Rakel started running towards the well when she heard the woman scream in fear. The fog was so thick that she only saw them when she was just a few metres away. Syver Svartangen had put his hand over the woman’s mouth to stop her from screaming and was holding her tightly.
“Let go of her, Syver!” Rakel shouted angrily. “Leave her alone!”
Syver turned to her with the woman in his arms. She saw the surprise on his face, and his drooping eyelids revealed that he was anything but sober.
“She was asking for it,” he replied with a dry laugh. “And this is none of your business, is it? We’re not engaged yet,” he said, grinning. He staggered a little, but still held on to the woman. It was a young maid. There was an empty water pail at her feet, and she looked terrified.
“Let go of her!” Rakel repeated. “The watchman is right down the street,” she lied. “I’ll shout for him if you don’t do as I say!”
“Hah! You’re lying,” Syver said.
“Am I?” she asked, taking the girl’s arm.
Syver thought about it for a moment, then let go of the girl so suddenly she almost fell. Rakel tried to support her, but she wriggled free and sprinted off. She was soon swallowed up by the fog, and Rakel was left alone with Syver.
“Now I understand,” he said, laughing. “You’re jealous. You want me all to yourself.”
He tried to grab her, but she stepped to the side and he missed. “Stop that,” he growled. “Soon you’ll be mine anyway.”
His black fringe fell into his eyes, and he shook his head. That caused him to lose his balance, and he had to take a few steps to the side to avoid falling.
“You’re drunk,” she said, disgusted. “Have you been at the tavern all day?”
“Nearly,” he said and grinned. “I wanted to see if your friend was there and give her a go so she could tell you that I’m a real man. The kind you need in your marriage bed. Because I know what you want, Rakel,” he slurred. “Just wait.”
“You make me sick, Syver.”
He laughed. “You think I don’t know you? You need a real man, but you won’t admit it. You can be difficult for another week, Rakel, but you’re all mine after that. Then we’ll be engaged.”
He grabbed her arm and pulled her to him, gripping her so firmly that the pain paralysed her for a moment.
“And now I’m going to show you what I mean,” he whispered hoarsely into her ear. “You’ll be begging to be my wife when I’m done with you.”
Before she could duck away, he grabbed her by the neck and held her tight. Then he pressed his lips to hers. He reeked of liquor and old smoke from the bar, and she gritted her teeth together as she desperately tried to wriggle free.
Syver’s tongue pressed into her mouth and she thought she was about to vomit in disgust, but then suddenly, he was yanked away. It happened so quickly that Rakel was left blinking in surprise. Ask Bergan had grabbed Syver by the collar and was raising his arm, ready to strike.
“No!” she shouted. She thought of the Kipper, who’d nearly been beaten to death by the sheriff. If he did the same thing to Syver, he’d be in real trouble. She grabbed his arm fearfully and tried to hold him back. “Don’t hit him! He’s not worth it.”
“Listen to the girl!” Syver sneered. “I’m the sheriff’s officer in Borre. If you hit me, I’ll make sure you regret it for the rest of your miserable life.”
“I know who you are,” Bergan replied through gritted teeth.
“So let me go!” Syver tried to wriggle free, but Bergan didn’t let go. “She likes my kisses and didn’t want me to stop,” Syver said with a grin. “I have to make sure she’s satisfied, or she’ll find someone else. That’s the way she is, you see. She can’t help it. She needs a man between her legs.”
Then Bergan’s fist fell – a hard blow that sent Syver to the ground like a sack of potatoes. Rakel heard Syver whimper and glanced over at Bergan. He looked as wild and unrestrained as when he fought the Kipper. Then he blinked, and the terrifying expression disappeared.
Syver moaned deeply. He’d raised himself up on all fours and was glaring up at Bergan.
“You’ll pay for this,” he said. “No one hits me without getting punished. I’ll cripple you.”
“Come on then,” Bergan said in a low voice. “I’m standing right here.”
Syver crawled backwards before supporting himself on the well and standing up. His lower lip was bleeding, and he drew the back of his hand over his mouth.
“Yes, you’d like that, wouldn’t you,” he slurred. “Since I’m drunk and can’t defend myself properly.”
He bent over, and Rakel saw he was pulling something out of his boot. It wasn’t easy to see what it was in the dense fog, but she caught a glimpse of something shiny.
“It’s a knife,” she said softly, grabbing Bergan’s arm. “He has a knife!”
“He’s not the only one,” Bergan replied, and pulled his jacket aside so his long knife was visible. Rakel held her breath and looked at Syver. He’d seen it as well. He kept his gaze fixed on it for a moment before shoving his own knife back into his boot, straightening up, and raising his hands.
“We’ll settle this another time,” he said. “When there aren’t any ladies present. But don’t think I’ll forget this. Now we have two unsettled cases. You stole the position of sheriff from me, but you won’t get Rakel. She’s mine,” he slurred before turning and disappearing into the sea of fog.
Rakel was shaking when Syver left. She’d thought the two men were going to end up in a knife fight.
“What are you doing here?” she said. “I had it under control.”
“Did you? So you wanted him to hold you and kiss you?”
“Stop it,” she said, shuddering. “Of course I didn’t want that, but I could handle him. I know Syver.”
“I doubt you’ve seen him like this before,” he said shortly. “I’ve seen him in the tavern, and he’s a rake.”
If you only knew, she thought, but didn’t say it out loud.
“Did you follow him from the tavern?” she asked instead. “Was that why you showed up so quickly?”
“No, I was with… friends nearby,” he explained quickly. “The maid in the house there came running and said she’d been accosted. She also said a young woman was still in trouble at the well, so I wanted to see what was going on.”
“Oh,” she answered, turning away from him. Exactly, yes, friends, she thought bitterly. He couldn’t be talking about anyone but Fru Horgen. “So you came running straight away,” she continued bitingly. “Did you think it was a golden opportunity to give someone a beating?”
“I wanted to help,” he said. “But of course, you just think the worst of me. Either way, it’s nice to help you. Again.”
“I didn’t ask for your help,” she replied shortly. “You had no right to get involved.”
“You’d rather be accosted by Syver Svartangen than accept my help?” he asked incredulously.
She turned to him.
“I can handle Syver,” she repeated. “I wouldn’t ask for your help if we were the last two people on earth, Sheriff Bergan.”
“Ouch, that stung,” he said. “And it’s Ask, not Sheriff,” he added. “We’re on a first-name basis, don’t you remember, Rakel?”
“We’re not…” she began huffily, but stopped herself. “Stay away from me, Sheriff Bergan,” she said instead. “I don’t want to have anything to do with you.” She was about to leave when he took a step forward.
“Wait!” he said. “I have something that belongs to you.” He put his hand in his trouser pocket. When he pulled it out, her cross was dangling from the gold chain he held between his fingers. Relief flowed through her, but she didn’t want to show him that.
She hoped she was managing to appear unfazed as she held out her hand. He let the cross rest in her palm but didn’t let go of the chain.
“I know I went too far last night,” he said quietly. “Please, forgive me.”
“Goodbye, Sheriff Bergan,” she replied, clutching the necklace in her hand as she walked away.
“It’s Ask,” she heard him say behind her back. “One day, you’ll call me by my first name, Rakel. We’re going to be friends.”
Not before hell freezes over, she thought, before wrapping her arms around herself and hurrying home to the safety of Aunt Esther’s apartment.
There was freshly baked bread on the table when she came in. Her aunt was just starting to slice it and there was jam, butter, and fresh coffee on the kitchen table.
“Come and sit down,” she said. “It’s best when it’s warm.” She cocked her head and studied Rakel. “Did something happen?”
“I saw Syver by the well,” she replied. “He’s absolutely repulsive, Aunt Esther. He was trying to force himself on a maid before he attacked me.”
“What are you saying?” Her aunt set down the knife and came over to her. “Did he hurt you?”
“Luckily, Sheriff Bergan came and stopped him,” she replied. “Syver only managed to kiss me.” She shuddered. “I can’t live with him for the rest of my life, Aunt Esther. I just can’t.” Her eyes started to tear up and she blinked hard to fight them back. She almost managed it until Aunt Esther put her arms around her and gave her a loving hug. Then the tears started to flow.
“I’m going to have a talk with Halvor,” her aunt said. “This nonsense must be stopped.”
Rakel wished she could leave it to her aunt and let her sort everything out – but it wouldn’t work. She knew all too well there wasn’t much her aunt could do besides make more noise.
“Thank you, Aunt Esther.” She loosened her grip and wiped away the tears. “But I have to figure this out on my own. It’s best if you stay out of it altogether.”
“Really?” Her aunt looked at her doubtfully.
“Yes,” she said. “I’ll try to find a solution myself first.”
“I see,” her aunt answered reluctantly. “But if you need help, you know where to find me.”
“Thank you,” Rakel said, sitting down. “Jenny’s mother says hello, by the way,” she said to change the subject.
“That’s nice,” her aunt replied. “How has she been doing since Jenny disappeared?”
“Not well,” Rakel said. “And she looked worse than ever. Do you know what’s wrong with her?”
“No, Fru Hoem has always been sickly, but it got worse after the youngest was born last year. Then her husband ran off last winter and she lost what little spirit she had left.”
“Yes, it seems that way,” Rakel replied. “I wish I could do more for them, Aunt Esther. The four boys seem so lost. They look at me with sad, empty eyes without any hope.”
“They’ll be taken care of,” her aunt said. “The boys will get help.”
“What do you mean?”
“I spoke with Herr Lomvi yesterday. He’s responsible for the Aid for the Poor’s work and he’s going to get the boys put on relief.”
“Oh no!” Rakel exclaimed. “It’ll break Jenny’s heart if her brothers are taken away. And her mother…” She shook her head. “I fear she’ll get even sicker.”
Her aunt leaned forward and put her hand over Rakel’s. “It’s terribly sad for everyone, but we must do what’s best for the boys,” she said. “The way things are now, neither Jenny nor her mother can care for them properly.”
“No, I understand that,” Rakel answered weakly.
“I know which farms take people on relief around here,” Aunt Esther said. “They are kind people, and the boys won’t suffer any hardship. They can go to school and won’t starve.”
“Yes, but they won’t be together.” Rakel knew how hard this would be for Jenny – for all of them, really – but her aunt was right. As it was, Jenny couldn’t do anything for the boys. They’d be better off somewhere else.
“To talk about something else,” Aunt Esther said. “I’m going back to work tomorrow. I’ll keep an eye on Herr Disen and how he disciplines the students.”
“I hope I was wrong. Otherwise, he seems like an honest and decent man.”
“Those kinds of people can still be trouble, though. Herr Lia is also a man of high morals. He is deeply religious and concerned with justice. In his eyes, anyone who does wrong must be punished, and I agree with him to some extent, but he treats all transgressions as though they’re equally serious. And that’s not right. In Herr Lia’s eyes, if an eager student forgets himself and speaks without asking permission, it’s just as bad as when one student hits another.”
Rakel imagined Herr Disen and remembered how thoughtful he’d been at the post exchange store.
“I think Herr Disen may be able to distinguish between such cases,” Rakel said.
“I hope you’re right,” Aunt Esther replied.
There was a knock at the door, and they both jumped. Rakel saw her aunt turn pale and stood up.
“I’ll get it.”
“Thank you. I just hope it’s not Herr Lomvi again,” her aunt said, managing a small smile.
There was another knock before she had even reached the door. This person was impatient. Rakel felt the anxiety spread through her body, but when she opened the door and saw who was standing there, she was more surprised than anything.