“No, they are mine. They will be his in the future,” Alfonso corrected him. “So it is my responsibility to collect them. Why do you not take Sigrid with you for company? She can help you with the sheep and spend a little time with Eira while you are there.”
“You can stay here with Eira,” Farvald told Sigrid when they arrived. “I will find Halvar at his farm and he can help me load the sheep.”
“Thank you, Farvald,” Sigrid said, grateful for her brother’s thoughtfulness. She would enjoy a visit with Eira.
“Come inside!” Eira exclaimed happily when Sigrid knocked on her door. She and Halvar had recently moved from the small storage house into their larger longhouse and she was anxious to show Sigrid their new dwelling.
“It is a fine house,” Sigrid said, admiring the sturdy walls and spacious interior. “Halvar has done a good job of building it for you.”
“It was worth the wait,” agreed Eira. “And just as well.”
“What does that mean?” asked Sigrid.
“It means that we are going to have a baby!” Eira said, her eyes shining with delight.
“I was beginning to think it would never happen!” giggled Sigrid. “Now I will be an aunty to your fine son or your beautiful daughter!”
“I am looking forward to it and so is Halvar,” said Eira. “We hope the birth will go smoothly.”
“Kaarina’s birth did,” Sigrid replied. “Surely yours will also.”
“We hope so. It is a risky time of life, to be having your first child.”
“Stay calm and think of the best outcome,” said Sigrid. “That is what seems to work best.”
Sigrid spotted a spare loom. “Would you like some help with your weaving while we chat?” she asked.
“I will never say no to that!” Eira grinned. “You and Frida are the best weavers I know!”
As they chatted and worked, Sigrid felt calm returning to her heart after the turmoil of recent months. Eira noticed it.
“You have been sad, have you not?” she asked.
“Of course! I forgot that you can tell what a person is feeling!” Sigrid exclaimed, but there was no discomfort in knowing that Eira could sense her feelings. “Yes, ever since Hagen ended our betrothal, things have not been the same for me.”
“I can imagine,” sympathized Eira. “A broken betrothal is a serious matter and it is usually the woman who pays the price.”
“It is so stupid!” stormed Sigrid. “I have done nothing wrong yet others assume that I have.”
“Do you wish to find a husband?” Eira asked. “You said before that you would rather remain unmarried.”
“I thought so until Hagen came along. Being in love felt wonderful but being rejected was equally awful. I would only want to find a husband who could love me. Someone I could rely on to keep his word.”
Eira looked thoughtful. “I know someone who thinks you’re special,” she whispered conspiratorially.
Sigrid looked surprised. “No, there is no one who thinks that,” she said.
“Oh, but there is,” insisted Eira.
“Who?”
“I am not sure if I should tell you.”
“Oh, come on, you cannot start to tell me and then refuse.”
“Do you promise not to tell?”
Sigrid nodded.
“And you promise not to treat this person differently because you know?”
“Yes.”
Eira looked around to make sure no one was about to enter the house. “It is Einar,” she said.
“Einar?” Sigrid exclaimed in surprise. “He is just a friend.”
“I think if the truth were told, he would like to be more.”
“Are you sure?”
“I am certain. I accidentally overheard him talking to Torsten one day. He was sad that Hagen had stolen your heart.”
“Well, it is not stolen now,” Sigrid said bitterly.
“Would he not make a good husband?”
“I had never thought of him in that way.”
“Think about it. He owns land, so you would never be poor. He has a house, so you would have somewhere to live. He works hard and produces more than he can use, so he has goods to sell at the markets.”
“There are many men such as this. It does not mean that they are worthy of consideration for marriage.”
“But Einar is a good man. He rescued you from Fritjof, remember?”
“That is true. But I only ever thought of him as Torsten’s brother.”
“He is kind, is he not? He would treat a wife well. He would probably even allow you to continue to practice your beliefs the way you choose.”
“That is a must,” Sigrid said. “I would not marry a man unless he agreed to allow that.”
“You are fortunate that you have a say,” Eira said.
“I am grateful,” Sigrid replied.
“Think about it,” Eira advised. “Do not dismiss him. He is a good man.”
That night, Sigrid lay awake long after Frida was asleep, thinking about what Eira had said. Einar? Surely not. He had feelings for her? Even more impossible! But as she thought about his thoughtfulness and friendship, the stone around her heart began to crack, almost imperceptibly. She drifted off to sleep thinking of a large man with a kind heart and warm hazel eyes.
CHAPTER 9
Einar watched in fascination as the young women twirled around the floor of Ahren’s barn, their hair flying and their skirts whirling in an enchanting display of color and movement. Sigrid was among them, a smile on her face and her cheeks tinged with pink from the exertion of the energetic dance.
“The girls are happy,” Torsten remarked, coming up behind him.
“A wedding is a good occasion for them to have some fun,” Einar replied, his eyes still on Sigrid.
She glanced up and saw him watching her and they both dropped their eyes, embarrassed.
Torsten laughed. “She noticed you, Brother,” he said. “Perhaps you have a chance, after all.”
“She has not said so.”
“Do you need her to announce it from the rooftops? Women do not work that way. You must be able to read the signals they give you.”
“And you are now the expert?”
“Well, I am now married, am I not? Does this not mean that I have mastered the lesson?”
Einar groaned, then whacked his brother on the arm. “That does not make you an expert,” he said. “You wait until tonight. When you get her into your bed, she might take one look at you and divorce you tomorrow!”
Torsten looked uneasy. “Be quiet! She will hear you!”
Einar laughed. “Over this noise? Face it, you are just nervous!”
“That is true,” Torsten admitted. “I am worried she will not want me once all the celebrations are over and it is just us.”
“Fear not. She loves you.”
“I hope I can be a good husband to her,” Torsten muttered.
“You keep telling me that you are now an expert,” Einar teased. “So, follow your own advice. Keep treating her well and being thoughtful and she will continue to love you as she does now.”
Erik joined them and stood watching the girls as the dance came to an end. “They are good dancers,” he said.
“It is fortunate that you could be at the wedding,” Einar said.
“I would not have missed it for the world,” Erik replied. “You two are like brothers to me. I arranged my travels so that I could be here. I would not want to miss watching the girls dance!”
“You get to see plenty of girls on your travels, I am sure,” Torsten said.
“I do. But many are slaves and there are some I have even felt sorry for,” Erik replied.
“Why?”
“Because their owners often do not treat them well. And many have been stolen from their homelands and have no chance of going back. I saw a new shipment of slaves come from Dubh Linn on my last journey. They were headed for the slave market. There were some beautiful women among them.”
“Why did you not buy one?”
Erik looked thoughtful. “I do not need a slave,” he said. “My needs are small and I can care for myself.”
“What about as a bed-slave?”
“I do not wish to have the responsibility,” he replied. “Besides, I would prefer to find a wife. I wish to share my life with someone who is of equal social standing, not a slave.”
“You are a funny man,” laughed Torsten. “I happen to agree with you, but not many men would have such consideration for slaves.”
“I remember what it is like to be homeless and have nothing,” Erik said. “The kindness of others gave us a new life. I wish to be kind in return.”
“You are right,” Torsten said. “I will never take a bed-slave; I have promised Frida that she will be the only woman in my life. I am happy with that. Our life will be less complicated.”
“You are quiet, Einar,” Erik observed. “What think you of this matter?”
“You are both right,” Einar said. “I am happy to employ a servant to care for us.”
“But no thralls?”
“I also wish to be kind. I guess the ways of the Christians are becoming mine,” he laughed. “They do not own slaves.”
“Look, the musicians are going to play again,” Erik said. “This dance is for everyone. Let us join in!”
As they enthusiastically clapped and stomped their way around the dance, Einar watched for Sigrid. Soon he found himself near her and a moment later, it was his turn to twirl her around before she moved on to the next partner. She smiled up at him, her cheeks flushed and her blue eyes sparkling, and his heart melted. She was so pretty when she was happy; if only she could see how he felt about her. But he didn’t want to shout it from the rooftops, either. There was a high chance that she would reject him and he wasn’t sure he was ready for that.
That night, after Torsten and Frida had been escorted to their new home by the wedding guests, Sigrid lay in bed thinking of the day that had been.
“It was a good day, was it not?” she said to Tora, who had come from another village for the wedding.
“It was a wonderful day,” Tora sighed happily from Frida’s bed.
“I will miss Frida,” Sigrid said. “You are in her bed.”
“I missed my older sister when she married, too,” Tora said. “She was and still is, my best friend. But things change once they marry. At least you will still get to see Frida. My sister lives in another village now.”
“Yes, I am glad she will still be close by,” agreed Sigrid.
“Do you like that young man who was watching you?” Tora asked.
“What young man?”
“The one that is tall with light hair. He has a reddish beard.”
“Oh, you mean Einar?”
“Is that his name?”
“Einar is tall and has a reddish beard. He is the brother of Torsten.”
“Oh yes, that makes sense. He was watching you.”
“I did not notice.”
“He is handsome, is he not?”
“He is, I guess. But we are just friends.”
“So it would not bother you if I became friends with him?”
“Do you like him?”
“I think he is handsome. I would like to get to know him better.”
“You have my blessing,” Sigrid replied, but inside, she felt uneasy, something she knew was irrational. She had no claim to him but it bothered her that someone else thought he was nice. She couldn’t work out why.
Einar looked at the striking redhead beside him. Since Tora had come to visit for Frida’s wedding, she had been finding a lot of reasons to talk to him. He found himself wavering between shy discomfort and being flattered by her advances. He had never met a woman quite like her before.
“Show me your farm,” she’d said. “Sigrid can come with us so it is proper.”
So he found himself waiting for the girls to arrive so that he could show Tora his farm. But when she arrived at his house, she was alone.
“Sigrid wanted to catch her friend Eira for a moment,” she said. “She will come soon. Why do we not leave and then she can catch up later?”
Einar was unsure of the wisdom of this idea but he allowed her to persuade him that it would be fine. Soon they were walking towards his farm while Tora prattled as if she did not need breath.
“Here we are,” he announced, relief evident in his tone. At least Tora had talked so much that he hadn’t had to think of something to say to her.
He showed her around the farm and she admired the animals. Soon they would need to be brought into the barn, before the heavy snows of winter.
“We should head back,” he told her, starting to feel uneasy. Why had Sigrid not come?
“Oh, not yet,” she murmured from beneath lowered lashes. “I am having too much fun here with you.”
“Why has Sigrid not come?” he asked.
“How should I know? Perhaps she got talking with her friend longer than she expected.”
Half an hour later, he’d had enough. “I am going back,” he told her.
She hurried to catch up with him. “I was hoping we could stay a little longer,” she said with a pretty pout.
As they rounded a corner in the path, he saw Sigrid walking towards them. When she saw them, she stopped short. Her mouth opened and closed and she seemed to be struggling to speak. Einar felt his heart sink into his boots. She was unhappy; was it because of them?
“It was so nice of you to wait for me,” she said frostily.
Einar looked from Tora to Sigrid. What was going on here?
“Oh, there must have been a misunderstanding,” Tora said breezily. “Einar thought we should go and you could catch up with us.”
“I was expecting you to come and meet Eira,” Sigrid said. “When I turned around, you’d gone. I waited and waited for you.”
“It is just a misunderstanding,” Tora said smoothly. “Einar thought your visit might take some time and you could come when you were ready.”
Sigrid's eyes bored holes in her, but Tora didn’t seem to notice.
“You ran off without telling me where you were going. I do not think that is a misunderstanding,” Sigrid said, anger simmering in her tone.
“Come now, ladies, let us not get upset with each other,” Einar said. “Sigrid, would you like us to return to the farm so you may look around also?”
Sigrid glared at him. “That is rather pointless now that you have already been there,” she said. “So, no thank you. I wish to go home.”
Einar had never been so uncomfortable in his life. Tora had clearly orchestrated events so that Sigrid would be left out of their visit to the farm. He was inclined to agree; it was no accident. But there was no way he was going to say so, not in front of two warring women. It would be worse than having the wrath of Odin poured down on his head.
That night, Einar sat miserably at the table, toying with the food their servant had placed in front of him.
“What is wrong?” Erik asked.
Einar looked at him. “Is it obvious that something is wrong?” he asked.
“You look miserable,” Erik said. “And I have never known you not to want food. Are you in love?”
Einar sighed. “If only I could be,” he said.
“Is it Sigrid?”
“Yes.” Einar decided to be honest with his friend. Perhaps it would help him to know what to do.
“What happened?”
“Her friend Tora insisted that we go to the farm today while Sigrid visited Eira for a moment. Sigrid was expecting to go with us and it became clear to me that Tora arranged events so that Sigrid would not be with us. Now Sigrid thinks I didn’t want her there.”
“And what of this Tora?”
“She is beautiful. But she is bold and strong-willed. She is not like Sigrid.”
“Could you love her anyway?”
“She would like me to,” Einar replied. “I could tell by the way she l
ooked at me and the things she said. But I fear it might be a love that would not last. I wish for a wife who will stay by my side, not a woman who will tire of me and move on to someone else.”
“How does Sigrid feel about this?”
“She was angry when she thought we had deceived her to keep her from visiting the farm. Now I fear that this incident will harm any chance I might have had with her.”
“There is no fury like that of a woman spurned,” Erik agreed with a grin. “I pity you if you should find yourself on the wrong side of her. She seems quite feisty when she is angered.”
“She is,” Einar agreed. “But she does not get angry without a good reason and I can see why she is angry now. It appears that I agreed with Tora and did not wish to have her around.”
“That is indeed a problem. I wish you luck.”
Einar felt his spirits sink. So much for helpful advice from his friend. The best Erik could do was wish him luck!
CHAPTER 10
Sigrid gathered up the last of the cloth she had made and stowed it in her basket, ready for the trip to the markets. Making clothes was an incredibly time-consuming process; by the time the raw materials were prepared and spun into thread and then woven into garments or cloth to be sewn up, many hours had passed. She was a fast worker and had managed to make several tunics in excess of the family’s needs for the year. She would sell them at the markets, along with some smaller pieces of cloth that they didn’t need.
She was looking forward to going to the harvest markets; it was a highlight of the season. There were always things to do and people to see and the event usually lasted for a week, or until the sellers had nothing left to sell. Frida was coming too, and Sigrid looked forward to wandering around the markets as they always did once their turn for looking after their booth was over.
“Look at that!” Sigrid exclaimed to Frida. She pointed at a man wearing an outrageously decorated hat.
“He is a fool,” Frida said. “Torsten told me that some of them have come from Bretland to entertain the King. They wear funny hats. Sometimes they are called buffoons.”
Sigrid: Spurned (Viking Guardians Book 4) Page 6