There Will Be Wolves by Karleen Bradford Read Free Book Online

was puzzled but relieved to see that Mistress Elke was not among them. Of late, as the time for the birth of her child had drawn near, the woman had taken an even more violent aversion toward Ursula. Whenever she felt ill she blamed Ursula for handling her tisanes and infusions, although Ursula was scrupulously careful to avoid them. The last time Mistress Elke had visited their apothecary, she had tripped over Ursula’s stray cat and fallen heavily. No amount of soothing or reasoning on the part of Master William had been able to convince her that Ursula had not had a hand in it.
    Ursula’s relief was short-lived.
    “Witch!” the women shrieked as they advanced in a solid, hate-filled body toward her. “Witch!”
    Ursula stood, astonished, as they drew up in front of her and brandished their fists.
    Bruno instinctively took a step forward as if toshield her. “What is the meaning of this?” he demanded.
    “Mistress Elkes babe was born dead and monstrously deformed—like a demon!” one of the women screamed.
    “Its all this girl’s doing—Mistress Elke says so herself!” yelled another.
    “That’s not possible!” Ursula flashed out the denial, but her heart sank.
    “You put a curse on her, admit it!” shrieked a woman. Ursula recognized Mistress Adelheid, the widow of a shoemaker. She was a vicious-tongued virago who, it was widely believed, had scolded and tormented her poor husband even on his deathbed. She seemed to be the leader of the group.
    Mistress Ingrid from next door, ever alert, rushed out to see what was going on and joined the group immediately.
    “That’s right,” she chimed in. “She
said
Mistress Elke was carrying a demon.”
    The women hastily made the sign against evil and crossed themselves as well.
    “And she turned herself into a cat one day—I saw it myself! Only a witch could do that!” Mistress Elkes serving girl, usually meek and craven, was in the security of this furious group, shouting just as loudly as the others, her face just as contorted.
    “That’s not true!” Ursula cried out. She beganto shake. “I did nothing!”
    At that moment Master William appeared. He stared at the group of women in confusion. “What …? What is going on?”
    “Your daughter is a witch, Master William, and we’ll prove it!”
    For a moment it seemed as if the women would surge forward and seize Ursula right then and there, but her father, still bewildered, moved between them.
    “Witch!” The cry was raised once more.
    “Witch! Witch!” The others took it up, but there was no one willing to push past Master William.
    “You’ve not heard the last of this, my girl,” Mistress Adelheid screeched finally. “Nor have you, Master William. We’re decent folk here, and we’ll not have the likes of this going on. The archbishop himself will hear of this. He will decide what’s to be done.”
    Master William stared at the women unbelievingly. Most of them had known and been treated by him for years; they had been friends and neighbors to his family for most of their lives. “My ladies,” he began feebly, “there must be some mistake….”
    “There’s been no mistake, and the archbishop will not tolerate the devil’s work in his own city!” a voice shrieked at him in return.
    “We’ll be back,” Mistress Adelheid promised. “We’ll be back and then well see what’s to bedone.” She whirled and strode away, with the crowd of muttering women following close behind.
    Ursula looked past her father to Bruno. “I cannot believe this,” she whispered, but a sick, twisting pain knotted her stomach and she recognized it as fear.
      *  *  *  
    That night Ursula was awakened by a strange smell and the sound of Samson barking frantically at the bottom of the stairs. It took her a moment to collect herself, and then she realized that the room was rapidly filling with smoke. She sprang off her pallet and screamed to her father, who slept on the floor above. When he didn’t