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The Confession of Brother Haluin
The Confession of Brother Haluin is a medieval mystery novel set in the winter of 1142–1143 by Ellis Peters. It is the fifteenth novel in the Cadfael Chronicles, and was first published in 1988. Brother Haluin makes a deathbed confession, then survives. He vows a pilgrimage to atone for his past error, uncovering an unexpected story, and a murdered woman, before he and Cadfael return to the Abbey. Plot introductionIn Oxford Castle, Empress Maud has been besieged for months by King Stephen. Sheriff Hugh Beringar learns that the Empress took advantage of the heavy snow and frozen rivers for a miraculous escape. She and several allies crossed the frozen river through Stephen's lines, and walked to Abingdon, where they got horses to ride to Wallingford Castle. She is safe with her brother Robert of Gloucester and her major supporter Brian FitzCount. Oxford Castle surrendered, the men allowed to march home. Robert of Gloucester returned from Normandy with a boy of nine years named Henry Plantagenet, the eldest son of the Empress and her second husband Geoffrey of Anjou. For the moment, the long running battle between these two contenders has begun anew, each with a talent of "conjuring defeat out of victory". King Stephen joined his brother Henry, Bishop of Winchester, and calls his sheriffs to meet him there for the Christmas feast. On his return, Sheriff Hugh Beringar learns of Haluin's accident. Plot summaryAt Shrewsbury Abbey, the heavy snowfall in mid-December 1142 causes severe damage to the slate tile roof of the guest hall. Doing his share of the repair work, Brother Haluin falls down 40 feet. His prospects for survival are small, so he confesses his past with the de Clary family. Hugh Beringar tells Cadfael that the wife of de Clary lives at Hales, while her son Audemar, sworn to King Stephen, resides in Staffordshire. In early March Haluin asks to make a pilgrimage for penance. His vow burns in him: a pilgrimage on foot to Bertrade's mother, Adelais, and to Bertrade's tomb at Hales, east of Shrewsbury. Haluin goes with Brother Cadfael. On 4 March, they begin. They meet with Adelais, who offers the forgiveness Haluin begs. Bertrade is not buried at Hales. They learn that the family tomb is at Elford in Staffordshire. Their trip to Elford takes nearly a week. They arrive to find Adelais in the church, kneeling before the tomb, as if she is their shadow. Adelais shelters them in her dower house. Haluin spends the cold night on his knees, alongside Cadfael at the de Clary tomb. At sunrise, a curious Roscelin arrives at the church timely to assist Cadfael in bringing Haluin to his feet. Roscelin says he was sent away by his father to serve Audemar, their friend and overlord. Lothair, bringing food, sends the young man away. Starting home, a sudden snowstorm forces them to seek shelter at the manor of Vivers. Cenred, the lord of the manor, learns that Haluin is an ordained priest. He asks Haluin to officiate at the wedding of his much younger half-sister, Helisende, to a nobleman on the morrow. His own son, who was raised with Helisende, has fallen in love with her, a prohibited relationship. Haluin agrees. Cadfael meets Helisende, who says that she agrees to this marriage freely. Edgytha's body is found, murdered. Cenred sends word ahead to Elford with this news. Cadfael sees snow beneath her body, not atop it, suggesting she was on her way home from Elford. The household gathers in the hall at Vivers, save one: Helisende. Jean de Perronet suspects the planned marriage is linked to this death. Roscelin Vivers arrives home, angry that his father is marrying off Helisende. Roscelin did not see Edgytha at Elford. Helisende is not there to speak for herself. Audemar arrives, taking charge. With no bride there is no marriage. Cadfael and Haluin leave on a new path bypassing Lichfield. As evening nears, they approach the new Benedictine convent at Farewell planned by Bishop Roger de Clinton. Next morning, Haluin recognises Bertrade and she recognises him. She is Sister Benedicta, sent from Polesworth to help this new place. Cadfael negotiates an hour's meeting between Brother Haluin and Sister Benedicta with Mother Patrice, who informs the family that Helisende is safe with them. At Vivers manor, they learn that Helisende is not blood kin to Roscelin. Adelais admits to her foul deeds long ago. They realise Edgytha knew as well. Adelais tells them that Bertrade, Helisende and Helisende's father have met at Farewell. The father was a clerk in her household. Cadfael attests to the meeting, telling Haluin's tale in so doing. This stunning news is hard for the Vivers family to accept, a shock to Audemar, a challenge to de Perronet. Helisende is still loved by the Vivers, blood kin or not. Adelais has lands to leave her granddaughter. Roscelin is joyous. Audemar claims Helisende as his niece, and as overlord places his niece with Cenred when she leaves Farewell. He and Roscelin ride back with Adelais. Audemar banishes his mother to Hales. Cadfael returns to Farewell. Haluin is happy, and has no anger for Adelais. The two Benedictine brothers walk home to Shrewsbury in completion of the vow, the truth having changed so much. Characters
Themes and settingThe importance of the truth is a major theme in this novel. The use of power over others for one's own ends and the damage it can do, and of course, the power of confession are at the heart of the plot. The story begins at the moment when King Stephen loses his advantage over the competing claimant for the crown he wears when Empress Maud takes advantage of the cold and snowy weather to escape the siege. It was a dramatic event, amazing given the presence of the King and his army besieging the town for months, hardly any food left for them.[3][4][5][6][7][8][9] The month before it looked a desperate situation for the Empress, then the tables turned in a spate of bad weather. Why the King did not move in on her when he had her trapped is for speculation. Was it his nature not to put a woman in chains? Was he ever optimistic that she would surrender? As remarked by the characters in the novel, it is as if the years of warring factions, since Empress Maud came from Normandy and Anjou to Arundel and began the confrontation, begin anew when they might have ended with a clear-cut victory. The move by her half-brother, Robert of Gloucester, to bring her son to England was in retrospect the wisest move for the Empress's long term power.[10] Young Henry Plantagenet became King Henry II on the death of King Stephen. Though his mother, King Stephen and he were all descendants of William the Conqueror, the English dynasties are named for the father. Thus Henry was the first Angevin king in England, beginning 331 years of rule by the House of Plantagenet, though his father Geoffrey of Anjou never set foot in England. That jolting escape in the snowstorm occurred about the same time as Brother Haluin makes the startling deathbed confession of his youthful sins, never before confessed. When he survives his injuries, he makes a pilgrimage seeking forgiveness from the one person he thinks is the only survivor offended by his sin. He learns that part of his confessed acts never happened; his actions never led to anyone's death. His choice of penance, a pilgrimage to the place where he did what needed atoning, was very much of the times, of the 12th century in Christian England.[11][12] The places named in the novel are real, including Shrewsbury, Shrewsbury Abbey, Hales, Lichfield, Elford, the Priory at Farewell[13][14] under construction by Bishop Roger de Clinton (temporary wooden structures being built in stone),[15] and every stop along the way with a place name, including crossing the River Tame shortly before arriving in the village of Elford. Vivers family and their manor is fictional, set among these real places. The story is set in the era of feudalism and the manorial system. The other significant aspect of life was the ongoing Crusades to the Holy Land.[16][17][18] Bertrand de Clary felt the call to the Crusades once his two children were born, leaving his wife more power than she might otherwise have exerted on her seventeen-year-old daughter. Young men in their teens often travelled to another manor to learn military skills (squires[19]), or in the case of Haluin, clerk duties. Adelais de Clary used her power to ruin her daughter's life, and tried to do the same to the handsome young man who had been living at her manor for four years. As she admitted to Brother Cadfael in a shocking confession:
She wanted him for her young lover,[20] he wanted to marry her daughter and her daughter wanted to marry him. The young people were blissfully unaware of the mother's strong desires and equally strong dislike of being refused or denied what she wanted. In the presence of the father, the young lovers might well have had their way and married. Instead, in this system where women in general had little power, she works an astounding amount of evil actions on the two young people in her home, also deceiving another family and her son who is working in place of his father. The full truth is known only to her until the chance event of Haluin surviving a disastrous fall, then seeking her out. He and her daughter made reasonably good lives despite her, but Haluin had internalised great sufferings for 18 years before he could release his memories of intense youthful love, see his daughter full grown (as Cadfael had first seen his son) and open his eyes to the suffering of others. Critical receptionKirkus Reviews says
Publishers Weekly says
Library Journal says of the audio book
Also reviewing the 1998 audio book, AudioFile[23] says
Stephen Knapp makes a concise point about the 12th century world depicted in this novel, a major difference from the present day. The novel takes "a satisfying journey through mid 12th century England and warm feeling for the comfort and security the people of that time had for an all-knowing and benevolent God."[25] Publication historyThis novel has been published in five hardback editions in English, from March 1988 to November 2001 in the US and the UK. The three most recent are large print editions. Seven paperback editions have been issued, the first in 1988, ISBN 0-7736-7265-6 / ISBN 978-0-7736-7265-9 Canada (English speaking) edition. Mysterious Press, Chivers, Sphere, and General Publishing Company issued the others. The most recent is a large print soft cover edition by Chivers in August 2002.[26] Five audiobooks were issued, beginning in December 1994 by Chivers ISBN 0-7451-4380-6 / ISBN 978-0-7451-4380-4 (UK edition). Readers include Sir Derek Jacobi and Patrick Tull. The most recent was on audio cassette in March 2002 by The Audio Partners, read by Stephen Thorne, ISBN 1-57270-257-5 / ISBN 978-1-57270-257-8 (USA edition).[26] None of the audiobooks are on CD, unlike earlier books in the Cadfael Chronicles.[26] It has been published in French, Italian, German, Dutch and Polish editions, listed at Goodreads.com.[27]
Worldcat shows holdings of editions in Spanish, Korean, and Russian in addition to English:[28]
References
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