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‘People whisper that with one wave of your hand, the locks fell open and you used the full moon to cast a spell on her, turning her into a swan so she could escape undetected.’
‘If I’d done half the things claimed of me, I doubt I’d be standing before you. I’d be flying through the air to Constantinople on a pair of wings, as Kettil consistently refuses me a large enough ship to make that voyage,’ she said crisply, giving him the stare that normally managed to send men running for cover.
‘Why did you do it?’ he asked in a low voice. ‘The truth, because any games you choose to play, I will win. I make you that promise.’
Her mouth went dry and she bit back the words asking him what sort of games he had in mind. Instead she settled her features into a scowl. ‘My brother and his chosen bride deserved to be together.’
‘Any particular reason?’
She jerked her head towards where Blodvin and Regin stood waiting to hear their fate. ‘They make a handsome couple.’
‘Your brother should have challenged for the right. What good is a man if he cannot protect his wife and children?’
‘Blodvin made her own choice.’ Sayrid ignored his remark. ‘No man cheats my family.’
Hrolf’s eyes became deadly. ‘Strong words. How did precisely Ingvar the Bloodaxe cheat?’
‘When a bride price is agreed and paid, one expects the bride to remain available as long as she is willing.’
‘Payments can be returned.’
Sayrid gave a soft cough. ‘Next time ask around. Better still, ask the woman if she wants to be married to you.’
He slammed his fist against his open palm. ‘Bloodaxe swore there was no impediment.’
She rolled her eyes. It amazed her that a warrior such as Hrolf Sea-Rider would be inclined to believe Ingvar Flokison. But he’d been away in the East for a long time and perhaps had not thought to listen to gossip.
‘A man who constantly delivers light sacks of wool should always have his word tested.’ She poured scorn into her voice. ‘Didn’t you think to listen to the rumours and gossip before entering into negotiations? And you, a sea king with a reputation for quick thinking.’
A dimple flashed in the corner of his mouth. ‘Women’s talk around the distaff and weaving loom?’
‘Men gossip far more than women. They just like to think they don’t.’
‘Truly?’
Sayrid ground her teeth. Hrolf was precisely like any other Northman—women were there to provide food, drink and pleasure only. She clenched her fists and regained control of her temper. ‘Listening and heeding dockside chatter saved my ship on my first voyage. We went a different way home and avoided the sea raiders.’
He instantly sobered. ‘What else did you learn, Valkyrie?’
Even now the hardship of that first voyage rolled over her—the storms at sea, the lodestone being washed overboard and the men who had tried to cheat her simply because she was a woman. And the others who gawped at her height.
‘Things far too countless to mention.’ She lifted her chin and adopted her no-nonsense voice. ‘I wish you good day, Hrolf Eymundsson. My family needs me to make this right.’
‘You care for your family more than your life.’
Sayrid shrugged. ‘You’ll find another bride, particularly as I’ve arranged for a feast after the Assembly to celebrate the marriage. I can suggest a name or two—women who are not spoken for and whose kinsmen are honest. I wouldn’t want you to make the same mistake twice. Feuds ruin families.’
His piercing blue gaze locked on her mouth. ‘I make my own choices. Without interference.’
Her stomach flipped over. Nearly kissing him the other night had been a mistake. She should have gone for another approach like stamping on his foot. ‘I had only meant to be helpful.’
‘I look forward to speaking more after the Storting…if you intend on being helpful.’
Sayrid frowned. What sort of game was he playing? Men didn’t flirt with her. Perhaps he did really want introductions. Her heart panged slightly.
She made a breezy gesture. ‘We’ve no quarrel, you and I.’
His hand descended onto her shoulder. The touch seared through her wool tunic, making her insides do a giddy loop. ‘I’m glad to hear it.’
She moved away from him and sought to dampen down the bubbly feeling. This warrior was the same as the rest of them, worse even. Her father’s long-ago words about how she had little to recommend herself even to a desperate man echoed in her brain. ‘May you find the bride you truly desire, Sea-Rider. I wish you a long life and prosperity.’
