by Conn, Phoebe
BT LOVE ENSLAVED I 171
confirm that assumption, but Dana did no more than lift her chin proudly.
*'Dana!" he gasped, horrified to realize the impossible was true.
Dana would not reveal that Brendan had threatened Erik's chance for happiness with Berit, nor would she excuse her behavior by admitting she found the thrall's affection irresistible. That she had disillusioned Erik completely was obvious in his pained glance, but she was far more disappointed in herself.
"If you despise me for this, it will break my heart," she said softly. "But even if you do, you must keep my secret."
In an attempt to control his frustrated rage, Erik turned away for a moment, but he swiftly realized Brendan was the one who deserved his anger, not the half sister who had shown him so much love. Turning back toward her, he reached out to draw her into his arms. "Do you want him dead?"
Erik's embrace was warm and comforting, nothing like Brendan's demanding hold. "No, I don't want him to come to any harm. I hope to set him free and send him home by the sunmier's end. We can forget that he ever existed then."
Erik doubted such forgetfulness would be possible where Brendan was concerned, but he gave Dana a fond squeeze before releasing her. "If that is what you want, then I'll help you all I can. But Dana, I could never despise you."
Grateful for that sweet promise, Dana kissed his cheek, then again took his hand. "Let's go back to the others. Berit was as worried about you as Mother. Won't you stay with us awhile before you leave?"
At the mention of Berit's name, Erik began to smile. "For a little while, yes. I will enjoy that as much as she will."
As they rounded the comer of the house, they saw the three women they had left behind talking excitedly with one of the shepherds, and curious to learn what had happened, they hurried to join them.
Sighting Erik, Grena immediately gave him a harsh command. "My boys have taken Thora out in a boat. They've gone too far, and you'll have to go out and get them."
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Erik shrugged helplessly as he looked toward Freya for advice. ''I don't know how to sail."
"Soren does," Dana interjected quickly. *'You go and get him and any of the men who are helping with your house who can sail, and we'll wait down by the docks. With any luck, the children will be back before you return."
&ik wasted no time dashing for his horse, but by the time Dana, Berit, and their mothers had walked down to the docks, the small boat the children had taken was no longer in sight. Grena began to complain bitterly about the wildness of her twins, but Dana ignored her and offered her mother what comfort she could. The day had begun so poorly, she could not help but be as terrified as Freya about how it might end.
CHAPTER XIII
Dana was not at all surprised to see Brendan among the half-dozen men returning with Erik and Soren. She knew him well enough to be convinced that, if there were an adventure to be had, he would be the first to volunteer.
*'Do you know how to sail?" she asked with what, she hoped would pass for merely the natural curiosity any mistress would have about a thrall's talents.
Brendan rested his hands on his hips and flashed a cocky grin as he replied, "I had no choice about joining a Norse pirate's crew, but had I not swiftly learned how to sail, I'd not be alive today. Tell your mother and aunt not to worry. We'll find their children and return them home safely."
Haakon owned three knarr, the deep-sea vessels used for trading. On his present voyage he had captained one, while Svien and J0m had each been in command of one of the
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Others. The boats he had left behind were far smaller craft requiring only a few men to sail or row, and the missing children had taken one of those.
Dana found it far easier to survey the boats tied to the dock than to calmly ignore Brendan's wicked grin, but she didn't want him to think he was in charge of the rescue mission just because Erik lacked a captain's skills. "Soren is a fine sailor, and I'm confident he can find Thora and our cousins. Give him all the help you can.'*
The aloofness of Dana's manner as she delivered what he considered a totally unnecessary conmiand didn't please Brendan, but he knew, with her mother and aunt standing nearby, she dared not speak to him in a personal fashion. The problem was, he doubted she even wanted to display the aflfection he craved. As they made ready to depart, he would have liked to have kissed her good-bye and whispered an enticing suggestion or two so she would be looking forward to his return, but instead he forced himself to hold his tongue and turn away.
He followed Erik into the boat Soren had chosen, and helped the boy raise the single square sail. While building Erik's house, he had been surprised to find that Soren worked as hard as any of the men, but because of the way they had met, they had continued to avoid each other. That tactic was impossible in the close confines of a boat, but as Brendan took a place at the starboard rail, he hoped their rescue voyage would be too short to strain the uneasy truce that existed between them.
Soren grabbed the tiller, and as soon as the sail billowed out, the sleek craft pulled away from the dock. As on the previous day, Brendan could feel the tingling heat of Dana's glance, and he could not resist turning for a lingering look at her. The gentle breeze off the water blew her long tresses about her shoulders, tangling the ends of the fiery curls just as he knew making love had. She was standing with her mother, comforting her with the sympathetic gestures he longed to receive himself, and he hoped they would have another chance to be alone together soon.
As he turned back to scan the horizons for a sign of the children's boat, Brendan found Erik had taken the place in
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front of him. The violet-eyed Dane was regarding him with so cold a glance that even though they had had no time to talk before beginning the voyage, Brendan was certain Erik knew about Dana and him. There was simply no other explanation for the hate-filled fury of the man's glance, but a boat was no place for another of their brawls, and he took care not to incite one. Instead, he chose the far safer subject of sailing. That Haakon had not taught Erik to master that skill as he had his other two sons disgusted him, but it was a problem that could easily be remedied.
''Sailing isn't difficult," he offered with an inviting smile. "If you've had no time to learn, I can teach you."
"I have no wish to learn anything from you," Erik responded with bitterly edged sarcasm.
The insult hurt more than Brendan had thought possible, for it clearly showed the mutual respect he and Erik had been gradually forming was at an end. Even if they had not shared the warmest of friendships, he had been shown more consideration than most thralls ever received from a master. That he had threatened to betray Erik by revealing his love affair with Berit to Grena now struck Brendan as foolhardy in the extreme.
He had never been the type to carry tales, and that threat had merely been a desperate ploy to win Dana's acceptance of the affection he had been determined to show her. He had never expected to have to carry through on it. When she had been late for their rendezvous, he had been too angry to realize what he was doing, but he knew by the time he had ridden to Grena's his temper would have cooled sufficiently to allow him to think more clearly. Erik had made hisjife not merely tolerable, but often pleasant, and not even a Dane deserved to have his kindness repaid with treachery.
How much had Dana told her half brother? Brendan wondered. Whatever it had been was obviously danming enough, and he couldn't help but question Erik's reasons for letting him on board the boat. Did Erik plan to shove him over die side and watch him drown? Brendan was confident he was too strong a swimmer for that. There were several islands nearby, so he was certain he could reach one even if he could not return to the shore of Fyn. No, he would not
BT LOVE ENSLAVED I 175
drown, not unless he had a knife wound or two to slow him down, and from the violence glowing in Erik's glance, that was a distinct possibility.
"We must t
hink only of finding the children now," Brendan suggested firmly. "We can settle our differences later."
Even staring at the handsome Celt, Erik found it impossible to believe Dana could care for him. He was not only a thrall, but as arrogant and hot-tempered as any of the young men who had courted her without success. From what he had seen, Brendan possessed every trait he knew his beloved half sister abhorred in a man. How could they have become lovers? She had not been battered and bruised, so he knew she had not been forced to submit to the lust Brendan had never made any effort to conceal. She had to have been willing, but why? That was the question that tormented him. Why had Dana wanted this man when he was the worst choice she could ever make?
"Is it agreed?" Brendan prompted when Erik did not respond.
"Agreed," Erik replied, but his expression was still filled with loathing.
While Brendan could force aside thoughts of what would surely be their worst confrontation yet, he could not dismiss Dana from his mind so easily. It was as though she had cast a spell on him, for he was filled with the same gnawing pangs of desire as he had been before dawn, when he had carried her into the woods on Sky Dancer's back.
There was no sign of the boat the children had taken yet, but Brendan hoped they would overtake it soon. Surely Dana would be impressed if he were somehow instrumental in Thora's rescue. With that hope in mind, the sharp-eyed Celt doubled his efforts to be the first to sight the lost children.
Erik's thoughts were also focused on his half sister and cousins, for he knew Grena would be favorably impressed if he were the one who brought her twins home safely. Not that one brave deed would be enough to sway the woman's feelings in his favor, but it would be a start. The problem was, they had not been on the water long and already he
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was beginning to feel seasick. He couldn't let that news get back to Grena, though, as she would only laugh at him and think him a fool for not being as at home on the sea as her sons were.
Despite a brave eflFort, Erik could not hide his queasy stomach for long, but when he leaned over the side so as not to vomit in the boat, Brendan grabbed for the back of his kirde to make certain he did not fall overboard. That made Erik feel all the worse for he didn't want to admit he needed help from anyone.
'*Breathe as deeply as you can," Brendan advised the suddenly pale young man. "It will help to clear your head."
Erik jerked free of the Celt's hold the moment he had straightened up. He glanced at the boat's other occupants and was relieved to see all were so busy keeping a watch for the children that none had noticed how poor a sailor he was. He was badly embarrassed, however, and doubted he would feel well enough to make any c(Mitribution to the rescue eflFort.
**Sailing takes awhile to get used to," Brendan oflFered sympathetically. ' 'And in foul weather nearly everyone gets sick. I'll wager even Haakon knows exactly how you feel."
At the mention of his father's name, Erik was sorely tempted to slam his fist down Brendan's throat, but he didn't feel up to making the attempt. He just propped himself up against the rail and hoped they would be able to return home before he made a complete fool of himself. When one of the field hands on the port side of the boat began to shout that he had sighted what might be the children's boat, Erik breathed a deep sigh of relief.
Thora and the twins had been playing down by the docks when the thought of going for a boat ride had captured their imaginations. Borrowing Haakon's smallest craft, the boys had taken the oars while Thora had simply sat in the bow and enjoyed the fun. The trio was laughing happily, and before diey realized what had happened, the swiftly flowing current had carried them out of sight of the low coasdine of Fyn.
While badly ftightened, the boys bravely attempted to
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row dieir small boat back to shore, but they quickly discovered they lacked the strength to successfully battle the current. The excitement of their outing was replaced with terror, for none was used to the numbing isolation of the open sea. Even though there were islands in the distance, none was home, and rather than trying to reach one, the three hapless voyagers complained bitterly about their lack of luck and remained adrift.
At twelve, Olaf and Hrolf w^e considered adults, and Thora quickly lost patience with their whining. *'I should have known better than to come with you," she scolded, blaming the peril she found herself in on them.
Insulted, the boys shouted back a few taunts of their own, but with a haughty toss of her bright red curls Thora ignored them. By the time Soren's boat came into view, they were aU miserably unhappy, not only to be stranded, but also with each other. To make certain they were seen, they moved close together to wave and shout, then realized too late what the result would be, for in the next instant the narrow boat capsized and they were all plunged headlong into the sea.
Both Olaf and Hrolf could swim well enough to reach the side of the overturned boat and hang on, while poor Thora, who had never been taught how to swim, splashed about screaming. The weight of her flowing garments pulled her down, and while she shrieked in terror the twins looked on, too frightened by their own plight to risk letting go of their hold on flie boat to save her.
As they sped through the water, Soren and his unseasoned crew watched in horror, terrified tfiey might not reach the children in time to avert the tragedy unfolding before them. They shouted ta the boys to join hands and reach out for Thora, but the sound of the wind buflfeting the sail blurred their words into a moumftil howl, and the twins could not understand their helpful advice.
With Thora's frantic eflforts to remain afloat growing feeble, the distance between the two boats decreased with maddening slowness. When at long last they drew close, her situation was desperate, and without waiting for one of the others to act, Brendan tore ofl* his kirtle and boots and dove over the side. With long, sure strokes he swam to the little
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girl, arriving just as the exhausted child slipped beneath the surface of the water. Grabbing for her hair, he yanked her back up and held her securely until Soren had brought his boat in close enough for Erik to pluck her from his arms. Olaf and Hrolf were pulled aboard next, while Brendan was left treading water until the would-be rescuers' excitement died down enough for them to notice he needed a hand to help him scramble back up over the side. As soon as he had replaced his discarded apparel, Thora climbed into his lap and, sobbing pathetically, refused to release her hold on him.
With Soren shouting directions, the field hands slipped into the water to right the overturned boat. Once that feat was accomplished, they grabbed hold of the bow and started kicking. As the boat began to move, they pushed down on the bow to raise the stem, and a large quantity of water poured out. By repeating that process several times, they succeeded in emptying half the water from the slender vessel. Conscientious bailing took care of the rest, and once the boat was empty, a line was attached to tow the small vessel home.
Erik wore an exasperated frown as he remained in his place and watched the others work. It was clear Erik wanted to be of help too, but Brendan easily guessed why he had not taken an active part. "Even if you won't let me teach you, you should learn how to swim. While emergencies like this can't be foreseen, they are bound to occur when you live on the water."
*'Is there anything you can't do?" Erik responded with a tone as harsh as his glance.
Brendan frowned slightly, giving that question careftil consideration before he shook his head and smiled. '*Not that I can think of."
Although she was thoroughly drenched and shivering with cold, Thora ceased crying and looked up at the confident Celt with an adoring gaze. With a soft sigh of contentment, she knew she was in love.
When the four women left behind had grown weary of standing on the dock, they sat down in the nearby meadow.
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for none wanted to return to the house where they would have to rely on a servant to bring word of the boats' retur
n. Dana tried to keep her mother's and aunt's spirits up, but she was not only as badly frightened as they, but desperately tired as well after a near sleepless night.
Never silent, no matter what die circumstance, Grena had at first complained that her lively sons were impossible to control and then had had to fight back tears of fright when she realized they might come to some terrible harm. Berit did her best to console her by making her brothers' voyage seem the childish prank it was, but she was also acutely aware of the danger they were in.
A sad and restless group, the distraught women were lost in diought until Freya gathered her courage and tried to lift her companions' spirits with conversation. "Soren has always watched the children when you come to visit, but with him away working on Erik's house, we should have kept a close eye op them ourselves. The boys are old enough to be of some real help to Erik, and when they return, I think we should send them with him to work on his house for a week or two. That will keep them out of mischief."
After drying her eyes, Grena welcomed her sister's efforts to distract her from the problem at hand. Because she had only learned of Erik's eflForts to have his own home that day, she was curious about the young man she usually ignored. *'Erik is young to begin such a project. Most men do not build their own home until after they have saved the profits of several years' trading."
Dana glanced at her mother, and when she saw the dear woman was too embarrassed by the implications of the conmient to speak, she answered for her. "As a falconer, Erik has never had the desire to go trading, and probably never will. He has all the skills to become a successful farmer, however, so there's no reason why he shouldn't build a house and begin working on his own land."
"And how is he managing such an expensive project without the wealth it requires?"
"Even without a great deal of money, he is hardworking and will succeed," Dana assured her aunt.