Chapter Eleven #3
‘Do you have any idea where they have gone?’ she asked when the fire burst into life. ‘How long will it take to find them? We don’t know what Turgeis has planned. He was bold enough to attack Sigmund.’
‘Several ideas.’ He shrugged and tried not to think about the scenarios that kept him awake last night. He’d little doubt now that the raid had been carefully planned, rather than a spontaneous decision. ‘But they are only hunches.’
‘No firm knowledge what else might be planned, nor indeed if, fearing for his bride, Thorarinn has turned to Turgeis for assistance?’
He raised a brow. ‘Thorarinn has no great love for them. He rescued me from my beating at their father’s hands and was beaten himself for it.’
Svanna gave the fire another stir. ‘Alliances alter and shift, Rand.’
‘Not with my cousin.’ Rand shook his head. ‘He is completely loyal.’
Normally, people understood his tone and backed off.
‘Perish the thought.’ Svanna made a cutting motion with her hand. ‘But my purpose when I married you was to act as a peace-weaver between Agthir, Islay and Tara. I would like to speak with your king as quickly as possible. Turgeis might be plotting more mischief.’
Her words cut him more than he’d thought they would, but at least they were honest. He’d hoped she’d married him in part because she wanted to be with him.
‘Will you never put yourself first?’
‘If I do not fulfil my duty, I lose my honour. And without honour, is life truly worth living?’ She bowed her head. ‘A lesson I learned many times since my real mother first asked me that question back when I was younger than Birdie.’
‘I see. Honour is everything to you.’
‘Which is why I must humbly ask in the wake of what we know that we proceed to Tara.’
‘And my cousin?’
She tilted her chin upwards. ‘Trust your cousin to appear back here. For some reason, he or his bride want Birdie with them when they confront your father-in-law. It is why she should travel with us.’
The small curl of fear which had lurked in the pit of his stomach ever since Birdie had mentioned the trip tightened. That Svanna recognised what he did. ‘What do you mean, “want Birdie with them”? How would it help them?’
‘His bride promised Birdie a trip to Tara. I suspect they intend to make that trip happen. She would be a counter for them to ensure that the King hears their plea. She is the only living child of his favourite daughter. I’m not the only one who sees how that could soften her grandfather’s heart.’
‘Not going to happen.’ Rand banged his fists together. ‘Birdie is protected here. Measures exist.’
‘Measures which your cousin and bride know. The only way you can ensure her protection is to keep her with us. She must come to Tara with us.’ She stretched out her hand, but Rand ignored it. ‘The most prudent option.’
He shook his head. ‘She is safest here.’
‘Is she? After what she confided? We could keep her away from her grandfather, but you would rest easier, knowing she was with us.’
He knew her words were sensible, but if he lost his trust in his cousin, his world became a carefully constructed lie. ‘If you believe they will return, then we must wait.’
Her lips thinned to a white line. The Ice Princess had returned, making his decision easier. He’d little intention of blindly obeying authoritarian demands, even if an inner part of him protested that her ideas had merit and she was certainly not made of ice.
‘You and I are needed in Tara. Agthir’s peace depends on my success.’
‘The monk will spread the news of our marriage. I suspect it has already reached Tara.’ He allowed his eyes to roam all over Svanna, taking in her curves, her blonde hair and her finely drawn features, but he knew deep down that he wanted her fighting as hard for his family as she was prepared to fight for Agthir and Islay.
Until that happened, he had to follow what had worked for him in the past. ‘Máel Sechnaill will understand if I tarried on the road after he encounters you.’
The colour on Svanna’s cheeks rose to a delightful crimson.
‘What if the monk holds his tongue?’ she said to the fire.
Rand rolled his eyes. ‘The words were said to make his tongue wag faster. I know the man. He likes imparting gossip.’
She bent closer to the fire. ‘Games of double bluff seldom work.’
‘Says the peace-weaver. Playing games is what you do.’
She rose and turned towards him. Her eyes showed her fury and passion, even if her voice appeared to be chipped from a snow-capped mountain. ‘We adjust but we hold what is ultimately important in the forefront of our minds.’
He disliked her reasonable tone. He could deal with the squalls of anger that Bridget had indulged in, but Svanna’s emotions were on a tight leash.
‘I begin to understand why you remained unmarried,’ he said to provoke a response.
‘Why? Because I have a brain and am unafraid to use it?’ she said, putting her hand on her hip. ‘Fancy that, a woman who dares to speak and point out flaws in your thinking. The first duty of a peace-weaver is to ensure her husband understands where he has made an error.’
‘Who said that?’
‘Astrid.’ She tilted her chin upwards and her eyes half-closed as if she were reciting something from memory. ‘A wife should never be afraid to speak her mind to her husband, particularly when the safety of her country is involved, but she does it in private so as not to humiliate him.’
‘Truly? And she put this into practice when?’
‘Many times with her second husband. I saw her confront him within the confines of their chambers. I was there when she bargained for her life as well. Much scarier than the saga makes out. He’d sworn to kill Ingebord.
I thought he’d kill me. I knew he would if he ever discovered the trick, including when the life ebbed from him. The usurper was like that.’
Rand stared at her. Her bravery made something in his throat catch. ‘But he didn’t.’
‘I never knew why.’ She held out her hands. ‘Sometimes in my dreams, I don’t get the wording right and bring the entire edifice down.’
Her voice held a sing-song note. She might be speaking brave words, but she was very nervous. It made him admire her bravery even more. He itched to take her in his arms.
‘And this is why you feel you can speak to me like this? Your foster-mother told you that this was the correct way to behave? Do you think I am a danger to you?’
She hugged her waist. ‘In private, and not shaming in front of servants or others. When you think on it, Rand, quietly and dispassionately, you will see I am right.’
Rand raised a brow. ‘Will I?’
‘You are angry with me because you’re frustrated with Thorarinn. Because you need a person to be angry with and I’m convenient. I’m trying to help you, but I refuse to be used in that fashion.’
He stared at her, open-mouthed. His earlier frustration at her faded like snow in the morning sun.
How did this woman suddenly understand his innermost struggles better than he did?
He was more than frustrated with Thorarinn.
If he felt able, he would shake him until his teeth rattled and a modicum of sense entered his brain.
Worse, he’d nearly alienated the woman who had proved herself to be his biggest ally in this battle against Turgeis.
When his late wife had raged at him for something her father or one of her sisters had said, he’d hated it even if it had led to some of their most passionate lovemaking.
In the end, he’d wondered if she’d provoked the quarrels to provoke the aftermath because their lovemaking had dwindled to those times.
‘Frustrated with Thorarinn is a good way to put it,’ he said in a low voice, hanging his head. ‘He can be most irritating at times. Selfish.’
She gave a wry smile. ‘I haven’t met the man, so I will take your word for it.’
He walked over to her and laid his hands on her.
Her arms were shaking, and he suddenly realised the enormous effort it must have taken her to defy him in that way.
Particularly as the alliance was supposedly the most important thing to her and the easiest way would have been to humour him.
‘I apologise. Wrong of me. None of this is your fault.’
She gave a stiff nod. ‘Apology accepted.’
‘I don’t want to fight, Svanna. I had enough of that with Bridget.’
‘We were having a discussion, not a fight.’ She lifted her chin and stared directly at him. ‘I’m a grown woman, not a child. Discussions are allowed to become heated.’
‘Life would be dull if they didn’t.’
‘Exactly. No need to walk on eggshells, but use your anger productively.’
He drew her into his arms and rested his cheek against the top of her head. She put her arms about him. ‘You do appear to enjoy a lively discussion. I shall remember that for the next time.’
‘As do you,’ she said, glancing up at him.
Her eyes were large and fringed with a forest of lashes.
Her lips had become a deep rose shade. Looking at her like that, he had trouble remembering that he had considered her an Ice Maiden, devoid of passion and only interested in strategy.
He gave in to temptation, lowered his mouth and drank.
Her arms went around his neck and for a long time they stood like that.
‘What do you suggest we do?’
Her well-kissed mouth turned up at the corners. ‘After that demonstration, I suggest sending several of your men out to search while we remain here, resting from the sea voyage. If they discover no trace of them, then we come up with another plan.’
He looked at her solemn face and knew she spoke the truth. He’d been fighting this so long on his own that it seemed odd to have an ally. ‘A thoroughly sensible suggestion.’
Her smile lit her entire being. ‘Thank you for considering it.’
Rand put his arm about her. ‘After that, I want to show you my chamber where you will be resting.’
A dimple flashed in and out of her cheek. ‘And why might that be?’
He nipped her chin. ‘Guess. I shall hold you to that earlier promise.’