‘There are other ways she could bringperfumein,’ Vali said thoughtfully. ‘That Brenna is a most cunning servant… I will keep a watch on her at all times.’ He snorted with amusement. ‘I imagine it will drive her mad—she thinks very highly of herself.’
‘Youthink very highly of yourself,’ Agnar pointed out. ‘But I doubt Skadi will try again. Besides, my order has made it clear who to blame if something should happen to me. She won’t put her daughter at risk.’
Vali’s eyes widened and he leaned in to whisper, ‘You cannot know that!’
‘I do,’ Agnar said firmly and strangely he did. He’d seen the hesitation in her eyes, even before she’d learned of her uncle’s approval of him. She’d had doubts.
It wasn’t simply her reluctance to kill him—after all, she was a warrior at heart. A shieldmaiden who would do anything for her daughter or her people. He’d also seen their devotion towards her—such loyalty was not given easily. She loved her people and they loved her back. She wouldn’t risk their safety without a good reason or certainty of success.
Vali did not appear convinced, by his words. ‘I will still keep a close eye on her handmaids.’ His eyes shifted to the side and Agnar noticed it was Skadi’s dark-haired servant, Brenna, and Astra seated at the opposite side of the hall. The child seemed to be trying to feed a cat in a basket some of her porridge and the servant stopped glaring at Vali a moment to scold her lightly.
Agnar nodded. ‘I am sure you will. As will I.’ He scowled at the oddly soft and lingering gaze of his second in command as he looked at the servant. ‘We cannot allow our judgement to become clouded by…other things.’
Vali nodded quickly. ‘Indeed, I shall keep a careful watch.’
‘Hmmm…’ replied Agnar, unconvinced when he realised Vali had gone back to staring at Skadi’s servant.
Chapter Thirteen
Sven’s fleet was spotted just after midday, the yellow-and-black sail matching the egg-yolk sun spilling golden rays across the cold sea. The unseasonably good weather was an auspicious arrival for what Skadi hoped would be her saviour.
She had heard of his arrival from her flock of spies and rushed to the battlements, climbing the ladder two steps at a time to reach the top. Unfortunately, her enemy-husband had also been made aware and was currently scowling at the ships that sailed not far from the mainland.
‘Open the gates!’ snapped Skadi, slightly out of breath by the time she reached him. There was no point ordering the warriors at the gate, as they were Agnar’s men and not her own. None of the men guarding the battlements were hers and she was rattled to see so many unfamiliar faces.
‘No,’ said Agnar, scowling at the horizon and barely glancing at her as she approached. Only infuriating her further.
‘Whatever your feelings towards King Sven, hestillhas an alliance with Thrudheim. An important one! We sell a good portion of our silver to King Sven. In return we receive trade links, security and, most importantly,grain.Without him, we would starve… Winter is almost here. Do not be a fool!’
‘For too long you have relied on him for your safety and comfort.’
She gritted her teeth and tried to remain calm. ‘That’s because heensuresit!’
‘Not for much longer,’ Agnar grunted, turning away from her as if he were about to climb down the steps. She grabbed his arm to stop him from leaving and he stilled, but only to stare down at the way she clutched his sleeve.
‘Whatever your grievances with Sven, you cannot ignore him.’ She glanced back at the sea and squinted into the light, gesturing with her other hand in exasperation. ‘See!’
Slowly, Agnar raised his eyes from the sight of her clutching his arm to the distance, then he shrugged off her touch with a bad-tempered huff. ‘One longship is coming. The rest remain where they are. He thinks to negotiate.’
She tried to ignore the pinch of embarrassment when he shrugged her hand off.
Was she truly so awful to him? Was that the real reason he had avoided bedding her?She bristled at her insecurities; she was no longer a young woman affected by the fickle nature of men. Why should she care if he did not desire her? She should be thinking about how best to get rid of him! An unwelcome thought suddenly struck her…What if he wished to get rid of her first?
Was that why he did not want to bed her?In case he inadvertently killed a potential heir? She had been so busy considering how to make herself a widow, she hadn’t thought that he might feel the same way towards her. She’d only worried about Astra, but perhaps hurting her daughter was not his intention after all? A young princess would be far easier to manipulate than a grown woman—she knew that well enough.
Did he want to kill Skadi and then use Astra as his puppet?
But then, why had he not killed her already? Yes, he’d needed her to open the gates of Thrudheim to his army. But after that…he could have easily killed her on their wedding night, especially when she had tried to kill him.
But he hadn’t. Am I the one at fault?
She blinked, shaking off the thought. Agnar had no right to claim her hand and kingdom. Straightening her spine and trying to appear larger, she blocked his view of Sven by moving to stand in front of him, although she wasn’t quite as tall as Agnar…few were.
Absently, she realised, he looked…better today. His long hair had been combed, half of it pulled into a knot at the back of his head to keep it out of his eyes, the rest flowing down his leather armour like black silk. It highlighted his square jaw and piercing green eyes, which seemed more rested than the previous day. She bristled at her foolish thoughts. Why should she care?
‘Good,’ she said, ‘Negotiation would be the best for everyone. He might offer you a better solution than demanding Thrudheim’s throne.’
Agnar met her eyes with a bored expression. ‘We are married. Nothing can change that.’
