With Harold gone, but not forgotten, Duke William could put his mind to the next step in his plan to inherit the English Crown. Really, there were three steps. He called his half brother Robert de Mortain.

“Brother Robert, you have been in charge of our English intelligence system for some time.”

“Yes, My Lord.”

“What chance do we have of upsetting the status quo of England?”

“Well, My Lord, in spite of Wulfnoth’s long stay, and Harold’s little visit, the south has remained staid and true. The other brothers demanded and got the respect of the English lords. They had Harold’s and Edward’s armies to back them up.”

“Too bad!”

“Brother, it is different in the north. As soon as England knew that Harold had fallen into our hands, Tostig began his bullying tactics with the northern thanes. Many are descendent Vikings and do not take kindly to Tostig’s measures. The vassals claim Tostig has broken the oath of fealty and they are in open revolt to his measures. Tostig claims treason on their part. He has put down some of the rebels: murdering them, the lords say; executing them Tostig claims. Many claim he has two personalities.”

“My agent in London says Harold ‘must put Tostig down like the mad dog he is’.”

“Yes, what we need are at least two agent provocateurs.”

“Excusez-moi, My Lord?”

“Robert, we need an agent on both sides to provoke, stir the pot so to speak, feed the fire. Do you understand?”

“Well, yes My Lord, but could you be a little more explicit.”

“Robert, we need an Englishman, indebted to us, who despises Godwine’s sons, that we can buy to arouse the northern thanes of England. Secondly, we need an agent, Norman likely, to approach Tostig with praise and promises—weapons, men and support, clerical and laic.

“What supplies would we give him, My Lord?”

“None, Robert, None. We will hang him out to dry!”

“I can easily turn an Englishman to arouse the lords of Mercia, Northumbria and York. Do you have a suggestion for the turning of Tostig?”

“Robert, I would trust you, and let me see—Sir Rupert. Maybe the two of you. Take young Trivett—what’s his name—Will. You are delegated Robert. Come back as soon as you nail down the details. Oh, send someone for Odo. I need his input. I need the older Trivett. The one I knighted, not the old man.”

A page was dispatched to summon Thomas who was still at Trivett vineyard. When his liege lord called, Thomas was quick to obey. He whistled for Easy Walker who ambled across the pasture in his own sweet time. The horse just wanted to show his independence. However, he came. Saddled and bridled, Easy Walker took his master swiftly to Rouen castle.

“You are to go right in, Sir Thomas. I will announce you”

“Merci.”

“My Lord, Sir Thomas Trivett.”

“Come in, Sir Thomas.”

“My Lord.”

“I hear rumors, Sir Thomas, that there is a wedding in the offing.”

“Yes, My Lord. Sir Richard’s daughter Jo-Anne and I are much in love.”

“Oh , yes. I remember that feeling well. When?”

“We have a planning session this Sunday, My Lord.”

“Well, then possibly what I have in mind is timely. Count William, my steward, reminded me that I had made you and your brother knights without allowance for land. I suppose you thought something amiss?”

“No, My Lord, I’ve been too busy to worry about land.”

“Hence, my Knight, I’ve decided to divide some property between you two. Do you know the forest preserve north of Sir Richard’s estate?”

“Yes, My Lord.”

“That piece of property will be yours and Wills--after I have taken the lumber evident.”

“Yes, My Lord, merci bien.”

“You will have to supervise the felling of the trees, reducing it to lumber and guard over the building of ships for the invasion fleet.”

“Yes, My Lord. Will Sir William be assisting me?”

“I’m afraid not. I’m sending him on another mission.”

“Thank you, My Lord.”

“You will see my forester, Wolf, and select the necessary men. The ship builders need the oak immediately. Report your plan as soon as you return from the forest.”

“Today, My Lord?”

“Or course, Today.”

“Yes, My Lord, immediately.” Thomas bowed his exit. ‘William of Normandy gave nothing for nothing and not much for gold’, thought Thomas. As Thomas Senior said, “Tight as bark to a tree!” A thousand trees must be felled, split or sawn and transported to the ship yard. What would Thomas and William get—a field of stumps—unworkable. Well, before he had nothing: now he had something. He’d look it over and talk to his father. The older Thomas Junior got, the smarter Thomas Senior became. All youth found the same thing. Off he went in search of Wolf.

Bishop Odo had to be summoned from Caen. There was no hurry. This was a plan that would take time to develop. Sir Thomas was already working on his assignment before the Bishop got to Rouen.

“Brother Odo.”

“Bonjour, My Lord.”

“Brother, I came to the conclusion that our last incursion in England had supplied us with useful information. Now, in conjunction with Brother Robert, we have devised a scheme to prod and poke the turmoil of the English north. Robert’s informants report great dissatisfaction with Tostig. We would like Northumbria at war. On the other hand Tostig has great ambition. We are going to encourage him to revolt against Edward and therefore his brother Harold. What is our position in the north of Europe?”

“My Lord, my agents suggest the biggest threat at present is Harald Hardrada of Norway. He and Tostig have been close. Hardrada wants a foothold in the Saxon north country. Likely the two have already divided the pie of the north counties between them.

King of Denmark, Swegn Estrithson has a strong claim to the English throne through his relationship to Cnut. Swegn is no problem at present. We have his workers building ships, so Norman money is floating that little country. Members of the Danish court are not impressed with Prince Cnut. As businessman they are happy with the spate of ship building amassing their fortunes. The king’s son is ambitious and volatile. His answer is always violent. Attack this one or attack that one.”

“Mais Oui, Do we have an agent in either court?”

“No, My Lord.”

“Let’s do it. We can send an ambassador to Swegn’s court since we are already deeply involved in shipbuilding. Another, ostensiblely to buy Norwegian boats may visit Hardrada. I want businessmen, but agent provocateurs. I want to give Harold something to think about. Who can you send?”

“Father Francis is my best man. He understands the idea of the great lie, but he does not understand ships. A good possibility, although he has never been approached, is Count Alan of Brittany. Conan has exile him for breaking his oath. We could tempt him with coin and send him off. He is excellent with marine and naval affairs. He has no present source of income and is fast wearing out his welcome with his Norman relatives. We could swear him to our cause, which may be of little value, and impress on him the threat of death for treason.”

“We could try Sir Richard.”

“He’s not a sailor either, My Lord.”

“C’est bien! Approach Alan of Brittany and threaten him with a stake surrounded by faggots of wood.”

Thomas and Wolf, the forester, assembled their “fellers”. The Duke’s appeal to his vassals was not ignored. The counts had obligation by oath and law and naturally expected return on their investment of man power.

Wolf explained how the forest had been preserved. These oak were forty feet to the first branch. The height of their parents and grandparents had demanded these present aged reach for the sky. They stretched their spindly whip-like bodies toward the sun. Now they stood majestically, a leafy cathedral canopy to their own young reaching up from the forest floor. The young were to be spared, but the forest behemoths were to fall.

Occasionally, Thomas had assisted Thomas Senior in felling a tree, but usually it was his older brother who shared the job. Thomas and Will had been assigned the clean-up. He guessed it was a matter of keeping sharp implements out of childish hands. He pumped Wolf for information. As boss of the project he had better know something. Wolf would make the final decisions as Thomas was not above expert advice. He had learned long ago to bow to superior intelligence without losing his own esteem. Before the assemblage of woodsmen was established he picked Wolf’s tree of knowledge.

The two set about to sharpen their tools. Wolf had a great array of axes specific to the job he intended. His felling axe and the one he handed Thomas seemed plenty sharp to the young knight. Not so! Wolf had a grindstone turned by hand and dross metal was removed behind the cutting edge. He was as demanding of perfection as Thomas Senior. Then they took up the tempered files prepared in Duke William’s smithy and began the sharpening process. Wolf watched like a hawk. When Thomas could have shaved with the edge, an oil stone was slapped into his hand. He honed again.

“When the edge will shave the hair off your arm, your axe is ready.”

Thomas complied.

Then they turned to the saws. Not many would be sawyers of wood. Wolf handled this process himself. It wouldn’t do at this point to have an amateur ruin a felling saw. He took his saw anvil and began to set the teeth. Every second tooth was bent slightly left. The rest were bent slightly right. Then he took his finest file and sharpened each tooth.

They gathered together an assortment of wedges. Occasionally, wedges had to be driven into the cerf of the saw cut to cause a tree to fall in the desired direction It was the mechanical advantage of the incline plane that routed the fall. Wolf had a number of coils of rope that could be used to coax a tree in the right direction. They were not for towing trees, just coaxing. He introduced Thomas to the peevie or cant-hook—a pole handle with a curved claw that could be used to roll a log once it had been bucked to length.

“All right Sir Thomas, let’s go to the work face.”

“Work face?”

“Yes, if possible we would like to fall the trees into an open spot all facing the same direction. This keeps the work face clear. The skidders can come in with their oxen or horses and skid the logs away to the storage area. The debris, unfit logs and brush will be left behind for clearing later. As the felling continues the work face will retreat toward the standing trees and the debris left behind.”

“Oh,” and Thomas seeing a battle picked up his axe.

“Not yet, Sir Thomas. You must prepare your work area. Check the cutting area , especially for man killer chicots [dead trees or partially dead trees] that may fall on the cutter. Clear the ground of debris that may interfere with your footing or your escape from a misguided falling tree. Assess the direction of the wind and the lean of the tree. Try to determine the weighted side of the tree to be felled.”

Thomas assessed the object oak and relayed his suspicions on the fall to Wolf who nodded his approval. He picked up his axe again. Wolf shook his head, “No. Remove those little trees that might interfere with your swing or your escape route. Now cut those dead branches overhead that may hinder your work.”

Thomas thought, ‘My God, It’s easier to kill a man than a tree.”

Wolf was a patient thorough teacher and Thomas an apt pupil.

“With every felling, plan your escape route before you cut. This is your safest area, behind and to the side of the direction of the fall. We will try to fall the whole forest to the east because the prevailing wind blows out of the west.” Thomas picked up his axe. “Except the first tree.” Thomas put it down. “The first tree we will fall north to south. It will be a bridge to keep the other tree trunks off the ground. Know why?”

“Likely to make it easier for skidding.”

“Very good. Now we have all the preliminaries completed, we can attack the felling. First we must notch the tree on the side of the fall. The notch must be one third of the tree’s diameter and the same width as depth.”

“Do we saw or chop?” This time he wasn’t picking up the saw until he had to.

“Since the saw in somewhat inefficient we will chop.” Thomas learned quickly to clear the bevel cut with a horizontal blow. Wolf offered no suggestion. Thomas and Will had cut notches before.

“Very good, Sir Thomas. Now we make the back cut.” Wolf marked the tree one to two inches above the V of the notch and gave Thomas one of the handles to the precious saw. They held the teeth against the great oak. “ You only have one job in this back cut. Pull the saw horizontally to you. I will pull it back.” They tried a few tentative strokes. “Do not push the saw. I will pull it. Do not ride the saw. I can’t pull you through the cerf.” They began again. They soon maintained a positive rhythm and the saw hummed. They were now three inches from the notch on either side. Thomas was bathed in sweat. His clothing was sodden. The beads of sweat trickled down his nose and dripped on the reciprocating saw blade in a regular procession. His bushy Trivett eyebrows kept most of the perspiration out of his eyes, but body salt made it seem his eyeballs were aflame. That was only a discomfort. The real problem was the muscle ache. His arms and back had grown unaccustomed to such physical travail. They screamed at him for respite, but the forester was not in distress.

“Stop!”

‘Thank you God’ thought Thomas

“ Now Sir Thomas we have formed a hinge. This three inch section is now holding this great tree. Soon the weight to the north and the notch will cause the tree to topple. The hinge, the uncut portion will cause it to fall in the right direction like a door turning the same way each time on its hinges. Saw!”

They began again.

“Clear!” and Thomas and Wolf retreated in the safety zones behind the falling titan. It landed in perfect position north and south to catch the other trees along the face. Thomas felt a pang of despair with the WHUMP on the ground for such a beauty and stood in awe until the sweat in his eyes made him wipe

it away. The two partners picked up their axes and began the delimbing process. They cut the limbs on the opposite side of the trunk to protect their legs. Some limbs were saved as useful for shaping ribs of the vessels. A graceful curve may be just what the shipwright needed.

“Sir Thomas, forget none of these lessons. When you are supervising, stress safety. Trees can be widow makers.”

“Yes senior Forester! We’ll both supervise, but like you, I lead best by example. I’ll cut my share.”

Thomas and Wolf were kept busy for the next week setting up their logging camp, shelter, barns, food and fodder. The fellers, lumberjacks, straggled in with tools and teams. The forest echoed the “Thwach” of the axe and the buzz of the few saws available. Great trees thudded to the ground and teamsters shouted or chirped to their straining teams, Logs were drawn to a lumber yard where Breton and Norse shipwrights selected and categorized the timber. They began their job of reducing great logs to shipboard parts. Keels, bowsprits and masts were sawn and adzed into shape. Logs were split-some tangentially, some radially by the apprentices to form the strakes[planks] less than an inch thick. These were adzed or planed into shape. A rabbetting plane was used to groove each plank to receive an animal hair filling that shut off the access of water to the interior of the vessel. Journeymen working from patterns shaped and numbered the ribs, stringers, thwarts, gunwales, crossbeams, and crossbeam knees. With ribs every two feet, every vessel needed at least fifteen sets although the vessels differed greatly in size. The logs now reduced to useable ship pieces could be transported to the coast for assembly. Overall the most common ships were thirty-five to fifty-five feet in length and nine to twelve feet in the beam with three to six feet from keel to gunwale. By beaching the craft and rolling it slightly to the side, horses could be loaded. The long boats could land on any beach and operate on any waterway, salt or fresh water, in Europe. In the smaller vessels there were ten rowing benches, but the great ships had thirty. Often the lapstrake planking was riveted together to close any opening. Iron nails were demanded from the smiths as well as tholes, thole pins ,bollards, bracing and so on. The economy of Normandy was booming due to the preparation of the armada of invasion. The fleet grew.

Thomas set aside timbers himself. At some point he would need a house and there didn’t seem to be any better lumber than this in Normandy. He could not keep his hands off an axe or saw. He often took over from a feller instructing him to take a rest. Thomas would soon be stripped to the waist straining with every muscle, taking pride in his work. He found, even after he left the cutting face, he was sizing up every tree and laying out a pattern of cut. The forest fell, the logs piled up, the lumber reduced the logs, the vessels grew and filled the beaches lined with ways to allow for the launch.

One special project was kept very secret. The lumber was transported to a especial assembly beach. Only the contractor was fully aware. Thomas did have a brief glimpse of the construction. This was a great long boat, nearly eighty feet long, eighteen feet in the beam and seven feet to the gunwale. They laid aside a sixty foot mast. It was a special order. He had heard that the Flemish weavers were creating a forty by thirty sail. If the growing fleet wasn’t used for invasion, Normandy would be a sea power to be reckoned with in the future.

On the first Saturday evening when the workers had been dismissed for Sunday, the day of rest, Thomas mounted Easy Walker and cantered to Trivett vineyard. His parents were ready to visit Sir Richard of Rouen and family. Thomas was nagged by Mary to scrub and bathe while she laid out some fine clothes for the visit. The two Thomases talked for at least two hours of the new land, the new house, the problem of stumps while Mary stewed about the wedding itself. She could hardly get a word in edgewise into the male talk.

After the wedding meeting Thomas would show his mother and father his allotted land.

Dame Joan and daughter Jo-Anne prepared a number of tasty dishes. As fall was approaching the garden planted by Thomas was yielding the best of vegetables. Early apples were ready for picking. The

young spring birds were ready for the table. They started on this coolish day with a carrot pea soup. Actually it was two soups in one bowl. Pea soup was poured in one side: carrot soup in the other. A dollop of melted cheese graced the line between the two. They, mother and daughter, opted for a recipe of the land. A tiny portion of chicken broth was placed in a dinner bowl, a raft of fresh bread was floated in it. On the raft were chicken breasts and tenders, all boneless, and fresh garden vegetables in bite sized bits. Topping the whole affair was a finely poached egg. It was really a farmer’s meal to replace the calories he had burnt off in the fields. Hot apple pie never went to waste.

The three men cleaned their plates. The ladies were a little more careful. Thomas Senior thanked the Richards of Rouen and they drank a toast to the nuptials forthcoming with the wine brought from Trivett vineyard. Once the planning had decided to proceed by posting Bans, the men became useless and were sent away to amuse themselves. Thomas suggested they look at his allotment and off they went. It was only a short ride. Sir Thomas tried to prepare his father for the devastation they were approaching. Sir Richard had been there many times. Over the next rise the half felled forest was revealed. Great piles of brush and innumerable stumps dotted the land. Thomas Senior said not a word. He continued his visual survey. He dismounted and gathered up a handful of soil and let it sift through his fingers. He noted the available timber. He “ahemed” at least twice.

“Well, Father?”

“Son, you have much work to do. However, you are not twenty yet. You must find some hard-working vassals who are interested in developing a new farm-young men- beginners like yourself. The land has much to offer. It is rich in nutrients. It will grow crops when cultivated. The detritus and stumps are a problem, but are not insurmountable. We’ll pile the brush over the stumps of the initial clearing and burn whatever we can. We can build , beg, borrow or rent a stump machine to work on the rest. Hardwood stumps usually rot in five years. Softwoods or conifers twenty years and cedar the longest of all.

“What is a stump machine, Father?”

“ It sits on four legs. Each leg had a wheel that can be removed so that the legs may sit on the ground. A heavy axle passes through the cross members and a large winding wheel collects the drawing rope. Well it’s made like this.” He took a stick and drew the machine in some loose dirt. “ The draw rope turns the axle, the grappling ropes wind about the axle and therefore they lift a weight attached to the grapples, in this case the stump or at least some of the main roots to free the stump itself.”

“I’ve seen them Thomas. They can work like a charm. If the children had enough cleared for house and garden, that would be sufficient at first.”

“Right, Sir Richard. We’ll have to dowse for water. You can’t have a home without a well.”

“Dowse, Father?”

“I’ll show you. Cut me a Y fork from that cherry tree about as big around as your thumb.”

Sir Thomas complied and gave it to his father. Thomas Senior grasped the forks and applying slight pressure began a slow walk across the terrain. Suddenly the stick dipped to the ground. He marked the spot. He walked back at a ninety degree angle to his first path and turning , dowsed again. When he reached his first mark the stick pointed to the ground.

“There’s water right here. I’d guess at the twenty foot level. Save enough planks to line the sides of your well.”

Then they went to look at Sir Thomas’s wood yard. He had stored some fine logs of hardwood and many softwood too. Father Thomas was envisioning a post and beam stuccoed mud wattle. He and young Thomas would have some planning. He already had a carpenter in mind.

“Well, Gentlemen, we’d better get back to the house. You may not be afraid of your wife or future wife, but I’m afraid of Joan.”

Thomas and Thomas had a little laugh and gathered in their horses and mounted.

The ladies had made great headway. All was arranged. Normally, it would have been left to Joan and Jo-Anne, but they found Mary a font of knowledge. She’d been through this many times before with her brood. It was not as if it was a modern day wedding-church, flowers, cake, reception, four bridesmaids, best man, ushers, presents, dresses and tuxedos. This was a wedding, not a great show—a union of two families witnessed by a few close friends.

“Thomas, who will be your best man?”

“Why Jo-Anne, I would only ask Brother Will.”

“That might be a problem, Thomas.” As Sir Richard cringed in the event of a Joan response. “I’ve heard gossip about the castle that Will is off on another mission for the Duke. There is no determination of time.”

Before a breakdown of negotiations, Thomas Senior spoke, “That may be a blessing. First, there are the Banns to be announced. Secondly, Thomas has the forestry job to complete. Thirdly, the land must be cleared for a dwelling. Fourthly, we need a well dug. We will not delay the wedding a moment longer than necessary and Will’s present absence will be an aid not a hindrance.” Mary could have kissed her husband.

Jo-Anne looked in despair and Thomas reflected her mood.

“Now, Miss Jo-Anne, my daughter, with wedding plans behind you, you, Thomas, your parents and Mary and I need to plan a home. Don’t misunderstand . You have first say. We’ll only offer suggestions because of our experience.”

Jo-Anne brightened.

Joan picked up the thread. “There will be dresses to make and furnishings to arrange and housing to consider. You are right Thomas. Will’s absence is a blessing in disguise.”

“Now let’s plan a House.”