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‘Is there some reason you are here, my lady?’ The nurse’s face was hostile and her manner bordered on the insolent. ‘Inga always spends her mornings sewing. She is learning to be a fine lady who will make her father proud.’
‘That is an admirable occupation, but on a day like today the last thing I would want to do is sit still. Maybe we could go for a walk? I could show you the different shields my men use.’
Inga clung tighter to the nurse and buried her face in the nurse’s ample bosom.
‘You must go for your walk. Inga is trying to finish her tapestry for her father.’ The nurse frowned. ‘He is determined that she will be a great needlewoman like his mother was.’
‘I’m here to visit my new daughter,’ Sayrid said, looking the nurse in the eye and ignoring the stain on the cloth. Of course Inga idolized her father. Little girls did at six. She had done. But sewing took concentration and she had hated sitting still. ‘The needlework is superb. Is the pattern from your country? I’ve never seen it before. Can I take a closer look?’
Inga shrank back against the nurse, giving an urgent whisper.
‘Did the master say you might?’ the nurse asked, hugging the cloth to her chest.
Sayrid reined in her temper. Shouting at the woman would do more harm than good. Instead she knelt beside the little girl. Silently she vowed that the nurse would learn—Hrolf didn’t order her about. She had no master. And she deserved respect. ‘I wanted to meet my new daughter. Properly, without people around. Hrolf is busy at the harbour with his ship. How can needlework be a secret?’
The nurse gave a loud sniff.
‘Is it because of the ghost?’ Inga asked in a trembling voice, finally lifting her head.
‘What ghost?’
‘The lady ghost I saw last night. She stood next to Far’s ship.’
Every nerve in Sayrid’s body came alive. She knew it! A woman had done the damage. Hrolf had dismissed the notion, but with Inga’s evidence, he’d have to listen. ‘How do you know it was a ghost? What did she look like? Can you describe her?’
The girl stared at her with feline eyes. Sayrid tried not to wonder what her mother must have looked like. ‘You’re very tall. Your dress is very ugly and doesn’t fit you properly. Ghosts look like ghosts. Everyone knows that.’
Sayrid hurriedly hunched her shoulders. ‘Until yesterday, I rarely wore gowns, but your father insisted. I’ve never seen a ghost. Are you sure it wasn’t a real person?’
‘Did my father send you?’
The hopeful note in the girl’s voice tugged at Sayrid’s heart. She could easily remember how she once longed for her own father to pay her attention. And now it would appear Hrolf was behaving precisely as Ironfist had. Silently she vowed that Inga would not be forgotten again.
‘He’ll come along as soon as he has finished. And he will want to hear about the person you saw.’
‘Ghost. He’ll believe me about the ghost.’ Inga tilted her chin up. Unshed tears swam in her eyes. ‘He always believes me.’
‘Inga is easily upset.’ The nurse moved between Sayrid and the girl. ‘She says things and thinks later.’ The nurse turned towards Inga. ‘What did I say about not provoking the giantess?’
Inga immediately hung her head. ‘I don’t want to be eaten. I want to grow up.’
‘I’m not…’ Sayrid gritted her teeth. Somehow she’d have to win both of them over. ‘Did you see the ghost as well or only Inga?’
The nurse’s eyes widened. ‘My lady?’
‘It is a simple enough question. Did you see this ghost? Or were you too busy with your needlework?’
The woman rapidly pulled the needle in and out of the cloth. ‘Nobody pays attention to what an old woman like me sees. It makes no difference what I say. You will send me away because it is what new wives do.’
Sayrid clenched her jaw. Losing her temper was not going to help the situation, but she was certain Inga and her nurse had seen a real person. They could be the key to clearing Regin and allowing Auda her freedom.
‘You look after Inga,’ she said sharply. ‘Inga must have been out of bed to see this lady by her father’s ship. It stands to reason.’
The woman went pale. ‘All I want is for Inga to please her father.’
Sayrid knelt down beside the nurse. ‘I wanted to know if you saw it as well. It is a simple enough request. I’m not looking to get you in trouble or send you away, simply to solve a mystery.’
‘Inga escaped when I went to get a drink. I was a few steps behind and the ghost had gone,’ the woman admitted. ‘Ghosts have a way of doing that.’
