‘Do you ever think of anything else?’
Giving in to impulse, he leant forward and brushed Sayrid’s lips. They trembled. A surge of male pride went through him. ‘You are jealous.’
She spun out of his grip.
‘Of her? Hardly!’
He laughed.
‘What is so funny?’
‘You looking cross when there is no need to. I noticed, but why would I be interested when someone else graces my bed?’
‘You mean you’d be interested if I wasn’t here!’
‘That is not what I said!’ Hrolf’s temper flared. Sayrid was being totally unreasonable. Accusing him of wanting another woman when all he wanted to do was spend time with her! ‘You are my wife. I’ve no intention of dishonouring you.’
Her eyes flashed a dangerous blue. ‘You mean, so soon after the marriage. I see.’
‘You see nothing at all and what are you expecting? Ours could hardly be called a love match. My battle with you was long and hard fought.’ He ran his hands through his hair, aware of Sayrid’s horrified look. He was going about this all wrong. He’d hurt her and that was the last thing he wanted to do. But the words stuck in his throat. ‘Love? Who needs it? We are married and we are compatible. Your family is complicating matters.’
Sayrid bristled. Instinctively she reached for her sword, but instead found the bunch of keys. Tearing them from her belt, she threw them with all her might. They clanked on the floor next to him. ‘I am through with trying. I wanted to be a good wife, but I can see that it is impossible. I will never be the woman you want. I like pitting my wits against people and I like fighting. I’m proud of my strength and what I’ve accomplished. My family would have starved without me. I was wrong to want more.’
Hrolf stared at her. ‘But at what cost to you?’
‘I still breathe.’ She stood proudly with her head up. ‘I can never be the sort of wife you desire. Let us stop this pretence and agree that it is never going to work.’
Without giving him a chance to haul her into his arms, she fled from the room.
Once she had gone, the room became utterly still and lost its vibrancy.
That he wanted to go after her made Hrolf pause. He never chased after women. He had kept the two parts of his life separate. But he didn’t want that with Sayrid. He wanted something more. Sayrid had shown him how empty and devoid of meaning his life was. And above all, he wanted to keep her from being harmed. He cared about her. More than he had ever cared about anyone before. The price she was demanding was far too high.
He hit his hand against the table, making the tafl pieces jump.
Chapter Fourteen
Sayrid stared at the fish pond, searching for trout in the grey-rose of dawn. Hrolf had not come looking for her all night, even when she’d missed sitting at the high table for supper.
She had hardly hidden, staying in the kitchen to make sure the food was properly served, but she had not gone out of her way to join the men. Their jokes and loud talking had scraped against her nerves and she preferred to listen to Inga’s latest attempt at a saga.
She glimpsed Hrolf several times and once she thought he was looking at her, but she couldn’t be sure. All she knew was that a large lump of misery had settled in her chest.
Regin had stayed away as well, which was not a good sign. He had to know by now what he stood accused of. She should be pleased that he wanted to stand on his own two feet, but she wanted to give him counsel.
Sayrid tried one half-hearted throw of the spear and missed the fish. She gave a frustrated yell and waded out into the pond to retrieve it. The water soaked the hem of her skirt. She gave vent to her anger and tossed the spear towards the bank where it fell with a clatter.
‘Were you aiming that at me?’
Her heart skipped a small beat. ‘If I was aiming at you, I would have made the shot.’
Hrolf’s laughter rumbled out over the pond. ‘Good to know. I’d hate to think your arm is compromised.’
She bent to retrieve the spear. ‘I’m fishing. It is best done in silence.’
‘Is that what you are doing?’
‘Of course.’ She drew back her spear and glared at him. ‘What else would I be doing standing knee deep in a freezing-cold pond? Or should your wife be doing something else?’
‘Good question. I will have to consider it.’
‘I intend to keep fishing whether or not I have your permission.’
Hrolf made no attempt to leave. The sunlight hit his hair, turning it golden. No man had the right to look so good. ‘I never asked you to stop. Why did you not dine with me last night?’
She gave a half shrug. ‘Blodvin does talking at feasts much better than I do.’
‘Are you going to come out of the pond?’
Sayrid shook her head. ‘I’m trying to fish.’
‘Blodvin could put any number of people to sleep. And I thought Inga’s mother was bad.’ He rubbed the back of his neck. ‘I found her stories impossible to follow and she kept going on and on that Regin knew nothing and was not to blame. You’ve spoilt me for interesting conversation. I want to hear your voice.’
Sayrid carefully retrieved the spear. Hrolf had found Inga’s mother boring. ‘Truly?’
He gave a half smile. ‘Lately I have discovered that I need more interesting companionship.’
‘Is this an apology?’
‘If you require one…’ He shrugged his shoulder. ‘Fine, yes, but I was pleased you were jealous. I shouldn’t have teased you though.’
Sayrid waded out of the pond. She stopped and released her skirt so it fell about her ankles. ‘I’m sorry as well. I feel clumsy and overgrown when I am about Blodvin. It is like my stepmother is whispering in my ear again about all the things I’m bad at. I took my foul mood out on you. That was wrong of me.’
Hrolf’s fingers went under her elbow. ‘Hush now.’
She regarded his mouth and impulsively leant forward. He tasted of fresh spring water and summer meadows with a hint of pure Hrolf. The instant their mouths touched, his arms went around her and held her tight.
She opened her mouth and drew him in. She buried her hands in his hair and was surprised to find it damp.
She drew back. ‘You had a bath?’
‘I went swimming. I had no desire to stay in that room without you. And I knew you weren’t in your old sleeping quarters.’
‘How did you know that?’
‘They were given to our guests. Even you would balk at sleeping amongst those men.’
‘I found it impossible to sleep.’ She turned her mouth to his. ‘But I missed this more.’
He instantly deepened the kiss. Their tongues tangled and teased as their hands roamed freely all over each other. He started to pull her gown up, but she shook her head.
‘My time.’
Slowly she traced a line down his throat and chest until she reached his trouser band. She rapidly undid it and allowed him to spring free. Then she stroked his arousal, hot, heavy and just for her.
He groaned in the back of his throat. ‘Where did you learn this?’
‘I put your lessons to good use. I know what your touch does to me.’
He grew in her hand, pulsating. Slowly she lowered her mouth to the tip of him and traced the head, catching the tiny bead of moisture on her tongue.
‘Please.’ His hands dug into her shoulders as his body bucked upwards. ‘Ride me. Let me be in you.’
They fell to the bank and slowly she straddled him, impaling herself, feeling her body open to welcome the full length of him. His hands cupped her hips, holding her steady. Slowly she began to move, calling the rhythm, faster and faster until they reached the same shuddering climax. She collapsed, spent, on to his chest as he pumped his seed into her hard.
Silently they lay there with his hand gently rubbing her back.
* * *
Hrolf closed his eyes and made a memory as Sayrid slept in his arms with the green boughs above them
and the water of the fishing pond gently lapping near them. It was as close to perfection as he had ever experienced on this earth.
It frightened him how much this woman had come to mean to him in the past few days.
Last night, he had kept searching for her, unable to settle. And now she was here. She had awakened so many emotions within him. They scared him. He was fast becoming like his father, dependent on someone else. And when his mother had died, his father had been like a lost child, not eating or drinking properly until they had found him curled in a ball, frozen in the winter snow. His uncle had taken him in and taught him that women should be enjoyed, but not given any power over his heart.
He kissed her naked shoulder. She turned over and her arm went about his neck. He knew then that she had his heart. She had taken it that first night when she defied him by jumping into the river. He needed her in his life, challenging him.
‘You appear to be very serious.’
The words spilled out of him about his mother’s death, how his father had behaved and his vow about keeping the women in his life separate, but how he no longer wanted that. She listened quietly.
‘We won’t make the same mistakes,’ she said into the silence. ‘You’re not your father.’
‘We need to return. People will be wondering where we are.’
She stretched. ‘I’d like to stay here forever.’
He laughed softly in his throat. ‘I would as well, but there are others to think about. And I take my duty seriously.’
She rolled off him and started to dress, suddenly all businesslike, and the passion they had shared replaced by another passion. ‘Do you think there is a traitor?’
‘We will be safe here. Lavrans will make a mistake. He dislikes waiting.’
‘You think he will strike Kettil before you.’
Hrolf nodded. ‘Bragi is an excellent warrior and the men respect him. He won’t let me down.’
‘And if he should strike here first?’ A cold shiver went down her spine. She had little doubt. ‘Even though all the weapons are locked up, I don’t trust those travellers who arrived with Regin and Blodvin. If only Regin would open up like he used to.’
‘They will be gone today, probably before we return to the hall. I gave my men strict orders. They are to provide an escort to the edge of our lands. The swords can be returned there.’ He put his finger under her chin. ‘We will find your brother a farmhouse where he can begin to make a new life. He will speak to you then.’
‘You really don’t trust them.’
‘I stopped believing in coincidences a long time ago. The only thing I thank the gods for is the way you constructed that blockade. Even if Lavrans wanted, without a guide, his ships would run aground.’ He put an arm about her. ‘I feel like I’m missing something. A tiny piece which will make everything become clear. Was it our marriage that caused Lavrans to make his move?’
Sayrid stared at the pond. ‘I know what you mean. Too many things don’t make sense. Our marriage cannot have been the catalyst. If these men were on their way here already, then they cannot have been expecting you.’
He cupped her face. ‘You may be right. What else are you thinking?’
She put her hands on his face and felt the warm skin under her fingertips. He valued her opinion. ‘Blodvin. Inga called her a ghost yesterday but I think she means a different ghost from the one she supposedly saw at the harbour. I never got an opportunity to question Inga about it. It could be her play-acting again. But why would Blodvin be down at the harbour wrecking your ship? She has nothing against you.’
‘How long did Regin know Blodvin before they eloped?’
‘Several months, long enough for him to get her pregnant,’ Sayrid admitted with a rueful smile. ‘The pregnancy surprised me. I thought he would have been more cautious. I had warned him, but what can you do in the face of young love? He swore it was only the once. But it changed everything. Abandoning my blood is impossible.’
Hrolf sat up straighter. His face became hardened planes. ‘When did the only once happen?’
‘At the summer festival apparently. Regin was prepared to swear that neither had had lovers before.’ She shook her head. ‘I may dislike Regin’s choice of bride, but she is too…’
‘Too what…honey-sweet? Accomplished in the woman’s sphere?’ Hrolf asked. ‘You were the one who accused me of prejudice. Be careful that you don’t fall into the same trap.’
Sayrid hugged her knees to her chest. ‘But why would she do such a thing?’
‘About time we asked her.’
A loud shout followed by a long blast from the horn drowned the rest of his response.
Sayrid instantly started to run, but before she had gone a hundred paces, Magda stumbled into the clearing. On seeing Hrolf, she fell to her knees and started wailing.
‘What is going on?’ Sayrid asked. ‘Where is Inga?’
‘It is what I’m trying to discover. She keeps going on about the ghost.’
‘She means Blodvin. Inga calls her a ghost.’
The woman nodded vigorously and rapidly explained Inga was with Blodvin before she tugged on Sayrid’s arm. ‘We must go. There is trouble.’
‘Trouble?’ Hrolf’s brow creased. ‘What sort of trouble?’
Sayrid saw the smoke begin to rise and her blood ran cold. ‘The hall has been attacked. As impossible as it sounds, it has been and it has come from the sea.’
‘Regin! I’m sorry, Sayrid.’
Sayrid’s stomach revolted. Regin was the only explanation. He had completely betrayed her. Everything she had done for him meant nothing to him. ‘I don’t understand why he has behaved in this fashion. I would have wagered my life on him. I owe him several life debts. He found me after the beating and saved my life.’
Hrolf’s face was like thunder. ‘And this is how he treats you?’
The pain in her head increased to a breaking point. She struggled to take deep breaths. Even now, she wanted to believe that Regin had nothing to do with this, but as the smoke billowed higher, she had no other explanation. ‘If my brother has done this, then he will pay, but that is for later. Right now we need to regain control of the hall.’
‘There we agree. I have faced far worse odds.’
‘How can we hope to succeed?’
‘They may have attacked early, but they neglected to secure the two most important warriors. Do I have your sword arm, my lady?’
Sayrid returned his smile. ‘With pleasure.’
Hrolf turned to the nurse. ‘Have any more men arrived? Who of my men remain standing?’
The nurse shook her head and started wailing in Rus.
‘Take a deep breath and speak slowly, Magda. I want to understand as well.’ Sayrid grabbed her cold hand. ‘Where did the men come from?’
Magda gulped air. ‘In boats! From the sea. At dawn.’
She then started speaking in Rus and making wild gestures.
‘In the North language,’ Hrolf commanded. ‘Sayrid needs to hear. She knows the hall and its buildings better than I do. Your words may make all the difference to our success.’
From her garbled words, Sayrid gathered that Hrolf’s bodyguard had been slain first. When she had seen the sails, she’d gone to find them, but their throats had been slit while they slept.
The others were either dead or captured. The attack had happened while they all slept. Her brother’s betrayal was complete.
Hrolf hunkered down and drew a quick map in the dirt. ‘They struck in the early morning and must have assumed that we would still be asleep in our bed.’
‘They will be searching for us.’
‘Not yet. They will be securing the hall and the outbuildings.’
‘Then we have to strike before they get settled.’
Sayrid took a steadying breath. The hopelessness of the situation nearly overwhelmed her. There wasn’t time to go to the outlying farms. And the men there would not be able to fight against hardened warriors. ‘We have
a fishing spear and a knife. And I know all the hiding places in the hall and in the outer buildings.’
Hrolf kissed her forehead. ‘We will win the land back. I give you my solemn promise. I pledge you my all.’
The sound of a twig breaking made them both freeze.
‘Where did that old woman go? Lavrans ordered her death,’ one voice shouted.
‘As if we didn’t have enough to do,’ a second voice grumbled. ‘Lavrans doesn’t want any of them Rus left alive.’
Magda began to openly weep, but Hrolf whispered a few words to her. Her eyes grew big and she nodded. She immediately rearranged her shawl.
Hrolf put his fingers to his lips and jerked his head towards the bushes.
‘Opportunity,’ he mouthed to Sayrid. ‘Need to lure them.’
Sayrid nodded her understanding as her fingers closed around the fishing spear. She crouched low, waiting. Every nerve tingled with anticipation. They had this one chance,
At Hrolf’s signal, Magda gave a little yelp.
‘Louder,’ Sayrid muttered. ‘They need to hear you.’
Magda gave her a panic-stricken look, but complied with a deafening wail.
The pair crashed into the clearing. Sayrid rose up on her toes, aimed for the lead warrior and tossed the spear. It seemed to hang in the air for a timeless moment. Then it connected with the warrior’s throat. He went down with a gurgle.
Hrolf dashed forward, brandishing his knife. He rolled and grabbed the fallen man’s sword in one swift move, but the other warrior was on him immediately. As the other warrior brought his sword down, Hrolf jabbed his knife forward, meeting the sword.
Sword met knife, locked in mortal combat. Then Hrolf brought his other arm up and dispatched the man. He fell to the ground beside the first.
Hrolf gestured towards the sword and shield. ‘You wanted weapons, my lady. Will these do?’
Sayrid retrieved her spear as well as taking one of the swords and a shield. ‘Are you still determined to say that I’m not a good warrior?’
Hrolf gave a crooked smile. ‘Right now, I give thanks to Odin that we did not have a spear-throwing contest.’
Taming His Viking Woman Page 20