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  Richard then followed a pathway along the river until he cut through the fields and on to his home. His mother and father had arrived home from worship services some time earlier. They of course had attended in the All Saints' church of Easton-on-the-hill.

  'Where 'ave you been for so long?' asked his father, 'We still 'ave work to do.' Despite the fact that it was the Lord's Day, the animals still had to be care for. Work on the farm is never done and there was really very little time to rest, especially a whole day.

  'I 'ate this farm,' said Richard half under his breath.

  'Whot was that you seed?' questioned his father.

  'I seed that I 'ate farming,' exclaimed Richard with a little more energy than he had expected.

  'And if you 'ate farming so much,' questioned Lind ''ow do you expect to eat?' 'If you like eating our food, you'd bet'er also luv farming. That is 'ow we eat.'

  His mother, Gleda, had been listening and came to Richard' side. 'Lind, me luv, the boy luvs farming, he just needs sume dinner. Let 'im eat before he works.'

  Lind relented and went out the door with Bromley.

  As Gleda broke off a piece of bread for Richard, she asked, 'Whot is this then, that you do nay care for farming? Is that true?' Gleda already knew that it was true and she had been concerned. There were not a lot of options for a poor boy from a small village. But, she also knew that Bromley would inherit the farm and the cottage.

  'Yes, mum, it is true. I 'ave never liked farming.'

  'Then whot is it that you fancy yourself doing so that you can eat?'

  'I am going to fashion magnificent windows for the church,' replied Richard with conviction.

  'Whot! A glazier?' replied Gleda. This is the first time that Richard had heard the word, it sounded strange to him. 'And 'ow will you do that? A person must have training, an apprenticeship! That costs muney and we do nay 'ave it.'

  Richard had finished his bread and milk and he left through the door to join Lind and Bromley. He was a little dejected at the response that he had received. He had really thought that his mother would understand.

  ____________________

  After the worship service, John had returned to the Darby estate with his parents. The well manicured park rolled over the hills to the right and the River Welland hugged the grounds to the left as it crawled its way toward Stamford. The park surrounding the estate was well apportioned with neatly trimmed hedges and the beautiful house was guarded by a deep and wide mote. The house sat upon a little rise and from that point a person could see miles of rolling fields, each separated with a hedge or a stone wall. Sheep grazed in many of the fields. Stamford was to the east, in front of the house and Easton-on-the-hill was to the south. The many churches of Stamford were visible from the Darby estate.

  As the Darby's sat down in the great hall for their evening meal, John's mother asked, 'Whot was it that you and Richard were so intent on discussing during the service todee?'

  John considered carefully his response. For much of the time they had been whispering about a pretty girl with long golden hair. They also had been making jokes about one of the alter boys. He certainly did not want to mention this to his mother. Then he remembered their conversation about the glass.

  'Richard wants to be a glazier,' John offered.

  'A glazier? And 'ow doze 'e plan to accomplish soch a thing withoot muney? Does 'is father 'ave muney to pay for an apprenticeship?' questioned Mrs. Darby.

  'If 'e 'ad soch an amount of muney,' stated John's father, 'e'd likely own an 'orse.'

  The conversation then shifted from the Easton's and the apprenticeship to a subject that John liked far less.

  John's father looked intently at his oldest son and said, 'I 'ave made arrangements for you to start school in Peterborough next month. If you do well there, you will go to Oxford when you are fourteen.'

  John knew better than to protest and besides, he had known for years that he would eventually be sent away to school. Still, he did not want to go.

  'When do I leave?'

  'In a fortnight,' said his father.

  'Must I leave so soon?'

  'There is an opening at the school in a fortnight. So, yes, you must leave at that time,' his father stated.

  John's mother had been thinking about Richard while this conversation was going on.

  'Culd we nay pay for an apprenticeship for that yung man?' she asked.

  'Why wuld we do that?' asked his father.

  'I 'ave always liked 'im and 'e 'as been a gud friend to John for many years,' she offered. 'I 'ave always felt for 'im losing 'is real parents, being an orph....' Then she caught herself and stopped. John didn't know that Richard had lost his parents and that Lind and Gleda were not his real parents. This caught John by surprise.

  'Whot, Richard was an orphan?' questioned John.

  John's father eyed his mother with a look that communicated that she should not have said that.

  'Soory, I shuld nay 'ave said that. Please do nay say anything to Richard. I do nay believe that 'e knows.'

  John's father had left the dinner table now and was looking out the window to the south, toward Easton-on-the-hill. To change the subject and to soften the surprise of this news, he stated, 'Yes, I think that paying for Richard's apprenticeship would be a very good thing.' Turning back to the table now with his hands on his hips as a sign of determination, he exclaimed, 'I will 'ave a word with Lind on the morrow.'

  The next morning found Lind and Bromley and Richard in the fields before the cock crowed. The days were getting colder and it was important to get the crop in before the cold rains started. They would likely be in the fields until well after the sun had set. Gleda and Geva would join them after the chickens and the hogs had been fed. Because the season seemed short this year, it would take the entire family to get the crops in before the rains started. Lind expected that they had one week, maybe a fortnight to accomplish the task. He had been watching the weather and the sun had not been seen for days. Short, light rains had fallen nearly each day.

  Getting the crop in out of the fields was hard work. Richard was finally old enough and large enough that he could wield the sithe for hours on end. He knew though that by the time that the sun set his shoulders would ache and his hands would be numb from the grip of the handles. With each sweeping movement of the sithe, he would feel the heaviness of the tool as it passed through the stalks of grain. He would welcome the opportunity to rest occasionally to sharpen the blade. Richard's father used to say, 'I rest between cuts.' Richard thought about that, but could never figure it out.

  The three of them would start at the lower end of the field and would work as a team, always working around the field to the left. The stalks were easier to cut when they were slightly damp, so if a light rain fell, they would likely cut all day. If a light rain did not fall, or if too much rain started falling, they would stop and collect the cut stalks into a stack.

  Despite the fact that they worked in close proximity to each other and as a team, there was little speaking when they worked. This left long hours to just think. Richard thought of anything but farming. Today, his thoughts alternated between the marvelous glass work that he had seen and the girls that were at the worship service the day before.

  It was a little after the noon meal that they saw two riders on horseback coming their way across the freshly cut field. Geva saw them first. 'Luk, over there. It luks like the Darby's are combin'.' She straightened her skirt and hair a little in anticipation. She had long fancied John Darby, the son, but it was never clear that he had taken any real notice of her.

  John Darby was a gentlemen and when he wanted to speak to a commoner, the commoner had better take notice.

  John Darby and his son, John, rode right up to the Easton's. The son lighted off his horse and walked over to Richard. The father remained on his horse to address Lind.

  'Lind Easton, I 'ave comb to discuss a matter with you.'

  'Whot is it then, Lord Darby?' queried Li
nd.

  'I 'ear that your boy there wants to be a glazier and I 'ave comb to tell you that I 'ave paid for his apprenticeship.'

  Lind tried to protest, but John Darby would not hear it. 'I 'ave already spoken with the Master Glazier at the shoppe in Stamford and it is all set'eld,' proclaimed John Darby.

  Lind had been leaning on his sithe, but now let it fall to the ground. He was not happy about John Darby meddling in his family's affairs, but was powerless to do anything about it.

  'When does 'e start?' questioned Lind.

  'In a munth next,' was the reply.

  'I am grateful to you. God speed,' Lind said through his gritted teeth.

  Richard and John, the son, were standing a few paces off during this exchange. John shared with Richard the good news of the apprenticeship and Richard was thrilled with the news. Then John asked Richard whether he knew that Lind and Gleda were not his parents.

  'Do nay be daft,' said Richard, 'Of course, they are me parents.'

  'Nay, they are nay your parents,' insisted John, 'Me mum said so yesterdee.' Richard refused to believe him and was getting agitated.

  'Luk at Geva, your supposed twin. She has auburn 'air and your 'air is dark.' Richard looked. Of course, he had already noticed that. 'Luk at your father and mother and Bromley,' urged John. 'They all 'ave auburn 'air.'

  'Also, 'ow is it that you are already taller than your father?' Richard began to see his family differently and it was suddenly too much to take in.

  'I think that you best be going,' demanded Richard and he went back to cutting the grain.

  The Darby's rode away and the Easton's were left to their work again. Nothing was said more concerning the matter until they had finished for the day and were back at the cottage.

  'So, you will be a glazier after all,' said Lind with a little accusation in his voice. He suspected that Richard had asked the Darby's to help him secure the apprenticeship.

  'Richard, me luv, whot is wrong?' asked Gleda, noticing Richard's countenance.

  'John told me todee that you are nay me parents. 'ow culd you keep that secret from me all of these years?'

  'Sone, it makes no difference who you are. We luv you. Is that nay right, Lind?'

  'Of course, that is right,' said Lind, but the realization that they should probably have told Richard the truth and also news of the apprenticeship had shaken his emotions. He left the cottage and went out into the night.

  Richard suddenly didn't feel quite at home in the cottage and he didn't know how to feel about his family. He retreated to the quiet of the loft. He intended to sort it out in his mind, but owing to his fatigue, fell right to sleep.

  There was no further discussion on either matter the next day and his relationship with his family seemed to fall right back into place, yet there were lingering doubts in his mind.

  Richard didn't see John for the next two weeks and then John was off to Peterborough for school. The family successfully gathered in the crops and all seemed right. Richard though was still unsettled about his place in the family and also disappointed that his last words to John had been stern. He wasn't sure when he would see John again.

  Chapter Four

  April 1434

  Stamford, England

  Richard felt someone gently shaking him and he heard muffled voices. Somewhere between sleep and awake, he was sure that it was a beautiful maid. He had been dreaming about the girl that he had seen from the Glazier's shoppe and was quite content to keep dreaming. He felt the shaking again and rolled over trying to ignore the intruder. It wasn't a dream and it wasn't the girl. Now he recognized his mother's voice. 'Get up, me luv. You will be needed in the field.' It was well before the rising of the sun and all Richard wanted to do was roll over and sleep.

  Richard sat up in his bed as his mother carefully descended the steep stairway from the loft. Richard and Bromley had shared this small loft since they were wee lads. Overhead was the thatch of the roof and the floor was constructed of bare wooden planks. Gleda had managed over several years to collect old cloth and had fashioned a round rug for the room by tying the cloth pieces together similar to making a sweater. It felt so much better on bare feet than the wooden planks. The floor of the cottage below was dirt, but it was mostly covered with a woven reed mat.

  Bromley was already up and dressing quickly because of the chill. Richard was several inches taller than Bromley and usually enjoyed being so, but in this loft it meant that he had to constantly bend while standing and Bromley did not. Richard also had to be particularly careful about the wooden beams of the roof. More than once he had hit his head on one in the middle of a dark night.

  It was colder in the room than would be expected for an April morning. The only light coming into the loft was the flicker of a candle and small fire from the room below. Even in that small light Richard could see his breath. Once out of bed, he would dress quickly to minimize the chill.

  Richard descended the stairs carefully. The steps were almost more ladder than stairs. A sleepy young man could take a tumble with a misplaced foot.

  Gleda was just pulling a pot off a small fire in the fireplace as Richard stepped off the stairs and approached the table. The morning meal was the usual porridge and bread with a little butter and milk. Lind and Bromley were already sitting at the table and eating their bread.

  'I will need for you to comb to the field right away after the Glazier calls work for the dee.' Lind directed Richard.

  This really is not what Richard wanted to hear, but it was exactly what he expected to hear. Instead of hurrying right back to the fields, he intended to visit the market and see whether he could find the girl that he had seen. He would be quick, he reasoned, and his father would not notice.

  'I will,' grunted Richard in his usual early-morning style.

  Lind and Bromley then started to discuss the work that they needed to complete today. There was the upper field that needed to be planted, a sithe that needed to be repaired and the cow might be giving birth today and needed to be watched.

  Richard was thinking about the Master Glazier and whether he would still remember the broken glass from yesterday, but mostly, he was thinking about the girl. He didn't realize that his father was speaking to him.

  'Richard, did you nay 'ear me, boy?' asked Lind. Richard looked at his father with a sleepy look. 'I want for you to repair that sithe when you get back.' Bromley kicked Richard beneath the table and smiled.

  'I 'eared,' replied Richard.

  'And do nay leave it in the weather when you are finished either,' offered Bromley.

  Richard and Bromley usually got along just fine despite the fact that Bromley was five years older and they were of very different natures. Bromley had quick wits and was affable. He tended to be competitive, boisterous and impulsive. Richard was more deliberate in nature, more cautious, thoughtful and reflective.

  Bromley had a young woman that he was courting who's nature was more akin to Richard's than his own. Her family also lived in Easton-on-the-hill. She had long, light brown hair. She was gentle and kind and enjoyed Bromley's wit very much. Her father approved of Bromley's attention to her on account of the fact that Bromley would one day inherit the farm and cottage. Bromley hoped that they could be married within the year. He intended to move her into the small quarters that Lind and Gleda occupied just outside the village when they were young.

  Richard helped in the field until after the sun was up and then walked into Stamford to the Glazier's shoppe and continued working the window that he had been working on the day before. With more care and attention this time, he cut the glass for the angel's wing with precision. After he cut the pieces he used his glozing irons to trim the glass for a smooth and perfect fit. Later he began laying the pieces in pattern form and connecting them with strips of lead came. Tomorrow he would solder the came joints together. At that point the window would start to take on a finished form and would be nearing completion. Richard was pleased that it would be placed in a cha
pel where it would catch the light and be looked upon for generations to come.

  It was mid-afternoon before the Master Glazier called a close to the day. Richard was pleased that he had been able to concentrate on his work for the most part. There were only brief moments that he thought about the girl that he had seen yesterday. Leaving the shoppe, he had a decision to make, go straight back to the cottage and repair the sithe or take a brief detour to the market and try to see if the girl were there. He chose the latter.