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She waited expectantly, but no one moved or cried out.
‘What a thing to be recognised by one’s own wife who is about to remarry, but no one else,’ Ash said with his old dry humour to his voice.
The sound clawed at her heart and she had to look up at the ceiling. But still no one spoke. Most kept their eyes to the ground, though one or two stared defiantly at him.
‘You were the one who wished this done today, Lady Kara,’ Harald Haraldson said, rising to his feet again. ‘Shall we end this deception? My lord king and good nobles, I have no idea why Kara Olofdottar entered into this deception with this Viken, but something must be done to halt her perfidious scheme before she endangers the entire country. What other dealings has she had with our old enemy? What mischief does she wish to unleash on this country?’
The colour drained from Ash’s face, making his scars stand out as he recognised the gravity of his situation. Kara stared open-mouthed at Harald Haraldson. He had twisted the situation to suit his purpose. If she wasn’t careful, Harald Haraldson would seek to gain control of Jaarlshiem, using this as a pretext to attack the estate and hold it under the pretence of the safety of the realm.
‘My loyalty to Raumerike is without question,’ she snapped. ‘This is no act of Viken treachery.’
Harald Haraldson raised an eyebrow. ‘All I asked for was a little delay. Suddenly you speak of loyalty and treachery. I vote to err on the side of caution and tradition.’
‘Will no one else recognise this man as my husband?’ Kara held out her hands to the crowd, trying to pick out faces. ‘I trust my husband’s uncle has his own reasons for wishing Ash to remain dead, but what about the rest of you? Why do you wish Ash Hringson dead?’
The silence was deafening. Kara’s heart plummeted. What had she expected? For the entire Storting to stand up and declare for her, simply because she had asked? It wasn’t how the world worked. She’d stopped believing in miracles when Rurik was born.
She wished the ground would open and swallow her. Maybe she should have erred on the side of caution, but it would have been wrong to deny her husband. Silently she fumed at how neatly she’d been trapped.
A man dressed in rough farming clothes stood up. ‘Kara Olofdottar has vouched for him, I believe her. She cured my horse of lameness last spring and I know she always tells the truth. She never gives short measures with her grain.’ He gave Ash’s uncle a hard look. ‘Unlike others I could mention.’
After he stood, ten other men stood up. All they needed was one more.
‘I will vouch for him, as well. Kara Olofdottar must not be punished for speaking the truth,’ Valdar thundered beside her. He, too, gave a significant look towards Ash’s uncle before nodding at Ash. ‘You have your twelve men, Hringson. You are alive again in the eyes of Raumerike.’
‘The priest needs to decide,’ Ash’s uncle thundered. ‘Is this a proper way to conduct affairs? Are we to be led by women in skirts?’
Kara put her hand over her mouth and waited for the decision.
‘The gods have spoken. Kara Olofdottar has vouched that this man is indeed Ash Hringson, formerly declared dead, and twelve have agreed with her,’ the priest intoned after staring at the altar for a lifetime. ‘You are alive, Ash Hringson, according to Raumerike law. You may enjoy all the benefits of your former status.’
‘And the marriage?’ Ash’s face appeared to be carved from stone. ‘A woman, even a woman as beautiful as Kara Olofdottar, may not have two husbands. Do you accept my claim to her?’
The entire crowd laughed. A hot tide swept up Kara’s face. Easy words—that was all they were. Ash didn’t mean them, just as he had not meant the compliments he had given her seven years ago. Her father-in-law had demonstrated that fact when she’d fought for Rurik’s life. Ash had always used charm and flattery to get what he wanted.
Ice-cold anger swept through her. She might have recognised Ash but it didn’t mean she had forgiven him for what he’d done or how long it had taken him to return home. She would not revert to the starry-eyed naïve girl she had once been.
‘The marriage between Valdar Nerison and Kara Olofdottar will not take place today,’ the priest confirmed. ‘Ash Hringson has returned to the land of the living.’
‘This is not the end,’ Harald Haraldson said, rising to his feet. ‘I will ensure a proper investigation is held into where this man’s allegiance truly lies. I refuse to harbour a Viken viper in our bosom. Our country’s security should not be put at risk by this...this reckless woman.’
