Brother Alvin Wagner drank the mead down at astonishing speed, his wife was gone and he was left to what he did best, which was swilling mead. He had the house to himself now and already the place was falling into disarray. His wife may or may not have been a witch but atleast she could clean and now she was gone. He would have to see about finding a new younger wife, one he could train properly. There were a few possibilities he'd seen around town, but he'd have to put his house in order before he took a new wife.<br/><br/>Alvin wondered what he'd done to deserve a convicted witch for a wife, certainly he'd not suspected any problems when he'd met her, but then a few month ago she had started acting strangely. He remembered when he'd first noticed the change, her nightly disappearances. Then when he'd inquired about her excursions she'd ravaged him, like she'd never done before. If he was a wiser man he would have pressed the point but the truth is that he was blinded by lust and the drink. Soon though she was inviting other woman over and one day he'd even caught her in bed with a woman from a neighboring village. Again, this should have raised warning flags, but when they invited him to join them, he'd let his crotch do the thinking instead of his big head. He should have consulted the church, asked for guidance but instead he let himself be contented with the lusts of the flesh.<br/><br/>Alvin finished the mead and tossed the clay jar into the hearth, smashing it among the others that he'd drunken since his wife arrest. He stood, staggering a bit and then made for the door. He kept his stash out in the root cellar and as he opened the door to the rear courtyard he heard the soft giggle of woman out in the woods. He stood silent, watching and wondering, soon he saw the two woman as they made their way through the growing fog, it was the orphan Prudence and Sister Jones. His mind wondered what the two woman were doing in the woods at such an hour, but then saw Mercy carrying her gathering basket. The woman was well known for her herbs and assorted sundries, she was probably out gathering her wares, but what was the orphan doing with her?<br/><br/>He decided then, a day in the stocks was well worth a bit of peeping, Alvin slipped into the shadows and watched as the two woman made their way by. He crept quietly after they'd passed, he would see what they were up to, even if it meant peeping through Sister Jones' shutter slats.