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‘I felt unwell and wished to return home.’ Blodvin ran her fingers over her growing stomach. ‘I worried about my precious babe.’
For good measure she batted her lashes as if she expected him to become a puddle at her feet. Hrolf silently thanked whichever god had been looking out for him when the proposed marriage to that ill-mannered witch had been interrupted and he’d encountered Sayrid instead. Sayrid with her good sense was what he needed, but he still had to wonder whose side she’d choose in a fight. His or her brother’s.
‘Indeed.’
‘It is the truth,’ Blodvin declared hotly. ‘Tell him, Regin, tell your new brother. We had barely gone a few miles when I suddenly knew that I had to come here until the baby was born. My baby who will be born in his father’s hall.’
Sayrid’s brother stammered and looked everywhere but at Sayrid. ‘It is like Blodvin says. I thought it best to return here. Our babe should be born in the hall of his fathers.’
‘It is my hall now.’
Sayrid stepped forward. ‘What Hrolf means is that you are welcome to rest here while one of the outlying farms is made ready for you.’
‘I want one with a good aspect,’ Blodvin declared. ‘Tell them, Regin. Only the best for our child.’
Hrolf felt sorry for the man. He was under his wife’s thumb and the marriage had barely begun. He was one of those who hid behind his wife’s skirts.
‘You expected Sayrid and me to remain with Kettil,’ he stated flatly. ‘Any particular reason?’
Regin scuffed his toe in the dirt. ‘It crossed my mind that you might have duties there, but obviously I was wrong.’
‘And your travelling companions?’ Hrolf asked, keeping his voice smooth and ignoring Sayrid’s sudden intake of breath. ‘Were they on their way here?’
‘Men we met on the road,’ Blodvin answered, coming forward with a distinct sway to her hips. She allowed her cloak to gape open. Her blouse exposed a little more flesh than strictly necessary. ‘They needed a place to rest. One must offer hospitality.’
‘Naturally.’
‘What is wrong with that?’ Blodvin allowed her cloak to open a little more. ‘Why are you trying to make out that we have done something wrong?’
Hrolf schooled his features. It irritated him that Blodvin considered he’d be distracted by such obvious measures. He glanced between his wife and the woman he had nearly married. There was no comparison. He had to wonder what he’d ever fleetingly seen in Blodvin and why he’d ever considered that she might be the correct sort of wife for him.
‘Hrolf,’ Sayrid said with a sharp edge to her voice. ‘Do you have proof that these men mean to cause harm? And my brother?’
‘While you rest under this roof, I will have your swords,’ Hrolf replied, inclining his head towards the leader of the band. ‘I will vouch for your protection while you are within my walls.’
He motioned to his men who formed a barrier behind him. ‘I assume you mean us no harm.’
The men exchanged glances and with the briefest of hesitations began to lay down their wide variety of arms. Hrolf regarded each in turn. The second to the last reminded him of one of Lavrans’s men, but he couldn’t be sure. He wished Bragi was there as the man’s memory for faces was unsurpassed.
The last one stood in front of the weapons pile and bared his teeth. He looked Sayrid up and down as if he were mentally undressing her. ‘Your wife?’
Hrolf curled his fists. ‘Is there a problem with that?’
The man gave a little swagger. ‘No, no, I had heard the Shield Maiden had married. What does it feel like to be married to a Valkyrie? Or is she too wild for you?’
Hrolf heard the swift intake of breath echo around the yard. Sayrid went rigid next to him and her eyes were fastened on a distant point.
‘You are a guest in this house. I suggest you behave like one.’ Hrolf fixed the man with a deadly gaze. His fingers itched to draw his sword, but the man was unarmed. And right now he did not want to give anyone a pretext.
Silently he gave thanks that Sayrid had chosen not to react. Any other woman would have demanded his head, but Sayrid simply stood still. Hrolf’s heart unexpectedly panged. She had clearly suffered this sort of behaviour many times before.
‘A simple question.’ The man raised his hands. ‘Curiosity got the better of me.’
‘Do not allow it to get the better of you again.’ Hrolf inclined his head. ‘The lady is my wife and will have your respect.’
The man blanched, clearly understanding the threat. ‘I most humbly beg your pardon, Shield…my lady.’
