Page 44 of The Last Viking

“Hmpfh! Einstein didn’t chase after young girls and impregnate them. Einstein didn’t toss his wife aside because she couldn’t have babies. Einstein didn’t—”

“Enough!” Meredith shouted into the telephone and surprised even herself. In a softer tone, she said, “I have to go. Is there a reason for your call?”

“I don’t care for your tone at all, Meredith Ann,” her mother said icily.

“The girl always had a problem with self-control,” her father agreed.

“Just like Jillian.”

“Aaarrgh!” Meredith contributed.

“The reason we called,” her mother said with exaggerated patience, “is that your father and I discussed the conversation we had with you earlier today, after you sent the fax. And while we still think the workman you hired is incorrect in his statements about tenth-century events, he poses some interesting hypotheses.”

“Such as his impressions of Queen Aelfgifu. And details about the courts of the Saxon King Aethelred in Winchester and King Olaf in Norway during the tenth century. Even ship purchases made by noble personages of that time,” her father added. “Did you say Ralph came from Norway? Well, there was constant traffic then between the Norse lands and the Northumbrian trading center in Jorvik. Perhaps Ralph stumbled onto some long-hidden documents—”

“Or Old Icelandic runic stones that give new data on Dark Age culture,” her mother interjected hopefully. “If Ralph can read the futhark alphabet, as you claim, that in itself is remarkable.”

“Not Ralph, Rolf.”

As usual, her parents steamrolled over her. This time they didn’t even acknowledge the correction.

“Workmen often uncover vital artifacts and don’t recognize their importance. Remember those ancient scrolls, Lillian? The ones that Egyptian stoneworker had stuffed in his wall?”

Meredith could hear the ring of excitement in her father’s voice. The thrill of a possible new discovery was the only thing that could provoke such ardor. Certainly his children never had. The only time he’d ever shown her any affection was a gruff hug as a teenager when she received 1500 on her SATs, which was immediately dampened by her mother reminding him that Jared had gotten 1550.

“Your father is right. The man is probably just an illiterate braggart, as many of those workmen at archaeological sites are, but one never knows. The pretentiousness of his calling himself a Viking, though, Is so…so…plebian.”

“Huh? I never said he was an archaeological worker. I said he was a Viking shipbuilder,” Meredith broke in.

The collective snicker at the other end of the line was a vocal condemnation of her mental faculties.

“Did the girl just use that despicable word?”

“Yes, she did, Herbert. I thought we broke her of that trait long ago.”

“What word?” Meredith asked.

“Huh?” her father informed her with icy distaste.

“Father,” Meredith said with sigh of exasperation, “I’m thirty-five years old. You can stop correcting my speech.”

“Be that as it may, girl, we’ll be arriving on Saturday.”

“Wh-what?” Meredith squeaked out. This was the first she’d heard of their coming to Maine. Her stomach pitched, and bile rose to her throat. Saturday? Six days from now? Oh, Lord!

“Please make arrangements for us to have a rental car waiting at the airport, Meredith Ann. And try to find decent hotel accommodations nearby.”

“And whatever you do, girl, don’t let Ralph escape until we have a chance to interview him.”

Escape? How could I stop Ralph, the big galoot. I mean, Rolf, the big galoot…from doing anything he wanted? “I thought you were off to Bombay.”

“Tsk-tsk, girl. Focus, remember? Bombay was last month. No, we’re attending a symposium in Hamburg on Monday. ‘The Social and Political Implications of Lime In Tenth-Century Garderobes.’ We’ll only be able to stay in Maine for two days.”

No, no, no…wait a minute. This is not a good idea,” Meredith protested. But already her parents had tuned her out.

“Make sure you pack the tape recorder, Herbert, and plenty of cassettes.”

“Yes, Lillian. And don’t forget the camera. We might want to take photographs of that medieval belt clasp.”