by Koko Brown
Reese spun around to face Magdal standing in the doorway with a breakfast tray.
“A very big appetite,” she admitted. After last night, she could probably eat an entire larder of food.
“Well you’ll be happy to see what I have for you.” Magdal set the tray on a nearby table. “The jarl himself fixed your trencher.”
Interest piqued, Reese walked over. Sweet meats, salted fish, cheese, and fresh baked bread filled the tray. “He picked all of this?” she mumbled around a slice of rye bread.
“Every single morsel.” Magdal confirmed. “Well I need to get back to my chores. I need to churn a new batch of butter before dinner. I will come back after I’m done with a snack and possibly Phee.”
The other woman turned about and started for the door. Reese stopped her.
“Magdal, do not lock the door.”
“No...no...no...no...no...no.” Shaking her head emphatically, Magdal pivoted around. “Do not involve me in your mischief. The jarl would gut me if I allowed you to leave this room.”
Before she could escape, Reese hurried over and grasped the other woman’s hand. “Do you want your child born a slave?”
Magdal glanced at her belly. “How does my keeping the door unlocked have to do with my child?”
“If my plan doesn’t work, the less you know the better.”
Her evasiveness didn’t sit right with Magdal. Cutting a hasty retreat, she made a beeline for the door, grumbling testily with each step. “How can you expect me to help, if you willingly withhold information? The jarl will gut me for my complacency!” At the door she turned to glower. “Slave or freeman, I want my child to be born.”
“I’m just trying to protect you,” Reese implored. “If caught, all you could swear to is that you forgot to lock the door behind you.”
Magdal seemed to measure her words, and then she was gone.
Still hopeful, Reese walked over and tested the door. It was locked.
*****
“Magdal told me you’ve gone mad.”
Reese sat in a shallow, makeshift bathtub while Phee poured water over her shoulders. She hadn’t seen the other side of the room in two days but at least Eirik saw to her basic comforts, like a warm bath.
“I’m not crazy. The opportunity had presented itself to set us all free and I decided to take it.”
Phee set the empty bucket, then hefted another. “And this wonderful opportunity?”
“Haakon.”
Beset by a fit of giggles, Phee’s aim was slightly off as the majority of the water splattered onto the floor. “So you think since you bewitched a couple of Vikings, you can seduce a king?”
Reese grimaced. When put like that, her plan did sound stupid. “They come from the same tree, so I assumed they would have shared interests.”
Phee snorted. “The jarl is nothing like the king. And for that you should be thanking all the gods in heaven. Haakon is an arsehole. He’s loud, demanding and cuts people to the quick. Just this morning, he brought Lady Brita to tears.”
“What goes around comes around.” Reese would have paid a month’s salary to see that wart on a frog’s ass cry.
“No. Tis cruel how he’s badgered her and Thoren all week.”
“Thoren as well? He’s just a boy.” A bully with a sword at times, but still a harmless child.
“From the pieces of gossip I’ve picked up, Haakon has always resented his father’s second family.” Phee gathered up the buckets scattered around her feet. “So you best stay away from him or he may use you to hurt the jarl.”
Reese almost groaned. Sibling rivalry was the perfect catalyst to see her plan through. Haakon might not be attracted to her but once he learned, with her help of course, she was Eirik’s favorite all the pieces would fall together.
Completely engrossed in finding a way out of this room, Reese jumped when Phee touched her shoulder. “Promise me you will stay in here until Haakon leaves?”
Smiling sweetly, Reese lifted her right hand and gave the Girl Scout’s three-finger salute. “I, Reese Johnson, so solemnly swear that I will remain in this room until Haakon’s departure.”
Reese didn’t uncross the fingers on her left hand until Phee left the room.
*****
“More mead!” Eirik waved one of the serving wenches over to fill his cup for the second time. Or was it the fourth? Blessed Odin, he didn’t give a whit. His brother was leaving on the morning tide!
Two days hence, he too would raise his sails.
Eirik glanced at the root of his miserable existence and ground his teeth. He was finally his own man, far from the clutches of royal intrigues but in one fell swoop, his brother had brought him to heel.
All to quell a rebellion.
Long since unpopular, Haakon had become more so by taking the daughters of the elite as his concubines —and then sending them home in shame after he’d become tired of them. Now that his indiscretions had finally caught up to him, he decided to sacrifice someone else instead of changing his ways.
“You eye the konugr any harder, and you will be tried for treason,” Bjarni drawled.
Eirik pinched his fingers together. “I am this close to deserving the punishment.”
“Your forthcoming nuptials cannot be that bad. I have laid eyes on Ivar’s daughter and she’s quite fair. Compound that with Ivar’s lands, and you are a fortunate man.”
“The only reason I am following the king’s edict is to prevent Haakon from taking everything.”
Bjarni sat forward, giving him a wide-eye look. “He threatened to seize all your property?”
“From the fields to this hall, down to every last slave.”
“And you do not want to give up the woman.” Despite his overt brashness and impetuous nature, Bjarni was smarter than he gave him credit for.
“You think I am a pale excuse for a man?” Eirik grunted.
“I know when it comes to that woman you cannot see beyond your cock.” Bjarni paused to take a swill of his ale. “And you will do anything to keep her, even bow to that bastard’s demands.”
Eirik was annoyed enough with Bjarni to sneer, “You think I hold her above everything I have spilled blood for, built off the sweat of my back?”
Bjarni shrugged. “Mayhap.”
“I am marrying Ivar’s daughter because the alliance is advantageous to me.” Tired of Bjarni’s company, and running from the truth, Eirik stood.
“Where are you going?”
“I need to relieve myself.” His favorite tankard in hand, Eirik went in search of the privy.
The evening meal would be served soon, so the main hall was filled with activity. His men, along with Haakon’s, sat around throwing dice and imbibing mead. Servants flitted about lighting wall sconces and setting tables.
Usually this time of day was Eirik’s favorite. Sunset signaled the end of a day spent laboring in the fields or down at the docks. But ever since his brother’s arrival he’d been idle, remaining close to his keep, entertaining his unwelcome guests, and making sure they didn’t stick their noses in places they didn’t belong.
More than a little foxed, Eirik made his way to his family’s living quarters. Copied after a stronghold in Bernicia he’d once raided, the wing contained a large solar, the privy and four bedrooms. Brita and Thoren shared one, he occupied the largest, a third remained empty, and Reese was ensconced in the fourth.
He moved down the hallway, and started to go into the privy but hesitated. Eyes drawn to the end of the corridor, he changed direction, and treaded softly down the hall to the last bedroom. He used the key at his waist to turn the lock, and then eased the door open.
Reese, wrapped in one of the bed furs, reclined on the window seat gazing out the window. Hearing him, she turned her head to look at him. With barely an inch of skin visible, besides her hands and face, Eirik still felt the blood rushing to his loins. Inordinately happy to see her, he smiled.
“Are you naked beneath that fur?”
&nb
sp; Her eyes widened. “You’re drunk!”
Tongue slurring from the mead, he conceded, “a tad bit.” Feeling somewhat unsteady, he leaned against the door. “Scratch that. I am more than a tad bit drunk.”
While his world righted, Reese uncurled herself from the window seat. She sauntered over to him, and his cock hardened. The sway of her rounded hips, the slow measured steps made him want to push her up against the nearest wall and slide inside her.
She stopped a hair’s breadth away from him, and an ache somewhere in the vicinity of his heart pained him. Eirik pushed from the door.
“Now I’m more than a tad bit hungry.” He pivoted to the right, pedaled forward two steps and had her right where he wanted her, against the wall. “I am so hungry for you, I ache.” He leaned down to nip at her earlobe.
“Well, you’re out of luck, Viking, because you’re drunk as a skunk, and I’m not going to have you rutting on top of me in your condition.” She screeched when he dropped his arm and squeezed her butt cheek.
“Drunk or nei, I can still give it to you how you like it,” he whispered in her ear.
After several harrowing moments, she finally surrendered. “Take your clothes off and get on the bed.”
If ever a man’s life depended on who could undress the fastest, one would think she’d threatened his life. His clothes flew helter skelter, and in a matter of seconds he was sprawled on the bed like a sacrifice for the gods. Heart pounding, he stared at the ceiling. His mind drifted to a myriad of lustful scenarios, from her sitting on his face to riding him backwards, and his balls tightened.
“Stop playing games, get in bed. Now!”
Met with silence, he rose up on his elbows. Blood drained from his head, making him dizzy. He was alone.
*****
As soon as Eirik’s back was turned, Reese made a run for it. She hustled down the corridor, heading for the main hall. She rounded the corner, and ditched Eirik’s clothes. Crazy? Check! Asinine? Check! Foolhardy? For sure! And yet, she kept going. This was bigger than her. Maybe even bigger than Eirik’s settlement. She hoped the shockwaves of what was about to happen would go beyond his small fjord.
“REESE!”
Blood pounding in her ears, Reese faltered in the shadows of an alcove. She could hear Eirik padding toward her. If he caught her, he’d ruin everything.
Chapter Nineteen
“Here goes everything,” Reese whispered, launching forward.
At least a hundred people, mostly men, were streaming into the great hall. Mixing in with the influx, Reese scurried into the kitchen, and immediately sought out Gurta. With flour up to her elbows, she directed the final preparations for the evening meal.
“Eirik wants me to serve his brother, the King.”
Gurta looked at her askance, but said nothing.
Quick on her feet, Reese added meat to her lie, “He told me to look my best for our royal guests. He gifted me this dress just this morning,” Arms held out, Reese stepped back. Dressed to seduce, she’d donned a salmon pink gown with a low, rounded collar, fitted sleeves and a high, gathered waist. The empire style emphasized her ample bosom and disguised her far from slender midsection. She’d even plaited her hair into a braided crown with matching ribbons.
Eyeing her up and down, and taking in her attire, Gurta barked, “Zelda and Kolvi, wait!” Two servant girls, lugging a large food-laden metal tray, halted at the kitchen entrance. “Reese will be relieving one of you.”
Smiling, Reese hurried over. She almost reached home plate when she skidded to a halt. Arms planted on his hips and looking to fit to kill, Eirik blocked the kitchen exit. He must have made a pit stop to his bedchamber because he was dressed in a pair of green suede britches and nothing else. Even his feet were bare.
“What are you doing?” The anger rippled off him in waves.
Reese gulped. “I...ah...I came down to see what was for dinner.” She lifted her nose and inhaled. “Do you smell that? Gurta cooked ham.”
His eyes traveled over her. “I am more interested in what you are cooking up. Now come here.”
Reese shook her head and a volley of gasps echoed around the room.
“You’re going to have to come and get me.”
Nostrils flaring, he stepped forward. He didn’t get far, his path was impeded by the two serving maids and the king’s platter. “Move out of my way!” he barked.
Startled, the two girls each took a step back, and ended up going nowhere. Taking matters into hand, he grabbed the girl on his right and urged her forward. Reese took the opening and darted around the girl to his left. Skirt lifted, she shot out of the kitchen.
The dinner crowd was now seated and talking amongst themselves. Mind racing as fast as her feet, Reese pressed forward. Half the room ignored her, the other half (the king’s men) gaped in her wake. She heard a loud commotion behind her but unlike Lot’s wife, she kept going.
She should’ve erred on the side of caution because the minute she rounded one of the open fires, steel bands wrapped around her waist and lifted her from the floor.
Her plan thwarted, Reese shrieked, earning herself a chorus of laughter.
“Hush.” For good measure, Eirik swatted her rump. As if they didn’t have a captive audience, he turned about and carried her back to exile.
He’d only taken a step or two when a booming voice, carried across the den. “Brother, who is that?”
Reese felt Eirik stiffen.
“She is none of your concern,” he stated emphatically, while not even bothering to turn around, breeching royal etiquette. Reese weighed the gravity of this major faux pas from everyone’s expressions. They all looked toward the king as if waiting for his edict to chop off Eirik’s head.
On the other hand, Haakon seemed to take his brother’s disrespect in stride. He leaned back in Eirik’s chair with a thoughtful expression that was eerily similar to his younger brother. He regarded them for a beat and then said, “Let me be the judge of that. Now bring her here.”
Eirik set her on her feet, clasped her hand, and pulled her behind him. He did not stop until they stood in front of his personal table.
Reese’s eyes widened. The apples didn’t fall from the tree! Haakon and Eirik could have been twins, sharing the same fair complexion, pale blond hair and striking blue eyes. And she bet beneath his midnight blue tunic, there were muscles on top of muscles.
Haakon motioned for her to come nearer. Only a hardhead with Eirik, Reese stepped closer. So close, he reached out and grabbed her wrist. He and his brother might look alike, but his touch left Reese cold. Still, she plastered on a saccharin sweet smile, earning one in return.
“Such a beautiful color.” Reese almost rolled her eyes when he rubbed his thumb into her skin. Sorry, buddy, that color isn’t going anywhere. “From what land do you hail?”
“Merritt Island, Florida.”
“Floor—ee—dah.”
Reese nodded. “Yes it’s in the United States of America.”
“Are there others as fair as you?”
“Millions more.”
Confused by her answer, Haakon cocked his head. “Millions?”
“Millions means a whole lot more.”
Smiling in comprehension, Haakon nodded. “A trip is in order to this Floor—ee—dah.” His gaze flickered briefly to Eirik and then back again. “Why were you running from my brother?”
“I wanted to meet you because it’s not every day a girl meets a King,” she explained, “but he would not allow it.”
Haakon’s eyebrows arched toward his hairline. “Why would he not want you to meet me?”
Reese threaded her fingers together, cocked her head demurely, and affected a seductive mien even Marilyn Monroe would envy. “He said you would desire me.”
“He was right to hide you away.” Grinning broadly, Haakon shifted in his seat. Reese couldn’t mistake the bulge growing in his lap. “I do desire you, very much in fact.” His gaze shifted to Eirik. “Have her washed and
placed in my bed by the time I retire.” As if the matter were settled, he snatched up his tankard, turned to the man sitting to his left and asked his opinion of the salted herring.
Shocked her plan fell in to place so neatly, Reese had lost her tongue and stood utterly motionless. Eirik not so much. He moved in front of her and placed his fists on the trestle table, gaining the King’s attention.
“Is there a problem?” Haakon’s voice sounded slightly perturbed. Not wanting to miss the fireworks, Reese angled for a better view.
“I cannot do that,” Eirik asserted, and the hall became stone quiet save for the crackling fires.
“You openly disobey me, your King?” Haakon’s face turned red and there was an ugly slant to his mouth. He wasn’t so handsome in his anger, Reese mused.
“Nei. I do not disobey you.” And yet, his tone and body language said he would if he could. “I simply cannot honor your request.”
“Why not?”
“I cannot give her to you because she is not a slave.” Reese braced for someone to call Eirik’s bluff. The hall remained silent. “Nei. The people who work in my kitchen, maintain the keep, help harvest the crops do so by choice.”
“Is this true?” Haakon addressed the others in attendance.
“Can we get a witness?” Reese mumbled under her breath. She glanced over her shoulder and willed someone, anyone to move.
After what seemed like an eternity, Bjarni uncoiled himself from his seat. “There are no slaves here, Konugr Haakon,”
On the other side of the hall, Magdal’s Stig stood as well. “There are no slaves here.”
Unconvinced, Haakon snapped his fingers at a wench curled around one of his men like a kudzu. Reese groaned. Of all people why Leika? Her resentment of her and her relationship with Eirik still simmered on the surface.
Eyes twinkling, Leika unwound herself from her male companion. Her glance swung across to Reese and she smiled with benign triumph. Thankfully, nothing of what Reese was feeling showed in her expression. Outwardly she appeared serene, inwardly she trembled. This was all her fault. She’d cooked up this scheme to gain their freedom. Instead, she’d put them all in jeopardy because of some silly girl’s spite.