The mere suggestion of that had Aevir gnashing his teeth. He wanted to say that she was his, but she wasn’t. How could he feel this nearly uncontrollable need to claim her? Was it too late? Had he already lost his heart to her? All this time he had been hedging, thinking he could walk right up to the precipice without going over. Had she already lured him in?
‘Nevertheless, we can stop it now,’ Aevir said.
‘We?’ Jarl Vidar raised a brow, but Aevir did not back down and stared him straight in his eyes.
‘Tolan is conspiring with Godric. You know it as well as I do.’
The Jarl sat back and allowed his gaze to roam over the Saxons who were busy congratulating Tolan on the beauty of his bride and drinking Dane mead. Finally, he said, ‘Aye, I suspect it. But it doesn’t change anything without proof.’
‘You will have your proof.’ Aevir’s words were so resolute that the Jarl leaned towards him again.
‘No bloodshed, Aevir. For the proof to work, we need Tolan alive to answer to it.’
Aevir gave a stiff nod. ‘I am going to Stapleham as part of the escort. You can say we are waiting for Rolfe, but I will replace him when the time comes.’
The Jarl sucked in a sharp breath. ‘Nay. You are compromised. I can no longer tell if this is about finding justice for the men we’ve lost or because you want Ellan for yourself.’
‘It doesn’t matter. The result will be the same. You will have your traitors brought to justice and I will have Ellan.’
He rose before the Jarl could stay him again. Without bidding anyone goodnight, he left the hall before he did something regrettable.
* * *
Ellan awoke later that night to a knock on her door. She sat bolt upright, surprised that she had managed to fall asleep at all after spending so much time tossing and turning and thinking of Aevir. Bleary-eyed, she looked around the hearth to find Elswyth’s place empty. Had she gone back out into the night to relieve herself?
Oh, aye, she had almost forgotten. Ellan had insisted that she take the alcove after Aevir had left. It was only right since Rolfe would be back soon and they could use the precious privacy it would give them. A quick glance confirmed the blanket was closed against the night.
The insistent knock came again, heavy and determined. Dragging her fur over her shoulders, she rose from her mat and hurried to the door. A cold wind nearly forced it back against the wall when she opened it.
‘Tolan?’ It was all she could think to say to the tall Saxon who stood before her. Perhaps she had imbibed too much mead at the evening meal, but she was having trouble making sense of what was happening.
‘May I come in?’ His voice was friendly and in no way threatening, but she was weary. It was the middle of the night.
‘I...I don’t—’
‘Please. It’s rather urgent.’
The icy wind howled and the door shook in her hands. She stepped back as much to avoid the cold as to accommodate him and he followed her inside.
‘Thank you,’ he said. ‘I am afraid that we have been advised to alter our plans. The weather is turning quickly, faster than anyone anticipated, and we must leave now to stay ahead of the storm. If the snow falls before we leave then we might be stranded here in Banford for weeks. I cannot be away from my business for so long.’
‘But Lord Vidar said—’
‘Aye, he did say, but that was hours ago and the weather is not holding.’ As if to emphasise his words, the wind chose that moment to beat against the side of the house.
The house was solid enough that it did not reach them inside, but she still pulled the blanket tighter around her. ‘Then we must leave now?’
She knew it, but it wasn’t until he confirmed it that her heart sank into her stomach. Hours that could have been spent planning, she had wasted thinking of Aevir and sleeping.
‘Hurry, girl, we must leave now.’ His voice urged her. ‘Gather your belongings.’
‘Ellan!’ Elswyth called from the alcove.
Ellan stared at her sister as she realised that this could be the last time she saw her. She could not imagine Tolan allowing her to travel to see her. Nay, she could not think that way. They were not married yet. She still had time to plan something.
The next several moments were a blur as she packed her few belongings into the leather satchel she had brought to Banford with her and then changed her clothes in the alcove with Elswyth’s help.
‘Are you certain he speaks the truth?’ Elswyth whispered as she plaited Ellan’s hair.
‘I think so,’ Ellan whispered back.
‘I’ll go to the hall to check with Lord Vidar to be sure.’
When Elswyth tied off the end, Ellan turned and pulled her into a hard hug. Elswyth hugged her back and then pulled away to look down into her face. ‘None of that.’ Elswyth forced a smile. ‘We will see each other again soon. Rolfe will bring me to Stapleham in the spring.’
Ellan nodded, but the future was too uncertain to take anything for granted. ‘Know that I love you and am thankful every day to have you as my sister.’
To her surprise, tears filled Elswyth’s eyes and she held her tight again. ‘I cannot believe that Father did this and that Lord Vidar did not stop it.’
Ellan could not believe it either. Neither could she believe that she had managed to hold out hope that Aevir might intervene. Her heart had been soundly crushed when he had sat at the table in the hall and said nothing to stop Tolan. But it would do no good to ruminate over those things now.
‘We must hurry!’ Tolan’s voice came from the other side of the curtain. ‘The weather will not hold.’
Pulling the blanket back, she stared up into the face of the man who would be her husband. Nay! She could not think of him that way. Not yet. Not while there was still hope. She managed to grab her satchel of belongings as Tolan ushered her out the door. Instead of taking her to the village, she was surprised to see a Saxon on horseback holding the leads of two horses waiting for them just outside the door. Certainly Tolan didn’t mean for the three of them to travel alone overland with the potential for Scots lurking in the forest.
‘Where are the rest of your men?’ she asked as he helped her to mount.
Coming around to mount his own horse, he said, ‘We will catch up to the group who left after the meal to return to Stapleham.’
‘What of the rest?’ By her estimate, a group of around ten had stayed behind with Tolan to wait for Rolfe’s return.
‘They’re about,’ he said, taking the reins of her horse and leading her into the night. ‘You’ll see them once we’re clear of Banford.’
She glanced around, seeing nothing but the forbidding trees in the distance and the flicker of Banford’s lights behind her. There was a glimpse of movement far off in the village. A watchman here and there, but none of them seemed to notice their small group leaving.
‘What of the escort Lord Vidar demanded?’ she asked, as the darkness of the forest welcomed them within its folds.
‘You certainly ask a lot of questions.’ Tolan’s voice was brittle as it drifted back to her. ‘I hope that will change once we are wed.’
A chill ran down her spine, but she raised her chin and said, ‘It is my right to know. He is my guardian and you are not yet my husband.’
There was a silence, but he finally answered. ‘He regrets that the situation turned out as it has, but he cannot spare men to see us home.’ They walked the length of five horses before he added with a glance back over his shoulder, ‘Perhaps we should wed on the way to Stapleham if that’s what it will take to quiet you.’
She gritted her teeth to keep her retort to herself. It wasn’t worth it to get into a war of words with this man. Besides, a lump had formed in her throat and she would die before she allowed him to hear weakness in her voice. One look back over her shoulder confirmed that no one followed t
hem. Aevir had not come to her earlier in the evening and he would not come to her now. He had chosen to wed Annis in the spring.
Not Ellan.
She swallowed hard and refused to allow the tears to come even as she indulged in a brief moment of self-pity. No one she loved ever chose her. Not Mother who had loved her Dane more. Not Father who had loved his hatred more. Not Aevir who loved...nothing.
Aevir loved nothing more than he cared for her and he still had not chosen her.
Chapter Seventeen
‘Ellan is gone!’
No words could have brought Aevir so fully awake so quickly as those. The grey light of morning shone behind Oleif who stood in the doorway of the barracks.
‘What do you mean?’ Aevir asked, his voice still husky with sleep.
‘Tolan and his men are gone. They appear to have taken her with them. Elswyth and the guard posted at the door to their farmhouse were found moments ago, bound and gagged inside. A new guard had come to relieve him.’
Aevir had already pulled on his tunic and was shoving his feet into his boots. ‘How did this happen? How did no one see them leave?’
‘They never brought their horses to the stable and they left in small groups.’
Aevir cursed and fastened his sword to his back. ‘Get the men together. We’re leaving now.’
‘Jarl Vidar wants to speak with you,’ Oleif said.
‘Now!’
Oleif nodded and left to go make the necessary arrangements.
Aevir was behind him almost before the door could close. ‘Hurry,’ he called to the men waking up around him. His footsteps ate up the ground as he hurried to the hall.
Jarl Vidar was waiting for him. ‘From the tracks it appears as if a few smaller groups left going in different directions so they wouldn’t be found out. Somehow they knew where our guards are stationed in the woods and they knew how to avoid them.’
‘Proof that they meant to betray you,’ Aevir said.
‘It proves nothing, though it is suspicious. The weather has shifted. It is possible Tolan left to avoid that and correctly assumed I would not allow him to go.’
‘He took Ellan and bound Elswyth. Isn’t that proof enough?’
The Jarl shook his head. ‘I don’t like it any more than you do, but it is not solid proof of a conspiracy.’
Aevir cursed, but the Jarl put a hand on his shoulder.
‘I have to know that you can keep a level head about you before you go after her. It will not do to start a war over this. Go. Find them. Find proof. Then report back.’
Aevir nodded. He didn’t like Tolan’s underhanded ways, but he could keep his calm.
‘No bloodshed unless you are attacked. Keep Tolan alive.’
‘You have my word.’
‘Good. Rolfe should be back before nightfall. He will have noted the change in the weather and will have travelled through the night. Go now.’
Aevir nodded and ran to his horse. He had promised to keep Tolan alive and he had meant it. He had not, however, promised to leave Ellan to Tolan. He mounted and waited for his men to fall in, calling out orders to hurry. In the back of his mind he couldn’t help but think that this was exactly what he deserved.
The only people he had ever allowed himself to love—his mother, Sefa and now Ellan—were taken from him. In that painfully clear moment when he realised that she had been taken and was out of his reach, he finally realised that he had indeed fallen over that precipice. He loved Ellan as much as he had ever loved anyone. She might be out of his reach right now, but death did not stand between them.
He would get her back. Might the mercy of the gods help the man who stood in his way.
* * *
By dusk the next evening, Ellan was certain that she had been kidnapped. She had grown suspicious when they rode at a breakneck pace all night and her reins had never been returned to her. Tolan kept them in his grasp the entire time they rode. Her suspicions were never confirmed in a single instance. It had been a creeping affirmation that came over time, finally solidifying into certainty as the sun set the next evening.
It set before them. The sun had been hidden all day behind low-hanging clouds that promised snow, but had yet to let it fall. The low orange glow on the western horizon finally confirmed what she had suspected. They were riding westward towards lands claimed by Alba, not south for Stapleham.
She kept this knowledge to herself as Tolan drew them to a stop and helped her down. She should be exhausted from riding all day and sleeping very little the night before, but she didn’t feel it. Not yet. Her situation was too precarious to risk indulging in rest.
‘Come and eat. You must keep up your strength for the rest of the journey.’ Tolan led her to a small fire and shoved hard bread into her hand before helping her to sit on a fallen tree nearby.
She took a bite as she watched him confer with his man. It tasted stale and coarse, but she was too hungry to care. They had never caught the larger group that had left Banford after the meal in the hall the night before. She suspected it was because that group had travelled south to Stapleham. Perhaps in preparation for Tolan to flee west with her. If anyone from Banford followed, they would likely follow the larger group. She needed to know why Tolan was taking her west. Was she truly meant to marry him or was he taking her to her father? Or worse, to the Scots? She couldn’t figure out his plan, so she held her tongue until a few moments later when he joined her at the fire.
‘Eat quickly. We must continue on our way.’ He took some bread and sat beside her on the log.
She bristled at the sound of his voice. The light of a nearby fire lit his features. He truly was not pleasant to look upon now that she knew of his duplicity. ‘Must we?’ she said, pretending to believe they were still on their way to Stapleham to beat the weather. ‘I’m so tired. I am unused to riding so much. Can’t we sleep for a bit?’
He took a bite and turned his head away as he chewed, perhaps uncomfortable with continuing the ruse. He ran a hand over the back of his neck before taking another bite and looking back at her. He must have decided it was easier to keep her under control if he continued with his game, because when he opened his mouth, he said, ‘I am sorry, but we have no choice. The storm is coming on fast and we cannot be caught in it.’
Fluffs of snow had begun to fall not an hour earlier, but it was still light and intermittent. ‘How much longer until we reach your home?’
He couldn’t quite meet her eyes when he said, ‘Tomorrow night.’
‘Is that all? I was under the impression—’
‘Enough. You really must control your impulse to question me.’
She seethed inwardly, but managed to keep her composure. It wouldn’t do to antagonise him. Trying a different tactic to discover what he was about, she said, ‘I thought we could learn more about each other as we share our meal. I know this is how marriages are arranged, but it still seems odd to me to know nothing about the man I will marry soon.’
His expression cleared and he actually gave her a grim smile. ‘That sounds like a fine idea. You will find me to be a kind husband. Leofwen, my wife, often spoke of me with fondness to her friends and family. I hope to give you reason to do the same.’
She smiled and watched as the other man in their party took his place across from them at the fire. He seemed disinclined to join their discussion. ‘That is good to hear,’ she said.
‘I have to admit to being grateful that your father approached me. He said you were a great beauty, but I was sceptical.’ At her startled expression, he shrugged. ‘Why would a great beauty be in search of a husband? I assumed there would be many men scurrying for your hand in Banford.’
When he paused and seemed to expect an answer, she said, ‘Father was quite particular when it came to choosing my husband, I’m afraid.’
‘I do not blame him. I would be the s
ame with my daughter.’
Silence descended again and seemed to beckon her to fill it. ‘I am sorry for your wife and the babe.’
He shrugged, but his face closed off. ‘It seems my fortunes have turned.’
The statement bothered her, but she couldn’t say anything to him about it. Perhaps it was his pain talking, but she didn’t think it was a particularly promising quality to shrug off a dead wife in favour of an attractive one. An instinct urged her to say, ‘I’m only sorry that Father won’t be able to attend our wedding. I know it will pain him to miss it.’ She watched his face closely as he responded.
‘I’m certain it will, but it cannot be helped.’ His expression stayed impassive.
‘He spoke fondly of you at our last meeting,’ she said, suspicion guiding her words. ‘You visited Banford in my absence and made quite the impression, it seems.’ Father had distinctly said that he had met with Tolan in his own village, not Banford, but some instinct made her lay the trap to see if he would take the bait.
He smiled politely. ‘I was sorry to not have met you then. Godric proved to be a gracious host in your absence.’
She tried to keep her expression bland instead of revealing her confusion. Either Father had lied about where he’d met Tolan to arrange the betrothal, or Tolan was lying now. But why? Something was going on. Pursuing her suspicion, she asked, ‘Why did you not come to Alvey with him to fetch me? We could have been married sooner.’
Tolan’s smile widened and seemed genuine. ‘Duties at home forced me to return to Stapleham. Godric bid me return and he would bring you to me.’
She gave him a nod, but her thoughts churned. Father had indicated they would be going home to Banford and she had assumed the marriage would take place there. Something wasn’t right with Tolan’s story. She very much feared that he had never planned to marry her at all. Perhaps the whole betrothal was simply to get her away from Banford. Away from Lord Vidar’s control.
Longing for Her Forbidden Viking Page 16
