Chapter 6 #3
“By the way, I saw you talking to my twin yesterday.” Haakon’s eyes, so intent a moment ago, were now sparkling with ill-concealed mirth.
Why? What had just crossed his mind? And why had he changed the subject so abruptly?
“I wondered what you told each other. I confess I would have liked to hear your conversation.”
“Your twin?” Gytha frowned, confused.
She had talked to many Norsemen the day before at the banquet but none had looked like him.
She would have noticed, because she spent an inordinate amount of time staring at his perfect features and she could have recalled them at a moment’s notice.
No man last night had looked remotely as attractive as he did.
But perhaps his brother was one of those twins who weren’t an exact copy of yourself.
There were twin sisters living in her street that looked nothing like one another.
They barely even looked like sisters. And yet they had been born at the same time, of the same womb.
Who was Haakon’s twin then? The one who had offered her first pick from his platter of roasted meat?
Not the one who had insisted she dance a second time with him, surely? That one had been rather unpleasant.
“Yes. My twin sister. Rowena?”
Gytha stilled. She had indeed spoken to a woman called Rowena straight after the ceremony.
Their conversation had made little sense to her.
Now it did. The woman she had taken for Haakon’s lover was his twin.
That was why his eyes were sparkling so, why he looked so happy to tell her who his sister was.
Because he’d known she would feel ridiculous for accusing him of having a lover the other day. Which she did.
“Mm, yes,” she said noncommittally, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of knowing he had succeeded in his bid to humiliate her.
“Admit it, you felt rather disgruntled when you found out the truth.”
“No, I didn’t, because she didn’t actually tell me who she was.
” Rowena had not introduced herself as Haakon’s sister, she had just assumed Gytha had known who she was talking to.
And she would have, had Haakon been honest enough to tell her what the situation was when they had discussed his mysterious visitor that day.
“You thought she was my lover.” Though he didn’t exactly sound accusatory, Gytha could not help but get defensive.
“How could I not?” She might have jumped to conclusions, but she defied anyone not to have done the same. “It’s not written on her face that she is your twin, and she had spent the night in your hut.”
Oh good. Now she sounded accusatory.
Fortunately Haakon didn’t seem to take offense.
“Yes. She has two young sons—twins, oddly enough. They’ve recently been ill.
Having looked after them day and night for a week, Rowena was exhausted.
Her husband, Thorfinn, ordered her to go sleep in my hut while I took her place for one night.
She needed the rest and as the boys were out of danger, she agreed. ”
Oh, could she feel more wretched?
Rowena was not a wanton going after all the handsome men in the village, she had only kissed Thorfinn because he was her husband.
As to Haakon, far from being a lecher spending nights of debauchery, he had gone to help his brother-in-law look after his nephews.
He had handed over his home to his sister so that she could get the rest she needed after a hard week spent fretting over her sick children.
Thanks for last night, she recalled her saying. Anytime, Haakon had answered. Yes. It all made sense now.
And she was mortified.
Yet there was something she couldn’t explain. “She told me she hadn’t wanted to introduce herself ‘under the circumstances.’ What did she mean?”.
Once again, Gytha had assumed the worst, that Rowena had not wanted to meet a woman in such an awkward moment. But if she was not his lover, she’d had nothing to worry about, so why had she said such an odd thing? Say what Haakon might, she had some reason to have thought what she had thought.
“I had just told her about your mother’s passing and she didn’t think you’d appreciate having to make polite conversation with a stranger at that time,” Haakon explained, looking ill at ease to have to remind her of the loss. “I agreed it was probably best to wait.”
Oh Lord. She had really gotten it completely wrong and made a fool of herself. She could no longer pretend anyone else would have made the same mistake.
“You could have told me she was not your lover,” she mumbled, looking at her feet.
“I wanted to, at first. But then you interrupted me, sounding so sure of yourself, so ready to think me a lecher bedding all the women around that I didn’t think you would have believed me.”
Would she have doubted him? Perhaps. “So, you’re telling me that I’m completely wrong, that not all women in the village are lusting after you, and you after them?”
She had not missed the looks aimed his way last night. They had been full of desire. Haakon winced and she knew she had hit a nerve.
“Maybe not all, but some women are, as you say, lusting after me. Edita is the worst. A Saxon who came to live in the village recently. She’s my friend Eirik’s cousin and she made no mystery of the fact that she was after a Norse husband, or at the very least a Norse lover.”
“And her choice fell on you.” It was clear, however, that this didn’t please him and he was not thinking of taking advantage of her invitation.
“It had at first. But fortunately she seems to have found someone else. My friend Arne, the one you saw the night before the wedding.” Yes, she did remember the impudent Norseman, the one Steinar had called a fool and advised Eadhild to ignore.
“They slept together last night, or so he told me earlier. He feared I would be jealous. In truth, I’m relieved. She’s finally going to leave me alone.”
There was nothing more to say.
Gytha nodded and led the way back to Wolf’s hut, where her father would be waiting for her. After a wonderful respite, it was time to go back to her normal life.