Chapter 15 #2
Isla laughed. “I should go console the queen. She’s quite right.
Wherever you go you bring confusion and trouble.
Men grind their teeth at your mischief. They want to strangle you because you dance around them, making up one tale after another, leaving them confused and crazed.
You refuse to consider anyone else save yourself.
You don’t honor your father’s wishes. You take it into your silly head that you want only one certain man.
You say he has a richness deep inside him.
You don’t even know what that means. You don’t even know this man, not really.
You’re just like Kerzog who won’t let go of a stick. You just dig in your heels and hang on.
“Another thing. This man Cleve is ugly. He’s not blind to himself.
And what does that mean? That sounds like that deep richness nonsense.
The scar on his face makes him look like a devil.
It’s true, it’s you who are the blind one.
You refuse to see him clearly because you’re so damned obstinate.
He has nothing. He doesn’t want a wife because he should have had one once before, but by all the gods, that was a disaster.
He doesn’t need more disasters in his life.
He doesn’t need a woman who’s very nature creates havoc. ”
“How dare you, Isla.” She came up on her elbows, ready to battle.
“Now listen here, I don’t create havoc. I may try to change things, but at least I don’t wear enough paint on my face so my head is bowed to my knees.
Wait a minute, how do you know all this?
How do you know of Kerzog? How do you know about Cleve? Oh, goodness, who are you really?”
“Why, who do you think, Princess? I’m the man who seduced you and impregnated you.”
“Cleve?”
“Aye.”
“Oh, I prayed you’d come,” she said, and threw herself against him. “You’re here, at last. I’ve missed you, Cleve.” She hugged him tighter. He sucked in his breath in pain.
“What’s wrong? Oh, I’m sorry.”
“You stuck your knife into me. I’m here to save you and you stab me. Keep away from me.”
“I didn’t mean to.” She was frantically trying to find where she’d stuck him, but he slapped her hands away.
“No, don’t touch me, you might smear the paint on my face. Put that damned knife down and lie back.”
She slipped the knife beneath her pillow again.
Her heart was pounding. She’d never been so happy, so utterly relieved.
Everything would be all right now, she knew it.
Cleve was here. Surely what she’d said had to touch him.
At least he should think about her words, shouldn’t he?
She said, “You don’t mind that I’m to bear your child, do you? ”
“Not at all. If my seed can be of use to you, why then, drain me of as much as you like.”
“I had to do something. Tonight the king announced that I’m to wed Ragnor.”
“I know. I was there. I was relieved when you showed the good sense to keep your mouth shut when he did make his announcement.”
“I nearly didn’t, but Kerek told me to.”
“And if Kerek hadn’t stopped you, what would you have announced?”
“That the king had lied, perhaps. That it wasn’t Ragnor’s child I carried.
I probably would have gone on about their lack of pride to wed me to Ragnor when it wasn’t even his child I was carrying.
Perhaps insults about their collective manhoods, that they were shriveled and rotted. Something like that.”
“You see, you bring chaos and confusion. Have you any idea what would have happened had you done that?”
“Perhaps the king would have relented since it was all out in the open? That everyone would know what the truth was? Ragnor would choke on the ale you gave him and die?”
He gave her a look of disgust she couldn’t see. “Don’t be a fool. The gods know what would have happened. It curdles my blood to even think about it. Now, shall I tell you why you’re to wed Ragnor in three days? Well before this pregnant belly of yours begins to swell?”
“You’ve been here less than a day. How do you know so much? I’ve been here forever and listened and cajoled and I would have bribed everyone if I’d had any silver. I don’t know anything.”
He smiled in the darkness, pleased that she couldn’t see his face.
He felt the paste cracking around his mouth.
“The queen decided that the babe you bear will be a better future ruler if he’s not from Ragnor’s seed.
I understand she questioned Kerek about what sort of man I am.
She didn’t care in the least that you, not a real princess at all, and I, a former slave who has no future as of yet, would give the Danelaw its future ruler. ”
“That’s brilliant. She’s a ruthless woman.”
“Aye, and a very clever one. I’ve heard your threats about how you will yell the roof down if they try to make you wed Ragnor. The queen isn’t stupid. She wants this marriage. She plans something. I just don’t know what it is yet.”
“I’ll find out. I’ll use guile with her and she’ll confess what she plans to me.”
He laughed, he couldn’t help himself.
“By all the gods, Cleve, you’re here. That means Kiri is starving herself. Did you bring her? Is she on the Silver Raven? Is she safe?”
“She is at Hawkfell Island. She is eating because I swore to her that I would bring you back. She’s not even counting sticks, at least she’d better not be.”
She very slowly eased herself against his chest, only to feel what seemed to be very big breasts. He just laughed and pushed her away. “Don’t ruin my paint. This face is desired by Ragnor. Don’t hug me again. My breasts aren’t all that stable at the moment.”
“After you rescue me, Cleve, will you make me pregnant? I mean really pregnant? I’m very close to getting all the fathers of this babe confused.”
“I suppose I must, otherwise only the gods know what poor fellow you will choose as your next victim.” He paused a moment, and she wished she could see his face.
She felt his fingers lightly touching her mouth, her jaw, her nose.
She wanted to kiss him, but she didn’t want to smear his face.
She felt his warm breath against her ear as he said, “I’m pleased that Ragnor didn’t force you.
A woman who is forced by a man isn’t usually eager to have another man bed her, even if she thinks she wants him. ”
“How do you know that?”
“I’ve seen it. Forget not that I was a slave for fifteen years. I saw everything.”
“Ah, but everything is different now. You have me.”
“It appears so,” he said, and laughed. He patted her cheek and rose from the box bed. “Sleep and don’t try to come up with your own plans. I don’t want to have to follow after you and put out fires. I will decide what it is we will do. Obey me in this, Chessa, or it will not go well for you.”
Everyone treated her with great deference, including the guard that trailed after her everywhere she went. In two days she was to marry Ragnor. She’d seen Isla flirting with Ragnor, giving him mead, but he’d made no move to see her.
Cleve had told her to leave everything to him. Why? She wasn’t stupid or helpless. An entire day had passed and nothing had happened. She had to do something. If she managed to save herself, why then, she could save Cleve too. She was whistling when she was shown to the queen’s garden.
It was just beyond dusk, at that shadowy moment before darkness came.
The beautiful garden, with its brilliant flowers, didn’t look as wildly glorious as it did in full sun.
There were shadows in the corners. Everything seemed dull and lackluster, as if every flower, every shrub, every tree, would crumble into dust the moment darkness fell.
Was she being fanciful because she was pregnant? She laughed as she remembered Sira would defend her tantrums by claiming the babes were making her fanciful.
The queen said, “Ah, you’re here at last, Chessa.
Do come and sit down and let’s enjoy the quiet of the evening.
Then you will dine with the king and Ragnor, as I think I’ll do this evening as well.
One of my people told me that the king is displeased with the concubine who stands at his left hand.
It appears he forgot to have her taste something for him and thus could have been poisoned.
It is her fault, of course. Aye, I’ll go dine with the king and the court and see what’s happening.
I don’t want him to hurt her. Now, sit down, my child. ”
“I’m not a child and I’m not yours.”
“You soon will be mine, but enough. You will learn that life doesn’t always give you what you want it to. Just look at me.”
“I’m looking, lady, and I see a woman who has everything she could possibly want.
I see a lady who rules and meddles to her heart’s content.
I see a lady who dislikes her only son so much she wants to wed him to a woman who loathes him, a woman who would never let him touch her, a woman pregnant with another man’s child.
I think I prefer my stepmother, who is truly rotten.
At least she’s honest in her rottenness. ”
Turella felt a stab of anger. No, she thought, the girl was just trying to enrage her.
And she was succeeding because what she said was true.
She sighed. “Here is some lemon ale that is very good. Would you like some?” As she spoke, Turella calmly poured herself a goblet of the ale and drank it down.
“Aye,” Chessa said after Turella had swallowed all of it.
They sat together on the stone bench as the shadows deepened, Turella telling her about the Bulgar and the immense stretches of barren land that lay between settlements, the trade routes that were jealously guarded and fought over, the Swedes who controlled Kiev and were even now extending their rule to the south and to the east.