Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Behaving

October 6, 1068 Eadgyth crossed her arms and sternly stared at her daughter for a second before asking in an icy tone, "What did you do?"
Indeed, what had Brigit done to ruin the delicate curls Gytha had forced out of her straight hair? What had she done to that dress that Gytha had spent a good hour mending the holes and lengthening it to fit her? Brigit's hair was now straight with twigs and leaves in it. The bottom of the dress was now covered in mud. Even her face was covered in mud! All the spoiled daughters of the nobles that Gytha had worked for, with their contempt and arrogance, had not prepared her for Brigit. Not that Brigit was spoiled so much as convinced she was not a girl but was in fact a boy.



Brigit looked down at the ground feigning feeling shame for what she was about to tell her mother. "Mother, me and Mark invented a new game where the object is to jump over puddles. The loser has to jump into the puddle." She looked up at her mother her eyes begging for forgiveness. The very image of a repentant child. What a skilled little liar, thought Gytha cynically.
Eadgyth gave a small sigh. "Let me guess, you lost most of the time."


A laughter of triumph escaped Brigit before she remembered she was trying to get out of trouble. "No, Mother, Mark lost far more times then I did."




For a moment Eadgyth stared at her daughter than shifted her attention to Gytha. "Gytha, redo Brigit's hair and find her a better dress to wear. She still has to join me for lunch with the noblewomen." Eadgyth clasped her daughter's hand and said," Behave for Gytha or else and stop trying to get out of social events by creating a disaster at the last moment, understood?"
"Yes, Mother." Brigit said, but Gytha would swear she heard her add under her breath, "But eating and gossiping with noblewomen is so boring."
The reason Brigit dared to add that was because both her and Gytha knew Eadgyth would never inflict any punishment on her. However, Gytha -unlike Brigit- knew the reason why Eadgyth could never bear to harshly treat her youngest child. Eadgyth had followed the same pattern as late Queen Catherine, the first wife of King Harold I, a pattern of miscarriages, stillbirths or child soon dead after birth. For so many years Eadgyth had thought John would be her only child then came Brigit and soon after her birth she became pregnant again, raising her hopes of another healthy child. The baby was born early and was hastily baptised; it died two hours later.




"Well, Brigit you will behave for me now and in the future, right?" Gytha asked allowing only a hint of doubt about Brigit's willingness to stay true to her word.
In the most solemn tone Brigit declared, "Of course! I will behave now." However, she said that with a smile that promised everything imaginable, except behaving well.
"Glad that is settled." Eadgyth said being unable to see that devious smile. Gytha silently and urgently prayed to God that Eadgyth would soon find a governess for Brigit.





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