18

He mentioned to Alena how happy and comfortable the town’s people seemed to him. They appeared to be well satisfied with their lives; not harshly treated or overly worked. Alena told him the saltmines afford the town certain luxuries that other people did not have because it was a well run operation that had been operating for generations. Unlike other people, Deepshade’s’ people only worked five days a week and only ten hours a day and none of the workers were serfs, they were actually paid part of the profits.

Klaus tried to move on to questions about Crab Apple Farm, wanting to know exact kinds and numbers of livestock, the type of produce grown, the number and size of buildings. He definitely was asking too detailed of questions. Alena would make sure she brought that up with Balder and the others when they met to discuss their options. Alena deftly changed the subject to questions about him.

It turned out that Klaus was the oldest son of his father’s third wife and while his father had enough holdings to give to his eldest son from his fist wife and his eldest son from his second wife, there was not enough to give Klaus a share. His father was now on his fourth wife who was pregnant.

There would be no problem with him staying at home as there was enough work to go around, but he thought he might like to be somewhere where he was more important and could have more influence.

Klaus told Alena that he was skilled with letters and numbers in Latin and Greek. He enjoyed spending time reading scrolls written by Roman authors, historians and philosophers such as Pliny the Elder. Klaus said he had a copy of Pliny’s Naturalis Historia that he was currently studying. He thought that a place like Deepshade would suit him well. If he had limited responsibility with the day to day operations of the place, he could be free to read, write and study and perhaps make some innovative suggestions. He would like to invent some machines. When she asked what kind of machines he did not know exactly, but some kind of machines.

“I have a scroll written in Latin that I have as of yet been able to read,” said Alena. She got up and went into her room and came back with a scroll that was neatly written in Roman ministerial style. She handed it to Klaus. She had no idea why she was giving it to him, but she wanted to hear him read it. “Could you read it to me? I am unable to do so.”

Klaus unrolled it, glanced down the page, then re-rolled it and handed it back to her.

“I am not familiar with that dialect,” he said.

“I understand.” Alena left it lay in her lap, not referring to it again, but it somehow stood as a wall between them. Alena knew what was on the scroll. She could read Latin herself, although that skill was not possessed my most people. Alena was now very suspicious of Klaus. While he had appeared to be a good prospective groom at first, she was rapidly realizing something was wrong. She tried to ask him more questions about himself but he was moving the conversation to an end. He was doing it gracefully but he was definitely getting ready to leave.

Klaus stood up. Alena stood up, too, because he was so much taller than her as it was. He took her left hand in his right, covering it with his other hand. He looked down into her eyes.

“I have enjoyed my time with you,” he said. He squeezed her hand gently. “This would be a lovely place to live and I think you would be fine company. I look forward to the next step in the process.” He bowed slightly, let go of her hand, turned and left.

Plamen, the eldest groom, returned as Klaus was leaving. Plamen was in such a hurry that he knocked into Klaus as the two passed in the doorway. Plamen bowed many times and apologized profusely. Klaus just laugh, told Plamen not to worry and ruffled the boy’s hair, then went on his way.

Plamen ran up to Alena, out of breath, and stood by her bent over at the waist massaging his side. He tried to take some deep breaths and calm himself. Alena had him sit down.

“Did you run all over and back today?” she asked him.

He could not talk yet. He just nodded his head, still trying to calm his breathing. Alena laughed at his exuberant youthfulness.

“Did you find everyone?”

He nodded his head again, smiling at her.

“Did they all say they would be here for the evening meal?”

“Helmut is not feeling well,” said Plamen. “His wife, Ulrike, met me at the door, not Helmut. She had me come in and sit down. She gave me some honey candy that she made. It was very good. She gave me some to take with me. Would you like a piece?”

“No, thank you, Plamen. Keep it for yourself. What is wrong with Helmut?”

“Ulrike said he was awake all night last night and could not get any sleep. She said it was really only old age so he was napping and she did not want to wake him up. When he wakes on his own they will come. She thinks if we put off the evening meal for a couple hours then they will be able to eat with us.” He popped one of Ulrike’s candies in his mouth.

“Do you think Ulrike could use some help with Helmut? I could go over to their house now and see if she needs anything.”

“She said you would ask and offer but it is not necessary. She’s got her girls to help her and Helmut just needs some extra rest. She said he is seventy two after all and that is something.” He laughed at the thought. He could not imagine what it would be like to be that old. “She the same age as him and she was laughing about what an old man he is while she ran around her kitchen.”

“There is still plenty a person can do when they are so ancient, Plamen.” Alena laughed at him. “But I can understand your amazement. The sixty years that separate you from them are several lifetimes.”

“She has a great, great grandson who is older than I am by two years.” He could not get a grasp on how much older she was than him. “She kept bustling around the kitchen giving me things to eat. She said I was too skinny. I told her I got plenty to eat in your household; I just could not keep still.”

“We will send you back to her in a little while to see how she is doing and see if she and Helmut need any help getting here. I am sure they will be happy with your company.”

“Maybe she will give me more honey candy.”

“Did you find Detlef and his sister, Ebba?”

“I found Ebba first. She was out at the goat pen.”

Plamen had found Ebba with a young pregnant goat. It was the goat’s first pregnancy and a she was having problems. Ebba had Plamen help her with the goat. The kid was stuck in its mother’s birth canal. Ebba had Plamen hold the mother goat around her shoulders while Ebba reached inside the mother and pulled the kid out of its mother. The kid was not breathing. Ebba held its nostrils closed and breathed into its mouth. She squeezed its chest to force the air back out and breathed in its mouth again. It started kicking and breathing on its own. They spent some time clean up the mother and the kid and Ebba helped the kid learn how to nurse on its mother. After they cleaned themselves up, they milked a few of the other goats which was the reason Ebba was there in the beginning. They got two full leather buckets of goats’ milk. They took the milk back to Ebba’s house and poured it into a churn. One of Ebba’s maids used the milk to make butter.

Plamen told Ebba that Alena wanted her to come to the evening meal tonight at Alena’s hall so the group could meet to discuss the town’s plan. Ebba said of course she would be there but she had some things to do first, but she would not need Plamen’s help. He had already done enough work for Ebba this day. He asked Ebba if she knew where her brother Detlef would be at this time of the afternoon. Ebba said normally he would be up at the mines supervising the workers but today was midweek and he spent this day every week doing tallies. Those he did at his house at the top of the path that led out of town and up to the mines. Plamen knew his house was the last house that way out of town but it was also one of the biggest houses in town.

Ebba had Plamen sit down and rest a bit before going on the find her brother. She gave him a bowl of mead. This was another treat for him this day. Usually children only had watered down wine to drink but never beer or mead. Mead was the most intoxicating drink of the three. The honey in the mead produced a rich sweet drink that fermented quickly and strongly. He sipped at it and took his time enjoying it. Ebba told Lili the butter maid how Plamen helped Ebba with the birthing of the goat kid. Lili was about the same age as Plamen and while Ebba told her story, Lili took a few looks at Plamen from under her long blonde lashes. He blushed. Lili’s looks made him nervous and his hands shook causing him to spill some of the mead in his bowl down his tunic.

Ebba asked Plamen if he knew exactly where Detlef lived because if he did not she could send Lili with him to show him the way and Lili could take Detlef and his family some of the butter she had made earlier in the day. He said he sure could use Lili’s help and he would be happy to carry the butter tub for her. Ebba took over the butter churn from Lili, smiled encouragingly at both of them and shoed them on their way.

Normally a child with a lot to say, Plamen suddenly felt tongue tied. Lili was quiet at first, smiling at him when she glanced at him which she seemed to do a lot. Then she started asking him questions in a quiet sweet voice. They discovered that they were both orphans with no one to watch out for them but themselves. They agreed their mistresses were very nice and caring but it was not the same as having a family. They enjoyed their company so much that they walked to Detlef’s house slowly, taking their time.

They did eventually reach his house though. Detlef’s wife, Cordula, opened the door at their knock and ushered them inside. She was very happy to get her butter. They had finished the last of their butter that morning.

Plamen explained to Cordula why he was there. She sent him into the room where Detlef was working on his tallies. Detlef sat at a large table that sat under a large window sealed with the thinnest pieces of glass Plamen had ever seen in Deepshade. Light shone through the glass window which faced south to take advantage of the day’s sunshine. This room belonged to Detlef alone. It was a quiet room where no wife or children intruded. This was a work room. He had his wax tablets laid out in rows or stacked together and he made changes on the tablets as he calculated numbers on a piece of equipment that had five thin wire strings stretched on a frame and on each string were ten bone beads. He moved the beads around and made notes on the wax tablets.

Plamen waited quietly for Detlef to notice him. After many minutes, Plamen was sure he was being too quiet and Detlef did not realize he was even there. He shuffled his feet, no response. He coughed and Detlef jumped and spun around and paperweight in his hand and ready to throw. When Detlef saw Plamen he relaxed.

“I am sorry I startled you, but Cordula let me in.”

“Do not worry. I become engrossed in my work and then I do not hear anything. What brings you here?”

“Alena is gathering the council for this evening’s meal at her hall. She wishes me to find out if you can be there.”

Detlef walked out into the kitchen with Plamen. Here they saw Lili playing with Detlef and Cordula’s youngest child, a fat little baby of one year of age.

“Ah, I see my sister sent Lili. What did she send you with, some fresh butter, I hope?”

“Yes, sir. Her salt cellars are empty. She asked that I bring a sack back with me.”

Detlef left the house and went out back. Plamen could not see what he was doing back there. He heard some scraping and a bang and then Detlef was back with a woven sack filled with salt. He handed it to Plamen.

“Will you carry this and walk Lili back to my sister’s house?”

“Yes,” said Plamen, “I would be happy to walk Lili home.”

“Off you go then and tell Alena I will be there. I will be a little late as midweek is the day I spend in the afternoon with my children.”

“Everyone will be a little late.”

Carrying the sack of salt over his shoulder, Plamen helped Lili rise from the floor and they left Detlef’s house holding hands. They took their time walking back to Ebba’s house. When they got there, Plamen took the salt in and placed it on the table. He told them, mostly Lili, that he needed to get back to Alena’s hall to let her know everyone would attend, but just two hours later than normal. Ebba thanked him for all of his work. Lili walked him to the door and gave him a kiss on his cheek as they said good bye.

He ran all of the way home he was so happy. He was pretty sure that Lili liked him. Now he had to work especially hard to make something of himself so that some day they could marry. He would need to talk to Alena about what he could do. He would need to talk to Lili too to make sure she liked him and that she would wait for him until he could provide for her. He was so excited he ran into the man who was leaving the hall as Plamen returned.