But look at what he had found. It was not until that moment on top of the wall that cordoned Mulcasterhas from the rest of the world that Rurik truly understood the task he was taking on. His heart jolted with the first burst of excitement.
Warriors sparred in the valley below the wall and some of them had stopped to take notice. He had no doubt that talk of their possible marriage had already reached the men. The clang of the swords and shields of those in the distance continued on. The fight to gain their loyalty would no doubt be an uphill battle, but he welcomed the challenge. He had come to Glannoventa for vengeance and justice. While he had not found vengeance, perhaps this truly could be his opportunity for justice. A chance for all this to be his.
Theirs. He looked over at Annis, who stared back at him with a wariness he was beginning to understand stemmed from fear.
‘You do not give this up by marrying me,’ he said, keeping his voice measured so the conversation would not travel to Cedric and the others. He resented that he had not had a moment alone with her since agreeing to this match the night before. Now he thought perhaps it was her own doing. She might have been avoiding him because she was reticent about the match and rightly so.
A wry smile curved her lips as she looked out at the hills beyond. ‘As I am a woman, you will rule here. Not I.’
Closing the small distance between them, he stood so close their shoulders touched and he took her chin in his palm. ‘As my wife, you will sit beside me. I am certain we can come to an agreement for a suitable division of duties.’ He did not quite understand why he was saying this. It was his right to do as he wished and she would have no choice but to answer to him, yet he wanted to see the spark return to her eyes. It had been there from the first and was one of the many things he admired about her. He did not want to be the reason it faded. From all accounts, she had done well on her own. He saw no reason to disavow her skills now. Not when he wanted things to be good between them.
Her eyes widened as they met his. ‘You do not mean that.’
He could not help but smile at the challenge. Strangely, he enjoyed that about her. ‘Do you question your lord?’
He teased her on purpose and was gratified when the spark returned to her eyes and she tilted her head. ‘Daily.’
He could not help the chuckle that came from deep in his chest. His fingers tightened a little on her soft cheek as he drew closer to her. It did not matter that Cedric and the others were near, or even that several warriors watched them from below. He wanted to kiss her, to claim her in a way that suddenly felt vital to him. The way her gaze touched on his lips made him think she wanted it, too.
‘I want to kiss you,’ he whispered. Remembering their last kiss, he added, ‘But I do not want to risk a broken nose.’
‘Then you do not want to kiss me badly enough,’ she said with a devilish gleam in her eyes and pulled herself free. She glanced back over her shoulder at him as she made her way down the steps.
Far behind her and over the opposite wall, the cold sun glinted off the small portion of sea that was visible. He had crossed that sea less than a week ago, but it might have been a lifetime. Little had he known that he might find a home waiting here for him. Or that he might find her.
Tendrils of auburn had escaped their confines to trail behind her in the wind. They beckoned to him and he was helpless to resist their call. With the exhilaration of a promise to come burning in his belly, he followed her.
* * *
The rest of the day was spent exploring the village. Her eyes lit up with love and enthusiasm as she showed him each shop or greeted a villager. It was clear that she loved this place. If the truth be known, he was a little envious of how she belonged here. It made him want to marry her even more. Not only so that he could belong to her, too, but so that he could protect this for her.
By the time they were heading back to Mulcasterhas, Rurik had almost forgotten that the marriage had all but been arranged. Had life been different, and she a woman back home in Maerr, he would have pursued her. But life was not different for them, nor would it allow them to forget who they were. A warrior left the gate as they approached and met them halfway up the road. Cedric rode ahead to intercept him, but after a rushed conversation turned back towards them with a grim expression on his face.
‘Jarl Eirik is on his way,’ he called out. ‘He should arrive by tomorrow evening at the latest. Earlier if he doesn’t stop tonight.’
Annis took a breath on a swift intake. Rurik wanted to reach for her, but he doubted she would find comfort from him. Instead, he tightened his grip on the reins, making his mare prance a bit in place. ‘We must marry tonight.’
Cedric nodded. ‘Agreed. Tonight, and by tomorrow he will not be able to question the validity of the marriage.’
A quick glance at Annis found her none too pleased, but she straightened her shoulders and her chin went up a notch. A sure sign that she was resigned. Rurik stifled a curse that it had to happen this quickly. They had had no time alone. Other than his hasty reassurance, she had no guarantee that he would hold to his word. He did not want a marriage like his father’s, but under the circumstances he was not at all certain how to avoid it.
* * *
The wedding took place that evening. A simple affair with Cedric, Wilfrid, Rurik and herself, along with a few words. There was no banquet or long list of guests as had been present with her first wedding, but then Annis did not really require those things. It was only that it all happened so fast that it did not even seem to be real. How could a few spoken words change things so completely?
As impossible as it seemed, they were man and wife. The meal passed in relative silence, with no one eating very much. While she was worried about the night to come, the men were more worried about Jarl Eirik. The conversation centred on what might happen tomorrow and strategies on how to approach the man. Annis thought she participated, but she could not be certain. She was too focused on the Norseman at her side.
Her husband. He had promised to divide the duties between them, but nothing else had been spoken about that. Would he follow through with that? No one would force him. Had he merely said that to gain her co-operation? He need not have. She had no better options. She would have wed him regardless.
Would he be rough with her tonight? He had not changed physically in the hours that had passed that day, but he somehow seemed larger, stronger, bigger boned than she had noticed before. He had been kind to her that day when he could have been harsh. Then again, he had come here to destroy her family. What if he had decided that if there was no satisfaction to be had in punishing Wilfrid he would punish her instead? What did she really know of him?
Without realising it, she found her thoughts propelling her to her feet. All of the men except Wilfrid stood abruptly and he looked at her in confusion.
‘I am tired. I wish to retire.’ It was the only explanation she could think of, when she was actually going off to question her very sanity.
‘I’ll come with you,’ said Rurik. His eyes were slightly hooded as he took her in and there was a softness about his mouth. There was no doubt to anyone what he was thinking, but she could not face that yet.
‘Stay and finish.’ She spoke too quickly, so she made her voice calm as she continued. ‘I will be a while.’
He nodded, but she noticed his jaw hardened. He was not happy about staying. Perhaps it would have been better to stay at the table. She did not know and, as panic began to overtake her, she did not care. She had to escape, to be alone for a few precious moments before facing the coming night.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Annis was still pacing her chamber when a knock sounded at her door. An hour must have passed since she had left the hall. It was hard to tell as, after Goda had finished helping her change and brushed out her hair, she had spent the ensuing time pacing the length of her chamber. She kept eyeing the Norseman’s bon
e-handled dagger lying on a chest, but her normal ways of protecting herself would not work this time. The marriage had to be consummated before Jarl Eirik arrived.
Before she could make herself cross to open the door, Rurik pushed it open as he let himself inside. His eyes took her in—her hair was unbound and fell to her waist, and she wore a simple, linen underdress—before stopping on her face. The look he gave her was one that threatened to swallow her whole. She took a step back from him as he closed and locked the door behind him without looking away from her. He wore a long, dark tunic that was open down the middle and secured with a belt and his bare feet were peeking out from the bottom of the long hem. It was not until he stepped closer that she realised he only wore trousers. The fabric parted to reveal his bare chest beneath. Thankfully, he did not take it off, but she got a glimpse of firm, sculpted muscle. She shivered both in fear and a sort of anticipation she did not know how to manage. There was no question that she had been attracted to him from the first, but to have him here in her space, like that, was too much.
Reacting in the only way she knew—to take control—she crossed to the bone-handled knife and picked it up. Laying it across her palms, she turned back to him. Her brain could not quite believe that he had been a guarded enemy, a prisoner even, the night before, and now she was handing him a weapon. Cedric had insisted on keeping men posted in the corridors for safety, but they would be too late to help her if she truly needed them.
‘The knife,’ she said. ‘The other weapons are in the armoury. We can retrieve them tomorrow if you like.’
Her heart pounded as she awaited his reply, anticipation at his pleasure in seeing it threaded with fear. She could hardly miss the way his eyes lit up when he saw it. His fingers touched the hilt with the same reverence in his gaze as he took it from her and turned it over in his hands. ‘Thank you.’
The appreciation startled her. She had imagined him to be a bit more self-righteous in his acceptance of it. The tension in her shoulders relaxed ever so slightly. ‘You’re welcome. I know it is important to you, so I wanted you to have it with you.’
The hint of a smile touched his mouth. ‘My mother gave it to me not long before she died. I think she knew she would never see her home again. Feann had given it to her.’
‘Is it the only thing you have of hers?’
He nodded and walked to place it back on the chest. ‘She gave it to me, because I was the older. I don’t think Danr ever forgave me for being born moments before him.’ When he turned around she could see the teasing light in his eyes and relaxed a tiny bit more.
‘You and your brother are twins?’ Shock coloured her voice. She had heard of the phenomenon, but had never actually seen twins. ‘Do you look alike?’
Walking slowly towards her, he explained. ‘Only a little. He is known as Danr the Fair because he is blond and favours our father. I am called Rurik the Dark.’
‘Rurik the Dark. Hmm… Perhaps that is how our people shall know you.’ She forced a lightness she did not feel and was surprised when he laughed. How was it so easy to fall into this familiar play with him? She had been terrified until he walked into her chamber. Perhaps it was her own imaginings causing her to be so afraid rather than him.
Even so, she could not help but let out a small gasp when he came right up to her and put his hands on her arms. She was not accustomed to him touching her at will.
‘Are you afraid?’ he asked, dipping his head down slightly to meet her gaze.
Admitting to her fear seemed almost as bad as having that fear to begin with. ‘I am not.’
‘I will not hurt you, Annis.’
The solemnity in his eyes made her believe him and a little more of the tension holding her rigid began to ease. However, she also knew not to expect the coming night to be particularly comfortable. Grim had taken his time with her and, while the intimacies between them had been far from terrible at the beginning, it had taken some time before they were more than tolerated on her part. She had no reason to believe it would be different with Rurik.
To delay the inevitable, she said, ‘Earlier you mentioned an agreement. Things happened so fast that we were not able to properly discuss it, but I had hoped that things could be settled.’ She braced herself for his disappointment and possible anger.
‘Ah.’ He dropped his hands from her arms. ‘You are right.’
He did not seem particularly angry as he walked the short distance to her bed and sat down. The heavy brocade fell open, revealing the broad planes of his chest, lightly furred with hair, and the slight ridges of his stomach. If nothing else, he was an attractive man. A surprising urge to press her hand to his chest came over her. Would the hair there be coarse or soft? To stifle it, she made a fist and shoved her hands behind her back.
‘If it is a separation of duties you want, then I will require supervision of the warriors and their training.’
Though Wilfrid and Cedric both had seen she was trained in the use of weapons, she claimed no knowledge of warfare. ‘Of course. Cedric has always had that responsibility. I am certain he intends you to have a place there.’
‘And you will have the run of our home?’
Her heart fell. This was sounding more and more like the type of arrangement she had expected. ‘That is typically the case with the lady of the house.’
His eyes sharpened as he picked up on her dissatisfaction. ‘What is it that you want?’
‘I want to have an equal say. I want to be part of solving the problems that face Glannoventa. Every week Wilfrid sat for meetings with the farmers and villagers, but it is something he has not done for a while, so I have continued that.’
‘Then I have no issue with you continuing.’
It seemed too easy. ‘Truly?’
‘I am a man of action. My father had days like that back home and I despised the sitting and endless negotiating of grievances and disputes. He would often send me and one of my brothers out to some of the far settlements in his place. It was a task that I detested. I would prefer not to deal with those, unless, of course, I am needed.’
She had not once allowed herself to imagine that he would not fight her on this. ‘Then you will leave the smaller disputes to me?’
‘All of them, unless you need to discuss them with me.’
‘What of the larger decisions that affect Glannoventa? What if the crops fail one season, or once, years ago, there was a red tide and the fishing did not recover for two years, what happens—’
He rose and walked over to her. This time his hands fell on to her shoulders and he squeezed gently. ‘From what I have seen today, Annis, you have done an admirable job in the years you have taken over for Wilfrid. I have no wish to take anything away from you. I would be a fool not to see the benefit you bring here and I assure you that I am no fool. We will face those decisions together.’
She smiled as the full weight of her fear of the future lifted. She had allowed her fear of marriage to colour her perception of this man. Despite the fact that he had been her prisoner for most of their acquaintance, he had proven his honour and goodness. He was a man of his word and she felt shame that she had ever convinced herself that he could be otherwise.
Of course, that did not address her immediate fear of the coming night.
His large palm cupped her cheek, while the other smoothed down her arm, leaving her skin to prickle in pleasure. ‘I told you a bit about my father. There were many things I admired about him, but I do not wish to repeat the mistakes he made with my mother or his own wife. I want us to agree now that we will work to make this a true marriage.’
‘A true marriage?’ She was struck speechless so that she could only echo his words.
He nodded and his thumb stroked over her cheekbone. She could not quite explain how, but she felt an echo of his touch deep in her womb. ‘It seems to me that a man and a woman can come together in ma
rriage and still like and respect one another. I admit that the how of that is a mystery to me, but I can promise you honesty.’
‘And that you will not take a concubine?’
He grinned at the reminder of their earlier conversation in his bed. ‘I will not seduce another woman.’
She found herself smiling back until she remembered that she could not be honest with him in return. Turning away from him lest he see the guilt in her eyes, she remembered Cedric’s words to her. He had begged her to stay silent, but didn’t Rurik deserve the whole truth? He would not take out his wrath on the whole of Glannoventa now, would he?
‘There is something you must know.’
Taking her by the shoulders again, he pulled her back against him. She did not even realise she had closed her eyes until the hard length of him nudged the small of her back and her eyelids shot open in surprise. His hands began a slow and delicious descent down her body, skimming past her breasts to settle on her hips where he held her against him.
‘Do you not want the same thing?’ he whispered, his breath touching her ear and making her skin prickle with gooseflesh all over.
‘Of course I do.’
‘Do you promise not to take another man aside from me?’
‘Of course.’
His hands found her waist and he turned her in his arms. ‘Then no more talk tonight. No more negotiating.’ He leaned down until his mouth was only a breath above hers.
‘There are things you must know.’ Her voice was a whisper because she did not seem capable of more. She was trembling inside, so she set her hands to his shoulders to hold herself steady. They were so hard and powerful beneath her palms that she squeezed a little. ‘Things that might change how you feel.’
Harlequin Historical May 2020--Box Set 2 of 2 Page 15
