By now Cecilia Rosa had all the information she needed, but she also felt sullied and besmirched, as if the bishop had thrown filth on her.
She therefore excused herself by saying that for female reasons that she could not mention she had to withdraw at once. When he then tried to fumble after her she quickly slipped away, since she was not nearly as drunk as he was.
When she at last emerged into the fresh air she vomited. And all night long she prayed, unable to sleep because she knew that her sins were many. Using deception she had seduced a bishop, she had even let him touch her sinfully, and all this she had done in order to fool him into saying what he didn’t want to say.
All this caused her shame. But she felt most ashamed that the touch of this scarcely honorable man had instantly ignited a longing that she had always tried to suppress. He had made her picture once again in her mind the last time Arn had come riding into the courtyard. It seemed an almost unforgivable sin that her pure love could have been inflamed by such an evil man.
The second matter that she had to take care of at Gudhem was much easier than the first. She bought all the plants and sewing materials she needed from a confused prioress who without Cecilia Rosa’s friendly advice would have been cheated badly in these deals. Gudhem was once again a house of the Virgin Mary, and for that reason it was owed the greatest reverence.
But Cecilia Rosa also thought that if she had remained at Gudhem she would be very careful about where she set her feet in the arcade. Mother Rikissa was not in Paradise, after all. Perhaps she was lying in her grave with her malicious red eyes gleaming beneath the flagstones in the arcade. She might be ready to spring up like a wolf and swallow any of those she hated, for hatred had been her strongest force in earthly life.
On her way home to Riseberga, Cecilia Rosa had to stop for a few days, as planned, with Cecilia Blanca at Näs. When she reached the king’s harbor on the shore of Lake Vättern, her impatient companions began muttering as they loaded all the strange items she had brought from Gudhem into the sinister-looking black longboat. The mere sight of the vessel made Cecilia Rosa turn pale. Out on Vättern the waves were high with whitecaps foaming at their tops. The first autumn storm was moving in.
She asked her way among rough sailors who seemed to be Norwegians until she stood before the one who appeared to be their leader. He greeted her courteously and said that his name was Styrbjørn Haraldsson, and that it would be a pleasure for him to sail a woman who was the friend of the queen out to Näs. Cecilia Rosa anxiously asked whether it was advisable to venture out on the water in a storm. He smiled in reply and shook his head, saying that such questions made him long for home, but that his loyalty to King Knut unfortunately prevented his return. Then without another word he took her by the hand and led her out onto the wharf, where his men were about to cast off. They put in place a wide plank for Cecilia Rosa to board the boat, tossed her purchases from Gudhem on deck, and stowed the cargo securely. Then they shoved off with the oars and hoisted the sail.
The wind at once took hold of the rectangular sail, filling it out completely with sudden force. In the next instant the vessel was slung forward so that Cecilia Rosa, who had not managed to sit down, was thrown back into the arms of Styrbjørn. He immediately pressed her down into her place by the tiller and wrapped her up in rough blankets and sheepskins so that only the tip of her nose stuck out.
The storm roared around them and the waves surged against the planking. The longship leaned so much that Cecilia Rosa saw only dark clouds on one side; on the other side she thought she could look straight down into the menacing black waters of the agitated lake. For a moment she felt paralyzed with fear.
None of these strange, burly men seemed the least bothered. They sat leaning against the side of the vessel that rose up toward the sky and seemed now and then to joke with each other as best they could in all the noise. They must know what they are doing, she reasoned desperately. When she glanced back at the man called Styrbjørn she saw that he was standing up with the wind tearing at his long hair, his legs wide apart in a confident stance and a happy grin spreading across his bearded face. He seemed to enjoy sailing.
She still couldn’t help yelling out two questions to him; she wanted to know whether it was dangerous to venture out in a storm, and whether they were sure that someone was holding a protective hand over them all. She had to repeat the questions twice, each time a little louder, although Styrbjørn had leaned down toward her to hear what she was asking.
When Styrbjørn finally grasped what she wanted to know, he first threw back his head and gave a hearty bellow so that the storm once again tore at his long hair and blew it into his face. Then he leaned down and yelled to her that things had been worse earlier in the day when they were rowing againstthe wind to reach the harbor. Now they were sailing withthe wind, and it was like a dance; they would be there within half an hour, no more.
And so it was. Cecilia Rosa saw the castle of Näs approaching at a dizzying speed, and all at once all the Norsemen rose as one man and sat down at the oars while Styrbjørn took down the sail. The men on the left side put their oars in the water first and drew them backward, while the men on the other side dug in their heels and rowed forward. It was as though a giant hand had tossed the whole vessel up into the wind, and it took only ten strokes or so before they came into the lee and the bow of the ship glided up on shore.
Witnessing the men’s skill, as Cecilia Rosa did now, made her feel a bit ashamed of her worries at the start of the passage.
On the path up toward the castle, as Styrbjørn politely led her before the others, she begged him in somewhat veiled terms to forgive the fear she had expressed, because clearly there was no cause for alarm.
Styrbjørn merely gave her a friendly smile since he deemed her apology unnecessary, and he assured her that she was not the only woman from Western Götaland who had little understanding when it came to ships. Once, he told her, there was a young woman who actually asked if they might get lost on the way. At this he laughed boisterously, and Cecilia Rosa responded with a cautious smile, unsure what was so humorous about that woman’s concern.
Soon thereafter Cecilia Blanca welcomed her dearest friend, as she told anyone within earshot. The queen was so happy and excited that her words tumbled out like the song of the lark in the springtime, impossible to stop. She summoned servants to stow away Cecilia Rosa’s leather sacks containing spiny plants and pelts and sewing implements. Then she took Cecilia Rosa by the arm and hurried her through several gloomy halls to a great fireplace where she offered her mulled wine. She thought that was the best remedy after such a cold crossing.
Cecilia Rosa basked in the warmth of her friend’s kindness and her eagerness to please, but she also fretted about the evil news that would soon have to be told. But it was not easy to broach the subject. The king and the jarl were up in Östra Aros to arrange for a new archbishop, since plunderers from across the Eastern Sea had killed the old one. Besides, the Estonians had burned down the whole town of Sigtuna, so the men had plenty to do, including new crusades and shipbuilding that needed to be done. The advantage, though, was that the two Cecilias now had Näs all to themselves, because when the king and jarl weren’t around, the queen was in charge. Here they could talk all night and drink plenty of mulled wine!
For a little while Cecilia Rosa let herself be carried away by her friend’s irresistible merriment and joy. It was true that they were now celebrating the hour when they could meet as free women at last; now all three of the friends from Gudhem were free.