to her immediately. Impressed by her intelligence, she urges Edmund to send her to the nunnery school. Perhaps she will become a nun. Edmund has his doubts: he feels that his brother was ruined by becoming a monk. He would like Charis to help him in the wool business. Petronilla says it is Charis's destiny to marry one of the town's prosperous merchants. Charis

5 announces that she wants to be a doctor, so that she can cure people such as her mother when they are suffering. They all laugh: everyone knows that a girl can't be a doctor. Edmund has bought his wife a fine wool coat, something she has always wanted, although she is too self-effacing to demand such a thing. Edmund says she can wear it as soon as she gets better. Cecilia's ministrations usually make Rose feel more comfortable-one of the reasons Charis admires Cecilia so much. But, on this occasion, Rose rapidly becomes worse. Cecilia summons from the priory Brother Joseph, a university-educated monk­ physician. Charis is tortured by her inability to help her mother. Eventually, Sister Juliana emerges from the sick room. With great gentleness, she tells Charis that her mother is dead. Petronilla tells Charis: I will be your mother now. Oh, no, you won't, says Charis.

4. Petronilla's son, Godwyn (21), is a zealous and ambitious monk at Kingsbridge Priory. She wants him to become Archbishop of Monmouth one day, and will never cease to pressure him to achieve this. Her ambition for her son stems partly from her own frustrations. As a girl, she was engaged to marry Roland, then the younger son of the Earl of Shiring; and she dreamed of joining the nobility. But, when Roland's elder brother died, and Roland became heir to the earldom, the marriage was called off, and Petronilla became a permanently disappointed woman. (This also caused a long­ lasting hostility between the Woolers and the family ofthe earl.) Godwyn is bright, charming and handsome. He is doomed to live his mother's dream. Destined like his Uncle Anthony for the church from birth, Godwyn has always been treated as superior by the rest of the family. His young cousins, Alice and Charis, practically worship him. Godwyn, our point-of-view character in the priory, is hoping to be sent to study in the city of Oxford, where the masters who teach theology, medicine and law have been incorporated (since about 1270) into a company or "university". In the city, the priory has a branch or "cell" known as Kingsbridge College, where up to eight monks may live while they study. There are two routes to high clerical office: one is aristocratic birth, which Godwyn does not have; the other is education. If he fails to get such an education, it will be almost impossible for him to achieve his ambition of becoming archbishop of Monmouth-and that would disappoint his mother. Godwyn's father was a more reasonable character than Petronilla, and protected the boy from the mother's excesses; but he died when Godwyn was 7. The boy was terrified by the illness, his father's weakness, the lifeless corpse, and the act of putting the body in the cold earth. He remembers looking at his mother and thinking: She will always get her own way now. He retains a deep fear of death. At present, Godwyn is acting as a kind of personal assistant to his uncle, Prior Anthony. Anthony favours Godwyn, but Godwyn despises Anthony as a lethargic and indecisive leader. Godwyn is sure he can do better as prior. Kingsbridge Priory is now a double community of monks and nuns, more or less strictly separated. There are 25 monks, several of them university-educated physicians; 40 nuns, most of whom help to care for the sick in the hospital; about 50

6 lay employees; and ten boys and five girls in the school. The monks are broke, largely because of Anthony's poor management (for which Godwyn despises him). For example the Fleece Fair, a week-long market, has produced a big profit for hundreds of years, but it is now yielding less each year because Anthony will not spend money upgrading the facilities for traders. In consequence, the monks' diet is poor-they have no wine, for example-and there is no spare cash for things like Godwyn's education. By contrast, the nuns are rich, having carefully husbanded the lands and other assets donated by pious women over the years. Prompted by his mother, Godwyn has a serious conversation with Anthony. I have been at the priory for three years, he says. Today is my twenty-first birthday. It is time for me to continue my studies elsewhere. He asks Anthony to send him to Oxford. Anthony says the priory cannot afford it. He tells Godwyn that he must get Mother Cecilia to finance his five or seven years at Oxford. When I become prior, Godwyn vows, the men will be in charge, not the women. Nevertheless, he resolves to go out of his way to impress Cecilia with his intelligence and humility. Today Prior Anthony is to dine with Mother Cecilia, and Godwyn will supervise the serving of dinner. Despite Godwyn's arrogance, we will see him being helpful and charming to both his superiors here. Mother Cecilia is thin, upright and fierce, a disciplinarian and a martinet, headmistressy. But she can be charmed, especially by handsome young men. Godwyn does his best to play on this, hoping to get a commitment from her to pay for his education. At the start of the meal, Anthony raises the subject, but Cecilia is noncommittal. Anthony has just returned from Gloucester, where he was present at the burial of King Edward II. From his conversation with Cecilia we learn the outlines of the current political crisis. The late Edward II was an unpopular king, largely because of his "favourites". As soon as he came to the throne, he gave power and privilege to Peter Gaveston, popularly supposed to be his homosexual lover (even though both men were married with children). Peter was disgraced and executed, but others took his place. Edward's wife, Queen Isabella, openly took a lover, Roger Mortimer, earl of March. Earlier this year, the queen and Mortimer staged a coup. On 15 January 1327, Edward II was formally deposed by Parliament-the first time in English history that Parliament assumed this power. The 14-year-old son of Edward and Isabella then took the throne as Edward III. Mother Cecilia, a conservative and a royalist, strongly disapproves of the deposing of a king, and of Isabella's adulterous liaison. She refuses to believe that Edward II was homosexual. In April this year, Mortimer-now king in all but name-moved the deposed Edward to Berkeley Castle, near Kingsbridge. Two rescue attempts failed. The political situation would never be stable while the old king lived. Then, in September, it was announced that the ex-king was dead. This was good news for aristocratic families who are in favour with Isabella and Mortimer and/or out offavour with Edward !!-families such as that of Roland,

7 Earl ofShiring. He was only 43, Cecilia says sceptically; How did he die? She disapproves of Anthony swanning off to Gloucester to hobnob with the great ones-a monk should be humble-but she relishes royal gossip. There is a clear implication that, if Edward was murdered, Isabella and Mortimer may have been involved; and perhaps Roland too. Edward died after a fall, Anthony says. Cecilia has heard a rumour that he was murdered. Anthony assures her that the corpse bore no mark of violence. Godwyn has heard other rumours. When the king died, people say, his screams of agony chilled the blood of every soul in earshot. But Godwyn's main feeling is frustration that he has not had a chance to impress Cecilia and persuade her to pay for his education. The dinner is interrupted. A wounded man has come into the hospital, and there is a disagreement about how to treat him. Anthony, Cecilia and Godwyn go to resolve the dispute. The patient, whom we recognise as the knight from the forest, is called Thomas Langley. Godwyn notices that Prior Anthony registers profound shock on seeing Thomas, then covers up hastily. He wonders where Anthony has seen Thomas before. Brother Joseph, a university-educated physician, proposes to put ointment into the wound and bandage it but keep it open, so that a pus can form. Michael Barber, a surgeon from the town who has battlefield experience, proposes to wash it with warm wine and suture it immediately, with no ointment. The argument is rancorous, because each believes he has superior knowledge: the physician-monk because of his education, and the barber-surgeon because of his experience. Prior Anthony merely says that in any case the most important aid to healing is prayer. The clash exemplifies an ongoing conflict between university doctors on the one hand, and on the other barber-surgeons, apothecaries, midwives, wise women (often vilified as witches) and nurse-nuns. The conflict will be resolved only by the Black Death. Young Godwyn cleverly settles the dispute. He asks both surgeons about other cases in which they have successfully used the technique they propose. It turns out that the monk's proposed treatment is more suitable for sledgehammer wounds where there is damage to the surrounding flesh, whereas this is a clean sword cut. Cecilia is impressed. A young priest turns up to see Thomas. He is Richard, the younger son of the earl of Shiring. He has a tense whispered conversation with Thomas. Richard is angry, questioning, trying to bully the older man. Thomas is savagely insistent. Then Richard tells Anthony that Thomas must be admitted to the priory as a novice monk. Anthony says it is usual in those circumstances for a donation to be made. It will be done, says Richard. Mother Cecilia is suspicious about this, and wants to know more; but for once her financial help is not required, so Anthony is able to brush her aside. Godwyn asks Cecilia to subsidise his studies at Oxford. She says No. Instead, she is going to subsidise another young monk of the same age, Matthew Whitehead (so called because of his ash-blond hair). Matthew, like Godwyn, is bright and well­ connected-he is a nephew of Earl Roland-but more devout and less ambitious.

8 Bitterly disappointed, Godwyn is obliged to tell his mother, Petronilla, of his failure. It is the end of his hope of a brilliant career, he says. She accuses him angrily of defeatism. Well, he says, what can be done? Petronilla announces that she will donate all she inherited from her father to the priory, give up her house, and move in with her brother Edmund, living there as a poor relation, on condition Anthony spends her donation on Godwyn's education. This gives Godwyn what he wants, but also adds further weight to his burden of obligation to his mother.

5. Gwenda's father, Oran, forces her to reveal what she saw in the forest. She takes him to the spot. He robs the bodies of their valuables, notably the weapons. He does not find the scroll, for Gwenda did not see it buried. He sells the weapons in Kings bridge. Shortly afterwards, he is accosted by two knights wearing the livery of Queen Isabella. They accuse him of stealing weapons from dead knights. Friends of the dead men, they have traced the weapons back to him. At first he denies all knowledge, but they beat him savagely-watched by Gwenda-and he quickly gives in. He takes the knights to the spot, and they retrieve the bodies. They question him and Gwenda about a letter, but both truthfully protest ignorance. Gwenda realises the knights are going to kill her father and her. But Oran is sly and, in a moment when the two men are distracted, he flees, and Gwenda follows.

9 Part II: Fleece Fair Week, 1337

Chapter Two 6. Kingsbridge's annual Fleece Fair is a week-long market where wool producers from miles around meet with the big buyers. The fair is always held during Whitsun week, a religious festival that falls in May. On the Sunday of Fleece Fair Week, at the main morning service, crumbling masonry from the huge central tower of the cathedral falls on the congregation, killing one worshipper and injuring others. Godwyn, now 31, is the sacrist, responsible for the church and all its treasures. Under him as matricularius, in charge of building operations, is Thomas Langley, now 33, who knows something about architecture from his pre-monastic life. The builder who has the contract for cathedral maintenance is Elfric. Godwyn and Thomas summon Elfric to a meeting, and Elfric brings with him his apprentice, Merthin. Merthin is almost 21, small, brilliant, impish, funny. He is coming to the end of his apprenticeship with Elfric, the town's leading carpenter and builder. He lives in Elfric's house, as is normal for apprentices. He can be charming, though he is often tactless, and sometimes offends people unintentionally. He loves to talk to visiting merchants and pilgrims about buildings in London, Paris and Florence. He dreams of designing the tallest building in England. He loves Charis (who is in church when the masonry falls, and has a narrow escape). Merthin has other admirers. Elizabeth Clerk is the illegitimate daughter of the previous, now dead, bishop of Kingsbridge. Ethereally beautiful in a pre-Raphaelite way, fiercely intellectual, haughty, and ashamed of her illegitimacy, she is the only other girl in town capable of challenging Merthin. He fantasizes melting her ice and making her cry out in passion. He is also strongly fancied by sexy, carefree Bella Cooper, daughter of his client. Nevertheless, it is Charis he wants, and he takes every opportunity to kiss her. She responds eagerly, but avoids any talk of marriage. Merthin was apprenticed to Elfric at the age of 14. At about the same time, Elfric's wife died and he married Alice, the older sister of Charis. An insubordinate and disobedient pupil, Merthin was frequently beaten by Elfric, and came to hate his master. To make matters worse, as Merthin passed into adolescence it became clear that he was an extraordinarily talented carpenter and designer, far superior to his boss. Elfric's wife, Alice, is alternately cruel and kind to Merthin, which he finds puzzling: the truth, he will eventually realise, is that she is sexually attracted to him, and angry with him for preferring her sister. At the meeting in the cathedral, the four men observe that the arches around the crossing are cracking, and Elfric proposes rebuilding them. Thomas agrees, but argues that Merthin, who is a brilliantly talented carpenter and builder, must be the one to make the form work (or centering), the wooden supports that hold the stonework in place until the arch is finished and the mortar is dry. Despite his youth, Thomas says he is the only carpenter in town with the skill to do this. (Merthin recalls the fight in the forest ten years ago, and wonders again what it all meant. He has never revealed the secret of the buried letter, and he feels sure that

10 this is why Thomas is being so nice to him.) But, Merthin says, no formwork is necessary-the arches can be built without it. Elfric says this is not possible. Merthin explains how it can be done, and adds that in point of fact that is how the arches were built originally. How does he know? Two reasons: a) He can see by the way the arches are put together; b) As a schoolboy here, he read a book that described the building of the arches. Godwyn is interested to hear about this book. Merthin tells him it is a history of the building of the cathedral, known as Brother Timothy's Book, written in the time of Prior Philip, 200 years ago, a period now regarded as the golden age. Clearly Elfric is not capable of building the arches by the traditional method, and it is agreed that Merthin will make the formwork he needs. As the meeting is breaking up, Merthin thanks Thomas for praising his skill. Then he says: I have never told anyone about that buried letter. Thomas looks nervous, and says: I know-if you had, I'd be dead. But he will not say any more. Clearly, the letter is some kind of insurance policy that prevents people killing Thomas. But why then is he in the monastery? For extra protection, no doubt: his life must be in serious danger. But also, perhaps, because it suits him. Elfric has a teenage daughter, Griselda. She has always looked down on Merthin. She had a liaison with Theobald, an older boy who recently left town unexpectedly. Having lost her boyfriend, Griselda suddenly becomes romantically interested in Merthin. On Sunday night, while her father and stepmother are out of the house, she makes a pass at Merthin. Merthin loves Charis, but he is a hot-blooded young man, and he is not able to resist the temptation. AZ: Is Merthin too perfect? KF: Perhaps he is ashamed of his faithlessness to Charis.

7. Charis is now 18 and beautiful. She has been educated by the nuns, and taught by her father to keep financial records for his business. Her puppy Scrap is now a middle-aged dog. Her future is still unsettled. She yearns to be a healer, but she knows that, as a woman, she can never be a doctor. She is friendly with Mattie Wise, a dispenser of herbal remedies and teller of fortunes; and she is secretly tempted to emulate Mattie, even though it would horrify her family to see her sink so low. Mother Cecilia, who has watched her for a decade, recognises her exceptional abilities, and desperately wants her for the nunnery. Charis is fond of Sister Juliana, known as Old Julie, who has taken a maternal interest in her since her mother died, and is much more kindly than the harsh Petronilla. But Charis is a rebel. When she was born, she cried before she had completely emerged from her mother, a story often told by Old Julie, who was midwife. As a girl, she felt humiliated and angered by her mother's weakness and subservience to her domineering sister-in-law, Petronilla. Charis is reminded of this every time she puts on the fine wool coat that her mother always wanted but never wore. Charis is quick to express her scorn for illiterate priests, lascivious monks, hidebound merchants and spendthrift barons. She is fascinated by heretical theories about the origins of the world, and is as near to being an atheist as is possible in the Middle Ages. The only thing she likes about church is the mystery play, an exciting

11

l dramatisation of the Bible story that takes place once a year and attracts huge crowds of pilgrims. She is particularly hostile to Kingsbridge Priory, having heard her father complain over many years of how the monastery's rules restrict trade in the town. Her closest friend is Merthin, the only young man in town who is a match for Charis's quick intelligence. She is strongly attracted to him, but still horrified by the prospect of a life subordinated to a husband or anyone else. She may need some stronger motivation for this lifelong resistance to marriage. AZ: Some childhood incident. KF: Better if it is linked with her desire to be a healer. Does she feel sure she will never fulfil her destiny as a healer if she is married? Edmund's business is in crisis. Wool and woollen cloth are the most important internationally traded commodities, and English flocks produce most of Europe's wool. But the industry goes up and down with the prosperity of Italy, the largest customer. On Monday, the first day of the week-long Fleece Fair, the leading buyer from Florence, Buonaventura Dicarlo, announces to Edmund that this will be the last time the Florentines come to Kingsbridge. For the foreseeable future, they expect to fulfil their needs at the Shiring Fair. Edmund understands why. The fair, like the town, belongs not to the people but to the priory, which owns all the land in Kingsbridge. The prior is in the position of earl, and the townspeople are technically his serfs. Prior Anthony has never ploughed back any profits, so the facilities are deteriorating. Most notably, the old wooden bridge that crosses the river to the city gate is dilapidated and too narrow. Bonaventura's shock announcement could mean the end of Edmund's business. He is determined to fight. He goes to see Prior Anthony (his brother), taking Charis with him. He is extremely fond of his younger daughter and also knows that her quick mind can be useful to him in a negotiation. He also takes along Merthin, his daughter's boyfriend and a young man he likes, in case any technical issues arise. Charis, Merthin, Edmund and Anthony walk through the town together. Edmund appears all the more vigorous because of his twisted leg, which gives him an energetically irregular stride; Anthony is serene in his monkish robes of fine wool. They look at the long queue of people and carts waiting to pay their penny toll and enter the town. The wait is so long that some people complete their business in the queue, and go home without having entered the town. This is an offence, called forestalling, but in these circumstances it is impossible to enforce the law. Edmund tells Anthony that the priory and the town are about to lose their livelihood. The fair must be upgraded, he says, and they need a big dramatic gesture to prove their willingness. Anthony should tear down the old bridge and build a new, wider bridge of stone. It will take at least two years, because of the engineering complexities of building in running water, but Merthin says the new bridge could be built alongside the old, so that the old could stay in use. Anthony says he does not have the money. But you will lose everything if you don't do this, Edmund argues. Anthony says that God, not commerce, provides for the monastery. As always, he refuses to take seriously Edmund's concerns about the prosperity of the town's merchants. Only the spiritual life matters. --A philosophy that suits your lazy temperament, says Edmund angrily; but

12 your income depends on the town's prosperity. --The priory's income comes from God, says Anthony. This argument infuriates Edmund. When they were boys, Anthony was the cherished one, expensively educated, father's gift to God, not allowed to lift a finger to help himself. Edmund, by contrast, got a minimal education and worked in the business from a young age. And, now that they are men, he is still working his socks off to keep Anthony in a life of idleness. All your life you've been a parasite, he yells at his brother. Father's business paid for your education and got you into the priory, and the merchants of this town have kept you fed and clothed ever since; yet you turn up your nose at commerce and claim that it is God, not us, who keeps you alive! Petronilla piously sides with Anthony in this fight. Charis now proposes a radical solution. Let the guild build its own bridge, raising the money from its members. It would reimburse them out of the penny tolls. (The townspeople cannot build a bridge without the prior's consent. The guild, originally a charitable group of wealthy citizens formed to raise money for cathedral ornaments, now performs many of the functions of a town council, and Edmund as alderman is in some ways the mayor-but here, as in several other English towns, the real power remains with the monastic landlord, who guards it jealously.) Anthony sees only that he would lose those pennies, and refuses. Edmund and Charis try to explain that he is going to lose most of them anyway, whereas he will gain enormously from the revival of the fair-but Anthony cannot think this way, and suspects they are trying to hoodwink him. Charis and Edmund are furious but helpless. Charis wants to talk to Merthin about it, but he is withdrawn and unsympathetic, and she wonders what is wrong.

8. Ralph Porlock is now 20, a tall, strong man, handsome, a bully and thug. He is a squire in the household of Roland, earl of Shiring, and is impatient for promotion to knighthood. With him is his friend Stephen, the same age but more fortunate, already lord of the small manor of Wigleigh. Ralph's ambition is to join the aristocracy and found a noble dynasty (the ambition his father failed to fulfil). He is easily stung by any aspersion cast on his status, or any reference to his father's dramatically lowered station. Roland lives at Earlscastle, but comes to Kingsbridge on the Tuesday of the Fleece Fair. With him is his elder son, William (30), lord of Caster, by nature stern and harsh like his father, but in practice somewhat softened by the influence of his voluptuous wife, Philippa (25), who knows that it is better to be smart than tough. William and Philippa live in the village of Caterham. Also in the party is a pretty young niece, Margery ( 16), who is soon to marry a son of the Duke of Monmouth, in a political alliance which will be important to Roland. AZ: Roland and family must have received some preferment following the triumph of Isabella (or, though the reader may not figure this out yet, some reward for the help they gave Isabella in murdering Edward II-and they must now show some fear ofever being found out). Young Ralph is smitten by Philippa. His love for her is sincere and tender, but

13 also part of his longing to join the aristocracy. For the past year, the south coast of England has suffered repeated attacks from marauding French ships. King Edward III (24) has now declared war on France, and Parliament has passed special taxes to pay for it. The earl has the job of collecting the tax, and the prior is his local sub-agent. Edmund has no official role, but his cooperation is important, and he is included in the discussions. At the priory, Ralph recognises Thomas Langley. He remembers the fight in the forest ten years ago. He has not seen Thomas in the interim, and is surprised to see that the knight is now a monk, quiet and humble. He mentions Thomas in conversation with William. William rounds on him and asks what he knows about Thomas. Nothing, Ralph says hastily, and backs off. While the great ones are conferring, Ralph goes to see his parents, still living in Kingsbridge as pensioners of the priory. Sir Gerald asks him, with pathetic eagerness, when he will be made a knight. Then Ralph and Stephen look around the fair. They find Ralph's brother, Merthin, talking to Lord William's attractive wife, Philippa. Ralph tries to flirt with her, but she becomes haughty, and dismisses him scornfully. Ralph's mood sours. He encounters a pretty peasant girl, Ann (18), from Stephen's village of Wigleigh. She is the daughter of Perkin, a prosperous peasant. Perkin is sly and grasping, his daughter vain and manipulative. Perkin knows there is no future for his daughter in a dalliance with a squire, but he cannot chase Ralph away. Worse, the coquettish Ann is not as discouraging as she should be to Ralph. Then Wulfric (16) comes on the scene. The son of another well-to-do Wigleigh peasant, he is informally engaged to Ann. (She has another suitor, Billy Howard, 25, as we shall see, but Wulfric is the favourite.) Wulfric is strong, faithful, honest, and determined, but he is quick to anger and too ready to fight in a just cause. He lacks subtlety. Ralph taunts Wulfric. Merthin, watching, remonstrates with his younger brother, but Ralph is just in a mean mood. Despite Merthin's efforts to calm them, Ralph and Wulfric come to blows. Ralph is shaken to discover that this young peasant is not easily defeated. Wulfric breaks Ralph's nose, an injury that will disfigure him for life. The fight is broken up by the town constable, John, an employee of the priory. John Constable is strong, and violent when necessary. He is not a cruel man, but he is passionate about order, rather than justice, as are most policemen. John is helped by Mark, a poor weaver who is unusually tall and strong though not aggressive, a gentle giant. Wulfric is in deep trouble for laying hands on one of the earl's men. John Constable is not interested in explanations. But Lady Philippa intervenes (further annoying Ralph) to say that Wulfric did nothing to provoke Ralph's assault. In the end, Wulfric suffers the relatively light punishment of being clapped in the stocks for 24 hours. Ralph gets off scot-free. While Wulfric is in the stocks, he is brought food and drink by Gwenda, the little thief from Part I. She is horrified by his imprisonment. With her is her dog, Skip.

14 9. Godwyn has spent seven years at Oxford and has qualified as a physician .. He subscribes to the currently fashionable anti-rationalist philosophy, which denies all possibility of understanding the world, and counsels people simply to stand amazed at God's handiwork. (In 1277 the university of Paris banned the works of Aristotle and Aquinas, replacing them with conservative texts that base all knowledge on faith and revelation.) He explains to his mother, Petronilla, that his wholehearted embrace of this new orthodoxy will speed his ascent to the height of his ambition, the archbishopric ofMonmouth. She encourages him in this. He is now the sacrist, responsible for the church and all its treasures In that capacity, last winter he introduced a new rule which immediately made him popular. On frosty nights, the monks are each given a hot stone wrapped in a rag to carry into the church for the services that take place in the early hours of the morning. On the Wednesday of Fleece Fair Week, Godwyn's cousin Charis contrives to see him and tell him about the need for a new bridge. Godwyn is a zealous reformer, sincere but arrogant. He knows the monastery's finances are desperately in need of tighter management. He knows about Anthony's conversation with Edmund and Charis, and he agrees with Charis about the new bridge. It makes him angry that the monks are broke while the nuns have plenty of money. He also feels the separation of monks and nuns is too casual. Since returning from Oxford, he has talked to the younger monks about the need for reform, especially Theodoric, a good-looking but shallow young man who is something of a leader among the youngsters. Godwyn has warmth and charm, as we see in his dealings not just with Theodoric but also Philemon, Philippa, Cecilia, and others. But he is up against the immovable inertia of the old guard: Prior Anthony; Blind Carlus, the sub-prior and choirmaster; and Simeon, the treasurer. Godwyn has warm relationships with: Charis, Alice, Edmund, Theodoric. But manipulation is involved in all his relationships ultimately. Godwyn is in the library, reading Timothy's Book. In it he finds a genealogy that shows he is descended from Tom Builder, the original architect of Kingsbridge Cathedral, and stepfather of Jack Builder, who finished it. (The line of descent comes through Tom's daughter Martha, who married late in life.) He also finds powerful justification for his views on the need for stricter separation of monks and nuns. He discusses this with his mother, who urges him to protest, at the monks' daily meeting in the chapter house. He hesitates, but she insists, and we see again the power of her influence as he promises to do her bidding. Before this can happen, his sidekick, Philemon (22) comes to see him. Philemon always wanted to be a monk, even from the age of 12, but of course his parents can't begin to think of making a donation to the priory. However, it is not unknown for the monastery to make an exception for a poor child who shows unusual talent or devotion, so he lives in hope. For the present, he is an employee of the priory, responsible for cleaning the guest quarters. AZ: Philemon needs a set of characteristics that differentiate him sharply from Godwyn. Though they play the same role, they must be very different personalities. Godwyn: Philemon: Educated Illiterate

15 Charming Creepy Idealistic Unscrupulous Arrogant Low self-esteem Afraid ofdeath Afraid of humiliation Dominated by his mother Loves his sister Always a sycophant, Philemon worships Godwyn and would do anything for him, without scruple. Petronilla sees how such a man could be useful to her son, and lobbies Anthony to accept Philemon as a novice. So far, his acceptance has been blocked by the sub-prior, Carlus, who loathes Philemon instinctively. Philemon has a way of finding out people's weaknesses. He now brings Godwyn a juicy piece of gossip. He has been spying on the aristocratic visitors. The earl's younger son, Richard, 28, (who appeared as a young priest in Part I) is now Bishop ofKingsbridge. A fun-loving playboy, he takes his religious duties lightly. He lives at the bishop's palace, near Shiring, but has come to Kingsbridge to collect his share of the income from the Fleece Fair. (There will not be much left for the monks afterwards.) But Philemon has discovered another motive for the visit. He has seen Bishop Richard canoodling with his pretty young niece Margery. Philemon takes Godwyn to a place from which they can peep into the guest rooms. They see the couple having intercourse. Godwyn is sickened. Philemon is excited. Godwyn wants to confront the bishop immediately, but Philemon--ever devious-has another idea. Information such as this is not to be squandered. Margery's engagement to a son of the Duke of Monmouth, which will cement an important political alliance; would be cancelled if it were known that Margery is not a virgin. We should tell no one yet, says Philemon-but we must make sure Richard knows we know. They enter the room at a crucial moment. They make sure Richard sees and recognises them, then they apologise and withdraw, as if embarrassed. Later, Richard seeks Godwyn out. Godwyn promises to keep the secret, but hints that he will expect a favour in return. At the midday meal, the monks are joined by Friar Bennet, a charismatic preacher. Fat and dirty, Bennet is a womaniser, a drunk and a freeloader, even though he collects lots of silver pennies at his inspirational roadside sermons. The monks all hate him. After the meal, Godwyn is approached by the Lady Philippa, a woman who in his mind is brazen and dangerous, and arrogant too. She tells him she has lost a bracelet-not a precious jewel, just carved wood, but she is fond of it. He suggests that it may have slipped off her wrist. I don't think so, she says; I haven't worn it since I got here. Nevertheless, says Godwyn, I will ask everyone to look out for it. He tells Philemon about the bracelet. "The Lady Philippa would be a dangerous enemy," he says. "She is strong-willed, and could be vindictive. We must pray that her bracelet turns up in some previously neglected corner of the guest room." Godwyn sees Lord William deep in conversation with Thomas Langley. Thomas has become an exemplary monk, devout and hardworking. There is something of the woman about him, as there is about many monks; and he seems

16 particularly friendly with Brother Matthias, a quiet man of his own age; but if they are committing sins of impurity, they are too discreet to be found out. Godwyn remembers the day Thomas arrived here, ten years ago, and reflects how curious it is that to this day no one knows much about Thomas's life before then. Did he have a wife and children? If so, who took care of them? On that day in 1327, Richard turned up to make sure Thomas was admitted to the priory, and now the earl's other son is talking to him in a very earnest way. There is a mystery here, Godwyn thinks. He recalls the gift Richard promised that day, and wonders if it ever materialised. At chapter, the daily meeting of the monks, Godwyn quells his misgivings and raises the question of the nuns, reading a passage from Timothy's Book. In an ideal double community, monks and nuns never set eyes on one another. They have different entrances to the church, and once inside they are separated by a screen. They can only hear one another (a terrific sexual tease, of course). All business with the outside world is conducted through same-sex intermediaries. But this ideal is rarely achieved. Prioresses and abbesses are too rich and powerful to live in seclusion. In the case of Kingsbridge, where several monks are physicians and most nuns are nurses, complete separation has never been envisaged. They eat and sleep apart, but meet in the church and hospital and other parts of the priory. They are not isolated on some island, but sited in the heart of a busy city, so monks and nuns often meet citizens, and one another, on the streets. Godwyn appears to have no problem with celibacy, but his hostility to women comes from repressed sexuality. When he sees a beautiful girl, he shudders and turns away. He is quick to accuse women of flaunting themselves. Menstruation disgusts him. Yet we notice that he is not slow to mention these loathsome topics. However, he is able to suppress this disgust and tum on the charm whenever it suits his purpose. Nevertheless, at this point in the story he has our sympathy. We see how he is harassed and driven by his mother, Petronilla. We hope he will succeed in reforming the monastery by tightening up its finances and improving discipline. We know he is hot-headed, but many young reformers are, and he is at least sincere. The lazy Prior Anthony does not appeal to us, nor do those who support him out of lethargy. (Later, Godwyn will develop the duplicitous side of his nature, aided by Philemon; but not yet.) Godwyn now proposes that the nunnery should become a "cell" or branch of the priory and be relocated some distance away. He is supported by reform-minded younger monks. Sub-prior Carlus, devout but artless, leads the opposition. Though blind, he has been here so long that he can find his way around the priory without guidance, though he almost never sets foot outside the precincts. He is a saintly figure, very devout but never judgemental, loved and admired by all. He suspects Godwyn's radicalism and generally opposes all change. Godwyn realises it is hard to go against Carl us, on account of his transparent sincerity as well as the sympathy engendered by his disability. Brother Joseph, a doctor, points out that the doctor-monks need to work with nuns at the hospital. For example, he says, what would we do about a woman having

17 difficulties in childbirth, if there were no nuns? Godwyn realises that his opponents saved up all their best arguments for the meeting, whereas he gave away his in advance. He will not make that mistake again. The issue is resolved by the treasurer, Simeon, as conservative as accountants everywhere. He points out that, in the present set-up, monks get all kinds of hidden subsidies from the richer nuns, such as repair of buildings, which would disappear if the houses were separated. Godwyn's proposal has been decisively defeated. He resolves that when he is prior the nuns will not hold the purse strings. He tells his mother bitterly that he has also learned an important lesson in politics: Never call a meeting until the result is a foregone conclusion. She points out the up side: his failed rebellion has made him popular with the young monks and secured his position as their leader. Lady Philippa tells Godwyn she has found her bracelet. He realises that Philemon must have taken it then put it back. Then he makes a fateful decision. He does not expose Philemon, but keeps his secret. For ever more, Philemon will be a faithful ally-but a dangerous one.

10. Merthin is working on a special project, a new door for the cathedral, decorated with carved biblical scenes. Elfric instructed him to copy faithfully another door, but Merthin has carved the figures in a style of his own. He is thrilled with the result­ and Charis loves it-but when Thomas Langley sees the work in progress he warns that Elfric will be angry. Griselda has become cold to him again. As he finishes the door, he puzzles over her behaviour. He feels ashamed of himself for being so easily persuaded to be unfaithful to Charis. Somehow, he feel sure he has been fooled, but he does not understand why. On the Thursday of the Fair, Merthin carries the completed door to show it to his boss. Elfric, enraged, smashes it up with an axe. Then he accuses Merthin of seducing Griselda, and announces that she is pregnant. Elfric demands that Merthin marry her. In this, Elfric is strongly supported by Alice, who is hysterical with rage. (Underlying Alice's anger is sexual jealousy, of course.) Merthin is dismayed. Will he marry Griselda? The only alternative is to run away. AZ: To whom does he turn? Parents? Ralph? What does he say to Griselda? Elizabeth Clerk? Bella Cooper?

ll. Gwenda is 19. She lives with her father, Oran, and her mother, Ethna, in a mean hut on the edge of Wigleigh. There are several smaller children. (Her older brother, Philemon, is employed at the priory, as we have just seen.) Gwenda's dog, Skip, goes everywhere with her. Gwenda is a plain girl, with dark eyes set closely either side of a beaky nose. She is strong, with large hands and feet. But she has a powerful sexuality that attracts men despite her homely looks. She is a free spirit, hating the nobility, loathing serfdom. She is horrified by what has happened to Wulfric: the idea of being imprisoned in the stocks seems to her the worst possible kind of torture. She is

18

.. _.___ fiercely determined not to live the life of hardship that has been her mother's lot. But it is hard to see her way out. She is in love with Wulfric. He is loyal, proud and unimaginative, the kind of husband who will be a tireless provider for his family all his life. But he loves pretty Ann, and their parents have agreed on the marriage. However, Gwenda has not given up. On the Friday of Fleece Fair Week, Charis takes her to see Mattie Wise, the informal healer. Mattie questions Gwenda kindly about her love. During the conversation, we learn how dangerous it is to be a wise old woman: the accusation of witchcraft is easily made and readily believed, and the traditional methods of testing, such as the water trial, usually prove fatal. Mattie gives Gwenda a love potion. The two young women chance to overhear a conversation between Elfric, Charis's brother-in-law, and Naomi Weaver, an attractive but poor woman, in which Elfric offers her money for sex, and Naomi refuses him scornfully. They also go to see Gwenda's brother Philemon at the priory. Although Philemon is a loathsome character, he has a soft spot for Gwenda. She is the only person he treats with genuine affection and respect. AZ: But we never see this. Gwenda and Philemon's father, Oran, has come to the fair to sell squirrel furs he has trapped in the forest. The cow that has kept the family alive for ten winters has died, and somehow Oran must buy another. A cow costs twelve shillings, 144 silver pennies. Gwenda knows the money from the furs will not be enough, and she tells Philemon she has no idea how Oran is going to pay for a cow. All day he has been looking alternately shifty and defiant, and she knows he is planning something illegal, or shameful, or both. She assumes he has some scheme to steal the money. However, she underestimates his ruthlessness. When she meets up with him, she is completely shocked and terrified when he sells her-to Sim Chapman, a travelling tinker-for twelve shillings. She protests loudly, and a public argument ensues. Gwenda is supported by Charis, of course, and also by Naomi Weaver, who is a warm-hearted, strong-willed woman of independent mind. (Naomi is the wife ofMark, whom we met in scene 7.) Merthin passes by, and Charis calls on him for support, knowing he would normally argue vigorously for a young person who demanded freedom; but he mutters that he has troubles of his own, and passes on. Charis wonders anxiously what on earth is wrong with him. Oran wins some sympathy from bystanders when he says that his cow has died and he has a family to feed. He is supported by John Constable, who says the sale is not against any law he knows; and by Godwyn, who is passing, and points out that the Bible appears to sanction selling a daughter into slavery (Exodus 21). Does Philemon witness this and then, remembering how Godwyn covered up his theft, bite his tongue? There are no slaves in Kingsbridge, though many young people are almost such, especially apprentices, domestic servants, and novice monks and nuns. All suffer hardship, and a few are treaty with actual cruelty, including sexual exploitation; but they are not bought and sold. Most bystanders disapprove of what Oran is doing, but they have to admit that he has the right to do as he pleases with a child under 21.

19 So Gwenda is tied like a beast and led out of town by Sim, her new owner. Skip follows. Does Philemon do anything? A few miles away, he (Sim) joins up with a band of outlaws. Their leader is Tam Hiding.

12. Saturday is the last day of the fair. i. A mad old woman, Crazy Nelly, is to be drowned as a witch. We know from Gwenda's conversation with Mattie Wise that the accusation of witchcraft is a danger to all single old women. The clinching factor is the presence, somewhere on the suspect's skin, of the Devil's Mark, a third nipple through which Satan is believed to suck blood. Nelly has a large dark mole on her neck. Worse, she does nothing to disprove the allegation, screaming Satanic curses at the men who tie her up. A huge crowd gathers on the old wooden bridge to watch her trial by drowning. ii. In the forest, Gwenda is waiting for her opportunity to escape. She befriends Theobald, a young man who tells her he ran away from Kingsbridge after getting a girl pregnant. Theobald gives her a knife. She seduces Sim, her buyer. The act is loathsome to her at first; then, to her horror, she finds herself strangely excited. Nevertheless, when it is over, she stabs him with Theobald's knife and runs away. The other outlaws pursue her, frightened that she will betray their hideout. 111. Wulfric's family are ready to leave Kingsbridge early, but he lingers in order to travel with Ann and her family. Bonaventura Dicarlo cannot be persuaded to change his mind about returning next year-unless, he says, something is done to improve the fair. He leaves with two huge wagons loaded with wool. Earl Roland and his entourage are ready to leave. Edmund and the townspeople are willing to pay the new tax, in the hope that the king's armies will enrich the country by bringing back plunder and hostages from France. They do not anticipate that this will be the first of many such demands. Later, they will wish they had put up more resistance. Prior Anthony and the earl walk together to the city gate. iv. Merthin is with Charis in a secluded spot on the far side of the river, within sight of the bridge. He tells her that he has made Griselda pregnant and he is under pressure to marry her. He also says he loves Charis and wants to marry her. Charis is bewildered and angered by this story. While they are talking, Merthin notices that the timbers of the bridge are moving under the strain of the crowd, but are held by heavy iron braces. He sees that some timbers have cracked, and the braces are a repair job preventing further cracking. But why are the timbers moving at all? He sees it in a flash. A new river wall, built by Elfric, has accelerated the flow of water around the piers of the bridge, and this faster current is undermining the foundations, putting a strain on the interlocked timbers. The repair has made matters worse, by rigidifying the structure so that it cannot adjust gradually to the strain,

20 making a catastrophic collapse more likely. And this week the bridge is carrying a huge amount of heavy traffic. Gwenda bursts out of the forest at a run, closely followed by Sim. She dives into the crowd of spectators on the bridge, passing the earl, the prior, and Wulfric's family, all of whom are pushing their way through in the opposite direction. As she reaches the Kingsbridge side, Bonaventura's heavy carts rumble on to the bridge, their drivers yelling at the crowd to get out of the way. The witch is thrown into the river. Merthin sees the timbers of the bridge bend under the strain. Elfric's iron braces hold for a moment, then begin to tear through the wood. The roadbed sags. People and horses on the bridge stumble and fall. The timber uprights move and break. Carts on the bridge topple, crushing pedestrians. People start screaming. One or two quick thinkers leap into the water and try to swim to safety. The bridge collapses. People, animals and carts fall into the river among the wreckage of the huge timbers. iv. At first, there is chaos. Then Merthin and Edmund start organising teams of townspeople to remove the shattered timbers and drag the living and the dead out of the water. Among those whose lives they save is Griselda. Charis and Mother Cecilia organise the nuns to give first aid, with the help of barber-surgeons and other informal medical practitioners. The worst of the wounded are stretchered to the priory, where Godwyn and the monk-doctors attend to them. Ralph Porlock survives, though his friend Stephen dies. Ralph steps over dying women and children-rebuked by his brother Merthin, but to no avail-to reach Earl Roland, who has been knocked unconscious and is drowning. Ralph drags him out ofthe water, saving his life. A series of medical dramas illustrate-to the reader, and to Charis-the strengths and weaknesses of medieval medicine, and exemplify the conflict between university doctors and informal practitioners. a. Earl Roland has a fractured skull. Brother Joseph performs a delicate operation, removing shards of bone from the brain. b. Michael Barber, the despised surgeon, sets broken bones with skill and efficiency. c. Mattie Wise gives pain-killing potions made from poppies. d. A patient with obvious internal injuries dies while being carried to the priory. Prior Anthony is badly wounded. Mother Cecilia tends to him. Godwyn and Philemon hover nearby. Anthony whispers something to Cecilia that obviously shocks her, but Godwyn cannot hear it. Then Anthony dies. Gwenda survives, and Sim Chapman dies. Does Philemon search for Gwenda? She searches for Wulfric and finds him safe. Then she helps him look for his family. When eventually they find them, they are all dead.

21 Part III: 1337-1339

Chapter3 13. Charis is heartbroken that Merthin is going to marry Griselda. Although she herself is ambivalent about men and marriage, she certainly does not want him to throw himself away on Griselda. She tries to talk him out of it. She tries to seduce him. She has a row about it with her sister, Alice, and her aunt, Petronilla, both of whom want the marriage to go ahead. Meanwhile, the lack of a bridge does immediate damage to commerce in the town, particularly the weekly Market Day. People and merchandise have to be ferried across the river in rafts. This will be catastrophic for next year's Fleece Fair, when hundreds of people want to enter the town every day. Edmund is desperate for work to start on a new bridge. Charis talks to Merthin about how long it would take. It cannot be done in a year, Merthin says; but perhaps two. Edmund and Charis go to see the sub-prior, Blind Carlus, who is acting prior until a new prior is elected. Carlus and the treasurer, Simeon, say there is nothing wrong with ferrying people across by raft. Edmund and Charis realises they must make sure Carlus does not become prior.

14. The new prior must be elected by a vote of the monks-though this simple democratic rule is hedged about with ifs and buts. Sub-prior Carlus was Anthony's deputy, and is supported by the old guard, but the youngsters are up in arms. Carlus is just another Anthony, they say, old and weak and tired. They want Godwyn, who is their hero since his failed rebellion. A few monks talk about Thomas Langley as a compromise candidate: he is hard working and capable, and not associated either with the old guard or the young turks. To Godwyn, the death of Anthony is a chance for the priory to pull itself together. Like many bright young men, he is angry at the foolishness and irrationality of the world in general. He wants to be prior. Part of his motivation is a genuine desire to do a better job of running the place. But he also dreams of the privilege of being prior-obeyed by the monks, feared by the novices, lording it over the townspeople, respected by knights and earls. Finally, in the back of his mind there is always his mother, Petronilla, saying: "I do hope you aren't going to disappoint me." However, he has learned not to be spontaneous. His campaign will be clever and duplicitous. He will pick off his rivals one by one. First, he orders the youngsters not to criticise Carlus. We want a weak opponent, he says. They should save their attack until it is too late for the old guard to come up with a better candidate. Godwyn goes through the late Anthony's secret papers, and finds the deeds to Lynn Farm in Norfolk, a substantial landholding in the east of England. (Kingsbridge is in the south-west.) This was given to the priory soon after All Hallows' Day in 1327, the time of Thomas Langley's arrival. The person who gave this land-as a sweetener to ensure the acceptance of Thomas as a novice-was Queen Isabella, unfaithful wife of the late Edward II. Isabella is now 41 and, as the mother of the

22

.,...... ___._ young King Edward III (24), lives in opulent retirement at Castle Rising, near Lynn. Normally, such a gift would be trumpeted, but this one happened quietly. Godwyn remembers how Thomas arrived at the priory soon after Prior Anthony returned from the funeral of Edward II. He senses a guilty secret. "But we don't know what the secret is," he says. AZ: What would he suspect? "We don't need to," says Philemon. "Thomas knows." Godwyn announces that he will not be a candidate. Instead, he encourages the young monks to back Thomas. A preliminary count suggests that Carlus will win decisively. Godwyn is not dismayed. Petronilla flies into a rage when she hears that Godwyn is not standing. With an effort, he stands up to her, saying she must have faith in him. Godwyn goes to see Charis and Edmund. He has learned of their visit to Carlus. He promises them a new stone bridge ifThomas is elected. Charis is thrilled. Edmund has his doubts about Godwyn, but all the same he agrees to support Thomas by lobbying Bishop Richard (who must endorse the monks' choice).

15. Gwenda and Wulfric and Skip the dog stay in Kingsbridge until his family have been buried. Charis and Gwenda are friends, and naturally they talk about Merthin. When Charis mentions the name of Griselda's disappeared boyfriend, Theobald, Gwenda remembers the boy in the forest. They establish that it is the same person. They tell Merthin that he is not, after all, the father of Griselda's child. Merthin tells Elfric he will not marry Griselda. Elfric fires him. Merthin has almost completed his apprenticeship, but Elfric is a powerful local leader, and no one else will hire Merthin. Then he gets a break. One of the forty small churches in Kingsbridge needs roof repairs. Charis learns (from her sister, Alice) that one ofElfric's employees fell through the rotten old roof to his death, demonstrating that the structure cannot support repairmen. The solution is to close the church for six months while the roof is demolished and rebuilt, resulting in a catastrophic loss of income. Merthin devises a form of scaffolding independent of the roof that can be moved along the length of the nave, permitting continuous repairs without closing the building. People are sceptical, but his scaffolding works, and the repairs go ahead without the closure of the church. Gwenda and Wulfric set off to walk back to Wigleigh. Charis knows that Gwenda is clutching the love potion. She wishes her friend well, but she cannot help noticing that Wulfric is not very interested.

23 Chapter4 16. On the journey, Gwenda falls more in love with Wulfric than ever, even though all he can talk about is Ann. At Wigleigh the earl's bailiff, Nathan Reeve, holds a manorial court to decide what is to happen to Wulfric's family's landholding. Gwenda stays to observe this before going home. Nathan does the landlord's bidding, but pretends to have more power. The villagers dislike and distrust him, but at the same time feel the need to ingratiate themselves. Shrewd and forceful in character, he is physically mildly disabled, with a thin and twisted body. What he hates more than anything is a strong, healthy, honest young man such as Wulfric. He is corruptible. Wulfric begs to inherit, but finds the odds are against him. He is too young at 16; the land is too much for him, having been cultivated heretofore by three men­ Wulfric, his brother David, and their father Samuel; and there is a hefty inheritance tax, called heriot, which he cannot afford. Wulfric is devastated. A typical peasant, he sees land as the source of all prosperity and status. He pleads to be given a chance. Nathan Reeve has other problems. There is no obvious alternative to Wulfric. Everyone in the village is about to become desperately busy bringing in their own harvest. And the lord of Wigleigh, Stephen, died in the bridge collapse. Furthermore, Earl Roland is still unconscious, and incapable of appointing a successor to Stephen, so any decision made today will not be officially ratified. Gwenda suggests a strategy to Wulfric. Don't ask for the inheritance to be given to you today, she says. Say that you understand your neighbours' doubts and concerns, and anyway no final decision can be made with a lord to ratify it. Instead, ask merely to be allowed to take over temporarily, and bring in the harvest yourself, maybe with hired labour. They can hardly refuse, if there is no one else. Wulfric makes this proposal and it is accepted. Gwenda offers to work for him, but he refuses, knowing that she is in love with him, and not wanting to give her false encouragement. She goes home to her parents.

17. Gwenda despises her father for what he did, but she trusts her mother, and feels sure that Oran on his own hatched the plan to sell her. She expects Ethna to explode with rage on hearing the truth. She finds her mother giving the younger children milk from the new cow. They hug. Gwenda tells the story-but, to her dismay, Ethna's reaction is muted. Angrily, Gwenda accuses her of heartlessness. Well, Ethna says, you're all right now, and the little ones have milk, so maybe he did the right thing. Oran himself is unrepentant, and even proposes selling Gwenda again. She could escape repeatedly, he suggests. They have a terrible row. Gwenda feels betrayed. She leaves, resolving never to go back.

18. Wulfric cannot find anyone to help him farm. They are all committed already. He hires a travelling man who robs him and flees in the night. He still refuses to hire Gwenda, but she hangs around and does odd jobs when

24 he is not looking. He tries being rude and nasty to her but she takes no notice. Eventually he gives in and shares his food with her. She sleeps in his barn. One night she comes to his bed, but he turns her away. Oran shows up and tries to take Gwenda away. It transpires that he has another buyer. Gwenda tries to escape, but her father overpowers her. However, Wulfric saves her and scares Oran off. The next night, Perkin bursts in-prompted by a jealous Ann-expecting to catch Wulfric and Gwenda in bed together. He is shocked and disappointed to find Wulfric alone and Gwenda in the bam. He goes home to assure his daughter that her fiance is being faithful.

25 Chapter 5 19. Earl Roland recovers from his wounds. He is the head of the most powerful aristocratic family in the county. He is the local representative of the king. He is one of about twelve earls and forty barons who control England through hundreds of knights who are sub-tenants. Technically, he may rank with other local landlords-the prior of Kings bridge, the bishop of Kingsbridge-but he is the biggest landholder, and he controls the knights who form the only serious military power in the locality. The earl has the right of "presentment" or nomination in the election of the prior. It is important to the earl to have someone friendly as prior (and, indeed, as bishop, though Roland has solved that problem by getting his son made bishop). Leading clergymen wield formidable spiritual weapons. A prior may call down curses on the ancestors of an earl, and ban the earl from church. The people would then believe the earl and all his enterprises to be doomed to ill fortune, and he would lose authority. Historically, squabbles between earls and clergy were often won for the church by such curses. Merthin learns, from his brother Ralph, that Earl Roland plans to introduce as a candidate his nephew Matthew Whitehead, a monk of Godwyn's age who is at present prior of St-John-in-the-Forest, a remote cell of Kingsbridge Priory. Charis brings this news to Godwyn. Godwyn sees Matthew as a serious threat. Although young, he is well liked and respected for his devotion. Charis and Merthin are worried, too. Petronilla counsels Godwyn to tell the Earl that Matthew is being considered for the enormously prestigious post of abbot of Glastonbury, so even if elected prior of Kingsbridge he probably would not be able to take up the post. (Because Matthew lives in the remote forest cell, the earl cannot easily check the veracity of the story.) Godwyn hesitates to tell such a blatant lie, but Petronilla pushes him into it. However, he does it indirectly. He speaks to Merthin, knowing that Merthin will repeat the news to Ralph, who can be relied upon to tell the earl. Godwyn then recommends that the earl nominate Friar Bennet. Neither Ralph nor Roland knows that every monk hates Friar Bennet. The earl falls for this.

20. The nuns have no vote, but the prioress has influence, so Godwyn needs to square her. Mother Cecilia always disapproved of Anthony's laxity, and is well disposed towards the reforming Godwyn. In addition, she has long been vulnerable to charm, and Godwyn is able to romance her. Godwyn arranges a special service at which the three candidates---Carlus, Thomas and Bennet-have special roles. He alters the layout of pulpit, altar and choir stalls so that blind Carlus is disoriented, and falls. It is so humiliating that, for a moment, Godwyn worries he may have gone too far, and created sympathy for Carlus. But, after the incident, Carlus withdraws his candidacy.

21. With the vote a few days away, Godwyn tells Philemon to explain the story ofthe land at Lynn to Friar Bennet. Bennet questions Thomas aggressively about this. Thomas clams up, but withdraws his candidacy. Charis and Merthin are dismayed.

26 Bennet is now the only candidate, and everyone hates him. A deputation of monks of all parties come to see Godwyn and beg him to stand. With feigned reluctance, he agrees.

22. At the last minute, the priory is thrown into chaos when a precious crucifix goes missing. Godwyn guesses immediately that Philemon is the culprit, though Philemon denies it hotly. Godwyn's election, which seemed sewn up, could now be imperilled if his closest associate is found to be a thief. Godwyn is reminded that Philemon is dangerous as well as useful. But he has no option other than to protect him, now. Godwyn finds the stolen object and manages to restore it without implicating Philemon. He is elected unanimously.

23. Earl Roland learns that his candidate received zero votes, and realises that he has been hoodwinked by Godwyn. Furious, he orders his son, Bishop Richard, to refuse to ratify the vote. Roland's sons, William and Richard, are both, in their different ways, as strong as he. They retain a lingering resentment of his harshness, which helps them go against him when they must. (Though they speak in contrasting ways about him, William saying his discipline toughened us up, Richard saying his cruelty made us miserable.) The bishop ofKingsbridge is, technically, the abbot of the monastery, over the priory. However, the fact that the bishop's palace is some distance away, at Shiring, has always reduced his authority in practice. Nevertheless, he has the right to approve or veto the monks' choice. The earl does not have power to give orders to the bishop, but Richard is at first happy to comply. Edmund and Charis, desperate to have Godwyn as prior so that they will get the new bridge, would like to lobby Earl Roland, but they cannot, because of the old quarrel between the families that dates back to Roland's jilting of Petronilla. Charis asks Merthin to get his brother, Ralph, to intercede; but it does no good. Then Philemon reminds Richard of the moment, just a few months ago, when he caught Richard in bed with Margery. The wedding is due to take place, at Kingsbridge Cathedral, in a few days' time. Philemon pretends that Godwyn has a pious objection to a wedding in which the bride is a known fornicator. Richard realises that, if such a high-profile wedding is cancelled because he deflowered the bride, his father's wrath will be the least of the trouble he is in. A bishop's affairs with servant girls may be overlooked, and he may even have a housekeeper who is his wife in all but name, but this would be too public. He would not be able to continue as bishop, and would probably end up a lowly knight on the level ofRalph Porlock. He tells his father he cannot comply, and ratifies Godwyn's election.

27 Chapter 6 24. Margery marries the Duke's son in Kingsbridge Cathedral, and Queen Isabella comes for the celebrations. Powerful women are not the norm in medieval society, but on the other hand they are not rare, either. Wealth and power belong to queens, countesses, abbesses, prioresses, and the wives and widows of merchants and craftsmen. Ten per cent of cathedral builders are female. The women Charis admires are independent, powerful and single: women such as Queen Isabella, who outmanoeuvred everyone to put her son on the throne of England; Mother Cecilia, the prioress of Kings bridge; and Mattie Wise. No one tells them what to do, Charis observes; and that is how she wants to live. She remembers her own mother, who so wholeheartedly accepted the inferiority of women that she became a bore even to her own husband. Her efforts to make Charis conform, taken over wholesale by Petronilla, have all been counterproductive. For these reasons, Charis refuses to marry Merthin. The day before Queen Isabella leaves, one of her ladies-in-waiting has a conversation with Thomas Langley that Charis overhears. It is a heartrending scene, the woman sobbing, Thomas saying he cannot leave the priory, for if he did he would be killed. Charis realises that the woman is Thomas's wife. After a while, Merthin starts seeing more of sexy Bella Cooper. He likes her, but he is not serious about her-in fact, the more he sees of Bella, the more he loves Charis. However, Charis finds herself agonisingly jealous. She seduces Merthin, and they become lovers.

25. Merthin goes to Godwyn and says he wants to design the new stone bridge. Godwyn says he will think about it. Merthin has a better understanding of bridge design than Elfric; but life is not fair, and plenty of people say he is too young to be a master builder. Alice and Petronilla lobby for Elfric. Alice speaks to her father, Edmund, and Petronilla badgers her son, Godwyn. Charis backs Merthin. Godwyn has so far presented himself as a reformer, open to fresh ideas; but that was at least partly a tactic for winning support in the election, and he now reveals a timid, conservative side, preferring the sycophantic Elfric to the independent-mind Merthin, and he commissions Elfric. Merthin is infuriated, and determined to prove them all wrong. He produces an audacious design, wide enough for two carts, incorporating a chapel, a mill, and a defensive barbican. Instead of starting and finishing in riverside mud, the bridge is ramped at both ends. He draws this beautifully on a large piece of vellum stretched over a board, and shows it around town. Many leading merchants are excited by it, realising that it could rejuvenate the Fleece Fair, both by admitting traders to the town faster (and eliminating that queue), and by symbolising a new spirit in Kingsbridge. Edmund agrees, but he is under heavy pressure at home. Godwyn is reluctant to revisit his decision. However, Thomas Langley­ always Merthin's ally-asks both builders how they would handle the complex engineering and water management involved in building any kind of bridge over a fast-moving river; and it immediately becomes clear that Elfric has no idea. Godwyn is obliged to commission Merthin to build the bridge. But he feels

28 humiliated that Merthin has publicly outwitted him, and he nurses the grudge. Edmund takes Merthin into the house as a lodger. This pleases Charis. However, it continues to cause tension with Alice. The Griselda scandal is only one reason. Elfric married the shrewish Alice because she is the daughter of the town's leading citizen, and he assumed the marriage would ensure he got the cream of the town's building work. He has done well enough so far, but clearly Merthin is shaping up to be a serious rival. Elfric and Alice are determined that Charis will not make matters worse by marrying Merthin. Petronilla sides with Alice, and wants Charis to marry Dick Brewer, prosperous owner of the town's largest tavern. Merthin and Charis continue to make love at every opportunity. Merthin notices that on her vulva, visible through the soft fair hair, she has a small, dark­ coloured mole. She is embarrassed by it, but he finds it charming. He tells her something he learned from an Italian trader: that in the Arab world every work of art is made with a tiny, deliberate imperfection, so that its beauty will not commit the impiety of competing with God.

26. Charis misses her period. She is horrified. All her life she has resisted the idea of subordinating herself to a husband and raising his children. She refuses to speak to Merthin. He is distraught, not understanding what is wrong. She consults Mattie Wise, who gives her a potion. It works--or perhaps the pregnancy terminates itself naturally-and she is saved. But she will no longer have sex with Merthin.

27. Godwyn orders Merthin to start work-and to get the money from the guild. Edmund and Charis had not realised, when Godwyn made his promise, that he was reviving the deal proposed by Charis and rejected by Anthony. However, they are able to raise the money. Edmund signs an agreement with the priory, and Godwyn manages so to arrange things that Charis does not see it beforehand. (Women were routinely admitted to medieval guilds. Anyone carrying on a trade or business in the town had to belong-outsiders could do business only on Market Day. Women .frequently ran businesses and workshops, especially as widows. Monks and priests were also compelled to join guilds if they wanted to trade, as they often did) Merthin starts bringing in stone. The priory has its own quarry, from which came the stone to build the cathedral-but the quarry is deep inside the earl of Shiring's territory, and this has been a cause of friction for centuries. When eventually Charis reads the agreement, she sees that Godwyn has changed the terms. The money for the bridge is simply a loan to the priory, unsecured. She persuades the guild to repudiate this, and renegotiates the agreement. She manages to get the loan secured by the income from bridge tolls; but the bridge will still belong to the priory, not the town.

28. Ralph excitedly tells Earl Roland about his brother's radical design for a new stone bridge. The earl immediately realises the bridge will arrest the decline of Kingsbridge Fleece Fair-and take business away from the rival Shiring Fair. He decides to obstruct the building, partly from commercial rivalry and partly because he wants

29 revenge on Godwyn. First, Roland sends Ralph to speak to Merthin and persuade him to give up the job. Ralph is authorised to offer Merthin a bribe, the contract to build a new castle for Roland. Merthin refuses. Ralph really needs to succeed in this mission, to curry favour with the earl and win his longed-for promotion to knighthood; and he becomes angry with Merthin for refusing to play ball. Their parents take Ralph's side, pointing out that it is always unwise to reject a bribe from someone as powerful as the Earl of Shiring. The brothers quarrel without resolving anything.

29. Roland imposes a tax on every stone leaving his territory. It is common for lords to try to tax goods passing through their territories. Most borough charters exempt the burgesses from such taxes nationwide. The difficulty of proving exemption is a constant cause of trouble. Roland argues that Kingsbridge is not a borough, so the question of exemption does not arise. Godwyn replies that the priory has had the right to take stone for hundreds ofyears and has never paid a tax. Charis and Edmund are dismayed, fearing that the delay will further damage trade; and Merthin is angry because all work is halted on his beautiful bridge. Edmund is especially angered because he (and his family) have hated Roland ever since Roland jilted Petronilla. The only forum for the resolution of such a dispute is the king's court. Edmund and Godwyn appeal to the court, dealing initially with Gregory Longfellow, a priest working in the royal chancery. They are heard respectfully, being the leading men of one of the larger towns in the kingdom. They argue that, without its bridge, Kingsbridge will be impoverished and will be unable to pay its royal taxes. This argument is effective with Edward III, who is about to invade France, and Earl Roland is slapped down. The building of the bridge goes on.

30

.. __..__ Chapter 7 30. All summer long, Wulfric and Gwenda toil side by side to get the harvest in. Both are young and strong, and the villagers marvel at their tirelessness. Gwenda tries everything she can to seduce Wulfric. He is not immune--quite the contrary-but he has a strong character, and he resists her, even on one occasion when she catches him masturbating. She realises at some level that he is kept going by rage about what happened to his family-both their deaths and the threatened loss of his inheritance. Ann sees what is going on, but there is nothing she can do. Knowing Wulfric, she believes he is being faithful to her, but all the same she is jealous. She has a row with him about it, but he says he cannot get rid of Gwenda. Ann deals with it by titillating Wulfric whenever she can, which in fact makes matters worse for the poor boy. The only time Wulfric shows any feelings for Gwenda is when her father, Oran, shows up, demanding that she return home with him and help him work on some project he has taken on. Wulfric stands up for Gwenda and throws Oran out, and she realises he is not completely indifferent to her after all. In September 1337 they get the harvest in, and Wulfric proves he can manage his father's landholding, despite his youth. The only remaining problem is the heriot (inheritance tax). Ann may be shallow and selfish, but she is not stupid, and she persuades her father, Perkin, to lend Wulfric the money he needs. Gwenda realises she has gambled and lost. Wulfric will now marry Ann as soon as the new lord of Wigleigh is appointed.

31. Earl Roland chooses Ralph as the new lord of Wigleigh. (This is Ralph's reward for saving Roland's life when the bridge collapsed.) The villagers are anxious: they know that Ralph is a violent bully, but many squires are the same, and most moderate their behaviour as they gain responsibility. Merthin is pleased, knowing how happy this will make his father; but Charis remonstrates with him. Does he not know how Ralph hates her friends Gwenda and Wulfric? This is catastrophic news for them. She is right. Wulfric is dismayed, knowing that Ralph hates him for breaking his nose. Sure enough, Ralph rules that Wulfric cannot inherit, citing his age. Ann is not going to marry a landless labourer. Perkin calls off the wedding. Gwenda secretly rejoices.

32. Wulfric takes consolation in the arms of Gwenda, and at last they become lovers. Ann marries Billy Howard. Perkin asks Ralph to give him the land that used to belong to Wulfric's family. Ralph is inclined to say yes. Gwenda goes to her childhood friend Charis. You're close to Merthin, she says; can't you get him to ask his brother to reconsider? Merthin does so. Ralph demands to meet Gwenda. Does Philemon do anything? Gwenda begs Ralph to give the land to Wulfric, and says they could pay the heriot in instalments. Ralph demands sex as a bribe. Gwenda consents. She finds Ralph revolting but, as happened with the man who bought her, she becomes

31 strangely excited. Ralph now tells Perkin that he cannot have the land. Perkin immediately offers to pay double the heriot. Ralph accepts, reneguing on his deal with Gwenda. But what can she do-----complain to her husband?

33. Perkin adds Wulfric's family's land to his holding, becoming the wealthiest peasant in Wigleigh. Billy Howard, Ann's new husband, cultivates the new acres with help from other Perkin family members. Billy offers Wulfric a job as a labourer. Proudly, Wulfric refuses. Then Gwenda announces that she is pregnant. Wulfric marries her and takes the job.

32 ChapterS 34. Merthin completes the difficult job of redirecting the flow of the river, and makes the complex cranes and other wooden machinery necessary for building the new bridge. He begins a flirtation with Elizabeth Clerk. He feels miserable that Charis has rejected him again, and is seeking consolation. He does not find it. Charis hates Elizabeth, but fears that her coldly intellectual manner could intrigue Merthin by challenging him. She is unhappy, and seeks a project to take her mind off romance.

35. The Kingsbridge Fleece Fair of 1338 is a disaster. Ferrying the traders across the river is slow, and the queues stretch so far that most of them go home. Edmund makes almost no money and is left with a warehouse full of raw wool. Charis proposes using Edmund's surplus fleeces to make woollen cloth. Petronilla opposes this plan for two reasons: she is afraid it will not work; and she thinks Charis should get married and settle down, preferably with prosperous Dick Brewer. But Edmund gives the go-ahead. Charis recruits the help of the Weaver family. They have appeared already, albeit briefly. Mark is a big man but mild-mannered, a gentle giant. Naomi, who sided with Gwenda when Oran sold her, is warm-hearted and strong-willed. Edmund has a little tendresse for Naomi. So does Elfric, who at one point offered her money for sex, and was brusquely turned down. The Weavers are a poor family with several children, scraping a living, looked down upon by the town's snobbier citizens such as Alice and Petronilla. But in fact both Mark and Naomi are hardworking and intelligent. They respond eagerly to the prospect of improving their fortunes by working with Charis to expand cloth manufacturing.

36. Charis takes an interest in dyeing, a process that adds value to the finished cloth. She consults Mattie Wise about the colouring effects of various substances. In the kitchen of her father's house, she experiments with different methods of colouring cloth. Mother Cecilia, seeing that Charis seems to have decided against marriage, renews her campaign to persuade Charis to become a nun. Alice and Petronilla now support the prioress, thinking it may be the only way to get Charis out of their hair; but Edmund wants her to stay at home and help with business. Charis tells everyone she wants to be free and independent, but they say this is a youthful whim and she will grow out of it.

37. Gwenda, pregnant, happens to be in Kingsbridge when she goes into labour. Charis is with her. There are complications. The monks do not know what to do, but Mattie Wise saves mother and baby. Does Philemon do anything? The baby is a boy. Charis realises immediately that the father is not Wulfric, but Ralph. Fortunately, Wulfric is blissfully unaware. Gwenda and Wulfric name the boy Sam, after Wulfric's father.

33 Chapter 9 38. Godwyn enrols Philemon as a novice monk. Using Timothy's Book as his authority, Godwyn reimposes ancient restrictions on the people of Kingsbridge. He forbids them to have their own mills, fishponds and warrens, forcing them to use the priory' s-at a price. The prosperity of the townspeople has been reduced by the lack of a bridge, and these new impositions come at the worst possible time. But, when Edmund and Charis complain, Godwyn says that Prior Anthony should never have let matters slip the way he did, and it is difficult for Edmund and Charis to deny this. But Godwyn, like Anthony, fails to see the connection between the town's prosperity and his own income. Edmund and Charis begin to feel that they were deceived by Godwyn when he presented himself as a reformer. He now seems more of a reactionary. This realisation is one of the major dramatic turning-points of the novel, and must be really big. Charis must feel Godwyn 's betrayal very personally, and she must be very angry with him-as must we. There are bitter rows in the house as Edmund and Charis clash with Petronilla. Godwyn does not hate Edmund and the townspeople, but he disrespects them. He looks down on them, believing that as a holy monk he is superior to them in every way. Their wishes are insignificant, whereas the priory's needs are sacred. His mother, Petronilla, encourages him in this haughty outlook, for it reinforces her own pride. Naturally, the townspeople resent this attitude, and Charis comes to loathe Godwyn even more than she did Anthony. The sorest point is the fulling mill, which is decrepit, slow, and under capacity now that Charis is making cloth. (Fulling, or felting, is the process of thickening the cloth by wetting it and pounding it.) The expansion of the cloth industry is held back by the obligation to use the old mill. Charis learns that the mill was invented in the time of Prior Philip by a townsman, Jack Builder, an ancestor of Merthin's. A grateful priory gave every townsman the right to use the mill free. Godwyn refuses to acknowledge this.

39. Outraged, Edmund and Charis go to the royal court again. Again they see Gregory Longfellow, who says their case seems watertight. Godwyn hires a qualified lawyer who argues that the people of Kingsbridge are not free men but serfs of the prior, and as such have no right of access to the king's court. He is correct, and Godwyn wins.

40. Charis realises angrily that she was mistaken. She thought Kingsbridge was being held back by old Prior Anthony, and she placed her faith in Godwyn to change things. But he has betrayed her, and now she realises the town will never reach its potential until it ceases to be a fiefdom of the priory and becomes a borough with a charter. (Most English towns have acquired charters over the years, but several remain in the position of Kingsbridge, notably St Albans. Kings bridge itself applied for a charter in the days of Prior Philip, but the application was turned down by King Henry II.) Charis and Edmund prepare an application to the king for Kingsbridge to be

34 made a borough, with its own town council, borough court, and members of Parliament. (At present, Kingsbridge is represented in Parliament by the bishop and the prior.) The borough charter would free the town from the priory's control. The application has a good chance of success, based on the argument that as a borough the town will be more prosperous and better able to pay the king's war taxes. Godwyn is infuriated by this application and opposes it fiercely.

35 Chapter 10 41. Ralph comes across Ann, and remembers her from the Fleece Fair. He contrives to get her alone, and rapes her. He needs a reason. Something special about her? Or does he know that Wulfric loves her? Billy Howard makes a formal complaint in the earl's court. Earl Roland is privately angry with Ralph, but publicly he would look foolish if he were to punish someone he had just appointed, so he refuses to act, saying the incident did not take place on his land.

42. Wulfric, who for the rest of his life will carry a torch for the shallow Ann, is maddened with rage. He persuades Billy to complain in the court of the neighbouring lord, William of Caster. William is Roland's son, and would normally side with his father. However, his wife, Philippa, hates Ralph, and persuades him to convict Ralph and sentence him to death. Merthin is horrified by the crime, but nevertheless he pleads for his brother's life to be spared-but to no avail. However, Ralph escapes and flees.

43. Ralph joins Tam Hiding and his criminal gang of outlaws in the forest. They live by robbing travellers, especially merchants on their way to Kingsbridge and Caterham-but not Shiring. The citizens complain to Earl Roland, who does nothing, partly because his own interests are not threatened, partly as a way to punish William for going against him. They complain to the king, who is not keen to offend a powerful earl immediately before beginning a new war. The Kingsbridge guild, advised by Thomas Langley, forms a militia of bowmen to bodyguard convoys, and offers a reward for the capture of Ralph. (Earl Roland would not normally tolerate another military force on his territory, but in this case a complaint would amount to a confession of his dereliction of duty, so he remains silent.) Edmund and the townsmen, advised by Thomas, set a trap for Ralph and-to Merthin's dismay-they capture him.

36 Chapter 11 44. By May 1339, Merthin has completed the basic structure of the new bridge. The watermill, chapel and barbican are not yet built, but the piers are finished and the road can be used for the Fleece Fair. Attendance improves, but Merthin notices that Shiring is visible from the fork in the road at Mudeford Crossing, and wishes that the spire ofKings bridge cathedral was tall enough to be seen from that point. But Godwyn is still smarting from having been forced to hire Merthin against his will. Now Godwyn fires Merthin on a pretext and hires Elfric to finish the job. Merthin realises he, like Charis and Edmund, was completely deceived by Godwyn, who is quite without integrity. Merthin again asks Charis to marry him. If she will not, he says, he is going to leave Kingsbridge. There is nothing else for him here. He does not really love Elizabeth Clerk or Bella Cooper. He has always dreamed of travelling to Italy and seeing the great buildings there (of what is now known as the early Renaissance). He has money: he has been well paid for his work. He will attach himself to a party of wool buyers and go to Florence. He is confident of his abilities and feels sure he will get work there. Charis agrees to marry him. Elizabeth Clerk is heartbroken and embittered. She enters the nunnery. Bella Cooper marries Dick Brewer. Elfric has got what he wants: he is the town's leading builder again. Elfric plans to follow Merthin's bridge design in all particulars but one. Merthin has specified a large pile of jagged stones, called riprap, at the upstream end of each bridge pontoon. Elfric thinks these are no more than a decorating flourish, and decides to leave them out. He does not tell Merthin of this decision.

45. Godwyn is advised that the king is likely to grant Charis's petition for a borough charter. He is determined to prevent this, no matter what it takes. Philemon is always willing and eager to do Godwyn's dirty work. He now starts a rumour that Charis is a witch. It gains credence from her friendship with Mattie Wise and her experiments with dyes. Elizabeth Clerk, who hates Charis for having won Merthin, is willing to testify that she saw and heard Charis invoking the devil. Charis and Merthin also know that if Charis is examined for the devil' s mark, the examiners will find the mole on her vulva. The danger is serious. Charis certainly faces the water ordeal, in which the suspect is drowned. If she is a witch, she will float; so that in order to prove her innocence she has to die. Mother Cecilia offers her a way out: join the nunnery. Charis accepts. Edmund dies.

46. Ralph is about to be executed for his crimes when Merthin suggests a way out. The king has announced a royal pardon for all criminals willing to accompany him on his invasion of France.

37

.. __...._ At Merthin's urging, Ralph volunteers. Merthin says goodbye to Charis and leaves Kingsbridge, heading for Florence.

38 Part IV: 1346-1348

Chapter 12 47. Charis, now 28, is somewhat reconciled to life in the nunnery. At first she was restless, a troublemaker, but she has found a niche. Still a religious sceptic, she has learned to keep her views to herself, most of the time; and wise Mother Cecilia gives her work that permits her to skip services. As always, she is popular with those around her. Charis's business experience, her facility with numbers, and her strength of character make her a formidable administrator; and she is in a milieu in which a medieval woman may exercise such talents, for a nunnery is a massive agribusiness. At present she is guest master, in charge of the care of visitors to the nunnery, including noblewomen who come on a religious retreat, pilgrims, and sick people­ all of whom stay in the "hospital". She is tied to the nunnery by a web of strong relationships: i. She identifies with the little girls in the nuns' school. Like them, she would be unable to read and write were it not for the school. One in particular, Tilly (13), a niece of Earl Roland, reminds her ofherself. Godwyn and Philemon would like to close down the girls' school and teach only boys, on the grounds that women should not be literate, but should simply accept instruction from men; but Charis opposes them, and Mother Cecilia agrees with her. ii. Charis treats the novice nuns as daughters. m. Among nuns of her own age, she has had romantic relationships. She does not feel a strong sexual attraction to any woman, but here in the nunnery where touching another person is banned, she feels starved of contact, and becomes desperate for physical affection-from anyone. Right now, a beautiful blonde nun called Mair is in love with her. The affair is mainly a matter of covert looks and stolen kisses, but occasionally they find a way to spend a night together. (Some of the nuns hate men. Some like men, but prefer sex with women. Some, like Charis, prefer sex with men but will have sex with woman as second best Many seem to get by without sex of any kind.) Charis also has an enemy in the nunnery: Elizabeth Clerk. Elizabeth is as bright as Charis, though not as dynamic. She entered the monastery the same year, but she was never disobedient and rebellious, so she has progressed faster, and now she is sub-prior, Mother Cecilia's deputy. She still hates Charis. Elizabeth is the illegitimate daughter of a bishop. Her mother, a serving girl in a Kingsbridge tavern, is now married to a prosperous peasant who is a tenant of the monks. Prior Godwyn has won Elizabeth's friendship by giving preferential treatment to her family. In consequence, they revere Elizabeth, and bring her gifts. Reciprocally, Elizabeth will do anything she can to help Godwyn, even if it means disloyalty to Mother Cecilia. She supports Godwyn's wish to close the nuns' school. iv. Charis is Mother Cecilia's favourite, a relationship going back twenty years. This is another reason why Elizabeth hates her: jealousy. v. Among the geriatric patients in the hospital is Sister Juliana, known as Old Julie, the nun who was kind to Charis when her mother died.

39 Strong though these ties are, Charis misses Merthin every day. He was her soul mate, and the truth is that she will never be really happy without him. But she meets Bonaventura Dicarlo (who has returned because ofthe new bridge), and learns from him that Merthin is living in Florence, married with children, rich and successful; so she expects never to see him again.

48. An outlaw comes to the priory disguised as a pilgrim and steals cash and precious jewels from the monks. He is caught and brought before Godwyn's court. The punishment is that he is flayed alive, i.e. all his skin is cut off with a sharp knife and he bleeds to death. Many townspeople are horrified by this punishment, but Petronilla defends Godwyn's action. Following the theft, Godwyn and Philemon (who is now sacrist, and effectively Godwyn's deputy) implement new security arrangements, which serve as cover for an elaborate plan for taking control of the nuns' assets. i. He builds a new stone treasury. It has vaults under the paving stones for cash and jewellery, and a massive ironbound chest (too large to pass through the doorway) for charters and title deeds. He announces that this is a communal treasury for monks and nuns, and gives Mother Cecilia a key. Charis is suspicious, and talks to Mother Cecilia. Cecilia has a fundamental belief in Godwyn's good will, which leads her to give him the benefit of the doubt. The skin of the thief is nailed to the treasury door as a warning. It will slowly tum to leather, and fragments will remain attached to the nailheads for centuries. ii. Godwyn offers to have the nuns' charters copied in the scriptorium. Mother Cecilia agrees. She lets Godwyn take the charters and keep them in the treasury. Once again, Charis expresses misgivings; and once again Cecilia trusts Godwyn. m. Tam Hiding and his outlaws, in revenge for the flaying of their comrade, concentrate on robbing servants of Kingsbridge priory. Godwyn creates a bodyguard for the priory's rent collectors, and persuades Cecilia that he should collect her rents, too. After one of her people is robbed and killed, she agrees. The cash is all put into the one treasury. iv. Charis at last persuades Cecilia that this system is dangerous, and Cecilia agrees to a surprise audit of the money in the treasury. But Elizabeth forewarns Godwyn, and Charis finds everything in order.

49. There is an outbreak among the monks of an infectious illness. It spreads to pilgrims staying in the hospital, and eventually hundreds of townspeople catch it. Godwyn becomes very fearful, and Charis realises that he has a terror of death. One of the pilgrims is a travelling doctor who has been to Istanbul, and he tells Charis that advanced Arab thinkers believe the traditional hospital, in which sick people and healthy visitors eat and sleep and go to the toilet side by side, can be responsible for spreading disease. This chimes with an instinct Charis has felt for some time. A wealthy noblewoman has left a large sum of money to the priory hospital. Charis proposes tearing down the dilapidated old building and replacing it with two new buildings: an infirmary for sick people, divided into wards to prevent cross-

40 infection, and designed to be easy to clean; and a separate guest house for pilgrims and other healthy visitors. Godwyn scorns her ideas as women's prattle. He has a rival building project, a palatial new prior's house designed by Elfric. He says it is essential for the prestige of the priory. As a young man, Godwyn was a sincere zealot, his main weakness being the arrogant assumption that he must be right and everyone else wrong. His success in becoming prior and taking control of the nuns' money has done nothing to moderate his self-regard. The view that he knows better than everyone else has transmuted seamlessly into the view that he is better. Encouraged by his mother, Petronilla, he says the new prior's house must be grand to reflect the prestige of the office of prior, not ofthe prior himself; but no one buys that story. Godwyn's ambition has no limit: bishop, archbishop, cardinal. .. more? It is fundamental with him that women are inferior. This attitude drives Charis mad. On the other hand, Godwyn is specially infuriated by challenges coming from a mere girl. Charis unmasked his duplicity over bridge tolls, and forced him into a compromise. She threatened his authority by applying for a borough charter. He thought he had got rid of her with the witchcraft allegation, but she sidestepped that one. And she has ended up a powerful official of the nunnery, positioned to continue to thwart him. They hate one another. Godwyn's contempt for women in general and Charis in particular is a product of repressed desire, as previously noted. His horror of women has become worse over the years. He can barely stand the sight of female clothing, and if he accidentally touches a woman he recoils. He averts his eyes even when speaking to nuns. He is the son of a domineering mother and a father who died young. The driving force in his life is maternal disapproval. He will ever be anything but horribly uncomfortable about sex. Godwyn says money cannot be spared for the new hospital. Charis points out that it was given specifically for the hospital. Amazingly, Godwyn denies this. The nuns deeds will show the truth-but now they realise that their documents are locked in an ironbound box, and they do not have a key. Charis persuades Cecilia to make her treasurer. She begins to collect the nuns' rents herself, pre-empting Godwyn. Godwyn appeals to the bishop, asking him to order Charis to stop. Bishop Richard is not the playboy he was ten years ago, but he is still a political operator who treats his bishopric as a power base rather than a vocation; and currently he is in France, with King Edward III and his invading army. Bishop Richard's deputy, Archdeacon Lloyd, is an educated and competent priest. He mistrusts Godwyn, who blackmailed the bishop in 1339; but does not have the power to overrule him. Charis travels to France and catches up with the army. But her appeal is rejected: Richard is a pragmatist, and he sides with Godwyn against Charis because Godwyn seems more powerful. He orders Charis to stop, and she is forced to give in.

50. Ralph Porlock, now 31, is also with the English army in France. He is missing three fingers, and walks with a limp, but he is wealthy and respected. The army steal

41 everything they can pick up: cash, jewellery, fabrics, horses, armour. They also take prisoners and hold them for ransom. Royal and aristocratic hostages fetch huge sums. Ralph has made a lot of money-but, as he grumbles to his comrades, he has not yet received from the king the kind of promotion-to earl, say-that he feels is his due after a decade of military service. On Saturday 26 August 1346 he is at Crecy for the battle that is hailed, then and now, as one of the greatest English military triumphs of all time. Also present are Earl Roland ofShiring and his two sons; William, lord of Caster, and Richard, Bishop of Kingsbridge. Gregory Longfellow is also with the king. Roland is one of the few English casualties at this famous victory (won by the longbowmen). His elder son, William of Caster, takes over his title. Ralph expects to be made an earl as a reward for years of military service, but Charis reminds the king that Ralph is a murderer who escaped justice only by joining the invasion. The king gives Ralph instead the lesser title, Lord of Caster. The king also promises to marry him to a niece of the late Earl Roland, Tilly, now 13. This is not quite what Ralph wants-he longs to be an earl-but it will give him a measure of aristocratic respectability. He still loves Lady Philippa, the wife of William. Charis, who is fond of Tilly, is devastated at the prospect that Tilly will marry Ralph-the more so since her interference may have been the cause of it.

51. Back at home, still unable to gain control over the nunnery's income, Charis begins a program of assarting--clearing woods and draining swamps to create new fields, a common way for medieval landlords to add value to their holdings-and something the prior and bishop can hardly object to. To attract tenants, such lands are usually offered with free status and cash rents. (The historical background to this will be made clear in the story, but for the purpose ofthis outline an explanation may be helpful. The modern concept of land ownership did not exist in Norman law. Instead, land was "held" by tenants and sub-tenants who owed obligations, rather than money, to the lord. The king parcelled out the country to earls, who in turn distributed it to knights, who allocated portions to peasants, in a branching tree of obligations. Earls had to raise armies when the king declared war; knights had to fight in the army of their earl, equipped with horses and armour at their own expense; and peasants did the work that maintained them all. Peasants had complex sets of obligations, called customary dues. Typically, they had to: a) Give a portion oftheir harvest to the lord; b) Work one day a week on the lord's personal/and; c) Perform a variety of miscellaneous duties such as carting the lord's produce to market; d) Pay in kind a number of taxes including heriot, the inheritance tax, often the best beast. In addition, they were serfs, which meant they needed their lord's approval for

42 most major life decisions, such as to marry, to build a house, to travel, and to move to another village. Whether this system ever existed in a pure form is debatable, but certainly by the fourteenth century it was under pressure from the growth of alternative, cash­ based relationships. Increasingly, knights demanded wages to fight, and the king had to raise taxes to pay armies. Peasants were keen to transform customary dues into cash rents. And more serfs were gaining free status, which meant they did not need their lord's permission for everything they did The peasant's dream was "copyhold"­ a written rental agreement. The conservative aristocracy and clergy fought fiercely against all these developments, which lie behind much of the conflict in late medieval society, and in this story.) Charis's assarts attract tenants mainly, but not exclusively, from villages already under the control of the nuns. Godwyn has succeeded in diverting rents from these villages into the "communal" treasury but he cannot deny Charis the right to control the serfs. This move will not cost him anything, but all the same he has a feeling he has been outmanoeuvred. Charis begins to hear stories of a terrible plague that has struck Italy. She takes an interest, questioning travellers, although at this stage she does not expect it to strike England

43 Chapter 13 52. Merthin wakes up as if from a long sleep tormented by fever dreams. He remembers that he is in Florence, a rich and successful architect, married with three children. Then he remembers more. At the end of 1347, Italy was afflicted by a terrible epidemic, Ia moria grande-the big death. It killed at least half the population of Florence. Merthin's wife and two of the children were struck, then he himself fell ill with the disease. The third child, Lalla, seems immune. Knowing he was likely to die, Merthin reviewed his life, and discovered deep in his heart a profound regret. He should have spent his life with Charis. He has recovered but, he now learns, Laura and the two sick children have died. He decides to leave Florence, city of sad memories, and return home. There is no shortage of work for him in Florence, despite the plague; and he has no idea whether he will find work in Kingsbridge; but he longs to see Charis again. AZ: What has he learned in Florence? What does he look back on as his greatest achievement? Does he leave behind a close friend or mentor?

53. Gwenda, now 27, has two sons: Sam (8) and David (6), the latter named for Wulfric's elder brother, who died in the bridge collapse. Sam is big and strong and a bully, like his real father, Ralph. David is dark and shrewd like his mother, Gwenda. Wulfric loves Gwenda and the boys, but Ann (married to Billy Howard) can still make a fool of him any time she likes. This rankles with Gwenda, but she has learned to live with it. Most of all, Wulfric longs to win back his father's lands. Gwenda wants this for him, but she also wants him to hold the lands permanently, as a free man, not as a serf whose holding may be taken away at the whim of a nobleman. Her hatred of servitude has been powerfully strengthened by being sold, a memory that is vivid to her every day. The harvest of 134 7 is poor, and the village of Wigleigh faces a hard winter. Oran comes to Gwenda, starving, and begs for food. Perkin warns that he may not be able to continue to employ Wulfric. Does Philemon do anything? Gwenda goes to Charis to beg for charity. Instead, Charis offers her an assart.

54. Ralph returns to Kingsbridge in December 1347 with a wagonload of plunder (causing resentment among the townspeople, who have paid for a decade of war and have received nothing). His father, Sir Gerald, is cock-a-hoop: Ralph has achieved everything he, Gerald, failed to do. Ralph meets Tilly, 13, who is a pupil at the nuns' school and a favourite of Charis. Charis protests that Tilly is too young to be a wife. Ralph insists on marrying her immediately, in accordance with the king's decision. Charis proposes that the pair go through the marriage ceremony, but do not begin to live as man and wife for another two years-a common practice when marriages are arranged for political reasons. But .Ralph insists on immediate cohabitation; and there is no doubt that Tilly is physically a woman. Charis protests, but in the end nothing she can say will save the girl. Ralph also refuses permission for Wulfric and Gwenda to take up the assart

44 offered to them by Charis. Does Philemon do anything? Dick Brewer, rubicund owner of the town's largest tavern, dies, leaving Betty Brewster a rich widow.

45 Chapter 14 55. Early in 1348, Merthin is in England, on his way to Kingsbridge, accompanied by his six-year-old daughter Lolla, already a wayward, troubled child. He is not travelling alone: few people do, and he is carrying much of the wealth he amassed as an architect in Florence. In order to reduce the amount of cash in his possession, he has made a complex deal with the Dicarlo family. Traders such as the Florentine wool buyers act as prototypical bankers and provide the earliest forms of international credit. When a monastery is financially embarrassed, as Kingsbridge Priory is so often, they buy the wool of future years in advance. They have transferred to Merthin a large loan to Kingsbridge Priory, in exchange for a cash he paid them in Florence. The loan is secured by a mortgage on several villages in the valley of Outhenby. Interest, or usury, is a sin, so as a way of getting around this the Dicarlos, and now Merthin, take the rents from all the farms in the valley until the loan is repaid. Merthin has crossed Europe in a caravan of merchants and pilgrims. The group dwindled in size after Paris and London, but he is still accompanied by several wool merchants and their heavily-armed servants. At the brow of a hill, the road forks. Most travellers head for Shiring, which is visible in the distance. If only one could see Kingsbridge from here, Merthin muses, what a difference it would make. As soon as he reaches Kingsbridge, he seeks out Charis. She is shocked and thrilled to see him. They regain their old rapport instantly, though each has matured and changed. Merthin tells Charis he has returned to ask her to renounce her vows and marry him. But the nunnery has been Charis's life for a decade, and she cannot just leave. Merthin reminds her of her old dislike of religion, and is bewildered by her attachment to the priory. When she talks about the girls in the nuns' school, he introduces her to Lolla. But this is counterproductive, for-even though Lolla arouses Charis 's maternal instincts--the thought of becoming responsible for a disobedient six-year-old revives Charis's horror of a life subordinated to someone else She asks Merthin for time to think.

56. Merthin rents a large house in the centre oftown, hires a housekeeper, and enrols Lolla in the nunnery school. He visits his parents. His mother urges him to remarry quickly. He goes to see his brother Ralph, about whom he always has painfully mixed feelings. Ralph is living at Casterham with his young wife Tilly, already pregnant. Merthin is glad to see his brother safe home from the war, but disapproves of Ralph's treatment of Tilly, who seems too young to be a mother. Kingsbridge is more prosperous than when he left it, but still held back by two factors: heavy war taxes, and restrictions imposed by the priory. The wool business continues to stagnate. Edmund is dead, and what is left of his business is run by Petronilla. He finds people curious and fearful about the plague, which has reached Spain and France. Merthin is warmly welcomed by Mark and Naomi Weaver, who are now

46 among the town's more prosperous citizens, thanks to the expansion of cloth manufacturing. They subcontract work to a roster of town and country weaving families. This big new industry could grow faster if the town had more fulling mills. Elfric is alderman of the guild. He offers no opposition to Godwyn and the priory. His reward is all the priory's building work. Mark Weaver is his main rival on the guild. Mark represents the up-and-coming business class in the town. Merthin rejoins the guild. He has plenty ofmoney, but he still wants to work as an architect-builder, because this is the expression of his genius. However, he finds himself unable to get any work. He swiftly learns that this is because of the new bridge. Cracks have appeared in the stonework, and the builder, Elfric, has told everyone this is because Merthin's design was flawed. Merthin says his design was not followed, and demands that the original drawing be produced. Godwyn says it has been lost, but Charis finds it in the library. Merthin points out that Elfric failed to install the riprap, the piles of jagged stones at the upstream ends of the bridge pontoons. Elfric admits this, but scorns the idea that the omission of such a decorative detail could cause structural weakness. In this conflict, Merthin is supported by Mark Weaver, and the bridge issue becomes symbolic ofthe divide within the guild. Elfric dislikes the Weavers. He and Alice look down on them socially, remembering when they were among the poorest families in town. And there is another reason: Elfric remembers with shame the time he offered Naomi money for sex, and she spumed him. But, most of all, Elfric hates Merthin. Elfric's life plan was to marry the daughter of the alderman and use that connection to become the town's leading builder. For this, he paid the price of a life with the shrewish Alice. Merthin subverted this plan in 1337 and has returned to do so again, partly by charming people such as Thomas Langley and the late Edmund Wooler, and partly just by being a better builder. The careless arrogance of the young Merthin added sting to the wound, but it is even worse now that Merthin can claim familiarity with buildings and building techniques in Florence (regarded by the English as the capital of world civilisation). Elfric tells himself that pure malice motivates Merthin in constantly trying to show Elfric up as a bad builder. In fact there is no real malice. Merthin despises Elfric as a useless and dangerous builder whose only talent is for ingratiating himself with people such as Godwyn. Now Merthin says that, without the riprap, the fast current has scoured the earth out from under the foundations, as it did with the wooden bridge. He predicts that a hole as big as a man will be found under the central pier. Two boys are sent to dive the river and check. They report exactly what Merthin forecast. The hole is filled, the riprap installed, and the cracks mended. Merthin wins several jobs and finds himself busy. Mark Weaver proposes him as alderman in place ofElfric, and Merthin wins.

57. Mark Weaver goes on a trip to Melcombe, on the south coast, the nearest port city to Kingsbridge. On his return, he falls ill. His wife, Naomi, and the children are

47 worried: he seems very ill. Naomi asks for help from the priory. Sister Mair, the beautiful nun who loves Charis, attends and is shocked by the severity of the symptoms. She asks Brother Joseph to see the patient. He diagnoses an excess of heat, and prescribes bloodletting. Merthin recognises the symptoms of Ia moria grande. The plague has come to England.

48

··~- Chapter 15 58. Charis questions Merthin about Ia moria grande. The symptoms are red skin blotches, swollen glands, fever, vomiting, coughing blood, and a maddening, unquenchable thirst. In extreme cases, people throw themselves from windows to escape the pain, or drown themselves trying to assuage the thirst. The sufferer usually dies in three to five days. A small minority survive and recover-and are then immune. About half the population do not catch it, being either naturally immune or lucky-no one knows (to this day). Medieval medicine is better in Italy than in any other European country, because of Italy's ties with the more developed Islamic world; but, Merthin reports, it was powerless in the face of this plague. University-trained physicians prescribed prayer as the best cure, followed by sundry treatments such as bloodletting, none of which have any effect. The doctors lost the confidence of the public as they continued to prescribe useless remedies. Informal practitioners such as nuns began to develop simple responses to the virulence of the infection. Noticing how it invariably spread from a patient to the other members of the household, they theorised that proximity was a factor, and counselled people to stay at home and not socialise. When doctors and nurses began to die, they tried elementary hygiene precautions such as face masks and hand­ washing. All these measures were scorned by the medical elite. But politicians began to take notice: they cancelled city council meetings and experimented with quarantine. Charis proposes a series of simple preventive measures, but Godwyn scorns Charis's proposals, especially when he hears that Merthin respects the medicine of the blackamoors. Petronilla urges Godwyn to flee. He refuses to recognise the danger. They have a row, but for once he stands up to her. The symptoms become agonisingly worse, and Mark dies. Naomi is grief-stricken. She is tormented by the thought that her children may catch the same disease.

59. Several weeks go by without anyone else's falling ill, and Merthin appears to have been proved wrong. However, he sticks by his diagnosis, saying that some towns, villages, families and individuals did not succumb to the plague-no one knows why. Elfric has completed the rebuilding of the arches around the central crossing in the cathedral-but his stonework is already cracking. Parts of the church are roped off, and the lucrative mystery play has been cancelled. Merthin examines the damage and says the arches are not the cause of the trouble. The pattern of cracks suggest to him that the tower is inches lower, in relation to the rest of the church, than when it was built. If this is right, and the tower is still moving, it could collapse, bringing the whole church down. Elfric pours scorn on this diagnosis, and does his best to reinforce Godwyn's suspicion that Merthin is an unreliable semi-heathen. To check whether the tower is still moving, Merthin fills the cracks with plaster and waits to see if the plaster separates from the stonework. It does. He proposes excavating the foundations. He is trusted by Thomas, who persuades a

49 reluctant Godwyn to give permission. With a team of labourers and some elaborate cranes, Merthin digs a huge pit alongside the crossing. He establishes that the north transept is built on bedrock but, because the site slopes to the south, the southern transept rests on several yards' depth of infill. This was foundation enough for the original, modest central tower designed by Jack Builder 200 years ago (and described in Timothy's Book). However, in the thirteenth century the wealthy wool merchants of Kingsbridge put up a bigger tower-without strengthening the foundations. The weight of the new tower pressed down on the infill, causing it to loosen, crumble, and spread outwards. The tower effectively now hangs suspended from the rest of the church-hence the cracks. Merthin digs deeper, and finds bedrock fifteen feet further below. He proposes building a new tower on this rock.

60. In September 1348, Naomi Weaver's daughter Jinny falls ills. "It's just a cold," Naomi says desperately. Mair attends again. Godwyn refuses to allow Brother Joseph to attend a female patient. A day later, Naomi herself falls ill. She is distraught, terrified that she will be unable to look after her sick children. The other children fall ill. All die, but Naomi recovers.

50 Chapter 16 61. Betty Brewster, the widow of Dick Brewster, who used to be Betty Cooper and always liked Merthin, now begins to pay attention to Merthin. She is warm and sexy, and Merthin likes her, but she is not particularly clever or forceful, and she interests him only superficially. Nevertheless, he pretends to be serious about her, and presses Charis for a decision on his proposal. Charis is tom. She loves Merthin, but the nunnery is full of people who need her, from the schoolgirls to Old Julie. Indeed, if the plague is coming, the whole town is going to need her. She turns Merthin down. He is angry. He has travelled a thousand miles for her. She has dithered over his proposal and finally rejected him in favour of an abstraction, the nunnery. He wants to wound her. He agrees to marry Bella, sure that Charis will relent and the last minute and beg him to call off the wedding. Brother Joseph, the priory's best doctor, dies of the plague.

62. Merthin designs a new church tower. It will be high enough, with its spire, to be seen from the fork in the road. This excites the townspeople, as it would bring business, and the guild offers to share the cost. Elfric says it is impossible to build a tower that high. Thomas Langley admits it would be the tallest building in England (though not in Europe, says Merthin). The final decision rests with Godwyn. His innate conservatism combines with a fear of the independent-minded Merthin, and he commissions the sycophantic Elfric to build a more modest tower. Charis does not relent and agree to marry Merthin, so--more or less by default-he marries Bella. He is not really happy, but at least he has someone to warm him in bed. Sister Mair dies of the plague. Charis has lost Merthin and Mair in the same month.

63. In October 1348, a hundred Kingsbridge people die of the plague; then, in November, a thousand. Godwyn prescribes prayer and bleeding, neither ofwhich save a single patient. The nuns care for the sick as best they can. Mother Cecilia tells them they have nothing to fear from death, which is only the longed-for reunion with Christ. Charis does not believe this, but she continues to run the hospital. Merthin is desperately fearful for her life, even though he has just married someone else. About half the population of England dies. The official church line, believed by most people, is that the plague is a punishment sent by God. All our major characters, from the most devout to the least, examine themselves and ask what there might be about their lives that merits punishment. Why do half the population survive? Charis guesses that some people have natural resistance; a few are so strong that they recover; and the rest are just lucky. More monks and nuns die. Thomas Langley falls ill but does not die. Work on Elfric's new tower is cancelled before it begins. Mother Cecilia, dying, tells Charis what Prior Anthony confessed on his deathbed: the old king was murdered. However, Anthony was not lying when he said

51 there were no marks of violence on the body. Edward was killed by a gruesome means that leaves no outward sign: a hollow horn is inserted into the anus, then a red­ hot poker is pushed through the horn to destroy the internal organs.

64. There are two candidates for the vacant post of prioress: the sub-prior, Elizabeth Clerk, and the treasurer, Charis. Godwyn opposes Charis bitterly, but the nuns elect her anyway. Godwyn says the bishop will not ratify the choice. Archdeacon Lloyd comes to ratify Charis's election, but Godwyn refuses to accept the ruling of a deputy. The bishop is expected in Kingsbridge any day, but he does not come, so Lloyd makes Charis acting prioress. In December, Merthin's new wife, Bella, dies. So do another thousand Kingsbridge residents. New graveyards are consecrated to accommodate all the corpses. The same thing is happening all over England and France. Petronilla dies, and Godwyn becomes almost paralysed by his fear of death. He announces that monk-doctors will no longer see patients. Charis confronts him, saying he cannot abandon his responsibilities. The people of Kingsbridge built the cathedral, they fund the monastery, they paid for Godwyn's expensive education, and the least he can do is care for them when they are sick. But he is implacable. The bishop finally shows up on New Year's Eve. But Godwyn is nowhere to be found. He has fled in the night, with Philemon and most of the monks, taking food, wine, and the entire contents of the treasury.

52 Part V: 1349-1350

Chapter 17 65. Bishop Richard has a problem. Clergy are dying as fast as anyone else, and he cannot fill all the vacancies. Charis realises this and decides to drive a hard bargain. Dramatically, she tells him she will refuse to take over as prioress-unless he meets her terms. She demands he reverse the decision he made two years ago, and give her back control of all the nunnery's assets. This seems a bit academic, as Godwyn has taken all the money and the charters-but she insists, and gets it in writing. The sheer number of deaths is changing the way people live. Many churches are without priests (who have died in great numbers, no doubt because the job brings them into constant contact with crowds), so services are not performed, bringing religion into further disrepute. Many people now die without heirs. At first the neighbours just take perishable foods, and the chickens from their yards--otherwise the poultry would die-and there are squabbles over these things, but as yet no one steals the valuables of the dead. However, Charis notices an increase in drunkenness and public canoodling, and one night she sees two men having sex in a doorway-a crime punishable by death-and realises that no one is frightened of authority any more.

66. Godwyn and his cronies go to the isolated cell, or branch, of the priory at St-John­ in-the-Forest, where the great Prior Philip began his career two centuries ago. They take possession and, over the protests of the local prior, Matthew Whitehead, they lock themselves in. Godwyn tells them this is a holy retreat in which they will attempt to purge themselves of the sins that have caused the plague. Nevertheless, he implements Charis's quarantine rules strictly. When Tam Hiding and some of his outlaws bring a sick comrade and beg for help, they are turned away remorselessly. What sins does Godwyn feel he has committed? He says he has allowed himself to be contaminated by contact with females. All those years ago he should have fought harder for separation of monks and nuns. Despite everything, one of the monks falls ill with the plague. (He caught it before they moved. As Charis is realising, the incubation period is extraordinarily long, 35-40 days.)

67. A traveller (who is actually Tam Hiding, the outlaw) tells Charis that Godwyn and his cronies are holed up at St-John-in-the-Forest. She decides to go there and confront him. Merthin goes with her. They find the place quiet. In the cemetery are several new graves. Inside they find Godwyn, defiant, with Philemon and one or two other monks. All the rest are dead or fled. Charis shows him the letter from Bishop Richard. He refuses to acknowledge it. And he will not say where he has hidden the chest containing the deeds and the money. Then, the next day, Godwyn falls ill. Philemon flees.

53 Charis nurses Godwyn for three days, then he dies. Merthin finds the chest, with most of the money and all the charters. Charis is rich.

54 Chapter 18 68. Charis learns from the charters about the gift of land made to the priory by Queen Isabella in the year Thomas Langley arrived. She recalls the fight in the forest. First they try to kill him, then they buy him off, she thinks. What strange power did he have that made everyone so frightened of him? He showed up around the time King Edward II died, she recalls; and she connects this with Mother Cecilia's dying revelation that the old king was murdered. Was Thomas a witness to the murder? Thomas refuses to answer questions, as always. When a representative from Lynn makes the annual visit to Kingsbridge, bringing rents and produce from the priory's landholdings there, Charis questions him. The man becomes very agitated and begs her not to speak of these things.

69. Charis converts much of the priory's land from labour-intensive cereal cultivation to low-maintenance pasture for sheep and cattle. In order to attract what labour she can, she offers high wages. She retains her tenants, and attracts new ones, by freeing them from customary dues and allowing them to farm as they choose. Many turn to profitable cash crops such as hemp, flax, and orchard fruits. Wulfric and Gwenda flee from Wigleigh and take highly-paid work on one of Charis's holdings.

70. Deaths from the plague at first enrich Merthin's brother Ralph, lord of Caster. With holdings changing hands several times in a year, he makes a fortune from inheritance taxes. When heirs cannot pay, he confiscates the land, either to be cultivated by his own labourers, or to be rented to a new tenant on payment of an entry fee. But, as more people die, it becomes difficult to find anyone to cultivate the land. Labourers realise they can demand higher wages, and they double and treble their rates, which infuriates Ralph. Charis's activities make Ralph's life worse. His tenants demand the same treatment as hers. He storms into the priory, demanding that she stop what she is doing. She coolly defies him. He lacks the nerve to kill a nun on holy ground-though it is close-and he withdraws, temporarily defeated. He and other landlords persuade Parliament to pass an ordinance in 1349, followed by a full Statute of Labourers in 1351, forbidding anyone to demand or pay wages higher than in 1347, and making it obligatory for villagers to work for their immediate lord unless dismissed by him. Ralph finds out, from Oran, where Wulfric and Gwenda are, and uses the Statute to force them, and others, to return to their villages. Does Philemon do anything?

71. Charis is summoned to Earlscastle, where William, earl of Shiring, is dying of the plague. Merthin goes with her. The earl's two sons are also ill, but his daughter Odila, 13, is so far okay.

55 There is little Charis can do for any of them, but she cautions Lady Philippa about infection. Philippa is at first hostile to Merthin, associating him with his brother Ralph, whom she hates. But Merthin likes her, and takes the trouble to charm her, overcoming her prejudice. (She may also remember him, albeit vaguely, as the boy who made her laugh at the Fleece Fair twelve years ago.) He tells her about the deaths of Laura and the two children. Merthin and Philippa get on so well together than Charis becomes annoyed. Both of Philippa's sons die. She tells Merthin that she wants to catch the plague for, as the widow of an earl without male heirs, she will be expected to marry the king's choice of successor; and she would rather die. Philippa and Odila do not catch the plague, but Earl William dies.

72. On the way home, Merthin and Philippa pass through Wigleigh and see Gwenda and Wulfric. The village has been depopulated by the plague. Perkin and most of his large family have died, leaving Ann and Billy Howard to manage a large holding. At Gwenda's urging, Merthin suggests to his brother that Wulfric should get back the land he lost when his father died. Ralph swears up hill and down dale that he is not going to give Wulfric anything-but there is no alternative, and in the end Ralph gives in. Gwenda and Wulfric are overjoyed. This is a final victory over their old enemy. Ralph is universally loathed as the worst kind of lord, brutal and short-sighted. Now he has been forced to give the hated Wulfric the one thing Wulfric wants most in the world. Gwenda counsels Wulfric to drive a hard bargain with Ralph. But Wulfric is so happy that he accepts on the old terms, with servile status and customary dues. Gwenda is so angry about this that she leaves Wulfric, though she comes back the next day. Wulfric soon finds out how right she was, when he is forced to abandon his own harvest and bring in Ralph's-surrounded by peasants who drove a better bargain and are left to work on their own lands.

56 Chapter 19 73. William, earl of Shiring, has died, as have both his sons, leaving Lady Philippa a widow. Norman law gives an earl's widow clear rights to inherit part of the land. This inevitably creates conflict with the new earl. The favoured solution is for the widow to marry the king's choice of successor to the earldom, so that the land does not have to be divided. Ralph has always wanted to be earl of Shiring. The plague has killed off virtually all other candidates, so his chances would now be good-except that he is married. His young wife, Tilly, is not strong, being pregnant with her second child at the age of 14-but she shows an infuriating resistance to the plague. Ralph speaks to Gregory Longfellow about his ambitions. But you are already married, says Gregory. My wife is sick, Ralph says. She will not live long. I understand you completely, says Gregory.

74. No one dies ofthe plague in January and February, and Charis begins to hope it is all over. Then it returns. Three hundred die in March and a thousand in April. Among them are the last remaining figures of strength who were holding things together: John Constable, Blind Carlus, Widow Baxter. The story is the same in every British town and many villages. Over the summer, Kings bridge is reduced to a population of a few hundred (from an original 7,000). The social order breaks down. People loot the empty homes of the dead, drinking stored wine and dressing in fine robes. There is an outbreak of wild sexual promiscuity. One ofthe monks begins to dress in women's clothing every day, and no one seems to mind. Bands of people march from town to town flagellating themselves publicly to expiate the sins that led to the plague. Tam Hiding and the outlaws enter the town with impunity. When they run out of empty houses to loot, they start stealing from one another. Charis tries desperately to hold everything together with the few remaining monks and nuns. Then she falls ill. She has fever and nausea. Merthin comes to her bedside and will not leave. She reflects on her life, and asks herself what she has done right and wrong. She finds that she still has no religious faith, despite the closeness of death. She feels her life in the nunnery has been devoted to doing good. Where she has gone wrong, she decides, is in her attitude to Merthin. He loved her wholeheartedly, and she failed to respond, even though she shared his feelings; and the real reason was that she was frightened. This is her only regret. She begs him to get into bed with her and they make love. (He has no fear of the plague: he is sure ofhis immunity.) But she does not have the plague, just a normal feverish cold, and she recovers. Nevertheless, her perspective has changed. She and Merthin become lovers again. They live together in the palatial prior's house built by the late Godwyn.

75. Tilly, a former pupil in the nuns' school, comes to Charis, bringing her baby. She is frightened, she says; she thinks Ralph wants to kill her. Charis takes her in. A band of what seem to be outlaws comes into Kings bridge. It has happened before, but this time they are hooded. They invade the priory and rob the treasury,

57 though they fail to find most of the loot, which is in vaults concealed under paving stones . Several monks and nuns are wounded, and Tilly is killed. Charis is convinced Ralph was one of the hooded men, but she has no proof. Everything has fallen apart, she realises. There is no law, no justice, no morality, no safety. Children are neglected, fields lie untended, livestock die. The atmosphere of liberation has soured. Sexual freedom has turned into rape at will, looting has become theft. Charis asks: Is this what people are like when they have no religion? At the worst moment, when all seems lost, Charis decides that life must return to normal, and she is the only person who can make this happen. She and Merthin must do the impossible, and rebuild the life of the priory and the town.

58 Chapter 20 76. Charis and Merthin optimistically begin rebuilding the old life: i. Charis plans a new hospital. People say: Why bother? Doctors were unable to protect us from the plague. She replies: This is a new approach. From now on, people suffering from diarrhoea will have a ward of their own, so they will not infect people with broken legs; and guest who are not sick at all will have a different building. ii. Naomi Weaver restarts the cloth business. There are almost no weavers left, but Merthin designs a new machine, a frame loom with a treadle, based on something he saw in Italy. This makes the weaving process not only faster but more accurate, producing a smooth, regular weave without imperfections. It also makes it easier to produce weaves with complex patterns. Merthin also builds a new fulling mill. m. Charis persuades the son of John Constable to organise a defensive force of archers for the town. The next time they are attacked by Tam Hiding's outlaws, the archers repel the attack. The town is secure again. iv. Charis applies to the king for a borough charter. This time, Archdeacon Lloyd secures the support of Bishop Richard. v. Merthin revives his design for the church tower. People say: But why do we need a church? God did not protect us from the plague. Merthin says: But this will be the tallest building in England-and be visible from the fork in the road. He demolishes the old tower. vi. In the winter of 1349-1350, the plague dies away, apparently for good. Just when everything is going well, Philemon shows up.

77. It turns out that Philemon found shelter with Tam Hiding's outlaws in the forest, and hid himself away. He escaped the plague. On his return to the depopulated monastery, he is the senior monk-having previously been sacrist-and automatically takes the role of prior. Charis hopes he might have been softened by the horrendous experience of the plague, but the reverse is true: he believes he was spared by God in order to promote a new orthodoxy. Philemon is a man of chronically low self-esteem. He has always tried to attach himself to powerful people. In his heart he will never believe he is worthy, so he requires constant proof of his status: exaggerated deference, costly clothing, jewels, a grandiose house. He hates Charis because (among other reasons) as a childhood friend of his sister Gwenda, she remembers the mean hut in which Philemon grew up. Even now, Philemon continues to reassure himself by stealing precious things. He objects to Charis's hospital reforms, orders the building of the new tower to stop, and forbids cloth makers to use Merthin's new fulling mill. He demands that Charis return her charters to the monks' treasury and give him all the money she has collected on behalf of the monastery since Godwyn fled. And he orders Charis and Merthin to live apart.

78. This dispute has to be arbitrated by Bishop Richard. Archdeacon Lloyd proposes a compromise.

59 Richard has already granted Charis independence from the monks, and given it to her in writing, so he cannot go back on that. Furthermore, he has been receiving income from Kingsbridge since Charis started the revival, so he is reluctant to let Philemon interfere with commerce, and keen for the town to get its borough charter from the king. Finally, his vanity is touched by the prospect of having the tallest cathedral in England. Lloyd therefore proposes a deal which gives Charis her way in all of the above-but Philemon will become prior. The new hospital will not be built. Furthermore, Charis and Merthin may no longer live as man and wife. The bishop himself lives more or less openly with a "housekeeper" who is his mistress and has borne his children; but, all the same, he cannot dispute Philemon's argument that a prioress cannot have a husband, even in the aftermath of the plague. Yet again, Charis must choose between Merthin and her work; and, again, she chooses her work.

79. Parted from Charis, Merthin begins an affair with Lady Philippa, the widow of the earl of Shiring. The king then orders Philippa to marry Ralph, so that Ralph will become earl. Philippa refuses point-blank. In that case, says the king (through Gregory Longfellow), Ralph can marry the late earl's daughter, Odila (14). Philippa is so horrified by this prospect that she marries Ralph.

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.. ,....,...,___,_ Chapter21 80. Ralph now has everything he always wanted. He is the Earl of Shiring and he is married to Philippa, whom he has loved for 25 years. But he is miserable. Being the earl mainly means that he has even more restive serfs to worry about and even more untenanted farms. He ensures that Charis is constantly prosecuted under the Statute of Labourers, but it is worth her while to pay the fines and carry on. Ralph, still trying to farm on the cheap, is in constant trouble. He knows that Philippa loathes him. Sex with her is mechanical and loveless. For a while, he forces himself on her. Then he fondles servant girls in front of her. Nothing works. Merthin knows nothing of this, but all the same it drives him mad to know that Philippa is married to his brutish brother.

81. Ralph is tortured by Philippa's presence, and when she proposes to go to the nunnery he readily agrees. Back in Kingsbridge, Philippa resumes her affair with Merthin. The liaison must be kept deadly secret for, if Ralph finds out, he will kill Philippa. (Remember, he killed his last wife.)

82. Charis, now 42, sees Merthin every day, as he works on the tower. She still loves him, and feels closer to him than ever, regarding his liaison with Philippa as merely a physical outlet. One day a bold young man makes a pass at Charis (despite, or perhaps because of, her nun's robes). She turns him down, amused, but the incident troubles her, and reawakens her sexuality. Charis comes on to Merthin, hoping to restart their affair. He asks her if she is willing to renounce her vows and leave the nunnery. Despite her desire for him, she is not. He angrily spurns her advances. Philemon forbids the building of the new hospital. He is a qualified physician and the unqualified nuns must submit to his medical decisions. Bishop Richard backs him in this. Charis feels she has lost everything.

83. Charis has not given up on Merthin. She continues to try to win back his love. He remains faithful to Philippa, but troubled. One day Philippa confronts Charis. I know that Merthin loves you, she says to Charis. He always will. And if you are willing to marry him, go ahead. But, if not, leave him in peace. Charis is ashamed.

61 Chapter 22 84. Although in her early forties, Philippa becomes pregnant by Merthin. She realises she must convince Ralph that the child is his. Therefore she has to seduce him. She returns to Earlscastle. She cannot pretend to desire him, for such uncharacteristic behaviour would make him suspicious. So she lets him see her naked, as if by accident, then says: Don't you dare touch me. This provokes him to show her that he can touch her any time he likes, and he forces himself on her. She puts up with it, knowing this will make her baby safe. Three months later, she tells him with feigned anger that he has made her pregnant. She gives birth to a boy. Ralph names him Gerald, after his (and Merthin's) father.

85. Ruefully, Charis and Merthin talk about their future. Merthin comes up with a proposal. The priory has never repaid the loan he made to Godwyn back in 1348. He has plenty of money, and he proposes to make over the income from the Outhenby land to a new hospital, staffed by nuns, but independent of the priory. Charis will be its patron. She will design it and he will build it. Charis can be a healer, and independent-but she can still marry him. They put this to Bishop Richard, who agrees. Charis renounces her vows and marries Merthin, and they start building the new hospital.

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.. ---. Part VI: 1361

The long-term effect of the plague is to reduce the credibility and status of all medieval institutions. The established church loses respect, and there is a new emphasis on religion as a personal encounter with God, without the necessity of mediation by a priesthood. The university-educated physicians are discredited, and people turn to informal practitioners. At the same time, the endless war in France and the taxes needed to pay for it drive the population ever closer to revolt.

Chapter 23 86. Kingsbridge is thriving. The cloth industry continues to grow. Merthin's new looms make a superior weave that fetches high prices. A new dyeing industry has grown up alongside the weaving. This prosperity has paid for the ongoing building of the new tower. Merthin has finished it, all but the spire, which will be visible for miles around-and, in particular, from Mudeford Crossing-and will make it easier for pilgrims and traders to find their way to Kingsbridge. Philemon questions him aggressively about the spire. The design is octagonal, so it will have to be built with centering (wooden supports)-but no one knows how Merthin is going to secure the centering at such a height. Merthin replies that he will build the spire without centering. Philemon says this cannot be done, and quotes the son of the now-dead Elfric. Philemon proposes that the tower be finished off at its present height and the spire abandoned. This will not only ruin Merthin' s design, but will also defeat the purpose of the spire, which is to be seen from place where the road forks to Shiring or Kingsbridge. Merthin understands that Philemon suffers from self-loathing, and constantly seeks validation in prestige and ostentation. But now he wonders if Philemon has another agenda.

87. Merthin' s daughter Loll a is now 19 and every father's nightmare. She is disobedient, rackety and promiscuous. Her boyfriend, Jake Riley, is a ne'er do well who always seems to have money despite doing little apparent work. She hates Charis. Merthin handles her badly, ordering her to mend her ways. Her response is to disappear with Jake. Merthin is distraught.

88. Charis has built the new hospital, dividing it into wards, isolating the infectious, introducing a new emphasis on cleanliness, and welcoming back the barber-surgeons and apothecaries spurned by Godwyn. She has completed a practical medical handbook, in English not Latin, with a special section on the plague; and copies have been eagerly sought by buyers from all over Europe. She also encourages dissection of corpses for education and research. The church's longstanding prohibition of dissection has been relaxed since the Black Death. However, Philemon starts a campaign against it, preaching inflammatory

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.. --..._ sermons and complaining to the ecclesiastical authorities. Fortunately, he now has no authority over the hospital, which is independent of the priory and answerable only to the Bishop. Charis speculates that this sudden ostentatious display of religious conservatism is calculated to ingratiate Philemon with his religious superiors. He must be after a promotion. The Archbishop of Monmouth is ailing, she learns. Could Philemon be after his job? Surely not: it would be most unusual for a prior to be elevated to archbishop with no intermediate stage.

89. Ralph, earl of Shiring, is now fat, unhealthy and miserable. He still believes that Gerald, now 10, is his son. He decides it is time to make a man of him. He proposes to take him out of the nunnery school and send him to the household ofthe Earl of March as a squire. Philippa says he is too young. Philippa begs Merthin-the boy's real father-to intervene. Merthin argues with his brother Ralph, finding himself in the strange position of pleading for his son while pretending all the time to be disinterestedly discussing his nephew's education. In the end, Ralph agrees to postpone Gerald's departure for a year.

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··----- Chapter 24 90. Gwenda has not achieved her life's ambition, which is freedom and independence for herself and her family; but she still hopes her children, Sam (21) and David (20), may do so. David is shrewd and determined, like his mother. He falls in love with Annis, the coquettish daughter of Gwenda's old rival, Ann. The parents on both sides are dismayed. Gwenda is horrified by the prospect of a family alliance with the Perkins, and she also believes Annis will make her son miserable. She resolves to prevent the marriage at all costs.

91. David and Sam are not needed on Wulfric's farm, which anyway is not large enough to support two extra grown men. Although the population has rebounded since the plague, there is still upward pressure on wages. Both sons now work as paid labourers on land belonging to the earl. However, Ralph pays only the statutory wage set down by law, whereas other employers break the law and pay more in order to ensure they get workers. Sam, like many others, defies the law and the earl, and goes to work in a village some miles away. David decides to plant an experimental crop of madder, whose roots provide a valuable purple-red dye much prized by Kingsbridge cloth manufacturers. Serfs may not plant a different crop without permission from the lord-another of many reasons why they long for freedom. David knows that Ralph hates his family, and will refuse permission out of sheer orneriness. Gwenda, who knows the depths of Ralph's malice, pleads with her son not to get into a conflict with the lord and perpetuate the hostilities of the past. David goes ahead anyway, encouraged by his sly grandfather, Oran. He rents a small field in another village and plants his crop.

92. Ralph is predictably angry about David's unlicensed crop, but David finesses the situation with surprising skill. He negotiates a fine with Nathan Reeve. When Nathan carries out a campaign of harassment, imposing customary dues at the most inconvenient times, commandeering David's cart when David is about to take the roots to market, David is uncomplaining. When he finally gets the crop to market, he secures a high price and a good profit. He gives Nathan a nice bribe out of the proceeds. However, Ralph gets revenge by refusing David permission to marry Annis

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··------Chapter 25 93. Philemon announces that the priory needs a new guest house, which must be prestigious and lavish. He proposes to divert the money for the spire. Merthin points out that the guild paid half the cost of the tower purely so that it would be visible from the fork in the road. Philemon says there is nothing in writing, and most of the people involved are dead of the plague. Merthin goes to Richard, Bishop of Shiring, and reminds him of his ambition to have the tallest cathedral in England. Richard squashes Philemon.

94. Lolla returns home. Merthin is relieved. She tells him she has been living with Tam Hiding and the outlaws. But she is fed up with life in the forest and has fallen out with Jake. However, within a day she has quarrelled with her father again, and, to his dismay, she disappears once more.

95. The Archbishop of Monmouth dies. Bishop Richard, a long-time comrade-in-arms of King Edward, is made archbishop. Who will succeed Richard as Bishop of Kingsbridge? The obvious candidate is Archdeacon Lloyd, who has run the diocese for years while Richard was fighting wars and chasing girls. Then Philemon puts himself forward as candidate for the post of bishop of Kingsbridge. Among his accomplishments he cites, with breathtaking dishonesty, the building of the new cathedral tower. The principals in this decision will be the king, the archbishop of Monmouth, and ultimately the Pope. Philemon opens his campaign by starting a rumour that Archdeacon Lloyd is corrupt, and took bribes in the ecclesiastical court. This is not true but, as Lloyd has been in charge of the court for many years, there are plenty of disappointed litigants ready to badmouth him. Suddenly Philemon is the front runner. Charis and Merthin are dismayed. As bishop, Philemon will have the power both to cancel the spire and to close the hospital.

96. Charis learns that the archbishop of Monmouth must appoint a legate to the Papal court at A vignon. She tries to get Philemon appointed to this post, instead of to the bishopric. Philemon goes to Gregory Longfellow and says: What does the king want from a Bishop of Kingsbridge? The answer is simple: Consent to taxation of the clergy. Philemon preaches a sermon in favour of this, at a service when the cathedral is being visited by several nobles, who will surely report the sermon to the king. Philemon is on the point of winning the bishopric when he steals something. He escapes punishment, but everyone knows it was him. There is no proof, he protests. He gets away with it.

66 Chapter 26 97. Gwenda's elder son, Sam (22) has much of his real father, Ralph, in him. He has the violent side under better control, having benefited from the influence of Wulfric. But one day he is provoked beyond endurance by Paul Reeve, the arrogant son of Nathan. It happens like this. Sam is working illegally at a neighbouring village for higher wages. By chance, Paul finds him there and demands that he return immediately to Wigleigh. Paul does not have the right so to insist, but on the other hand Sam is basically in the wrong. There is a fight, and Sam kills Paul.

98. Sam is tried in the court of Earl Ralph. He brings witnesses who swear he was provoked. But nothing could please Ralph more than to execute the son of his oldest enemy. He finds Sam guilty and sentences him to death. Does Philemon do anything?

99. Gwenda goes to see her childhood friend Charis. She asks Charis to get Merthin to intercede with his brother. Merthin goes to Ralph, but Ralph is implacable. Gwenda goes to Ralph herself and pleads for a pardon. Ralph refuses gleefully. In desperation, Gwenda tells him that he, not Wulfric, is the father of Sam. Ralph relents and pardons Sam. Gwenda begs Ralph to keep the secret of Sam's paternity. Ralph realises that Wulfric does not know.

100. Ralph demands sex with Gwenda. She refuses. He then threatens to tell Wulfric the real reason why he pardoned Sam. Gwenda gives in and submits to Ralph. Once again, she is dismayed to find the experience thrilling. From now on, Ralph takes a close interest in Sam-but he keeps the secret.

67 Chapter 27 101. The plague returns. Charis immediately imposes the hygiene precautions suggested by the experience of 1348-1349: quarantine, hand-washing, the use of face masks by doctors and nurses, etc. (Such measures were scorned by the university doctors back then, but the medical elite has been discredited.)

102. Thomas Langley dies of the plague. Merthin and Charis go together to the clearing and dig up the letter buried by Thomas years ago. It is a death warrant. It claims the authority of Queen Isabella. It instructs the keepers of Edward II to execute him by a method that will be explained to them by the carrier of the letter, Thomas Langley. It is signed by Roland, earl of Shiring, and both his sons, William and Richard. Treason is a crime worse than murder; and the most terrible form of treason is to kill the king. This is the sin that has cast such a long shadow. Roland's men tried to kill Thomas because he was a witness to the murder. The buried letter was his insurance policy: nobody dared kill him for fear the letter would surface after his death. Now Thomas is dead, and so are Roland and William. But Richard is still alive. If the truth were to come out, even now, that he was implicated in regicide, he would be executed. Charis and Thomas make a deal with Richard. They give him the letter and, in return, he makes Lloyd the bishop, and sends Philemon to A vignon.

68 Chapter 28 103. Ann's husband, Billy Howard, dies of the plague, leaving no sons, just a daughter, Annis, who is in love with David. Ralph is once again desperate for tenants. He offers Billy's land to David. David, unlike his father, drives a hard bargain. He insists on cash rent with free tenure, so that he can plant any crop he chooses. And he will accept only if he can marry Annis. Ralph gives him the land and they marry. David plants another crop of madder.

104. Ralph and Gwenda continue to meet at a secret rendezvous. Does Philemon know about his? Somehow Sam finds out that Ralph is coercing his mother in this way. He goes to the rendezvous and confronts Ralph. Ralph knows that Sam is his son, but Sam does not know. There is a quarrel and a fight, and Sam kills Ralph.

105. Gerald becomes earl at the age of 11, and Philippa (herself the widow of two earls of Shiring) becomes his regent, effectively the earl until he is old enough to exercise power himself.

106. Lolla comes home, weary and frightened. Jake and all the outlaws with whom she has been living, including Tam Hiding, have died of the plague. Immune since girlhood, she has survived, and calmed down. She goes to work with Charis, taking care of the sick. She will never be a conformist, but she has finished with strolling players. She talks of becoming a nun.

I 07. Kingsbridge recovers relatively quickly from the second attack of the plague. About 20% of the population has been killed. Although devastating, this is a marked improvement on the 50% death rate in 1348-1349, and a triumph for Charis's new evidence-based medicine. The future of her hospital is assured. Merthin builds the spire, and the tower is at last finished.

The end.

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