Chapter 20
Ylva stayed long into the night talking to her brother.
Ulf had been generous enough to leave the hut to them for the night. It had surprised her to see him trust her to be alone with Oslac but before he’d left he’d rumbled something in Norse, probably some terrible threat should the man cause her any kind of upset.
After that, he’d gone to sleep in his parents’ hut, much to his young sisters’ delight.
As they sipped mead generously given to them by a neighbor called Eirik, Ylva told Oslac all about her captivity and the years of suffering.
And once she had told him of her ordeal, it was easy to find the courage to reveal what Mildred had made her do to Ulf, because then it made sense.
She trusted her brother would understand, at the very least, that she’d felt she had no choice.
“I didn’t see what else to do to save Judith, because there was no doubt Mildred would have acted on her threat,” she said on a breath.
“But thankfully, Ulf and his family proved to be understanding and forgiving. Between them they solved everything. I don’t know what I would have done without them. ”
“Yes, I’m thankful as well.” Oslac took her hand in his. “So you’re safe now?”
“Yes, we both are. Safe and free.”
“I can see that Ulf did not resent the fact that you tried to kill him for too long,” he said, nodding at her stomach.
Ylva felt herself turn red to the roots of her hair, remembering their fiery encounter the night their child had been conceived.
Indeed Ulf had not let the fact that she could have killed him get in the way of his desire.
Less than a week after the attack on his person, he had given her the best night of her life.
“Are the two of you married?”
“No.” Neither was she sure they would be, but that was a discussion for another day.
Her shoulders slumped in defeat. They hadn’t had time to talk about the future yet and she had no idea what it would hold for her.
She was carrying Ulf’s child, admittedly, and he’d made it clear he wanted to be involved in the raising of it, but that didn’t mean he would actually marry her.
Why would he? She had no money to offer, no connections, she still had many things to learn—and she had once tried to kill him, even if he’d understood her reasons and forgiven her.
She hardly fit anyone’s idea of a perfect wife.
As if sensing the topic was a difficult one, Oslac took her by the arm.
“Come. It’s time to go to bed. You look exhausted.”
“Yes. I think I have every reason to be. It’s been a most eventful few days.”
Despite her fatigue, she fell asleep with a smile on her face.
Finally, after years of hardship, everything was falling into place and she had a family once more.
“So all is well, then?”
Ulf couldn’t help but smile at his father. “Yes. Ylva is ecstatic at being reunited with her brother.”
“I can well imagine. I’m glad. After the life she’s had, the poor girl was owed some good news.”
Indeed. But he liked to think that the baby she was carrying had already brought her some well-deserved joy.
His father stood up and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Your grandfather wanted to speak to you. I assume it’s about Oslac. Do you have a moment if we went now?”
“Of course.” He had decided he would leave Ylva and her brother alone for as long as they needed, so he might as well go while his sisters were feeding the chickens.
If he was here when they came back he might be forced to braid their hair for the tenth time since he’d arrived.
Not that he minded. It was good practice for when he had his own child.
He chuckled to himself. Indeed, and without knowing why, he was certain this child would be a girl.
Perhaps the next one would be a boy, though?
He shook his head, sobering. Before he thought of the next babe, he first had to announce the arrival of this one, kiss Ylva, and convince her they had a future together. Make love to her if she’d let him.
His loins caught fire at the thought. Yes, there was much to do. As soon as she was finished with Oslac, he would go speak to her.
His grandmother opened the door and beamed as soon as she saw him.
“Ulf, there you are.” She gave him a kiss on the cheek and invited him in. “I was about to go see you. I saw Ylva in the village yesterday. I take it Wolf and I are to meet our first great-grandchild soon?”
Ulf blinked. How had she guessed Ylva’s child was his own?
Or had she spoken to someone? He knew Rothgar would not have betrayed his confidence, but perhaps Helga or Ylva herself had?
In any case, he knew he could not lie. He didn’t want to, as he was proud of this child he already loved.
Ylva had told her brother who the father of her babe was because she wanted to share the news with her family, so he didn’t think she would object to him telling his grandmother and his father that he was going to be a father.
In fact, it might be why he had been summoned to the hut, because they had all guessed what was happening and wanted confirmation.
“Yes,” he beamed back. “Only a few months to wait now.”
His father arched a brow. Evidently, he had not seen anything coming. He opened his mouth to say something but his grandmother spoke first.
“I liked what little I saw of Ylva. It’s not every day we meet a Saxon strong enough to take on a mighty Norseman.
I was, and your mother Cwenthryth was. I’m glad to see you carrying on the family tradition.
” She winked. “Wolf has gone to gather wood with Sigurd but he should be back presently. You will be able to tell him the news yourself. He will be delighted to have his suspicions confirmed.”
A knock was heard before either of them could say more. When his father opened the door, three Saxon men appeared in the frame.
“Yes?”
“We’re here to arrest Wolf the Icelander.”
Thunder fell at Ulf’s feet.
Arrest his grandfather? Why? What the hell was going on?
“On what charges, this time?”
His grandmother looked distinctly unimpressed, as if this were a regular occurrence, and barely worth her notice.
Come to think of it, it probably was. As a child, he had not paid attention to what went on and of late he had spent a lot of time away from the village.
Perhaps this was not the first time such an event had occurred.
Ulf allowed himself to relax. If his grandfather’s wife, who should know better, was not worried, why should he be?
“The reeve wants to investigate various claims that have been made against him.”
Of course he meant the new reeve, who had been elected at the end of the winter. Elstan would never have treated his friend in such a way, or even given credence to vague accusations made against him.
“I’m sorry to say that the old reeve turned a blind eye to all that’s been going on here,” another one of the men said. “We all know that Norsemen and Saxons are not meant to mingle. It always causes problems.”
It was the wrong thing to say to a local woman who had married an Icelander.
“On the contrary. This village is the proof that Norsemen and Saxons can and will mingle in harmony. As to whatever it is Wolf has been accused of, I can save you the trouble. He is innocent of any wrongdoing. He fights for justice and will help whoever needs him, regardless of their origins. So go tell your master to stop wasting his time and go after real criminals. Heaven knows there are plenty of them about.”
It was clear the formidable woman was not going to surrender her husband to these men without a fight. Fortunately, he’d gone into the forest earlier and was nowhere to be seen.
They had to make sure it would remain that way.
“Go tell him to stay hidden until the men leave,” Ulf told his father in Norse while his grandmother, every inch the village leader’s wife, argued with the guards.
“In any case, as you can see, Wolf is not here,” she said, as Steinar slipped through the door and ran to the forest. “He left for Norwich fair three days ago. We don’t expect him to return any time soon. He usually likes to linger.”
The men looked at one another in consternation. It was obvious they had not imagined they would not find their quarry and now they had no idea what to do.
“We can’t go back empty-handed,” one murmured to the other two, who nodded their agreement.
They clearly feared the reeve’s reaction, but Ulf didn’t care. He placed an arm around his grandmother’s shoulders in support.
“You will just have to tell your master that if he wants to speak to my grandfather, he’ll have to come himself. In a few weeks’ time of course, once he’s back and can actually meet with him,” he told the guards, enjoying their discomfiture.
“Grandfather.” The tallest of the men lifted his chin and looked at the way Ulf was holding his grandmother. “You’re his grandson then?”
“Yes.”
The Saxon looked at the other two. “What do you think?”
The men grinned. Sinister grins. “I’m thinking it’s good enough for now.”