The Viking's Woman (33 page)

He strode swiftly to the white stallion, then paused, waiting for her. Slowly she followed him. He swept her up, setting her upon the horse, then mounted behind her.

He paused before the tree. “I do already know something of the king’s laws,” he said. “Treason against the king is the highest crime within the land.”

“They did not betray him!” she insisted softly.

She felt his whisper against her ear. “Treason against one’s lord is the second-highest crime within this land.”

He was silent, waiting. She said nothing in reply, and he spoke again at last.

“Rhiannon, you will do well to remember that whatever your heart, or your mind, I am your lord.”

She didn’t answer him, and he touched her chin, turning her head slightly so that he could read her eyes. She freed herself quickly from his touch and lowered her gaze to the pommel of his saddle, where
his left hand lay easily, grasping the reins. They were such large, powerful hands, his fingers exceptionally long and somewhat tapering, as graceful as they were strong.

“Rhiannon—”

“I do not forget that you are my lord,” she said, and tossed her head to meet his eyes again, defiance rising to her own once again. “It seems that I am not able to do so!”

He smiled, and then his jovial laughter filled the air and the harsh planes of his face were eased, and in the sun he was every inch the prince, all-powerful, striking, golden in the light, indeed the Viking lord of the wolves.

“You are, milady, quite remarkable.”

“Am I?”

“You do well enough in my absence. Indeed you do marvelously well. And you grind your teeth with my return, yet I’ve really not come to do battle. We both seek the same goals.”

“Nay, milord, we do not!” she insisted sweetly.

But he smiled again. “Aye, lady, we do.” He stretched out an arm to encompass the land around them. “We both seek the best for this place. Prosperity, laughter, peace. Careful judgment, greater learning—our own golden age, perhaps.”

Her eyes widened with mock innocence. “Milord! What power have I? You’ve just taken the gravest care to remind me that I am little more than a servant beneath your overlordship!”

He shook his head, amused once more, completely aware that any humility she offered him was false. “Rhiannon, you test your power with every step you
take, or so it seems! Lady, you are my wife, and any man makes demands of his mate. The reins that pull upon you are easy ones, my love, just as long as you remember that they are there.”

“As I have told you,” she said softly, “you need have no fear. You do not allow me not to recall at all times that you are the lord here!”

“I care not how, as long as you do recall it!” he told her, and then he nudged the stallion hard with his knees and the great beast leapt to life. She felt the great, thundering motion of the animal’s gallop beneath her thighs and the warmth and strength and curious security of her husband’s broad chest against her back, even as his arms encircled her.

Perhaps there could be something almost like peace between them ….

Yet even as the sun rose shimmeringly high on the new day and they approached the walls of their home, all thoughts of peace vanished. From the cliffs they could see that the gates were open and that horses and men bearing Alfred’s colors were back upon them already.

“What is it?” Rhiannon murmured.

Eric reined in Alexander and stared down at the scene of milling horses and men.

“More Danes,” he said wearily. Then he added wryly, “Alas, my love, you may yet find reprieve. I think that I must ride back to war already, and that a Danish battle-ax shall ever be waiting!”

He nudged the white back to a full gallop.

She never had a chance to tell him that she did not really wish for a battle-ax to catch him.

Indeed she would pray for his safe return.

There was a great assembly gathered in the hall as Rhiannon followed Eric quickly through the doorway. Among them were many of Alfred’s top men: serious, grim Allen of Kent; Edward of Sussex; Jon of Winchester; and William of Northumbria. William had been engaged in some heavy discussion with Rollo by the north wall; he leaned there, twirling his fine dark mustache. As soon as Rhiannon entered the room, she felt his eyes upon her, brooding and dark, shielded behind the droop of his eyelids and his thick lashes. This is a dangerous man, she thought uneasily. Then she tried to dispel the idea because he was so trusted by the king. All the same, he made her uncomfortable, she realized. He had never liked the power that she held. But he was important to Alfred, and Rhiannon knew that she must grit her teeth and
accept him
into her home.

She had no choice. Eric would do so.

Still, it was obvious that Alfred’s men had not come to stay—they had come to collect warriors again for some new battle.

“Eric!” It was Jon, headstrong, passionate, always first into the fray, who approached Eric even as he entered the hall. “Gunthrum has heard of the rout at
Rochester and plots retaliation! Even now there are plans for an attack from the sea! We need ships to be sent to the king’s command. And we have been warned by a captive that a host of the bloody invaders will arrive just north of here. The king requests that you take your men and stop this group from joining with Gunthrum’s host!”

“My fleet is at the king’s command,” Eric assured Jon.

“And we’ll bloody best any Dane who dares step foot ashore upon this coast!” Rollo boasted.

A wild cheer went up, and drinking horns were raised. Rhiannon determined that Englishmen could behave as barbarically as any pagans when it came to war.

“We need the ships immediately,” Allen warned, stepping forward.

Eric nodded, hardly needing to glance Rollo’s way as he spoke to his second in command. “Rollo, see to it that the captains are ready to sail.”

The huge Viking nodded and walked swiftly from the room.

William of Northumbria left his place by the wall at last. He came forward, offering his hand in a strong clasp to Eric. “Viking ships against a Viking invader! It will surely bring us victory.” He laughed, clapping Eric hard upon the shoulder. Eric did not reply, and for a fleeting moment Rhiannon wondered if her husband shared her uneasiness about the man. But then Rowan stepped into the breech.

“There are none so fleet, so fine, at the craft of shipbuilding as the Vikings. We must thank God that the great Ard-ri of Ireland accepted the prince from
Norway as a son-in-law, and that the Ard-ri’s grandson has now brought us the great craft of his ships.”

“And the great craft of his sword arm!” William added.

“Well, I do thank you for the welcome,” Eric replied wryly. “Let’s see if our Viking ships bring assistance to this new conquest.”

“How long until they can sail to meet the king?” Jon asked anxiously.

Eric’s lip curled in a subtle, sardonic smile. “A Viking ship, my friends, can sail at a moment’s notice.” He turned to William. “And a Viking host can ride at a moment’s notice. We’ll leave within the hour.” He swirled around and found Rhiannon behind him. “See to the comforts of your Englishmen, will you, my love?” he said. His voice carried a soft taunt, yet she wondered suddenly if he were angry at her, or at something said within the room. He shouted to Rowan to join him, and for a moment her heart seemed to grow cold as she remembered the events of the morning. He had seemed willing to exculpate Rowan readily enough—indeed, he appeared genuinely fond of the lad, but might he not yet reflect that he’d breathe easier without such a rival in proximity to his wife? Eric would be giving Rowan his orders in battle …. But no, her husband would never do anything so underhanded, Rhiannon realized. Whatever faults her Viking had, even she must concede that deviousness was not among them. Eric was an honorable man. But he was angry with her, if not with Rowan. He blamed her for the morning’s encounter; he mistrusted and even disliked her. And she had told him, albeit falsely, that she still loved Rowan. Might
he not try to hurt her through the lad, though he bore Rowan himself no grudge?

She hadn’t the time to say a word, nor would she have begun to do so with men like William and Allen in the room. She swept by her husband even as he hurried to the yard to call forth his grooms. She greeted Jon and Edward.

William stepped before her as she neared the kitchen. “My dear Rhiannon! We have all worried so for you. How do you fare?”

She didn’t like the question from him at all. There was a light about his eyes that glistened like grease. He had been the one entirely eager to throw her to the wolf.

“I fare very well, very well indeed, William. Thank you and excuse me, I’ll see what we have to feed this host.”

He reached out a hand to stop her, but she evaded him and hurried into the kitchen. Adela was already there, and it seemed she and the steward had things well in hand. “Ah, there you are, dear! Well, we’ve ordered out numerous kegs of ale and mead, and we’ve just brought in scores of fresh fish and the boars they killed out hunting the other day. We haven’t the time to roast huge haunches, so we’ve sliced and skewered much of the meat, and the table is to be set right now. Have I missed anything?”

“Not a thing. It’s quite the best anyone can do on such notice. Adela, you are a godsend.”

Adela smiled, plump and complacent. She patted Rhiannon’s hair. “Did you have a nice swim, then, this morning?”

“What? Oh, yes, lovely, thank you,” Rhiannon muttered.
She noticed that Mergwin was by the cook fire, stirring something that simmered in a pot over the flames. He turned to her, and his ancient eyes studied her, then he gazed again at the pot. Rhiannon smiled briefly to Adela and found herself hurrying over to the magician.

“What is it?” she hissed at him.

He looked up with some surprise. With his free hand he stroked his beard, taking his time to reply. He looked back to the pot. “Did you tell him?” he inquired.

“Tell him what?” she whispered tensely.

He studied her again. “About the child.”

Instinctively she touched her stomach. He couldn’t have known! This fascinating, frightening man couldn’t have known the truth she was just beginning to suspect herself. As the days passed, so did the time when she should have had her monthly flow. And there were other, oh so subtle changes too. Mergwin was right, and she knew it. But she could not tell Eric. She argued that she was not sure—despite Mergwin’s words. The truth was that her pride would not allow her, not when her husband treated her as a possession—to be taken and discarded at his will, according to his own word!

“There is nothing to tell him!” she insisted. Then she felt a chill, for the way his eyes touched her, she knew instantly that he was aware of her lies, that he saw all the way into the depth of her soul. Defensive, she softly and accusingly cross-queried him. “Did you tell him?”

“It is not my place but yours, my lady,” he told her, bowing with a humility that was certainly mocking.

She started to turn away, but he caught her arm. “I don’t like this.”

She pulled free, not understanding him. “What do you mean? I did not ask for this, any of this—”

“I’m talking about this new summons. I do not like it. Something is wrong.”

She tossed back her drying hair. “Something is always wrong with battle,” she said softly. “Men die.”

She liked the way that he looked at her then, with thought and a certain new respect. He made a move as if he would touch her, but just then long, heavy strides brought Eric thundering into the room. “My God, I’ve raised an army already—can’t we feed a few men in the same amount of time?”

“The meal comes, my lord, at this very moment!” the steward hastily assured him. The kitchen came to life with lads and lasses hurrying about with plates and knives and tapered spoons for the stew and great skewers for the meat. Mergwin slipped quietly out the back entrance, Rhiannon saw. She was about to follow him when she felt Eric’s hand upon her arm, stopping her.

“Come, my lady, take your place at my side.”

She had little choice, for his fingers were like steel, and his will seemed akin to God’s. She nodded but pulled back, trying to caution herself to take care but desperate to say something with so little time remaining to them. Rowan would ride with him again. She had to know that the two men, at least, were at peace.