“I am as desperate to see this voyage end as you must be, Andrick, but I want to thank you again for not believing the worst of me, for I do not deserve the abuse your servants seem to delight in hurling at me.”
Andrick had found the lithe blonde so sincere in all she said that he could not bring himself to believe his brother would rebuke her for her part in Raktor’s deceit. “I am grateful you could recognize that our family is unlike the Torgvalds. We are hunters and traders, we do not raid your homeland as they often do. Mylan is a tireless hunter and explorer. I doubt he will ever be content as long as there is the prospect of new lands to discover, but he finds the bargaining we enjoy a tedious bore. He is adept at the excitement of adventure, while we are the ones considered best at shrewd trading.”
Celiese found the charming young man’s company most welcome and hoped he truly liked her, for she knew she would need all the help she could possibly gather to win Mylan’s favor when next she saw him. “You do believe me, don’t you, Andrick? I would never betray my husband nor allow him to suffer the smallest harm if I had any way to stop it. You have been so sympathetic and kind, but Hagen does not trust me, and I am greatly worried about what will happen when we reach your home.”
Andrick quickly reassured her, “My brother has too quick a temper, but often when he has time to reflect more thoroughly he chooses the right side to an argument. He is as worried as am I. It is his concern for our family that makes him so irritable, but do not judge him too harshly. Perhaps Raktor knew we were away when he agreed to my father’s offer of a marriage between our families, but when we return home we will be swift to avenge this wrong, if Mylan has not already done so.”
Celiese believed his confidently voiced vow. “I cannot bear to think of any of you risking your lives now. Raktor’s kin are not worth your trouble to kill, and I beg you to turn away from revenge, for you may not be able to escape harm yourself, and I would always feel I was to blame.”
Andrick shook his head as he disagreed firmly, “You must leave this matter for us to settle, and do not waste another moment fearing for our safety, for we are all men who learned at an early age to look after ourselves.” He continued to speak in a confident manner until he was certain she believed him, and as soon as she had eaten and was resting comfortably he took Hagen aside to begin making their plans for an attack Raktor and his clan would never forget.
*
The Vandahl brothers sailed home far more swiftly than the men who had manned Raktor’s ship that had carried Celiese and the others to Kaupang. She marveled at their skill in commanding their craft and wondered if Mylan possessed the same talent upon the seas. His name rang in her heart and echoed in her mind, but she was frightened for him still, despite Andrick’s constant reassurance that he would see his brother and all his kin promptly returned to their home. If Mylan had somehow managed to free his relatives on his own, would any have told him where she had been taken? She worried constantly about him and prayed fervently for his safety, not once stopping to consider how little respect a pagan would have for her God.
Aldred rode down to the shore to meet his sons’ ship as it docked. His right arm was heavily bandaged but healing well, and he scarcely felt any discomfort until he saw Celiese, and then he could not suppress a cry of outrage as he withdrew his dagger from its scabbard at his belt. “I would kill you now, but that would deprive Mylan of gaining satisfaction for your treachery!”
“No, you are mistaken, for I have done my husband no wrong!” She was quick to defend herself for she had expected his insult, but she had not considered he would be so incensed he might murder her on the spot.
Aldred shoved her rudely toward the waiting horses. “You were no wife to my son, only a spy sent to destroy him. He will see that you are punished severely for your evil deeds.”
Celiese gasped as Hagen leaned down from his horse to pull her up in front of him. He gripped her waist tightly as he rode to the well-fortified stone dwelling upon the cliff. He tossed her roughly to the ground at his mother’s feet, his disdain for her clear in the cold gleam of his angry stare. “I will leave this woman in your care, Mother, for I do not trust myself to have the patience to wait for Mylan to see to her punishment.”
Thulyn greeted the disheveled blonde with a vicious whisper. “So they found you, did they? I will lock you in Mylan’s room and he may do with you as he pleases when he returns. You will find no horror you can imagine will prepare you for the revenge my son will extract, but I will warn you now, no matter how loudly you scream for mercy, he will not hear you!”
Celiese rose gracefully to her feet, brushing the dirt of the path from her gown before turning to stare at the woman who had once been so kind. “You will never hear me scream.” She ceased to listen to the woman’s cruel threats as she made her way to Mylan’s room. The furs were soft upon his bed, and she thought only of the sweetness of her husband’s kisses as she stretched out upon them. She had been loved for such a brief time, but it had been more wonderful than she had ever dreamed possible, a memory she would savor for the rest of her days, no matter how many or few they might be.
When Thulyn shoved a plate of food in the door she did not get up to eat it, for if none there believed in her innocence she would not plead for their understanding. She planned only to die as proudly as she had lived and returned to sleep, lost in the memories of the love filling her heart with such happiness there was no room for any fear, not even of the gruesome fate that
Thulyn and Aldred had promised awaited her upon Mylan’s return.
Chapter 6
Olgrethe bent down beside the large bed and caressed Celiese’s tangled curls lightly. “Dear friend, I thought you were lost to me forever. I am sorry you have grown so pale and thin. I can see you have suffered dreadfully for my father’s warlike ways.”
Celiese sat up slowly, her voice filling with alarm as she pushed her hair away from her eyes. “Olgrethe, who has brought you here to Aldred’s home? Are you being held as a prisoner, too?” She had been asleep for many hours, days perhaps, but could not imagine how Olgrethe had come to be with her.
Laughing brightly, Olgrethe tossed her tawny curls at such a ridiculous thought. “No, of course not. I am to be married tonight, as it was agreed in the beginning, but now that I have met the man I am certain it will be for the best.” Curling up on the foot of the bed to get more comfortable, she began to talk in an excited whisper.
“I wish you had been there to see the fight, Celiese. Aldred’s sons agreed to pay the ransom my father had demanded for the safe return of their kin, but rather than hand over such a fortune when those men were brought forth they turned their swords upon us.
“There was not one of my brothers who could outfight them, and they soon made my father admit he had not accepted the proposal for my hand in good faith. The Vandahls are so different from my family, every bit as brave, but with a kindness I have never seen displayed in my home. I do not think of myself as a prisoner, nor as a captive bride, and I know you and I will be very happy living here.”
“You expect me to remain here with you?” Celiese was appalled by that possibility. How could she stand the sight of Mylan with Olgrethe after having known the joy of his love herself? “No, please don’t ask me to stay here, I cannot.”
“But why not?” Olgrethe’s pretty features assumed the pose of a pouting child, frustrated by not having her way.
Celiese simply stared at her friend for a long moment, and then shook her head sadly. “The Vandahls were all so quick to condemn me, to believe the worst of me, and I do not want to live where I will never be trusted.” She could say no more, her throat ached with the pain of unshed tears, and she turned away rather than let Olgrethe see the depth of her anguish.
Puzzled by Celiese’s solemn mood when she was so happy, Olgrethe left the room quickly, intent upon making the final preparations for her wedding before she saw to her former maid’s problems, which she was certain could not possibly be so acute as the young woman believed them to be.
When Olgrethe walked out leaving the door wide open, Celiese wasted no time in leaving Mylan’s room, for she had no desire to be found there when he came looking for Raktor’s daughter. She pushed herself off the bed, and after a few moments’ dizziness moved swiftly down the narrow staircase and out into the bright sunlight. She took the first path she found, following it down from the cliff to the flat expanse of plain that led to the sea. She walked until she came to the water’s edge, then sank down in the soft sand and stared out at the distant horizon, wishing with all her heart there were some way for her to return to her homeland where she might live in peace, if not with love.
*
The setting sun cast long shadows across the path as Andrick drew his high-spirited mount to an abrupt halt. In his haste, sand shot up from the beast’s hooves went flying all over Celiese, and she had to leap to her feet to avoid being trampled. Ignoring the danger his careless actions had presented he extended his hand as he issued a terse command, which he clearly expected to be obeyed.
“Get up behind me, girl. Mylan allowed none to accompany Olgrethe, and she refuses to prepare for the marriage ceremony without you to attend her.”