Paying the Viking's Price Page 18

  It all sounded plausible enough, but it didn’t explain about the cup. He clenched his fist. He would discover the answer from Edith when she returned.

  ‘So early?’

  ‘My cousin is an early riser. She believes she does her best work in the morning when everything is peaceful.’

  ‘I wish to speak to her. She is supposed to be my adviser. She should inform me before she does anything or goes anywhere.’

  ‘That is not how Edith behaves,’ Hilda said, colouring an even brighter shade of pink. ‘She is used to getting her own way and doing what she wants.’

  ‘She will learn.’

  ‘Is everything all right between you two? Has she done something you object to? It will be all her own idea if she has. She hates interference in her plans.’

  ‘Everything is fine.’ Brand concentrated on keeping his voice calm. He wanted to run to where Edith was and make demands, but that would be revealing too much. He hated that he needed her.

  Hilda curtsied again. ‘I had wondered, that is all. My cousin is headstrong and impetuous, but her heart is good. She always means well. But she has a temper and can be impossible.’

  Brand tilted his head. ‘Is there something I should know? Has Edith confided in you?’

  She shook her head far too quickly. ‘Nothing, nothing at all. Everything is absolutely fine. She simply wasn’t at the feast. I’ve never known Edith to miss something like that. Even when she had a raging fever last Michaelmas, she insisted on being there.’

  ‘But if anything should change and she should become unhappy, you would tell me if I asked?’

  She fingered her neckline. ‘I’m not sure I understand. Edith is more than capable of making her feelings known.’

  ‘I believe you do. I am interested in everything that happens on my land. I want everyone to feel that they can confide in me.’

  ‘If something goes amiss, I’m sure Edith will shout it from the rooftops.’ She gave her first genuine smile. ‘She says that you like to argue and don’t mind if you lose. If so, then you are well matched. Her late husband hated losing.’

  ‘I always win, in the end...most times.’ Brand pursed his lips. If Edith was prepared to rise early to make something happen for Godwin, he should be prepared to meet her halfway and show her that their quarrel had no good purpose. It was foolish to look beyond tomorrow.

  When Edith returned, he’d clearly demonstrate the benefits of being his mistress and give her a reason to confide in him. All he knew was that he wanted her by his side. He wanted to hear her counsel.

  * * *

  The entire household was awake by the time Edith returned. The cup clanked against her side. Despite her urging, Athelstan had refused to take it. He had agreed to consider leaving with his family once his wounds had healed. A small concession, but an important one.

  Edith’s shoulders relaxed slightly when the doors of the hall came into view. The weather-beaten lintels always cheered her, but here and there she could already notice the changes Brand and his men had wrought. This was her home, but no longer hers entirely any more.

  ‘There you are, Edith.’ Brand strode out from one of the storage houses. His golden-brown hair gleamed in the sunlight and his shoulders appeared far too big for his tunic. Was he truly the cold-blooded murderer Athelstan claimed? ‘I’ve been searching for you.’

  Edith froze. Brand was the last person she wanted to encounter, particularly after her conversation with Athelstan and while she carried the cup. She wanted to get it back to its hiding place in the bedroom. It should be safe there until she could convince Athelstan or Mary to take it.

  ‘What did you need from me?’ she asked cautiously. She forced her hands to stay at her side and not clutch the cup.

  ‘There is something I want to show you.’ He smiled as if the quarrel had never happened.

  ‘I’ve been to see Godwin’s mother. I believe she would rather come to see you. The prospect of her lord visiting her house sent her into a fair state. She feels it is far from adequate.’

  Brand’s lips curved upwards. ‘I can imagine. I’ve no wish to cause difficulties. She may attend me here.’

  ‘She is aware of the great honour that you are about to do to Godwin.’

  ‘It will be good for everyone to see that all have a chance of favour. I promote on merit, rather than old allegiance.’ He inclined his head. ‘Your cousin told me where you had gone.’

  ‘Hilda did?’ Her voice went up an octave and the sweat pooled at the back of her neck. The pleasant spring day suddenly seemed icy cold. ‘She told you why I had gone there?’

  ‘Did you want it to be a surprise?’ He came over to her and gathered her in his arms. ‘You can be foolish. I’m grateful you wanted to inform Godwin’s mother of my offer, but I wanted to speak to you. Halfdan’s messenger gave me all the gossip in Jorvik. I thought you would have been interested to hear it.’

  She breathed in deeply; his masculine scent was at once comforting and exciting. She’d missed his arms last night, more than she had wanted to admit. She wanted to lean her head against his chest and draw from his strength, but that was impossible.

  ‘It is behind us,’ she said instead. ‘We both understand the situation now.’

  He rested his chin on her head. ‘It is amazing how the early morning air can clarify your mind. You must know, Edith, I will never hurt you intentionally. I, better than most, know the pitfalls. There are things in my life that have been constant for many years. They will remain so.’

  ‘We won’t speak of it again. We have a bargain, you and I, and I shall keep it.’

  ‘What do you want to speak of?’

  She swallowed hard and knew she had to ask. She leant back against his arms and regarded his scarred face. ‘Were you there when the rebellion ended?’

  ‘Yes,’ he said shortly, his arms tightening about her and holding her in place. ‘I was there. I escaped with my life, but it was one of the few times in my life I can say that I looked death in the eye. My best friend died because of rebel treachery. They broke the truce. They came with concealed weapons.’

  ‘Did you have your axe that day?’

  ‘No, I used my sword. I normally use a sword. An axe takes no skill.’

  ‘You were wielding an axe the first time I met you!’

  ‘The axe I used to break down the door belonged to Hrearek.’ He ran his hands through his hair. ‘Where is this leading, Edith?’

  Edith’s heart hammered. Egbert and treachery. That failed to surprise her. She trusted Brand’s version. ‘You swear this? You will give your sacred oath on this?’

  ‘Ask any of my men. An axe lacks the refinement of a broadsword.’ Brand put his hand on her shoulder. ‘Edith, I know your husband died that day. Had I known what he did to you, his death would not have been so swift. I can’t even say that it was my sword which slew him. Everything went crazy when the rebels broke the truce. Sven was the first to fall. He’d been prepared to accept the terms of surrender when concealed swords were pulled out. His death was avenged. Sven Odd was hugely admired. We had been closer than brothers.’

  ‘I’m glad you didn’t know,’ she whispered and concentrated on the place where his tunic gaped open. ‘It makes things easier somehow. What happened, happened because of war rather than some sort of revenge.’

  His fingers raised her chin. ‘You must believe me, Edith. I did not break the truce. I would never break a truce. No true warrior would. Without his bond and code, a warrior becomes little better than a wild beast.’

  Edith nodded. It bothered her that she wanted to believe him. If he was near, all doubts vanished under her desire for him. ‘There is no point in dwelling in the past, but I believe you. I know my late husband and his casual disregard for the niceties.’

  ‘What brought this abou
t?’

  ‘A rumour Godwin’s mother heard. It upset her dreadfully.’

  ‘What did you say to her?’

  ‘That I would ask you. I could hardly do more than that. She will accept my assurance.’

  His lips twisted. ‘She didn’t want her son fostered with a monster?’

  ‘Your name is infamous. Godwin is her only son.’ Edith breathed slightly easier. She could keep from mentioning Athelstan and his accusation.

  ‘She should trust me. I like the boy. He reminds me of myself when I was that age. I want to be a good lord to everyone who lives on my lands and who upholds the king’s laws. But it is her choice. I make the offer once and once only. It depends on what sort of life she wants for her son.’

  ‘I will let her know.’ Edith balanced on her toes.

  ‘Good, but it can wait for another day,’ he said, putting an arm about her shoulders. ‘I want to show you something first, the reason I’ve been searching for you.’

  ‘What?’ She kept herself completely still. Was he going to confess about the silver and the jewels, taunt her with it? ‘What have you found?’

  He dropped a kiss on her forehead. ‘Our new bath house. It is a huge improvement. I was right. Your priest was wrong.’

  ‘And you like being right?’

  ‘It is the best way.’ He led her to a stone building. ‘Have a peek in. You don’t have to go in.’

  Edith peered into the room. A blast of heat hit her face. Blissful.

  ‘Do you want to use it now?’

  She hesitated. The cup weighed heavy on her waist. She needed to put it in a safe place. Athelstan might not want it now, but some day...and then there was the question of her mother’s jewels. Where had Brand hidden them? And, more important, why had he left the cup except as a taunt and tease?

  ‘I’m not sure. People might talk. Allow me some time to think about it. Taking a bath like this is a huge step.’ She backed cautiously away from the door. With every step, the cup clunked against her hip. She had to hope that he hadn’t noticed it or suspected. It would be impossible to explain away and she knew Athelstan’s death would be for ever seared on her conscience.

  ‘Then again, perhaps you wish to return the cup to its proper storage place before I learn it is missing.’

  Chapter Eleven

  Brand knew about the missing cup and that she had it. Edith struggled to breathe in the unfamiliar heat of the bath house. Had he guessed why she’d gone to see Mary as well?

  After one gulp of air, she calmed. He couldn’t know about Athelstan or she’d not be in the bath house. She’d be standing, shivering in the yard, having been beaten within an inch of her life.

  Brand would have summoned everyone to watch her punishment and he would have hauled Athelstan from his hiding place. He would not be gently probing about the cup.

  Athelstan remained safe and she had to do everything in her power not to betray him. She refused to be the one to send the loyal servant to his death.

  Right now, she needed time and opportunity to confront Athelstan again. Somehow with her new-found knowledge about what had truly happened when Egbert died, she would convince him to go before more damage was done. But always she needed to keep in mind what a good tafl player Brand was and how he thought several moves ahead.

  ‘Do you have an answer for me, Edith? Why is the cup hanging from your waist, rather than where it had been kept, safe in my bedroom?’

  Her eyes flew to his face. He was watching her much as a cat might watch a mouse. Her heart thudded. ‘You know I have the cup.’

  ‘I know. You took it out last night after we quarrelled.’

  ‘How do you know? How could you possibly know that?’ Despite the heat of the bath house, a chill entered her soul. She had been very careful.

  ‘I found the hiding place on my second night here.’ He gave a superior smile. ‘It made sense that there would be a storage place. I had a look and then left a marker in case you decided to open it.’

  ‘A marker? I didn’t see anything.’’

  ‘That, my dear Edith, was the whole point of my scheme. You were not supposed to notice. The small piece of cloth was on the ground and you had not replaced the stone the same way. The graining of the stone was tilted the other way. Little things can save lives, Edith. It pays to plan ahead.’

  Edith winced. So simple and straightforward, marking the position with a piece of cloth as well as the grain of stone. She should have considered that he’d create a trap for her. Once she discovered that the jewels and silver were missing, she should have backed away from the idea of taking the cup. Or at least considered that he might have a scheme like this. But he still did not know her reasons.

  ‘The cup belonged to my grandfather. It belongs to me. Everything in that cavity belonged to me.’ She stuck her chin in the air. ‘You had no right.’

  ‘You had no right to conceal it.’

  ‘You would have me a beggar?’

  ‘I shan’t steal it away. You may take it with you when you depart.’ Brand inclined his head. ‘Openly, rather than as a thief in the night. You deserve something and the estate can spare a single silver cup.’

  Edith rolled her eyes. ‘Your charity overwhelms me.’

  ‘Sarcasm does you few favours.’ He put a hand on her shoulder. The simple touch made her insides turn over. ‘I know how much your family meant to you. If you feel you can’t live without the cup, then so be it. Some things are precious for what they represent, rather than their metal.’

  The words made her heart knock. Brand understood. She knew she had to ask. She wanted to know what had happened to her mother’s jewels. ‘And the rest?’

  ‘The rest?’ His brows drew together and he took a step backwards. ‘All that hiding place contained was the single cup, pushed far to the back. I thought it empty to begin with, but I reached back to make sure nothing was concealed behind a hidden door and the cup rolled out.’

  Edith’s heart thudded. Empty? Impossible. ‘My mother’s jewels were there and other pieces of silver. It was where I’d placed them after Egbert left. I struggled to get the stone back in because it was so full. It seemed the safest place in case...in case we were overrun by Norseman.’

  He shook his head. ‘No great quantity of jewels or silver. Only a single cup was there when I first looked. I’m sorry. I didn’t see any point in taking anything. I didn’t want to alert you that I had discovered one of your hiding places. It would have spoilt my plan.’

  The sincerity of his voice convinced her. If he’d wanted to know, he’d have confronted her with it, much as he’d done with the salt cod.

  She closed her eyes, thinking back to when Egbert had left. The first thing she had done was to move the jewels and silver in there. She had not slept there until Brand appeared. It was possible that Egbert had returned and emptied it. It had taken three more days before she had thought to block the tunnel. How Egbert must have laughed that the jewels and silver she had denied him were used to fund his rebellion. She had wondered where he received the funding. Now she knew. She’d been naive.

  ‘I thought they were safe. I truly thought they were.’ She wrapped her arms about her waist, hating that Egbert had practised one last deceit on her. ‘I stored everything that was precious to me in that cavity. It was surrounded by stone and I thought if the worst happened and we burned to the ground... It was all in vain.’

  ‘Who else knew?’ His hard voice broke through her misery. ‘Who else knew about the cavity? Were you the only one? Did you have help to fill it?’

  ‘I presume Egbert must have known. My father made sure he knew all of the hall’s secrets. But I never moved anything in there until after he left.’ She put her hand to her head, trying to think. ‘It was something passed from father to son. My father only told me because h
e had no son.’

  ‘It is a mystery then, but I will swear wherever you want that the cavity only held that cup when I first opened it.’

  ‘He could have returned,’ Edith said slowly. ‘It is unlikely, but it could have happened. About a week after Egbert left, Godwin told me his story about bad men coming through the tunnel. I thought it was a story, but I did arrange for that tunnel to be blocked.’

  ‘Godwin sees much. You should have checked your hidden wealth at the time.’

  She sank down on a stone bench. ‘It is not so much the wealth, but the sentiment. The jewellery belonged to my mother and her mother before that, going back generations. It was my link to the past. It was one of the reasons I refused to give them to Egbert. I wish I had something, no matter how small.’

  He dug his hand into his pouch and held out the circlet of keys. ‘I wronged you before. You should wear these while you remain here. You are far better at looking after this house than I could ever be.’

  Edith stared at the circlet without taking them. He was returning them to her. He might never marry her, but he was allowing her to be in charge. Would he do that if he knew where she’d been? ‘My mother always held the keys.’

  ‘Take them.’ He placed them in her palm. ‘Unless there is some reason you can’t.’

  She traced the emblem of the running hare that adorned the circlet, torn. She couldn’t confess now. She’d give Athelstan more time to recover. It was what her mother would have done. ‘You can see my mother’s crest. I should give you back the keys.’

  ‘I trust you, Edith.’

  Edith swallowed hard. ‘I will endeavour to live up to that trust.’

  ‘Good. Don’t disappear on me again. Tell me when you go. I worried.’

  ‘How did you guess I was coming back?’

  ‘You’d never leave Hilda to face my wrath. She doesn’t deserve you as a cousin, but you’re loyal.’

  ‘You’re right.’ Edith closed her hand about the keys. ‘I’d never leave her to face you alone.’