Betrothed to the Enemy Viking

by Michelle Styles

  His arms ached to gather her to him. He wanted to whisper that she had done the right thing in saving his life, and he wanted the chance to prove her instinct correct—there was goodness in him.

  ‘He took quite a blow. Now you are telling my lady there are rumours that Lord Icebeard has been murdered, possibly by a Mercian.’ Brother Palni’s face turned thunderous. ‘What else, woman? Quick about it.’

  ‘Aye, but you know what rumours are like,’ the woman protested. ‘They crowd out the truth before the sun rises oft-times.’

  ‘But the truth will come out,’ Kal argued. ‘Once I return.’

  ‘They will say Lady Cynehild bewitched you,’ Brother Palni pointed out.

  ‘Someone clearly wants to discredit me. Do they seek to destroy me?’ Lady Cynehild hunched her shoulders and pointedly refused to look at him. ‘I found him in the woods at the top of Hangra Hill, barely conscious and weaponless. Far from wishing him ill, my men and I saved his life. Tell Luba what happened, Kal.’

  ‘My name is Kal, son of Randr. I come from a homestead near Ribe. I know I intended on joining the Great Army after my wife and child perished.’ Kal told the truth with a heavy heart. ‘That is all I can recall clearly, until I woke in the cave with Lady Cynehild looking after me.’

  The elderly woman’s cheek paled. ‘Jaarl Icebeard, you’ve been bewitched. A mighty fearsome witch indeed has cast a spell like that one.’

  ‘No witchcraft, but merely a blunt object. Lady Cynehild has saved me.’

  The woman sniffed. ‘My lady swore vengeance on the people who took these lands. Many will remember her words, and the way she shook her fist at them. My daughter spoke of them just this morning to her husband, wondering if indeed Lady Cynehild’s curse had come home to roost.’

  Kal took a step forward and stumbled to his knees as the world blackened at the edges. ‘Please. No more nonsense about witchcraft or Lady Cynehild’s curse. Why would she bring me back here if she sought to kill me? The simplest thing would have been for her to abandon me on that hillside.’

  The woman’s face contorted. ‘I will take my time about believing you. It still smells like an enchantment to me.’

  The black darkness swirled about Kal and whispered that he was destined to be all alone, because all tyrants must fall. ‘Help me... Don’t leave me here, Lady Cynehild...’

  Lady Cynehild was instantly there, supporting his arm. He gave in to instinct and leant on her, drinking in her faint floral scent and drawing strength from her warmth.

  ‘Can we get him inside the cottage? Whoever did this will not know where he is. It is to our advantage if we keep it that way. Surely you must see, Luba, that his head wound was no accident? And it was certainly not I nor any of my men who inflicted the blow, whatever these false rumours claim. For all our sakes, help us, Luba. Your jaarl will reward such loyalty, I’m certain of it.’

  A pulse of warmth went through Kal. He was far from alone. Cynehild had decided that she was on his side. She saw the good in him. He clung to that thought above all others. He wanted to show her that he was capable of being a better man than he greatly feared he had been. He wanted to show her that he was not her enemy...at least not any longer.

  ‘A reward?’

  ‘A substantial reward—particularly if we discover the true culprits.’

  The woman kicked the door open. ‘My daughter and her new husband are away with the searchers. Something odd is afoot here, and nobility’s strange goings-on rarely benefit us common folk. But I reckon you can enter for a short time, if there is a reward in the offing.’

  The buzzing pain receded and Kal began to think like the warrior he knew he was. He cast an eye over Cynehild’s small band of men. If they tried to take the hall while others were out searching, it would be doomed to failure.

  ‘Can I count on you?’ he asked Cynehild.

  ‘Yes.’ Lady Cynehild put her hand under his elbow, steadying him. ‘My men and I will assist you in regaining your place.’

  ‘I will try to keep you safe.’

  Lady Cynehild gave a crooked smile. ‘Danger doesn’t frighten me.’

  ‘It should, my lady. But you are a lady of rare courage.’ Kal ignored Brother Palni’s increasingly thunderous countenance. ‘We will prevail.’

  Chapter Four

  Luba’s tiny cottage showed some alterations since the last time Cynehild had visited, but its essence remained the same. The pattern on the half-finished cloth on the loom was very different, but the pot of pottage still bubbled over the open hearth, the rough-hewn table remained under the open window and drying herbs hung from the eaves.

  In the corner by the hearth a wide variety of sticks, antlers and half-carved pieces of wood stood, as if someone in the household spent most of their time carving. She focused on them, doing her best to breathe normally and trying not to think about the man standing next to her and what he represented.

  ‘Are you truly Icebeard and not some strange double?’ she asked Kal, unable to decide if she was appalled by the revelation of his true identity or not.

  She had saved her enemy’s life. Or if not her enemy, a man her late husband would certainly have considered his deadly enemy.

  ‘I’ve no reason to doubt your maid’s words.’ He sank down heavily on the wooden bench beside the table and buried his face in his hands. ‘I’ve little idea how I received the nickname, or what I did to deserve these lands, but it wasn’t my fault you left them. My gut tells me that I have not been here long.’

  Her stomach twisted. His gut and her knowledge. Like her brother-in-law, Icebeard had only acquired these lands after the peace treaty had been agreed. The lack of a lord had been one of the reasons her expedition had faced delays until now. Her brother-in-law and her father had refused to allow her to travel across such unsettled lands.

  She’d fled these lands because of the Great Heathen Horde rather than because of one man. Her entire being trembled. She lifted her chin and tried to ignore the fact that he had been part of that army. She’d known that last night. Why should it be different now?

  Except somehow it was.

  Her own stubbornness in wanting to save Kal’s life had brought her to this. She carefully avoided Brother Palni’s eye. He’d have his chance to crow later.

  ‘How did the attacker know I was expected here?’ she asked, around the ash which seemed to have formed in her mouth.

  ‘We were all aware that you planned on visiting, my lady,’ Luba said, moving the pot into the glowing embers. She stirred it, releasing the sweet scent of soup into the room. ‘I’d hoped to see you until the disappearance. Then I hoped you wouldn’t arrive until after this was all sorted. I wish you no ill will, my lady.’

  ‘Is this the work of someone who wants to see Lord Icebeard gone and is attempting to blame it on me?’ Cynehild tried not to glance at Kal.

  Luba concentrated on what she was doing before answering. ‘Are you asking me to guess, my lady? If so, I’d prefer it to be witchcraft. Better for everyone if it were a witch or an enchantress and be done with it.’

  Kal removed his hands from his face. ‘My unseen enemy is flesh and blood.’

  ‘I never asked anyone to attack you on my behalf,’ said Cynehild. ‘We—all my family—have respected the peace treaty. We did not harm you, Kal... Jaarl Icebeard. Someone else d-did.’ Cynehild hated how her voice trembled on the last word. ‘You offered me safe passage here. My husband’s final request is all I seek to honour.’

  Kal got up, laid down the sword at her feet and then backed away. ‘We share an enemy, my lady. Someone has gone to considerable effort to ensure you would bear the blame, but they have made an error—you saved my life. I owe you and your men a life debt which I shall struggle to repay.’

  ‘You do?’ The tension in her shoulders relaxed. He still intended to honour that life debt. She might get out of thi
s alive after all. However, Brother Palni would insist that they abandon all plans to lay Leofwine’s sword in the church and leave immediately. He would argue that Luba could do it for them, and then any hope of finding the remaining treasure her husband had secreted away would be gone for ever.

  So close, only to fail—but her mind refused to yield any ideas of how she should proceed. If she didn’t come up with a workable scheme in the next few breaths her only child would be denied his opportunity to become a warrior, as she’d promised Leofwine. The jar of coins she’d already recovered would not be enough.

  Brother Palni cleared his throat. ‘My lady? After careful consideration...’

  Cynehild examined the knot in the table as the monk began to explain his views. The glimmerings of a plan were appearing. Provided she presented it properly, Brother Palni would be left with few options except to agree.

  ‘May I speak?’ Kal thundered, interrupting the other man’s ramblings. ‘Someone is trying to take advantage of your visit to stir up trouble. More than that, I need you to help me regain my rightful place,’ he continued in a quieter voice. ‘Whoever did this to me will not rest until the deed is completed. I need to find them first. To do that I require your help, Lady Cynehild, even though I have little right to ask for it.’

  ‘We already know that whoever did this seeks to blame you, my lady,’ Brother Palni said before she could speak, his robes quivering with indignation and self-importance. ‘We must return to your father immediately. Leave the Deniscan to solve his problems alone. With your former maid, he is among friends and allies.’

  Cynehild lifted her chin and met his gaze. ‘I made a promise to my late husband that I would deliver his sword to his ancestors’ crypt. He asked it with his dying breath. My husband would not have wanted to bring more suffering to this land. Maybe as he lay dying he had some sort of fantasy that people would rise up if they saw his sword, but that was before the treaty. I am not interested in raising a rebellion; I value peace far more than I value these lands.’

  She firmed her mouth. Brother Palni sought to wrap her up in freshly carded wool and keep her safe. And she was grateful for his concern, but she knew he would have never dared speak to her sisters in that fashion.

  ‘We are left with the conclusion that it is someone close to you, Kal, who seeks to use my intended visit as an excuse to cover his tracks, rather than someone close to me. You will be in danger if you return to your hall in this weakened state.’

  Kal tapped a finger against his mouth. Since learning of his identity he seemed to be far sterner...colder, somehow. ‘Agreed. It leaves them free to strike again, and the next time you might not be here to help me.’

  ‘Lady Cynehild definitely won’t be. Because she will be leaving,’ Brother Palni said.

  ‘Do you think you should return to your hall even with little memory? Let the people know that you remain alive despite the rumours? Or is there another way to deal with this?’ Cynehild asked, ignoring Brother Palni.

  Kal reached out and captured her hand. A warm pulse travelled up her arm. She tugged gently and he let go.

  ‘Who can I trust in that hall? Who will keep me safe? I beg you, Lady Cynehild, have mercy on me.’

  ‘I have already promised to aid you, and I vow to you again now that I will remain with you until the true culprit is unmasked,’ Cynehild said firmly, ignoring Brother Palni’s bleating about doom and being cautious. ‘But we must first consider if you are fit to travel.’

  The dark lights in Kal’s eyes deepened. ‘If at all possible, my head wound must heal. I want time to remember properly, and to ponder on who might have done this to me. We can then proceed with a plan to bring them to justice and discover how I can regain my hall.’

  ‘As a general rule of thumb, the culprit is normally the person who will benefit most,’ Brother Palni said with a raised eyebrow. ‘But what can a mere man of the cloth know about such things?’

  ‘Who does benefit most from doing this to you?’ Cynehild asked, trying to contain her excitement. ‘Who stands to inherit if you die, Kal?’

  Kal shrugged and shook his head. ‘Do you know, Luba?’

  Luba bustled self-importantly. ‘Icebeard’s cousin Alff—but he has been ill since just after my daughter’s wedding. That man is no leader of men, from what my new son-in-law has confided.’ Luba pursed her lips. ‘There may be others who want your lands, though. You are unmarried, my lord. True enough. And you’ve no children. People have remarked on this. You were even overheard at my daughter’s wedding saying that finding a wife was a task which must be achieved soon. The wagers certainly flew at the feast about the possible identity of your bride.’

  A dimple flashed in the corner of Kal’s cheek. ‘Wagering on the identity of my bride? Did you do so?’

  Luba’s cheeks turned crimson. ‘I wouldn’t like to say, my lord... You merely laughed and shook your head when questioned as to who she might be.’

  ‘Excellent,’ Cynehild said, striking her hands together. ‘My scheme will work even better than I’d anticipated.’

  Brother Palni cleared his throat dramatically. ‘My lady, you’re wearing that troublesome expression again. Think before you act, I beg you. Your sisters would beg you on bended knee. Return to your young son.’

  Cynehild planted her feet more firmly on the ground. Ansithe seldom paused for consultation. She simply acted. And Elene did likewise.

  She knew a pretend betrothal between her and Kal was the perfect solution to both their problems.

  Her mind raced at the possibilities. If the treasure’s hiding place was not immediately obvious she would be able to spend time praying alone in the church, under the guise of being his betrothed. She would be buying time to find it and then, once she had, she’d confess to Kal, who would be so grateful that she had saved his lands that she’d be able to depart with the gold which rightfully belonged to Wulfgar.

  If looked at properly, Kal being Icebeard was an opportunity—a sign that she was being correct in adhering to her pledge to help him. And it wasn’t as if they were really going to marry, or were even attracted to each other in that way—it was merely a tale which would serve them both well.

  Liar, a place deep inside her whispered. He’d awakened something she considered long dead, but she wasn’t about to explore that. He could have his pick of young beautiful women, while she knew well that her waist was no longer less than a double handspan and that her hair had become a dull straw mass instead of spun gold.

  ‘We will use our betrothal to explain Kal’s sudden absence.’

  At everyone’s perplexed expression, she smiled and pretended that Kal’s open-mouthed shock failed to sting.

  ‘We will say that he and I have reached a prior understanding about marriage, but wanted to meet face to face before announcing it to anyone else. It will explain why he laughed at the wagers, as no one could have guessed who I was. Very simple. I’ve decided to be a peace-weaver between the new lord and my old people.’

  Brother Palni muttered various curses which a monk surely should have forgotten under his breath. ‘Now I wonder whose head has been injured! My lady, think about what you are saying. You’re volunteering to marry a Deniscan—not just anyone, but the man who holds your late husband’s lands. Leofwine will be spinning in his grave. Icebeard’s reputation is one of great fierceness. What he has, he holds. No quarter given.’

  ‘It is as well you have such a high opinion of me, monk,’ Kal interjected fiercely.

  ‘It is as well that you’re injured and I am a man of God or we would meet in combat, Deniscan.’

  ‘I look forward to that time.’

  ‘Please... Quarrelling only benefits our mutual enemy.’ Cynehild stretched out her arms and waited for silence to fall. ‘Be calm, Brother Palni. I do not intend actually to marry him. We simply need to be betrothed for the little time it will take to unc
over our mutual enemy. We will set a trap to capture him when Kal is well enough to return.’

  ‘But what do you gain from this, my lady?’ Palni tapped his temples. ‘I am trying to get my thick skull around the idea. You are going to be betrothed without any intention of marrying. Without your father’s leave, I might add.’

  ‘I gain justice.’

  ‘For a Deniscan? I will hold my tongue and pray for divine intervention.’

  ‘No, Brother Palni. I gain by not being falsely accused of trying to start a war, for one thing. For another, I will be able to finish the task my husband gave me. If I go into the church now to lay the sword someone will accuse me of engineering Kal’s disappearance. Or blame me for Kal’s injuries if he goes with me.’

  Brother Palni scowled. ‘Your father would not approve.’

  ‘Under Mercian law, as a widow, I’m my own person and can make binding contracts myself. My father’s views on the subject are therefore unimportant.’

  Brother Palni bowed his head. ‘Return to Baelle Heale. You have almost accomplished what Leofwine demanded of you. Allow this woman to place the sword on your behalf. Go back to your son. Be the sort of mother he needs—a living one.’

  ‘My promise to Icebeard binds me.’

  Kal lifted his head. ‘Your man is right—you will be putting yourself in grave danger for a stranger.’

  ‘I trust you to protect me. You pledged your sword to me earlier. Does that pledge still hold?’

  ‘Obviously.’ He stood and held out his hands. ‘I’m honoured by your faith in me. I accept your unorthodox proposal. Shall we seal it with a kiss?’

  ‘A kiss?’ Cynehild retreated several steps. ‘It is a betrothal of convenience—that is all.’

  A shadowy dimple appeared at the corner of his mouth. ‘If anyone asks, I must be able to say I have kissed my betrothed. Keeping to the truth as much as possible is best in these situations.’

  ‘A wise precaution.’

  She strode to where he stood and rose up on her toes, intending to give him a quick peck on the cheek. His arms came about her and brought her against his chest. He lowered his mouth to hers and claimed her lips. The searing kiss which lasted no more than a heartbeat infused her with heat from the top of her head to the bottom of her feet.