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“Em!” It was halfway between a groan and a warning. “Work, please!” he begged.
She nodded again and returned to her sieve.
In a few minutes they had set up a rhythm, working through the soil he had dug up. The tension dissipated somewhat as they worked, replaced by the joy of companionship, of a shared task that both of them loved. They found several pieces of pottery, a couple of coins, and a copper pin. None of which were ancient.
Heading back to the house for luncheon, they discussed possibilities of what they might find next. She couldn’t suppress a skip of excitement.
*
Over luncheon, it was agreed the viscount would help Deo clear the base of the mound and Annis offered to help Emily sieve. The children went, too, and played chasey around the stones with Kester. It was a pleasant afternoon of camaraderie, and Emily felt for the first time like she was truly where she belonged.
She and Deo shared some intimate glances, and when he came over to check on how she was going, his hand squeezed her shoulder and he murmured, “Well done,” quietly in her ear. His warm breath made her shiver and sent a tingling heat to settle between her thighs. She was still overwrought from last night’s kisses; this morning’s kiss hadn’t helped.
By four o’clock the men had cleared three quarters of the exploratory arc at the base of the mound on the western side. The eastern side was dominated by the old tree, as if it stood sentinel beside the mound, protecting it.
Surveying what they had accomplished, Deo said, “No sign of the entrance yet. I thought we would have uncovered it on this side.”
“Perhaps it is on the side sheltered by the tree?” offered the viscount.
“That’s what I’m afraid of. If it is, the tree roots are likely to have spread into the structure and we will have a much bigger problem to deal with.”
Emily listened to the men discussing the engineering problem of the tree. Deo had put the dislodged stone back in situ to prevent any creatures getting into the barrow and also hopefully to prevent water getting in. They needed to find the entrance urgently and remove any finds before the weather damaged them. England, even in summer, was not known for its dry weather. They had been lucky to have several dry days in a row, but it wouldn’t last.
Deo and the viscount concluded that they would need to examine the extent of the tree’s root system and figure out how to complete the search for the entrance tomorrow under its spreading branches.
“The trouble is that we have no way of knowing how far and deep the roots go into the mound,” said Deo. Wiping his face with his handkerchief. “We know they are spread quite wide, on the side sloping away from the mound because there are a lot of them exposed on that side already. But if they have penetrated the stones of the barrow, it will be impossible to get them out without wrecking the barrow itself. I fear we may have to cut the tree down.”
*
Deo was painfully conscious all afternoon that he had promised Emily more kisses that night, and he was in a lather trying to decide how to proceed. He was adamant with himself that the marriage could not be consummated until he was sure that they were indeed legally married. Therefore, nothing they did could progress past kisses. But kisses were so tempting. Surely it would be more sensible not to risk temptation?
They only needed to wait a few days, a week at most. He would explain it to Em—it was for her protection after all . . .
After dinner, he and Em repaired to their sitting room with the inscription and the books they had brought with them. With the rubbing spread out on the desk and as much light as they could manage with the candles and lamps, they sat and stared at it for a while in silence.
HIC IACET ___GYN C_____ __ C_____ FILIUS WIG____
“HIC IACET—here lies—someone with a name that ends in GYN . . .” mused Deo aloud.
“If the first C word is comes,” said Emily, “and this preposition looks like it has two letters. What are our choices? AD, DE, or IN.”
He nodded. “So, at, of, or in or on. At or of would make most sense and would mean the second word is a place name.”
“Yes.” She leaned closer to the rubbing and pointed. “I think it’s DE—of—see here, that looks like a D to me.”
He pushed his glasses up his nose and peered closer. “Yes, I agree. So, we have someone with the second part of his name ending in GYN who is a comes or earl—”
“Like you!” she quipped with a grin.
“Well, earl is an Anglo-Saxon title, so perhaps this fellow is English rather than British?”
“Most likely, given the location, Leicestershire was Middle Anglian territory prior to being absorbed into Mercia.”
“So something GYN COMES DE. GYN, Earl of something starting with C . . .”
They stared at each other blankly. Then Deo pointed to the last name. “This should be his father’s name, ‘Wig’ sounds Saxon to me, but ‘Gyn’ sounds British. Do you agree?”
“Yes, but this period was a melting pot for Saxons and Britons, particularly in this part of the country. If you’re right, and this burial is say sixth or seventh century, this might be the last remnant of British occupation on this area.”
