Chapter 21
Gytha spent the next two days in bed with Haakon, or so it seemed.
As if to ensure they would not leave the house, the weather had taken a sudden turn for the worst. With the rain pelting down, few people wanted to venture outside, least of all lovers eager to make up for lost time.
True to his word, Haakon taught her everything he knew, and rode her for what felt like hours at a time.
Though by rights she should have been exhausted, she couldn’t get enough of it.
In the morning of the third day, the sun came back and they received a visit from her father.
Fortunately, he arrived when they were breaking their fast, and not while she was screaming her pleasure at the top of her lungs.
No matter how hard she tried, she never managed to keep quiet when her body went up in flames.
Haakon had assured her he loved hearing this proof of her pleasure, and was often as vocal as she was.
“Daughter.” Her father gave her a wide smile. “I take it from the fact that you never came back home that your declaration of love was well received the other day?”
Yes. That was one way of putting it. She blushed so hard, remembering all she and Haakon had done since then that she knew she would never be able to answer without stammering.
“It was, extremely well-received,” Haakon said in her place.
To her relief, he sounded matter-of-fact, nothing like the lust filled lover who had purred his lewdest instructions in her ear over the last few days.
“Gytha told me you had been the one encouraging her to come speak to me. I’m grateful, because I was going out of my mind with the need for her. ”
“Think nothing of it. And I’m glad to see that my last child will be happily married as well. At least, I assume that is what’s going to happen?”
“It is. In fact we were about to come into town to tell you the ceremony will take place this Friday.”
“Perfect. You two have been betrothed from the moment you met. I say it was time to finally make it official.”
Haakon gave a throaty laugh. “As you say. There was no escaping our fate.”
“Will you have something to drink and eat with us?” Gytha, who had finally gotten her voice back, asked.
“I will, thank you.”
The three of them sat down and finished the bread, cheese and meat she had placed on the table earlier.
“That was delicious, thank you. I will be on my way now, as I was actually going to the next village, but I will come back on Thursday evening in time for the ceremony,” her father told her, standing back up. “Your sister and Leofric will come with me of course. Anyone else you’d like me to tell?”
Yes, there was, and she gratefully gave him her list. Eadhild, of course, was already in the village.
Once her father had left, Gytha went outside, intent on enjoying the rays of the sun. Sitting on the bench, she could not help but overhear the conversation between Wolf and her father. The Icelander had spotted him saddling his horse and walked over to him.
“So, Elstan, it would seem that you and your family will soon be part of our community.” He sounded quite pleased by this turn of events, which pleased her in turn. She knew his approbation meant a lot to everyone in the village, and Haakon in particular. “Who would have thought?”
Her father let out a laugh. “Not me. I will admit that when I was elected I never anticipated to have so much to do with the people from this village, or that my youngest daughter would end up married to one of the formidable Norsemen.”
Wolf gave a laugh. “Haakon is formidable, I’ll grant you that, but he is the best of men. Don’t let his appearance fool you, he will look after Gytha properly, you can count on it. If not, he’ll answer to me.”
Gytha smiled to herself. There was no need to worry. Indeed, she would be happy here with her Norse husband, and well-looked after. As to his formidable appearance, it was one the things she loved most about him.
She let out a sigh of contentment.
Everything had seemed to magically resolve itself, as if all the stars had aligned at the same time.
Once again she would live near her best friend.
Now that she was marrying the man of her choice she wouldn’t have to worry about Oswald or anyone else bothering her, or wonder if she could find a man who would love her for who she was.
And, of course, a long last, Matilda had been reunited with her daughter.
Everything was as it should be.
She waved at Inga, who appeared from the corner of the hut, walking arm in arm with the old woman from Matilda’s village, who had found a new home here.
Grateful for what she had done for her daughter, Matilda had offered to let Elfida stay with them, which the woman had gratefully accepted.
She would be able to see the little daughter she considered as her granddaughter grow.
Gytha smiled. Another Saxon in the village, another woman. Haakon’s father was still the only Saxon man living in the Norse community. Would there one day be another? They would have to wait and see.
A rumble of hooves announced her father’s departure. Barely a moment later she felt a presence behind her.
Already knowing who it would be, she turned around.
“Are you all right, Saxon?” Haakon asked, tilting his head. He seemed worried. “You look as if you’d been crying.”
“No, I didn’t cry,” she quickly reassured him. “But I almost did, precisely because I’ve never felt better.”
“I’m not sure I understand.”
She shook her head, feeling slightly ridiculous. “I’m not sure I do either. But I love you. Maybe that’s what I’m trying to say.”
“Well, that, you can say in any way you want. I’ll always understand.” He leaned over to give her a kiss. “Come, let’s go back inside. I want to play with you.”
She snorted. “Is that what you’re calling it now?
“No, I don’t mean play in that way,” he purred. “I mean a game of dice.”
This got her interest. “Oh. Suddenly you’re not afraid of losing and showing a side of yourself you’re not proud of?”
He didn’t respond to her provocation but instead answered seriously.
“No. With you, the woman I’m going to marry, who’s going to have to deal with me day after day, watch me grow old and gray, I’m afraid of nothing.
You have already seen me at my worst anyway, and apparently it wasn’t enough to send you away, so I’m not worried. ”
“When have I seen you at your worst?”
Haakon gave the throaty laugh she loved. “Oh no, I’m not falling into that trap. If you don’t remember I’m not going to remind you. Come.”
Laughing in turn, she stood up and followed him into the hut that was soon to be hers as well.
Gytha was ready to embrace all aspects of her new life.
Like Eadhild, she intended to wear a Norse dress for their wedding on Friday.
Caedmon was even now working on the brooches that would be his present to her.
She had already started to learn Norse. Haakon insisted she had a talent for it.
She wasn’t sure but she loved seeing the pleasure gleaming in his eyes when she said anything.
His most intense lessons were given in bed, as he’d warned her.
He had already taught her all the parts of the body and quite a few naughty acts.
She would have to surprise him later by doing a thorough revision.
“Here.”
He closed the door behind him and gestured at the table he had cleared of bowls and food. In the middle were four dice. Wooden dice, very obviously new and unused. Suspicion stirred inside Gytha.
“Was that what you were doing with the branch the other day?”
The day she had knocked on his door, causing him to cut himself with the saw. The day they had declared their love to one another. The day they had made love with such passion. The most wonderful day of her life.
“Yes. I thought it was time you owned some decent dice.”
Warmth spread through her, not because of what he had said, but because of what it meant. He had started work on the dice before she had come visit him, at a time when he had no idea of her feelings for him.
“Are you telling me that if I had waited another few days before coming to you, you would have come to me?”
Despair had motivated her visit. She had been so certain that if she didn’t go to him, she would never see him again…and now she was being told he would have come two or three days later to give her the dice.
“Yes. I was going mad with the need to see you and I couldn’t think of any excuse to justify a visit, so I thought—”
“Justify! You didn’t need an excuse to come see me,” Gytha cried out. “I didn’t have one when I came.”
“I know. But as we’ve already established, I’m less brave than you, for all my size.
Anyway, I knew I could not give you another pair of earrings.
And this time I wanted to give you something I had done myself.
So I thought to replace the sorry dice we used that night we played at your house.
” His voice became a purr and his eyes started to sparkle.
“You seem to have a special ability for seeing the magic in objects, so perhaps you’ll be able to see the magic and the love I put in these. ”
Oh, she could already see it, in the care he had taken to smooth the surface, in every exquisite detail he’d carved. These were more than dice, they were veritable works of art, and she couldn’t wait to start using them.
“Sit,” she ordered, gesturing at the stool. “It’s time to play.”
He ignored the order. Instead he drew her into his arms and started nuzzling at her throat. “Shall we make this game more interesting, Saxon? Some stake might make for more satisfying ending.”
“What do you mean?” She could barely talk, with his mouth brushing against the sensitive skin of her neck. Hals, she reminded herself, one of the parts of her body she loved the most for Haakon to stroke.
“The winner can have his way with the loser. The loser will have to allow everything he suggests.”
“He? No prize for guessing who you think will win.” And if those were the stakes, she would be a fool to refuse him—or to try to win. Losing would be too delicious.
“If I lose, it will be the other way around, of course. You can have your way with me. And I promise to submit.”
Gytha afforded a smile. It seemed that she was guaranteed to win either way.
Even better.
“Very well. Let’s play,” she murmured, closing her fist over the beautiful dice.