1982 book by Ellis Peters
The Virgin in the Ice is a medieval mystery novel by Ellis Peters, set in late 1139. It is the sixth novel in The Cadfael Chronicles, first published in 1982 (1982 in literature).
It was adapted for radio by BBC Radio 4 in 1992 and for television in 1995 by Central for ITV.
The novel is set in actual locations in England during the Anarchy, the period of civil war between King Stephen and Empress Maude. The wars and disorder allow marauders with no loyalty to either faction to pillage and burn.
Reviews at the time of publication were generally positive. The plot was commended, as Cadfael did his "usual astute detective work" as was the historical detail, "Peters' reliable medieval performance as always", but "the formula is starting to show slight signs of fatigue." The novel was expected to appeal to mystery fans and history buffs, yet "The mystery itself eventually yields to the clamour of civil war". Another said it "ranks as a favourite in the series."
Plot summary.
In November 1139, the Empress's armies have attacked and pillaged Worcester. Among those who fled the city were two noble children in the Benedictine Order's care and a nun. They have vanished. The children's uncle and guardian, a supporter of the Empress, is refused permission to enter the King's lands to search for them.
As the first snowstorms of winter sweep the countryside, Brother Cadfael of Shrewsbury Abbey goes to the Benedictine Priory at Bromfield near Ludlow to treat a monk who has been attacked and left for dead. The injured Brother, Elyas, babbles about a party of refugees who might well be those sought. Cadfael sends word to Shrewsbury and rides into the snow-covered countryside to search for them. He finds one, the boy Yves Hugonin, sheltering with a forester. As they ride to Bromfield, Yves tells Cadfael that his headstrong sister Ermina eloped four nights previously, and he became lost in the woods when he tried to pursue them.
As they cross a frozen stream, Cadfael sees the body of a young woman frozen into the ice. Fearing it is that of Ermina, he conceals his discovery from Yves. Joined by his friend, Deputy Sheriff Hugh Beringar, he retrieves the body from the ice. It does not match the description of Ermina; Yves identifies it as Ermina's tutor, Sister Hilaria.
The smallholding where Hilaria and the children had sheltered has been attacked and destroyed by brigands, although the smallholder is safe at nearby Cleeton. His place was destroyed on the night of the first heavy snow. Sister Hilaria had left with Brother Elyas a few hours before. Beringar also hears of a dark, armed stranger dressed as a commoner who has been enquiring after the Hugonin children.
The king's retainer in Ludlow tells Beringar that the brigands have attacked other isolated settlements, committing indiscriminate murder. Cadfael surmises that Elyas and Hilaria were two of their chance victims. One of the destroyed settlements was the manor of Callowleas, which belonged to Evrard Boterel, Ermina's suitor. He and Ermina fled to Ledwyche, another manor he held. He relates that Ermina, concerned for her brother, left to search for him. Boterel rode after her, but collapsed from a knife wound in the shoulder.
Overnight, another snowstorm blows up. When Yves tells Elyas that Hilaria is dead, he becomes distressed and walks purposefully out of the priory. Yves fails to turn him back. They reach a shepherd's hut, where Elyas appears to confess to Hilaria's murder. As dawn approaches, Yves hears noises nearby and goes to seek help, but runs into the arms of the brigands, who take him prisoner. He contrives to leave a trail of wine drops in the new-fallen snow.
At the same time, Ermina appears at Bromfield, accompanied by a stranger who immediately vanishes. She is filled with remorse that her reckless conduct led indirectly to Hilaria's death, but Cadfael insists that the guilt belongs to the murderer. She tells Cadfael that the stranger is Olivier de Bretagne, a Syrian-born squire in her uncle's service, with whom she is clearly in love.
Cadfael wonders why Elyas was first attacked more than a mile from where Hilaria's body was found. Near the stream, he finds the shepherd's hut. Inside he discovers Elyas's cloak and Hilaria's blood-stained habit and wimple. Casting about, he finds the trail of Yves and the bandits, and follows it to the brigands' fort on Titterstone Clee Hill.
Cadfael guides Beringar's armed men to the fort. They attack, but the brigands' leader le Gaucher forces them to withdraw by threatening Yves. As night falls, Olivier de Bretagne enters the fort by stealth and overcomes the brigand guarding Yves on the tower. They cannot escape but Yves realises that Beringar and Cadfael must be nearby and raises a racket to alert them. Beringar and his men attack again, and set fire to the fort. As the fire threatens them, Yves and Olivier try to break out but Yves collides with le Gaucher and is taken hostage again. Brother Elyas wanders into the battle and confronts le Gaucher who, unnerved by the sight of a man he had left for dead, lets go of Yves. Olivier then kills le Gaucher in single combat before disappearing. The leaderless brigands are captured or killed.
At Bromfield, Yves tells Cadfael of Elyas's apparent confession but Cadfael realises that when Elyas and Hilaria sheltered together in the hut, Elyas, tormented by desire, left her alone but with his cloak for warmth. He then fell victim to the brigands. His failure to protect Hilaria has tortured Elyas but Cadfael reassures him that he did all for the best.
Evrard Boterel arrives at Bromfield. Cadfael invites him into the chapel where Hilaria awaits burial. Dressed in Hilaria's wimple and habit, Ermina confronts Evrard, forcing a startled confession from him. She then tells Cadfael and Beringar that she turned against Boterel when he fled Callowleas rather than defend his people. At Ledwyche, he tried to take her by force but she wounded him with a knife, and ran into the woods. She saw Boterel ride out and return with his wound opened. Boterel confesses his crime. He came upon Sister Hilaria in the hut, raped her and smothered her to stop her screams.
Ermina tells Cadfael that Olivier will come for her and Yves after Compline. When Olivier arrives, Cadfael suggests waiting until Matins, when they can leave undetected. Olivier tells of his early years in Syria and of his mother, Mariam. Cadfael realises that Olivier is his own son. Elyas is recovering his peace of mind, Hilaria's murderer is in prison, the brigands are exterminated, and Yves and Ermina are on their way to their uncle's care. With their tasks accomplished, Beringar and Cadfael return to Shrewsbury, with Cadfael dazed.
Themes and setting.
The theme of the story is family ties, their challenges and surprises in this era of civil war. The Hugonin children's ordinary life events become life-threatening adventures between the siege of Worcester, and the brigands of Shropshire, thieves out for themselves in a lawless era. This novel describes the effect of the period called the Anarchy on ordinary people, even noble children being educated in monasteries and convents.
The Benedictine Abbey in Shrewsbury was and is a real place, as are the surrounding locations, such as the Bromfield Priory near Ludlow. Pershore Abbey, the home location of the novels Brother Elyas, is now an Anglican parish church. Cadfael rides out in the novel to a holding of Wenlock Priory at Godstoke. The village that was the safe place on the hill for the smallholder John Druel is now named Cleeton St Mary. The area of one manor held by the man pursuing Ermina is in the real location of Ledwyche.
Abbot Radulfus and Prior Robert of Shrewsbury Abbey (home of Brother Cadfael) are both based on the real monks of 1139, as was Josce de Dinan of Ludlow Castle.
The siege of Worcester did occur. Noncombatants were subject to considerable violence if the battles erupted near them, or to violence from brigands (or lawless barons) with no battles in the vicinity. This time in English history is described in The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles in this way:
"The earth bare no corn, you might as well have tilled the sea, for the land was all ruined by such deeds, and it was said openly that Christ and his saints slept. These things, and more than we can say, did we suffer during nineteen years because of our sins."
Critical reception.
"Kirkus Reviews" liked the novel, saying "Peters' reliable medieval performance as always" but is liking the series less "though the formula is starting to show slight signs of fatigue." Brother Cadfael does "his usual astute detective work" to find the murderers.
"Publishers Weekly" commented on an audio edition in 1992, and said that "The mystery itself eventually yields to the clamour of civil war, but this historical adventure is bound to please mystery fans and history buffs alike." They found that the narrator, actor Stephen Thorne, "provides a superb narration that intensifies the listener's immersion in Peter's medieval world of chaos and suspense."
The review in "AudioFile", an online magazine said that "This chronicle ranks as a favorite in the series." Vanessa Benjamin read the audio cassette version reviewed by "Audiofile".
These two reviews accompany the "Second Cadfael Omnibus" (paperback 10 October 1991), which include "The Virgin in the Ice".
Publication history.
Four hardback editions in the US and the UK are listed as published from April 1982 to January 1999. There are eleven paperback editions in English, again published in the UK or the US, from March 1984 to October 2011 ( / 9780751547177, UK edition, Publisher Sphere). Audio books began on cassette in November 1991. A dozen audio editions were released, the latest in July 2012 on compact disk (, Publisher Blackstone Audiobooks).
In addition to English language editions, GoodReads lists editions in 13 European languages (French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Czech, Slovenian, Estonian, Lithuanian, modern Greek, Swedish, Norwegian) and Korean, published from 1990 to 2006.
Also, editions in Spanish, Korean, Russian, Czech, Slovenian, Hebrew and two versions in Polish are listed at World Cat, among its 52 listed editions.
Although all the books in the series have been translated to languages other than English, this is the longest list of languages found for one specific novel so far, seventeen.
Adaptations.
Television.
The book became the first episode in the second series (and fifth episode overall) in the Cadfael series by Central Television in late 1995. The plot of this episode differed more than most from the original novel. The action was moved from Ludlow to Cadfael's "home" abbey of Shrewsbury; Brother Elyas's part was replaced by that of Cadfael's young and callow assistant in the herb gardens, Brother Oswin (Mark Charnock), and extra plot elements were introduced to explain the presence of the brigands and the final unmasking of the murderer. The brigands and their leader le Gaucher (Ronan Vibert), were originally members of the rescue party sent by Yves and Ermina's uncle to search for them, but then committed mutiny. Olivier (Robert Cavanah), one of the few who remained loyal, was the only one to escape alive, albeit wounded.
Radio.
"The Virgin in the Ice" was adapted in five parts for BBC Radio 4 by Bert Coules in 1993:
This adaptation starred Philip Madoc as Brother Cadfael, Douglas Hodge as Hugh Beringar and Sir Michael Hordern as the Narrator. The serial has since been repeated on BBC Radio 7 and Radio 4 Extra and is available as an audio book.
Theatre.
In 2013, the Middle Ground Theatre Company toured the UK with an adaption featuring Gareth Thomas as Brother Cadfael.
References.
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