He settled himself at ease on the bench where the boys had wrestled and laughed, and put up his feet comfortably. He wondered if he could legitimately plead that he was still confined within the enclave until Richildis left for Mallilie, and decided that that would be cowardly only after he had decided that in any case he had no intention of doing it.
She was, after all, a very attractive woman, even now, and her gratitude would be a very pleasant indulgence; there was even a decided lure in the thought of a conversation that must inevitably begin to have: “Do you remember…?” as its constant refrain. Yes, he would go. It was not often he was able to enjoy an orgy of shared remembrances.
In a week or two, after all, the entire household would be removing to Mallilie, all those safe miles away. He was not likely to see much of Richildis after that. Brother Cadfael heaved a deep sigh that might have been of regret, but might equally well have been of relief.
Ah, well! Perhaps it was all for the best!
Glossary of Terms
Alltud
A foreigner living in Wales
Arbalest
A crossbow that enables the bow to be drawn with a winding handle
Baldric
A sword-belt crossing the chest from shoulder to hip.
Bannerole
A thin ribbon attached to a lance tip
Bodice
The supportive upper area of a woman’s dress, sometimes a separate item of clothing worn over a blouse
Brychan
A woollen blanket
Caltrop
A small iron weapon consisting four spikes. Set on the ground and used against horses and infantry
Capuchon
A cowl-like hood
Cariad
Welsh for ‘beloved’
Cassock
A long garment of the clergy
Castellan
The ruler of a castle
Chatelaine
The lady of a manor house
Chausses
Male hose
Coif
The cap worn under a nun’s veil
Conversus
A man who joins the monkhood after living in the outside world
Cottar
A Villein who is leased a cottage in exchange for their work
Cotte
A full- or knee-length coat. Length is determined by the class of the wearer
Croft
Land used as pasture that abuts a house
Currier
A horse comb used for grooming
Demesne
The land retained by a lord for his own use
Diocese
The district attached to a cathedral
Dortoir
Dormitory (monastic)
Electuary
Medicinal powder mixed with honey. Taken by mouth
Eremite
A religious hermit
Espringale
Armament akin to a large crossbow
Frater
Dining room (monastic)
Garderobe
A shaft cut into a building wall used as a lavatory
Garth
A grass quadrangle within the cloisters (monastic)
Geneth
Welsh for ‘girl’
Gentle
A person of honourable family
Glebe
An area of land attached to a clerical office
Grange
The lands and buildings of a monastery farm
Groat
Gruel
Thin porridge
Guild
A trade association
Gyve
An iron shackle
Hauberk
A chainmail coat to defend the neck and shoulders
Helm
A helmet
Horarium
The monastic timetable, divided into canonical hours, or offices, of Matins, Lauds, Prime, Terce, Sext, None, Vespers and Compline
Husbandman
A tenant farmer
Jess
A short strap attached to a hawk’s leg when practising falconry
Largesse
Money or gifts, bestowed by a patron to mark an occasion
Leat (Leet)
A man-made waterway
Litany
Call and response prayer recited by clergyman and congregation
Llys
The timber-built royal court of Welsh princes
Lodestar
A star that acts as a fixed navigational point, i.e. the Pole Star
Lodestone
Magnetised ore
Lye
A solution used for washing and cleaning
Mandora
A stringed instrument, precursor to the mandolin
Mangonel
Armament used for hurling missiles
Marl
Soil of clay and lime, used as a fertiliser
Messuage
A house (rented) with land and out-buildings
Midden
Dung-heap
Missal
The prayer book detailing Mass services throughout the calendar
Moneyer
Coin minter
Mountebank
Trickster or entertainer
Mummer
An actor or player in a mime or masque
Murage
A tax levied to pay for civic repairs
Murrain
An infectious disease of livestock
Myrmidon
A faithful servant
Nacre
Mother-of-pearl
Oblatus
A monk placed in the monastery at a young age
Orts
Food scraps
Ostler
Horse handler
Palfrey
A horse saddled for a woman
Pallet
A narrow wooden bed or thin straw mattress
Palliative
A pain-killer
Pannikin
Parfytours
Hounds used in hunting
Parole
The bond of a prisoner upon release from captivity
Patten
A wooden sandal
Pavage
A tax levied for street paving
Penteulu
A Welsh rank: captain of the royal guard
Pommel
The upward point on the front of a saddle
Poniard
A dagger
Prelate
A high-ranking member of the church (i.e. abbot or bishop)
Prie-Dieu
A kneeling desk used in prayer
Pyx
A small box or casket used to hold consecrated bread for Mass
Quintain
A target mounted on a post used for tilting practice
Rebec
A three string instrument, played using a bow
Rheum
Watery discharge of nose or eyes
Saeson
An Englishman
Scabbard
A sword or dagger sheath
Sconce
A bracket for candle or torch set on a wall
Sheepfold
A sheep pen
Shriven
Having received confession
Shut
An alley between streets
Skiff
A rowing boat for use in shallow waters
Sow
The structure protecting the men wielding a battering ram
Springe
A noose set as snare for small animals
Stoup
Drinking vessel
Sumpter
Pack-horse
Synod
A council or assembly of church officials presided over by the bishopry
Tallow
Fat used in candle or soap manufacture
Timbrel
A tambourine-like instrument
Tithe
A tax levied against labour and land and used to support the clergy
Torsin
Alarm bell
Toper
Drunkard
Touchstone
A heavy black stone used to test the quality of gold or silver
Trencher
A wooden platter
Troche
Medicinal lozenge
Uchelwr
A Welsh nobleman
Vassal
Tenant of a plot of land leased by and under the protection of a lord
Villein
Serf or tenant bound to a lord
Virelai
A French song form that usually has three stanzas and a refrain. It is one of the three formes fixes (the others being the ballade and the rondeau)
Vittles
Food and provisions
Votary
A person who vows to obey a certain code, usually religious
Wattle
Building material consisting of interwoven sticks, twigs and branches
Wicket
Small door or gate within or adjacent to a larger door
Wimple
Linen or silk cloth a woman would fold round her head and wrap under her chin
Yeoman
A freeman, usually a farmer, below the status of gentleman
A Guide to Welsh Pronunciation
ae
As in chwaer (sister), like the y in sky, never the ae in Caesar.
c
As in cael (have), like the c in cat, never the c in city.
ch
As in chwech (six), like the ch in Scottish loch.
dd
As in Caerdydd (Cardiff), like the th in then, never the th in throw.
f
As in fioled (violet), like the v in violin.
ff
As in coffi (coffee), like the f in friend.
g
As in glaw (rain), like the g in crag, never the g in gene.
ll
As in llaeth (milk), like saying an h and l simultaneously. Made by putting your tongue in the position of l and then blowing out air gently.
r
As in carreg (stone), should be trilled and always pronounced, never dropped.
rh
As in rhain (these), should be trilled with aspiration. Like saying an h and r simultaneously.
s
As in sant (saint), like the s in sound, never the s in laser.
th
As in fyth (never), like the th in think, never the th in those.
w
As in gwin (wine), like the oo in book.
y
As in wy (egg), like uh in above
About The Author
ELLIS PETERS (the pen name of Edith Pargeter, (1913–1995) is a writer beloved of millions of readers worldwide and has been widely adapted for radio and television.
She was born in the village of Horsehay (Shropshire, England), where her father was a clerk at a local ironworks. She was educated at Dawley Church of England School and the old Coalbrookdale High School for Girls. She had Welsh ancestry, and many of her short stories and books (both fictional and non-fictional) are set in Wales and its borderlands, and/or have Welsh protagonists.
During World War II, Pargeter worked in an administrative role in the Women’s Royal Naval Service (the “Wrens”)—and reached the rank of petty officer. On 1 January 1944 she was awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM).
In 1947 Pargeter visited Czechoslovakia and became fascinated by the Czech language and culture. She became fluent in Czech and published award-winning translations of Czech poetry and prose into English.
She devoted the rest of her life to writing, both nonfiction and well-researched fiction. She never attended college but became a self-taught scholar in areas that interested her, especially Shropshire and Wales. She was, however, awarded an honorary masters degree by Birmingham University.
Pargeter wrote under a number of pseudonyms; it was under the name Ellis Peters that she wrote crime stories. The Brother Cadfael Chronicles drew international attention to Shrewsbury and its history, and greatly increased tourism to the town.
Since the publication of the first of The Cadfael Chronicles (A Morbid Taste for Bones) in 1977, Brother Cadfael has become one of the most well-known and well-loved sleuths of crime fiction.
In 1994, she was awarded an OBE for her services to literature. Pargeter died at her home in Madeley, Shropshire in 1995 at the age of 82. In Shrewsbury Abbey, a stained glass window depicting St Benedict is dedicated to her memory.
First published in great Britain in 1979 by Macmillan London Ltd
This eBook edition first published in the UK in 2014
Copyright © Ellis Peters, 1979
Author photo by Talbot Whiteman
The moral right of Ellis Peters to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act of 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
This is a work of fiction. All characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
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A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN (E) 9781784080532