Pormestarin vaimo: Romaani

The story opens in the bright spring of 1574, when Leiden is shaking off the scars of a recent Spanish encampment. Sunlight floods the cobbled streets, newly repaired roofs gleam, and the city’s gardens begin to stir with life. Citizens, still raw from months of hardship, find comfort in the simple rhythms of rebuilding—woodworkers shaping fresh beams, livestock grazing peacefully, and elders basking on their doorsteps. Though the town is outwardly hopeful, the lingering scent of burnt charcoal and the ghostly outlines of abandoned fortifications hint at deeper wounds.

In the school building, a teacher gathers a group of boys for a lesson that feels more like a sermon than a lecture. Their eyes follow his resonant voice, while Jan Mulderkin, a restless youth, idly sketches a strange figure on his desk with a knife‑shaped blade. The atmosphere is tense, as the children sense that the peace they have begun to taste may be fragile, and whispers of unfinished business stir beneath the floorboards. The scene sets the stage for personal and communal conflicts that will ripple through the city.