‘Oh, I ken who you are.’ She looked at me in disgust.
‘What were you doing in Northumbria?’
I could hear the twang in her voice.
‘None of yer business.’ She spat again, this time narrowly missing me.
‘I will make sure you come to no harm.’
I could almost hear Sigurd groan in displeasure, but he said nothing. I knew then that I had to help her. That we could help each other. She was a survivor. She did not weep. She was defiant and she reminded me of Donada. I would take her with me to Alba and set her free; in return, maybe she would help me save my sister.
She did not budge. She did not utter a word. She stared me down.
‘I am grateful for such a wonderful gift,’ I said.
A new plan had formed. I would make her my ally.
Chapter 14
A Happy Marriage
That evening, as the night’s shadows chased the sun away, Sigurd and I sat across from each other before the fire. I am sure I could see beads of sweat on his brow from the level of concentration. We were both fully clothed but only one of us was angry. He always was a sore loser.
‘I do not understand,’ I said. ‘Which piece do I move again?’
I was not as slow-witted as he thought I was and had mastered the rules. This was our fourth match. I stared down at the tiny ivory men and all their squares. His mind was much too slow and he did not suspect my moves until it was too late. Sigurd’s King was on the edge of the board and surrounded on three sides by my attackers, again.
‘You say that you do not understand and yet you have surrounded my King again,’ he sounded exasperated. ‘It is your match.’
‘I win again!’ I shouted and raised my arms.
‘I am letting you win.’
‘Next time I will defend the King, and you can attack, see if it is just beginner’s luck?’ I began to pick up the pieces to reset the board.
‘No more games tonight,’ he said sulkily, rising to his feet. ‘I must meet with the men to prepare for The Thing.’ He kissed my cheek and disappeared back through the door.
It is a strange in-between, the days after a wedding but before you have fallen in love. I understood that I had a duty to my new husband, that much I knew, but I also had a deep yearning for him. Part of me wanted his company. Part of me was infuriatedby him and enjoyed the thrill of making him seethe. This night, I was not sure which I wanted more.
I lay awake most of the night as the stars danced slowly through the darkness, waiting for my new husband to return. What appeared in the doorway resembled my husband and yet, the body did not seem to be under the full control of its owner. I watched disconcertingly from the bed.
‘My… Lad…My Olith.’ He slurred, taking a tentative step forward and then stumbled a further three. ‘I have missed you.’
‘Is this what happens when you attend The Thing?’
He was always a fearsome fighter, but he was very a cheerful drunk.
‘This is not The Thing,’ he insisted. ‘It is half a day’s sail.’ He collapsed in a mass of arms and legs next to me, trying to prop himself on his elbow. ‘You are a thing… a thing of beauty.’ He took my hand, and he kissed it. ‘Tomorrow, I shall bring you breakfast and I will have Thorkell… he is the one with the sour face, yes? I will have the horses ready at dawn.’ He laid his head back and closed his eyes. ‘I shall teach you how Dane’s ride.’
?
To this day, I still do not know how he managed to sober so quickly, but I awoke as I felt the weight shift beside me and a warm kiss against my cheek. My eyes fluttered open to find my husband smiling with a plate of food.
‘Gulls eggs, bread and salted fish,’ he said pushing it towards me. ‘Eat and then I shall teach you to ride.’
The previous night’s discussion came flooding back to me as I shuffled myself into a more seated position.
‘You will not teach me how to ride,’ I said, eating ravenously. I was not one for conversation when I ate.
