Chapter Nine #2
‘I’ve no idea,’ Rand confessed. ‘I was unaware of the possibility. I didn’t know until I arrived that anyone from Agthir was here.’
‘Would you have travelled here if you had?’
He hated that the answer was complicated and one he didn’t want to fully examine right now. ‘Speculation serves no good purpose as I am here now. What came to pass cannot be altered. We go forward.’
She tapped the side of her nose. ‘Possibly best if we leave the conversation until we reach Tara and have spoken to King Máel Sechnaill. It remains of vital interest to me and my foster-mother. That knowledge must form part of any fight back.’
The heaviness vanished from his chest. His clumsiness had not destroyed everything. She wanted the marriage to continue for strategic reasons.
‘Then you intend to travel with me?’
Her face became inscrutable. ‘Impossible to peace-weave if I remain on Islay. I doubt my words will carry very far over the water.’
He tightened his hold on her arm and resolved that he would find a way to seduce her properly. To demonstrate to her how delightful sex could truly be. ‘You make a fair observation.’
She inclined her head. ‘Astrid pointed out that the reasons for the marriage had not altered for either of us. I intend to hold that thought in the forefront of my mind.’
‘Does Astrid call the tune?’
‘She made suggestions.’ She made a curtsey. ‘Apparently, the sheets have been examined and found to be satisfactory.’
‘I’m aware of Gaelic custom. But I intend our consummation to last longer than one night. Provided the bride is willing.’
A light breeze pushed tendrils of her hair across her face, obscuring her expression. Her face suddenly became heart-stoppingly beautiful. He wanted to capture a tendril and twine it about his fingers, but he kept his hands rigidly down at his sides and waited.
Eventually, she nodded. ‘When shall we depart? I look forward to meeting my new daughter. I plan to be a good mother, Rand.’
Rand hated the sudden lump in his throat at the thought of Birdie having a gentle hand to guide her. ‘When the tide turns, if the terms are acceptable.’
‘They will have to be. I’ll arrange for my trunks to be delivered.’ She paused. ‘I’ve served Agthir’s interests for most of my life and I intend to keep serving with our marriage.’
* * *
Svanna watched her trunks disappear into Rand’s longship. Her brave words to Rand earlier seemed to have little substance and signified less. She wanted to curl up small and hide somewhere until it was safe to come out.
Her few trunks seemed such a small sum of a life.
Absurdly, she wished she could take her small loom, the one she’d used to create the intricate braids that adorned hers and Astrid’s gowns, but she’d left it back in Agthir.
Her idea that she wouldn’t need weaving to calm her mind was laughable now.
She always found that weaving allowed her to concentrate on what was important.
Maybe she could teach Birdie how to weave and calm her mind that way.
Given the way the summer sun beat down, she was also pleased that she’d opted for her thin wool gown, the one that set off her eyes.
‘I’ll miss you,’ she said, brushing Astrid’s cheek with her lips. ‘But my instinct is to go with my new husband.’
She hadn’t expected Astrid to come down to the ship but, leaning heavily on Sigmund’s arm, she had. To her surprise, Rand allowed her a little time to make her private goodbyes.
‘A mark of good faith, my dear. You’re well placed to explain about the perfidy of the Brothers Drengrson, particularly Turgeis,’ Sigmund said. ‘Astrid explained how uncomfortable Turgeis made you in Agthir.’
Astrid pressed her hand. ‘I know you have been wary of that man for a long time, but I think Lord Randolfr will do his best to protect you.’
An ice-cold splinter went down Svanna’s back. Astrid believed Turgeis would attack her.
‘We need to go, my lady wife, or we will miss the tide,’ Rand shouted where he stood at the helm of his boat. ‘I’m not minded to forego this particular tide.’
The words were friendly enough, but there was an underlying warning. She went now or she lost the chance. ‘I should go.’
‘Sooner you go, the quicker we will see each other again.’ Astrid gave a tired smile. ‘Long goodbyes are wearisome.’
‘I will ensure Astrid is well looked after and that she recovers her strength. Never fear that,’ Sigmund said, putting his arm about Astrid’s waist.
In response, Astrid leant against him and gave a cat-that-got-the-cream sort of smile, before stepping out of the circle of his arm.
Svanna enveloped Astrid in one final hug. Astrid stood stiffly for a long heartbeat before giving her a fierce hug in return.
‘I will return for your wedding,’ she said into Astrid’s ear. ‘Halfr put his arm about you in public. He will not have you mistaken for a concubine. Say yes when he asks, please.’
Astrid’s cheeks flamed. ‘Nothing is settled between Halfr and me.’
‘Nevertheless, you have my word about wishing to attend.’
Astrid brushed Svanna’s cheek. ‘You have a good heart, Svanna, but no more of this matchmaking. Your future is elsewhere.’
‘I know that.’
‘And, Svanna, seduce him as soon as possible. It will help bind him to you. Stop being afraid. You can do this. I have seen how he looks at you.’
Svanna gulped hard and was pleased Rand was too far away to hear the words.
Seduce him at the earliest opportunity? How?
She’d spent years being an Ice Maiden. When and where?
Her body still faintly ached from what had passed between them, but she suspected she’d been a disappointment to him, a novelty and nothing more.
‘I will try.’
‘That is the Svanna I know and love. Now, go. Make your mother proud. Make me proud.’
Without a reply, Svanna hurried to the boat and Rand’s helmsman helped her aboard. She stood beside Rand, but looked back towards the shore until Astrid and Sigmund became no more than faint dots.
The warmth suddenly appeared to have gone from the sun.
She wrapped her arms around her and tried not to think on Astrid’s last injunction.
All she knew was that it would be very awkward if Rand guessed.
All she could cling to was how much the usurper had liked her and how that had assisted Astrid in the early days of the occupation.
Maybe she could bond with the little girl and demonstrate to Rand how useful she could be.
‘How long to Tara?’
‘Before the sun sets in the West, we will make landfall,’ Rand said, handing the helm to one of his men. ‘I want to go to Donaghmoyne. Land in the North, rather than making our way from near Dubh-Linn. Less chance of encountering Turgeis and his men.’
Svanna shivered despite the heat of the day. She was voluntarily going to the same country as that man. Was she walking into a web he’d woven or would she be able to cut the strands and finally destroy him for ever? ‘You think that is a risk?’
‘After what happened, I consider it a distinct possibility. But under Máel Sechnaill, the men of Eire have managed to keep the Northmen contained to the area around Dubh-Linn. We will be safe landing in the North and travelling by land.’
A tremor passed through her. ‘We will be safe there?’
‘Turgeis requires power, not certain defeat. His ships might occasionally patrol the coastline but they don’t land.’
‘You sound like Lord Sigmund before Turgeis attacked. What Turgeis will dare depends on what he intends to achieve.’
‘Venturing deep within Tara’s territory would be an act of war—a war which he’d lose.’
‘What do I know of strategy?’
‘Precisely.’ He nodded and gave the signal to increase the rowing speed and to unfurl the sail.
The boat lurched into the open ocean with spray hitting her face.
Svanna retreated to the small covered area and sat down on her largest trunk.
Safe in the North. She wanted to believe it true.
She knew how often safety had been an illusion.
Silently, she offered up a prayer that this time she would be able to find a secure harbour for the rest of her life, but experience had taught her not to put too much faith in prayers.
Instead, she had to figure out a way to make it happen without relying on anyone else.
Seduction perhaps, or ensuring that he saw how useful she could be with his daughter.
* * *
Svanna shaded her eyes and tried to pick out any line of green on the horizon.
She’d spent most of the voyage daydreaming about what she’d do when she finally met Rand’s little girl and how she’d ensure Birdie would begin to look up to her and trust her.
To her astonishment, she kept coming up with new ideas like teaching her how to weave, sew and even garden with herbs.
With each new idea, a quiver went down her spine; she found the thought of being a proper mother to that little girl excited her more than she’d considered possible.
The waves developed white caps and the spray positively soaked her. She braced her feet and tried not to shiver. The day which had started in brilliant sunshine now had dark clouds obscuring the horizon. And a stiff breeze had sprung up.
An omen? Svanna swallowed hard and tried to rid herself of the sense of foreboding. Her mind circled back to that salute Turgeis had given. Had it been a goodbye or something much worse?
‘Is that green I see?’ she asked, not expecting an answer.
‘Light on the water,’ Rand said, coming to sit beside her.
‘We will reach the coast soon enough, and then travel up the coast to reach the inlet which leads to the road to Donaghmoyne. If the weather holds, we’ll sup in my hall.
’ He gave a smile that warmed her down to her toes. ‘And you will meet my daughter.’
‘I’m looking forward to meeting Birdie. Do you see her often?’