It was a poor welcome, Ragna felt.

Gytha sensed Ragna’s reaction and said hesitantly: “No doubt you have brought your own personal choice of wall hangings and so on.”

Ragna had not. She had expected everything to be provided. She had money to buy whatever she needed, but that was not the point. “Blankets?” she said.

Gytha shrugged. “Why do you need blankets? Most people sleep in their cloaks.”

“I noticed that Wilf has plenty of blankets in his house.”

Gytha did not reply.

Ragna looked around the walls. “Not enough pegs,” she said. “You didn’t think a bride might have a lot of clothes to hang up?”

“You can put in more pegs.”

“I’ll have to borrow a hammer.”

Gytha looked puzzled, then realized that Ragna was being sarcastic. “I’ll send you a carpenter.”

“The place is too small. I have five maids and seven men-at-arms.”

“The men can be lodged in the town.”

“I prefer them near me.”

“That may not be possible.”

“We’ll see.” Ragna was angry and hurt. However, she needed to think and plan before taking action. She turned to Cat. “Fetch the other maids, and tell the men to bring the baggage.” Cat went out.

Gytha tried to regain the initiative. She adopted an authoritative tone and said: “You’ll live here, and when Wilf wants to spend the night with you he will either come here or invite you to his house. You should never go to his bed uninvited.”

Ragna ignored that. She and Wilf would work things out without the help of his stepmother. She resisted the temptation to say so.

She had had enough of Gytha. “Thank you for showing me around,” she said in a tone of dismissal.

Gytha hesitated. “I hope everything is all right.”

Gytha had probably expected a frightened young foreign girl who could be pushed around. Now, Ragna guessed, she was anxiously revising her opinion.

“We’ll see,” Ragna said tersely.

Gytha tried again. “What will you say to Wilf about your accommodation?”

“We’ll see,” Ragna repeated.

It must have been obvious that Ragna wanted Gytha to leave, but Gytha was ignoring her hints. She had been the senior female here for years, and perhaps she did not believe she could be given orders by another woman. Ragna had to be more forceful. “I have no further need for you at present, stepmother-in-law,” she said; and when Gytha still did not go out she raised her voice and added: “You may go.”

Gytha flushed with embarrassment and anger, but she went out at last.

Cat returned with the others, the men toting chests and bags. They stacked the luggage up against the wall. Cat said: “This place is crowded, with all of us in here.”

“The men must sleep elsewhere.”

“Where?”

“Somewhere in the town. But don’t unpack. Just what we need for one night.”

Bishop Wynstan came through the open door. “Well, well,” he said, looking around. “So this is your new house.”

“So it seems,” Ragna said.