Chapter 21
Coldingham AD 672One day in April, not long after Ovin’s return to her and the story he brought of Bishop Chad’s death, Etheldreda took advantage of the fact that Egfrid had for several days been calm and pleasant to everyone, and apparently cool to Eormenburh, to seek private audience with him and tell him that she wanted, more than anything on earth, to go to his aunt at Coldingham and take the veil as a nun.
‘I find, my lord, this life at court drives me further and further from what I know to be my true life. I spend my days on sand-castles washed down by every passing wave, while the Kingdom of Heaven which stands forever is ignored by me. When I married you, you were no more than a child. Your parents arranged the marriage for political reasons and for political reasons
