Page 54 of The Caged Viking

“Oooooh!” she sighed and turned to him with thanks. “How did you manage this?” she asked, quickly adding, “No, don’t tell me. You are Viking. Anything is possible.”

“Was that an insult?”

She squeezed his arm and said, “No. I’m thankful. Now, go so that I can bathe in private.”

“What? You do not need my help in scrubbing your unreachable parts?”

“No, thank you.”

“Perchance I could join you if we squeeze together just so?”

“Not a chance!” She laughed.

He left her alone and she trusted that he would leave her alone for a while, but she made quick work of removing her dirty clothes and getting into the warm water, just in case, sudsing herself up with the soap, washing her hair, rinsing herself with a small bucket several times before she leaned back and sighed. This was better than the most indulgent bubble bath in her modern soaking tub, even though this brass container had her sitting with her knees raised and the water was less than a foot and a half deep. She would have liked to relax longer, but the water was already turning cold.

She dressed in a green wool dress so finely woven it was almost like silk and not as warm as you would expect from wool. It had a round neckline and long sleeves, rather full to the ankles, but she was able to tighten it at the waist with a braided gold cord belt, which she tied off with a bow. When Hauk came back…without knocking, she noticed…she was attempting to run the comb through her snarled, damp hair. Without conditioner, it was almost impossible.

Immediately seeing her dilemma, Hauk said, “Let me.” He forced her to sit on a stool while he faced her back, resting his buttocks on the lip of the tub, and began to work on the tangles, one at a time. Meanwhile, he chatted amiably. “I’ve decided to go back to Haukshire.”

A chill ran over Kirstin. So, the time had finally come. Hauk intended to leave Winchester Castle. And where did that leave her? Was he abandoning her, or planning to wait until she time-traveled back home? But she would address that later. For now, she asked, “With Bjorn?”

“Of course. I think he is well enough to travel to Jorvik in the back of the wagon.”

“Jorvik. That’s York. For goodness sakes, Hauk, that’s about two hundred miles. It would probably take you a week to get there.”

“I don’t think so. If Egil and I take turns driving, we can make use of all the daylight hours. Four days at most, mayhap five, but not a full sennight.”

“I think you’re being overly optimistic, but even so, a week or four days, Bjorn is in no condition to travel,” she said and winced when he pulled on a particularly difficult tangle. “Ouch!”

“Sorry.”

“I assume that Jorvik is where your longship is docked, or wharfed, or anchored…or whatever you call it.”

He smiled at her fumbling over boat terms. “It is.”

“Isn’t there somewhere closer where you could move the longship?”

“Now that you mention it…yea, I think that is a good suggestion, considering Bjorn’s condition. I will send the two men of my shiphird still remaining here to ride to Jorvik immediately where the rest of my men are already preparing for a voyage. Sea Wolf is a fairly small longship, and no doubt I will need to hire on another six or more sea men. They will be directed to bring the longship to London. On horseback, the men should need only two days to get to Jorvik, and in the meantime, it will take Egil and I only a day and half to get Bjorn to the wharf.” He kissed the back of her neck and murmured against her ears, “Thank you, dearling.”

Before she could swat him away, or ponder just how good his lips felt against her skin, he stepped back. “I think I got all the tangles.” He ran the comb smoothly down through the long strands several more times just to be sure.

She shivered at the almost erotic delight of the comb’s teeth stroking her scalp. She’d heard about scalp massages being sensuous experiences offered in luxury spas, but had never experienced before. Wow!

He turned the stool so he was facing her. His eyes took in her gown, and her scrubbed face, and hair which hung in a straight damp swath from behind her ears down to her shoulders.

“You are beautiful,” he observed.

Clean and presentable, she thought. Even in the best of circumstances, back in her own time, with make-up and all the modern enhancements, she would have described herself as attractive, never beautiful. But instead of arguing, she said, “Thank you.”

“We need to talk,” he said, running his fingertips along her jaw and over her lips. Then he took both her hands in his.

“About my going home?”

He nodded.

“If you’re committed to beginning a trip to London tomorrow, I should probably attempt to go back sometime today, or tonight.”

“Are you committed to that course?”