* * *
Kal savoured the first rays of sunshine reaching inside the cottage. He had made a mistake earlier with Cynehild—calling her by an endearment. Her reaction had made him wonder anew about her relationship with her late husband. He might not have been the paragon of all virtue that she proclaimed him to be. He drew hope from that.
Kissing her properly and exploring her soft contours had gone beyond all his previous imaginings. His body ached for her and her alone, but he was aware that Saxon ladies had a different view of such things from the Danes.
‘You’re awake.’
Cynehild appeared in the doorway. She was dressed in her gown which effectively hid most of her alluring curves. Her hair was carefully done and hidden away under a couvre-chef instead of falling about her face like a glorious golden cloud as it had done last night. Kal’s body responded instantly to her presence and he concentrated on the wall in front of him rather than looking at the object of his dreams.
There was little he could tell her which would make the awkward situation better. He knew she considered their alliance to be a platonic pretend relationship—one which would of necessity end in a few days’ time, when her man returned with reinforcements. He had to find a way to change her mind and make her see that they could make their relationship work for real.
It had come to him when he’d glimpsed the first streaks of rose in the sky that the answer to his problems was marriage to Cynehild—a proper marriage and not one merely for convenience.
Despite everything she’d been through, she held the people of this land in her heart. He could see that. It was one of the reasons he admired her spirit. However, he suspected that while she might be attracted to him, she would be resistant to the idea of making their temporary liaison permanent. But he knew he had somehow been given this chance to turn his life around and he was not going to ruin it.
The early dawn gave her skin a radiant gleam and his heart asked him who he thought he was kidding. He wanted to sink into Cynehild and enjoy her many charms with an intensity that frightened him. He wanted it even knowing that her heart belonged to another. But how did one compete with a ghost—particularly a ghost whose lands he now held?
‘Do you normally get up this early?’ she asked, coming to stand beside him.
‘It’s my normal habit. From what I can recall.’ He risked a smile up at her and saw her eyes grow warm. ‘I like to spend a little time thinking in peace.’
She walked back to the open door and looked out. ‘I will start looking for Brother Palni’s return today. I’m assuming that he hasn’t got lost.’
‘Does he often get lost?’
‘It has been known to happen.’ She smiled. ‘Once he is here, we can plan the next phase of our strategy. I think Ansithe and Moir might travel with him.’
He blinked rapidly. He needed more time alone with her before her sister arrived. ‘So quickly? Surely it will take a little while for him to assemble a sizeable force of men. We need a show of strength rather than a quick raid.’
She gave him one of her sideways glances over her shoulder. Her lips parted, as if she was about to say something, but then she closed her mouth tight.
‘I’m just offering my expertise...saying what I’d do if I were your brother-in-law.’ He wanted to believe it as well. He sent a silent prayer up to any god who might be listening—he needed more time to show her how good they could be together.
‘I suppose you’re right—assembling a large force could take some time—but my sister will insist on moving quickly.’ She rose up on her tiptoes and peered out, as if she was searching for the smallest speck of dust which might signal their arrival. ‘I hope Brother Palni remembers that I only want enough men to be able to give you authority. Not an invasion force. We should quickly discover who wanted you dead.’
Kal tapped his fingers together. He had to know how long he had. ‘Once they are here, you plan to go to the church, lay your husband’s sword and go, having decided that we don’t suit. Do I have that right?’
‘Why wait? You say your enemy will immediately challenge you. We will stay for the fight, to ensure its fairness.’
She put her hands on her hips, drawing attention to her curves. Kal was forcibly reminded of how well her body had fitted against his last night. If they stayed here he’d be tempted to take her in his arms again, and there were many reasons why that was a poor idea right now.
‘Shall we go for a walk?’ he asked. ‘Your men can remain here in case Brother Palni arrives in our absence.’
Her lashes hid her eyes. ‘Where to?’
‘Just in the general area. I thought it might assist my memory. I can ask one of your men to accompany me if you are too busy.’
She shook her head. ‘I’m not too busy. A walk might be a good thing. We can go slowly and return if it proves too much for you.’
‘Excellent.’ He held out the rough carving he’d done of a warrior. ‘Your son’s next piece.’
‘How many do you mean to carve?’
‘As many as it takes.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I’ve deprived him of his mother for a considerable time. These are a bribe to make him think well of me.’
‘He is unlikely to meet you, but if he ever did I’m sure he would see what I see—a man who wishes to do what is right.’
He put his hand to his chest. ‘With one hand you take away hope and with the other you make me proud.’
She took the carving and weighed it in her hand. Her smile was like the sun coming out from behind the clouds and it gave him the courage to go on.
‘I would enjoy that walk very much.’
Chapter Nine
The state of the woods impressed Cynehild. In her mind, she was expecting to see the neglect of Leofwine’s final years—the years when he had concentrated on the growing threat of the Deniscan instead of caring for his people. But these woods showed signs of being used, with fresh coppicing and logs stacked neatly.
Throughout their ramble she kept finding reasons to glance over at Kal, telling herself that it was because she feared him collapsing rather than because she simply enjoyed looking at him. But each time she caught herself doing it she knew the lie grew bigger and the attraction became harder to deny.
‘We should return. My men will wonder where we are,’ she said, when she had run out of excuses in her own mind. Today Kal showed no sign of falling or needing assistance to walk.
‘They were very reluctant to allow you to go off on your own with me. Brother Palni’s orders, apparently.’ Kal inclined his head. ‘The good brother appears to have left a number of instructions about the way you and I are to be managed.’
Cynehild smiled inwardly. It almost sounded as if Kal was jealous. Something inside her twisted. She had no right to hope that Kal had any feelings for her. Even hoping was a betrayal of Leofwine. Except he was cold and dead in the ground...
She couldn’t have these feelings of desire for this Deniscan. Brother Palni was right—by looking after him she had become too close to him. She was the sensible forthright sister who had now become a widow with a child. She was not in the least like her youngest sister, Elene, who had yet to marry and was given to extravagant displays of emotion. Or her middle sister, Ansithe, who possessed a quicksilver temper. She took pride in being the steady one, who considered her beloved son’s future before her own.
‘Your strength begins to return, but it will quickly fail if you do too much,’ she commented.
‘I’m grateful you have allowed me to carry Leofwine’s sword on my belt. I feel naked without a weapon.’ He stopped suddenly. ‘I’ve sworn to protect you, Cyn, even if you disbelieve me.’
‘Do I look as if I disbelieve you?’
He captured her chin with his fingers and turned her face to the left and the right, studying her. The now familiar c
url of warmth entangled about her insides. Just when her lips had parted to welcome his kiss, he let go.
‘You look like a woman who needs convincing.’
His soft laugh played on her skin like sunlight chasing shadows.
Cynehild firmed her mouth. ‘Let’s hope you are not put to the test any time soon.’
Liking him had crept up on her. She wanted to spend time with him in a way she hadn’t wanted with Leofwine—not even when she had known she loved him.
Back then she had accepted that men and women had different spheres which rarely touched. Leofwine had had his routine and she’d had hers. He’d no sooner weave than she’d wave a sword. Except now that he was dead she’d learned to do all manner of things usually left to men—like inspecting outbuildings, ensuring there was enough grain and making plans for having her son properly trained.
Leofwine wouldn’t recognise the woman she’d become. She wasn’t even sure she recognised herself. But she liked her feeling of accomplishment. And, having seen Moir and Ansithe together, she wondered if there was another way to organise a marriage.
She pushed the thought away. She wasn’t planning on marrying again. Her life was going in another direction altogether.
‘It is a well-balanced sword,’ Kal said. ‘A pity that it cannot go to your son.’
‘You will need a sword when we return to the hall. It will give you a reason as to why you are not carrying your own. Why you left it at the hall. Because you knew I would be giving you this one.’
His brow lowered. ‘But I didn’t leave my sword at the hall.’
‘I know that. But whoever has it is either the culprit or knows who it is. It is the best lead I can think of.’ She waited and steeled herself for his mockery.
He nodded, accepting her idea. ‘When the time comes, you will still be able to go into the church and lay your husband’s sword in front of the altar—although it remains a mystery to me why he wanted you to do it in the first place.’
‘I suspect he considered that somehow it would show Wulfgar his heritage.’
‘But you didn’t bring your son with you. Did I make that a condition of my agreement?’ He hesitated and a shy smile hovered on his lips. ‘I have a vague recollection of thinking it might put you off your journey if I didn’t allow him to come with you.’
‘No, he is still too young to travel.’ Cynehild pretended an interest in the skeletons of old leaves which dotted the path. ‘Also, in not bringing him I wanted to show you that I have no designs on your lands. His heritage may come from here, but his future lies elsewhere.’
‘Very sensible.’
‘My brother-in-law suggested it would be a wise move to emphasise this when I arrived. Apparently, your temper is notoriously uncertain.’
‘Moir sounds like a man who thinks about consequences.’
‘He is far wiser than I first considered.’ She briefly told him of the events which had led to their meeting and her sister’s eventual marriage to him. ‘I owe him a great deal for trying to reunite me with Leofwine when he was captured by the Danes. Despite Moir’s efforts, my husband ended up dying from the treatment he received at the hands of his captors, but before he passed we were together for a brief time. It is a memory I will always treasure.’
A muscle tightened in Kal’s jaw and his pace quickened.
She hurried to catch up with him and caught his arm. ‘This is supposed to be a walk, not a race, or we’ll have to return to the hut for you to rest.’
‘Your husband was lucky to have a wife like you.’ Each word was carefully enunciated. ‘I hope he appreciated you and kept you safe.’
‘He kept me safe until he couldn’t any longer...’ A confession about the hidden treasure threatened to spill from her lips. ‘What was your wife like?’ she asked, before she did confess.
She didn’t even know if the treasure was still there. It might have vanished long before Kal had arrived. Someone might have guessed that Leofwine would hide something he could come back for—particularly after his wagons were attacked. She’d always wondered if it had been outlaws and not of the Great Heathen Horde. Nothing else had been overrun. But Leofwine had told her not to be silly and to stop worrying. And if it wasn’t there she would have to find another way to ensure Wulfgar’s future.
Kal stopped. ‘We were both young. We married for the wrong reasons. She wanted to escape from her family, and I wanted a family because mine had all died. Then the crops failed. She thought I should go and join the Army, but I wanted to stay at home until our child was born. I was away taking our last cow to market when she gave birth. When I returned she was dying of fever with the crying baby next to her. She passed that day, and the baby boy lived only two more before dying too. I swore I’d make something of my life as she had wanted me to do.’
‘What do you want now?’
He turned his face from hers. ‘To live my life in peace. I’ve seen enough of war. This land needs to heal. I think that is why I gave permission for the sword to be laid. I’m certain of it.’
Cynehild flinched. Kal’s simple assurance made it far harder to keep the truth from him. ‘You don’t know how much your words mean to me,’ she said finally, tumbling into the shifting pools of his eyes as he turned back to her.
‘I know I fell in love with this land the first time I set foot on it.’
His gaze drifted down over her travelling dress—the one she’d chosen that morning for its practicality.
‘It was like a beautiful woman wearing an ugly dress—neglected and overlooked, but with potential that took my breath.’
‘An ugly dress? Are you making a comment about this gown? Brother Palni hates it with a passion, as does my sister Elene. It may be brown and loose-fitting, but it is useful for travelling.’
‘Will you allow me to call you beautiful?’
She toyed with the tweezers which hung from her belt. ‘The land responds well to your touch.’
He threw his head back and laughed. ‘You are attempting to change the subject. Why?’
‘I will admit that a part of me wanted the land to be less than it was. Leofwine disliked farming. It bored him and his steward—Luba’s late husband—who was worse than useless.’
Kal’s eyes turned serious and he raised her hand to his lips. ‘I’m pleased you see that the land needs me. It needs a beautiful lady who will love it as well.’
She froze. Her heart resounded in her ears. Was he saying what she thought he was? How to respond? She didn’t know what she wanted to say to that. She wasn’t in love with him. She liked the man she knew very much. But was the Kal she’d encountered the real Kal, or was he still suffering the after-effects of the blow to his head?
Her responsibility lay far to the west of here, with Wulfgar. Would Kal be willing to take on the son of the man who’d once owned these lands? Or would he see him as a threat? Not now, when he was a little boy, but when he was a grown warrior? How could she even ask him when she hadn’t confessed her true purpose here?
‘Cyn...? You don’t have to answer me now.’
A noise like men shouting floated on the breeze. The tension in her shoulders released. Her confession would have to wait.
‘Can you hear voices?’ she asked. ‘Do you think we’d better investigate?’
‘Voices? Is that what the sound is?’ He cocked his head to one side. ‘You’re right. Angry voices. Which direction are they coming from?’
She listened harder. ‘They don’t sound like Northern voices, but I could be wrong. I’m not very good on Northern accents. And they seem to be speaking your language rather than mine. It could be that my brother-in-law has arrived and wants to know where I am.’
A muscle jumped in his jaw and his hand went to the sword. ‘Or it could mean something else. Someone else.’
Cynehild clenched her fists and tried to control
the panic rising in her. Not all Northmen were bad—she knew that. And Kal was in no fit state to be defending anyone. ‘Someone else? What are they saying?’
‘Trust me to protect you. Trust my sword arm.’
Cynehild planted her feet firmly on the ground. Men had always seemed to consider her brainless where battle was concerned. She’d accepted it from Leofwine, but she refused to accept it from Kal.
‘My husband used to keep me in the dark about the dangers we faced when we fled the Great Army, but I won’t have it from you. I’m a grown woman—not some maiden given to fainting. If my men are in danger, they need to be rescued.’
He lifted his brow. ‘Apologies. I thought to protect you and keep you from panicking.’
‘Panicking is a luxury not afforded to widows with small sons.’
‘I’ll bear that in mind.’
The shouting began again. Curses and shouted questions about Icebeard. Cynehild’s heart sank. Moir and Brother Palni would not be demanding those sorts of answers. Haddr had talked. Kal’s time of healing had ended.
‘Danish. Not Northern.’ Kal cursed Haddr with a particularly colourful oath.
‘Haddr has betrayed us so quickly?’
‘It will be accidental. His mouth always runs like a river in the evening, after he has drunk his ale. Our secret time is over—and without your additional men arriving.’ He put a heavy hand on her shoulder. ‘I must return to the hall.’
‘Brother Palni left strict instructions—’
‘Do you want to save your men?’
‘Of course.’ Cynehild frowned. Despite her earlier show of bravado, a solid lump of panic occupied her middle. Her stomach heaved.
‘My going to the hall is the best way to do that. You must trust me on this.’
‘I do...but I still worry.’ She wrapped her arms about her aching middle. ‘Brother Palni made me promise.’
Betrothed to the Enemy Viking Page 14
