“Oh yes she will. We’ve talked about this many times. She’s begged me many times to carry her away.”
“Did Kristin … !” said Fru Aashild. Then she laughed. “That’s no reason for you to count on the maiden coming with you when you show up to take her at her word.”
“Oh yes it is,” said Erlend. “And now I was thinking, Aunt, that you should send an invitation to J?rundgaard for Kristin to come and visit you—for a week or so while her parents are away. Then we could reach Hamar before anyone notices that she’s gone,” he explained.
Fru Aashild replied, still laughing a little, “Did you also think about what we should say—Herr Bj?rn and I—when Lavrans comes to call us to account for his daughter?”
“Yes,” said Erlend. “We were four armed men, and the maiden was willing.”
“I won’t help you with this,” said his aunt sternly. “Lavrans has been a faithful friend to us for many years. He and his wife are honorable people, and I won’t participate in betraying them or shaming her. Leave the maiden in peace, Erlend. It’s also about time that your kinsmen heard of other exploits from you than that you were slipping in and out of the country with stolen women.”
“We need to talk alone, Aunt,” said Erlend abruptly.
Fru Aashild took a candle, went into the storeroom, and shut the door behind them. She sat down on a cask of flour; Erlend stood with his hands stuck in his belt looking down at her.
“You can also tell Lavrans Bj?rgulfs?n that Sira Jon in Gerdarud married us before we continued on to stay with Duchess Inge bj?rg Haakonsdatter in Sweden.”
“I see,” said Fru Aashild. “Do you know whether the duchess will receive you when you arrive there?”
“I spoke with her in Tunsberg,” said Erlend. “She greeted me as her dear kinsman and thanked me for offering her my service, either here or in Sweden. And Munan has promised to give me letters to her.”
“Then you know,” said Fru Aashild, “that even if you can find a priest to marry you, Kristin will relinquish all right to property and inheritance from her father. And her children will not be legitimate heirs. It’s uncertain whether she will be considered your wife.”
“Maybe not here in this country. That’s also why I want to head for Sweden. Her forefather, Laurentius Lagmand, was never married to the maiden Bengta in any other way; they never received her brother’s blessing. And yet she was considered his wife.”
“There were no children,” said Fru Aashild. “Do you think my sons would keep their hands off their inheritance from you if Kristin were left a widow with children and there was any doubt that they were born legitimate?”
“You do Munan an injustice,” replied Erlend. “I know little of your other children. You have no reason to be kind to them, that I know. But Munan has always been my loyal kinsman. He would like to see me married; he spoke with Lavrans on my behalf. Otherwise, by law, I can sue for the inheritance and the good name of whatever children we may have.”
“With that you will brand their mother as your mistress,” said Fru Aashild. “But I don’t think that meek priest, Jon Helges?n, would dare risk trouble with his bishop in order to marry you against the law.”
“I confessed to him this summer,” said Erlend, his voice muted. “He promised then to marry us if all other means were exhausted.”
“I see,” replied Fru Aashild. “Then you have taken a grave sin upon yourself, Erlend. Kristin was happy at home with her father and mother. A good marriage with a handsome and honorable man of good family was arranged for her.”
“Kristin told me herself,” said Erlend, “that you said she and I might suit each other well. And that Simon Andress?n was no fit husband for her.”
“Oh, never mind what I said or didn’t say,” snapped his aunt. “I’ve said so much in my time. I don’t think you could have had your way with Kristin so easily. You couldn’t have met very often. And I wouldn’t think she was easy to win over, that maiden.”
“We met in Oslo,” said Erlend. “Afterward she was staying with her uncle in Gerdarud. She came out to the woods to meet me.” He looked down and said quite softly, “I had her alone to myself out there.”
Fru Aashild sprang up. Erlend bowed his head even lower.
“And after that … was she friends with you?” asked his aunt in disbelief.