Читать книгу The Dream Weavers онлайн | страница 31
Slowly Bea began to compose herself as she heard the cathedral clock chime the hour.
A nest of vipers.
The phrase leapt out of nowhere. And then,
But that is not how it was.
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‘You know Papa intends me to marry the son of the King of the Franks.’ Eadburh’s eldest sister, Ethelfled, looked up suddenly from her sewing. Taller than her sisters, she was a powerful young woman, clever and humourless. Her face wore a smug smile. Her sisters froze. They were all of an age where they knew marriage was their destiny and that their destiny was at present foremost in their ambitious father’s thoughts. Aggressive and relentlessly acquisitive, Offa of Mercia ruled with ruthless ambition what had become the most powerful of the kingdoms of Britain. Girls of marriageable age were valuable assets, and his three daughters perhaps the most valuable of all.
‘Did Mama tell you that?’ Eadburh frowned. ‘I thought Ecgfrith was going to marry one of King Charles’s daughters. He wouldn’t want you both over there, surely.’ Their only brother, a more powerful bargaining chip even than they were, was still in the mead hall across the courtyard with their father and his advisers. She reached into the basket on the centre of the table for a skein of silk. The sound of music drifted across the compound to the women’s bower, together with the rowdy shouts and laughter of the men.
‘Mama thinks King Charles is playing politics. He uses his children like pieces on a gaming board just as Papa does, and has no intention of marrying any of them to anyone at present,’ Alfrida, the middle sister, put in. She was the most thoughtful of the three girls, quieter and perhaps the cleverest.
‘It wasn’t Mama. I overheard two of the thanes’ wives gossiping.’ Ethelfled blushed.
‘Well, you can’t believe anything they say,’ Eadburh retorted. ‘He might have chosen any of us. Me, for instance. I may be the youngest, but I’m the prettiest!’
Her sisters both laughed. ‘I think we can guess who he has in store for you.’ Alfrida fixed Eadburh with a mocking gaze. ‘He’s obviously got the puppy from Powys lined up for you.’