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‘Such as?’
‘Seeing to the accounts. I like being efficient and do it every evening. You need not worry. I’m no thief.’ She bit her lip. She had to admit it before they went any further. Seeing Hilda just now and the way she moved brought it home to her. She was no concubine, made for a man’s pleasure. She was the sort of woman that a man married because he had to and she had sufficient dowry. ‘You appear to have the wrong idea about me. I’ve no experience at being a...a concubine, but I can run a household.’
‘I run my own household.’ His tone allowed for no dissent. ‘The keys, Lady Edith. Or do I tear them from your waist?’
He would. The barbarian! Hilda’s story held more than a ring of truth. She could imagine him going berserk on the battlefield and slaughtering indiscriminately. Silently she undid them and placed them in his hand. Suddenly her entire being was lighter, but her waist felt naked and exposed. If anything, the bareness symbolised her new status as a slave. Edith schooled her features. She refused to burst into tears. She should have expected the request earlier.
He weighed the keys carefully and placed them in a pouch that he wore.
‘A large house is different from a warrior’s camp,’ Edith argued. ‘It takes a lifetime to master.’
‘I have a lifetime.’
‘I only wanted to help in case...’
His lip curled. ‘In case I was only fit for the pigsty?’
‘I never said that.’ Silently she prayed he’d see reason. Surely he couldn’t be that blind. He had to know that she could never play love games and that she alone should have control of the keys. Men did not control the keys.
If anything, his face became harder and more unyielding. It was easy to see why the rumours about his ferocity swirled about Northumbria.
‘I know what needs to be done and rest assured I will discover which door each of them unlocks. You will find I learn quickly.’
A shiver crept down her spine. He would discover precisely where she’d hidden everything. Instead of listening to Hilda, she should have been dismantling the key ring and retaining those keys she needed. Hindsight was a luxury she couldn’t afford.
‘And what do you suggest I do? Take up pig-keeping?’ She gave an arched laugh.
A distinctive heat came into his eyes. Bedchamber eyes. ‘It is always good to learn a new skill. You will see flirting will come to you in time. I’ve no intention of forcing you to keep pigs.’
Edith’s throat went dry. She swallowed hastily, trying to ignore the warm tide flowing through her. No man had the right to look that good. ‘A new skill! What sort of skill? And who will teach me? You!’
‘Having second thoughts, my lady? You can beg for the convent if you wish.’ He put his hands behind his head. ‘I might be open to begging.’
‘You know nothing of me.’ She crossed her arms. ‘I gave my word and will endeavour to keep it. I have always done so, regardless of what other people have done.’
‘Then what is the problem?’ He ran a finger down her cheek, sending a delicious shiver throughout her being. She attempted to banish the feeling, but it grew. Edith concentrated on a spot above his shoulder, rather than falling into his gaze again.
‘I merely wanted to warn you of my failings. Personally I have always found it most profitable to employ people where they were best suited.’
He made an impatient noise in the back of his throat. The rest of her speech died on her lips.
‘I assume you know how to play tafl, sing and make amusing conversation?’ he asked in a voice laced with heavy irony. ‘That you are not devoid of culture in the North Riding?’
‘Yes, of course,’ Edith said, tapping her slipper on the ground. How dare the Norseman infer that she was some sort of barely cultured barbarian, instead of him! ‘Those are the things people do in polite society.’
He leant forwards until their foreheads touched. ‘You should have no problem in your new role. Keep in mind that you need to please me and we will get along well. I’m far from ungenerous to those who please me.’
‘But...’
His breath caressed her cheek. ‘You fear we won’t suit. That I will have no idea of your tender sensibilities as I have spent my entire life soldiering and sleeping on the ground rather than on a soft bed. You fear the barbarian.’
Edith shook her head quickly, too quickly. Her body tingled with awareness of him and his proximity to her. She tried to think straight, but all she could think about was the blueness of his eyes, the broadness of his shoulders and the strength in his arms. ‘I hadn’t really considered where you have spent the night. I have no idea of your needs.’
