AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Neither commented. Each seemed to be poised, waiting for the other to make his move.
The nagging pain at the back of her eyes intensified. If she was not very careful, these two warriors would be at each other’s throats. And the feast would be even more memorable. ‘Thank you, Valdar, for heeding Auda’s request and reminding me that the feast needs to begin. Ash, you will have to say a few words before everyone can eat unless you would rather someone else did.’
Ash’s fingers relaxed. ‘Whom do you suggest? My uncle? After all, he has been entirely welcoming.’
‘Harald Haraldson sends his apologies.’ Valdar lowered his hand, releasing the hilt. ‘Today’s events have overwhelmed him and he is far from young.’
Kara’s heart sank. Ash’s uncle was making a deliberate statement rather than taking to his bed in shock. He had not given up his quest for Jaarlshiem simply because Ash had returned.
‘And the king?’ she asked quietly. If the king had decided not to attend the feast, as well, it would send a very powerful message that his support lay with Ash’s uncle in any investigation.
‘He agreed with Auda and sent me. He does prefer an early night these days.’
Giddy relief poured through Kara. The king might not come out and declare it, but he would support Ash over Harald Haraldson in any investigation. Everything might be fine after all. Harald Haraldson was powerful enough to demand an enquiry, but Ash would achieve his birthright as long as he had the king’s favour. Rurik’s inheritance was secure. For the first time since Hring the Bold’s funeral and Harald Haraldson’s declaration, Kara felt she could stop looking over her shoulder—the king was with Ash.
‘If he is the one asking, then we must go.’ Kara clapped her hands together. ‘One never keeps a king waiting.’
‘We are not finished.’
‘We can discuss things later.’
‘I look forward to that with anticipation.’
After the feast, she’d explain about Rurik, Kara promised herself. Ash had to understand that she had a duty to their son. And she wanted to ensure he was properly brought up, not left to fend for himself with only a nurse for company as Ash had been. She remembered drying Ash’s tears once after he’d been beaten and sent out into the forest again. Later Hring had boasted about Ash’s rough-and-ready upbringing and his tales still made her blood run cold. That was not happening to Rurik.
Ash drew his arm through hers. He smiled down at her but his eyes were hard. ‘We enter the feast together. Husband and wife.’
Kara wet her lips and tried to quell the nerves in her stomach. ‘Together?’
Ash gave Valdar a significant look. ‘You can hardly want people to think I had lost you...already.’
Chapter Four
The cheers and stomping of feet echoed in Ash’s ears as he took his seat. His brief speech and toast in reply to the king’s welcome had gone down well with the assembled crowd. Slightly different from the one he had planned on the ship.
It was the sort of speech they, in particular Kara, would want to hear rather than a precise recounting of events. Ash inwardly cringed at certain parts which made him out to be more of a hero. He’d been lucky. That was all. Nothing heroic. He had made it through alive even if at times he’d wanted to die, rather than continue on. But no one wanted to hear the truth.
‘Your speech was well received.’ Kara gave a polite smile as he sat down. ‘It certainly seemed like you had an exciting time.’
‘You missed two of my jokes. You never missed them before,’ he said. ‘I put them in especially for you. I hoped you liked them.’
Kara raised an eyebrow. ‘For me? I’m honoured that you thought much about me. My mind must have been on something else. I’m sorry.’
Ash tapped his finger against the drinking horn. Watching for someone? Valdar had not yet appeared in the hall, despite his ill-timed interruption in the antechamber.
‘I just wanted you to know.’
‘Impressing me should be the least of your considerations, Ash,’ she said.
Ash took a thoughtful sip of his ale. She was wrong. Seven years ago, he had married her in order to demonstrate to his father that he was ready to shoulder responsibility and ready to be the captain of a ship. Kara had been the girl on the next estate who blushed every time he spoke to her and hung on his every word. She’d believed in his dreams of being a great warrior. He hated disappointing anyone. ‘I wanted you to know.’
