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She ducked her head. ‘Hardly that.’
‘Then what is it?’ He gave in to temptation and put his hand on her shoulder, making sure his breath caressed her ear. ‘I’m hardly likely to make love with you in front of my men. I prefer privacy for those sorts of endeavours and I always make sure the lady is willing.’
Her cheeks flushed scarlet and she took a long draught of mead. ‘It is good to know. My husband...’
‘Your late husband holds no sway over the proceedings or the estate. He has vanished as if he never was.’
‘Have you explored the entire estate?’ Edith choked out. She had to change the direction of the conversation before it became out of hand. Brand’s voice had conjured all sorts of images and possibilities in her head. Could she go back to the girl she once was? She had been so full of optimism then. ‘You can hardly blame me for attempting to keep something back. Most Norsemen want to take rather than settle. We who remain behind need to live.’
He regarded her with sharp eyes before relaxing against the back of the chair. His fur-lined cloak brushed her thigh, sending a small pulse of warmth through her. Edith schooled her features. She was behaving worse than a virgin on her wedding night. She knew what the basic procedure was, though she’d never quite understood what was enjoyable about it. Egbert had always been rough, taking his pleasure before falling asleep with a drunken snore.
For some reason when Brand was near, her body reacted in unexpected ways. Hurriedly she gulped her mead down.
‘Everything is fine.’ His mouth quirked upwards as if he knew how he affected her and why she’d chosen this topic. He motioned for her goblet to be refilled. ‘The estate as you said is more profitable than I was first led to believe. You are right about how Norsemen used to behave. We saw no reason to settle here. This time we have come to settle. The land is ours now.’
‘Is that what you call it—settling?’
‘You have another word?’
‘Conquering and annihilating.’
‘We must agree to differ. I’ve no wish to spoil my food with a fight.’
Edith placed the goblet back on the table with a clunk. ‘I warned you that my skills as a conversationalist were not great. I’ve trouble keeping my opinions to myself.’
‘You should never be afraid of expressing a sincerely held belief. I judge men on their merits, rather than on their past beliefs.’
‘It is good to know.’ Edith concentrated, but all her thoughts revolved around the breadth of his shoulders and the shadowy hollow of his throat. ‘What are you curious about?’
‘Shall we discuss why you chose to hide such a quantity of wool in an out-of-the-way place?’
‘I feared raiders.’
‘It wasn’t just to keep it away from the Norsemen. You had another purpose. Who else knows about the passageway, Lady Edith?’
Edith tapped her finger against the ceramic goblet. He knew or rather had guessed. She’d underestimated him. ‘We had to take precautions with the wool. It was done under my orders. I take full responsibility if you are seeking to blame someone.’
‘For what?’
Edith took a sip of her mead. The back of her neck prickled. ‘Must we play games? I gave orders for the salt cod to be put there. I can’t abide the smell, if you must know.’
‘It is your responsibility, rather than your husband’s.’
‘Yes.’ Edith lifted her chin and looked directly in to his piercing eyes. ‘I gave the order. Egbert enjoyed eating it, but it turns my stomach. I thought it best to keep it safe for his return. I was being prudent.’
He lifted an eyebrow. ‘Is that what you call it?’
‘What else should I call it?’ Edith took a cautious sip of the mead, just one rather than gulping it down again. Allowing the mead to go to her head would only result in a headache tomorrow and she needed all her wits about her.
Her stomach knotted and she once again felt that she was playing a high-stakes game where she wasn’t entirely certain of the rules. All she knew was that one misstep and everything would come tumbling down. She pushed the goblet away.
‘A passageway to the woods.’ He toyed with his knife. ‘Who are you trying to keep out? Your late husband? Did he know about it?’
‘It no longer matters. The cod has served its purpose.’ Edith kept her head up and her gaze focused somewhere over Brand Bjornson’s shoulder.
There was no need to explain that she’d blocked the entrance to the passage to prevent Egbert from sneaking back in. The last thing she wanted was for this Norseman to know the true state of her former marriage and the threats he had made. Egbert was dead and buried, along with his men. She never had to think about him hurting her again. And Brand Bjornson would soon discover what she was like in bed. Suddenly she wanted the feast to continue for ever. Here she knew she could hold her own. In the dark, she’d be lost.
