She swallowed her indignation.Now he wants to see it?After conquering her kingdom, henowthinks he should learn about it? ‘I see… Well, I am sure one of my men can give you a tour of the island.’
‘I wantyouto show me,’ he said firmly, reaching for the bread and peeling off a petal. She watched with a knot in her throat as he prepared it just the way she liked it, with honey and salt—just like her father used to do.
He offered it to her and she was so surprised by his request that it took her a moment to react. ‘Why?’ she asked, taking a small bite, as she’d done the previous night. Was it going to be an oddly intimate tradition between them now? She wasn’t sure how she felt about that.
‘Because…’ He paused, his eyes almost black in the firelight, a stormy green circling the pupil.Was he staring at her mouth?‘You know Thrudheim better than anyone.’
‘I will not argue with that,’ she said and he popped the remaining crust in his mouth and chewed it slowly.
The rest of the hall began to eat, but she didn’t notice. She was distracted by the thought that Agnar might actually be attracted to her. He’d stared at her bare thigh when he’d interrupted her dressing and during the meal his eyes had lingered on her touch—just before she’d tried to kill him. Not the most auspicious start to a seduction.
Did shewantto seduce him?
That was a surprising reversal of fortune. For her to be the manipulator instead of the victim. She knew she wasn’t ugly, but she was certainly older and had presumed any interest he had in her would be mild at best.
But…was she wrong? Could Agnar desire her? He was such a difficult man to read, his emotions tightly reined in. The only real emotion she’d witnessed had been anger.
She pushed aside her wild thoughts and focused on their conversation. ‘The island is surprisingly large. The silver mines are to the west of here, as are the pig and sheep farms. But to reach the largest mine, you have to travel through the forest up the mountain. Then beyond the ridge is the flatlands—going over the mountain is the only way to reach them, as the cliffs are a sheer drop into the sea on that side of the island. It would take at least a couple of days to visit each site.’
‘That doesn’t concern me,’ he replied, ladling a portion of fish broth and placing the bowl in front of her. It was one of her favourite pieces, a fish head-tapered bowl, with large gaping jaws as if it were reaching for a worm on a hook. He ladled another bowl for himself and then stared at the dish with a wrinkled brow, his spoon poised in his hand, obviously realising his spoon would not fit in the narrow entrance. ‘Why are all your dishes like this?’
Skadi looked at the fish head and smiled. It was more like a large cup than a bowl and could be a little tricky to eat from. She picked up the dish and sipped from it. ‘You use it like a cup, it’s only a thin broth, so doesn’t really need a spoon.’
‘What nonsense!’ he snapped, placing his spoon down and drinking from the fish’s head as she had done.
‘I like them,’ she said quietly, setting it down gently. ‘I appreciate their beauty and the skill that has gone into making them.’
‘You think gaping fish heads are beautiful?’ He looked at her with genuine bewilderment.
Skadi laughed. ‘Why not? I find all nature beautiful in its own way.’
He snorted with disbelief. ‘Next you’ll be saying my scarred face is handsome!’
She frowned. Was he trying to trick her into complimenting him?Well, she wouldn’t fall into that trap!Silence stretched between them, and he reached for the skewers of pork, placing two on her trencher, before taking some for his own.
‘As I was saying,’ she said, clearing her throat and trying to break the awkwardness that had developed between them. ‘It would take several days. Oddmund used to be my second and he knows the island as well as I do. I can get him to show you around.’
Agnar bit off a large chunk of meat, and spoke through a full mouth. ‘I want you to show me. A few days is nothing.’
Exasperated, she snapped, ‘I cannot leave Astra, even if it is only for a few days. The last two weeks—’
She had been about to argue her point, when Agnar interrupted her with a shrug. ‘Of course, Astra will be coming with us. I am sure she already knows the island better than I, but it will be a good opportunity for us to get to know one another.’
Shock rattled through her.Why would he be so open to having Astra join them?Was it because Astra was a hostage and too valuable to leave in the palace alone? Or, did heactuallyconsider her as a part of his household…his heir?
He leaned around her to call out to Astra. ‘What do you think, Princess? Shall you show me all that there is to know about Thrudheim?’
Astra nodded hesitantly, staring at him wide-eyed, much like the fish head in his hands. Her daughter was understandably still uncertain about the stranger who had married her mother less than a day ago and under less-than-willing circumstances.
Skadi flinched at the uncertainty in her daughter’s eyes. She was still afraid of Agnar…and for good reason, as it wasn’t long ago that he’d held her up by her wrist and disarmed her as if he were shaking out a fleece.
Skadi leaned closer towards him, blocking her daughter from view, a deadly warning hissed between her teeth, ‘Do what you will with me. But do not toy with Astra, she is still a child.’
His head tilted. ‘I have told you. Astra has nothing to fear from me. I gave you my word. Thrudheim is stronger with me at your side… Have I not already proven that with Sven? You are my Queen, not my hostage.’
Skadi felt like throwing up her hands and marching from the hall, but she managed to control herself enough to say, ‘Only time will reveal the value of your word. But I feel as if I have made many concessions, least of which is agreeing to marry you. Perhaps you should make some allowances of your own? Although, if Astra is to come with us, I suppose we can leave tomorrow afternoon. If you are sure that Thrudheim is safe from attack in the near future?’
To her surprise, he smiled. ‘No one will attack us within the next few days. Of that I am certain.’
