He was chagrined to have to admit, “I would have if I did not go berserk instead.”
“He attacked Lord Durwyn with his bare hands,” Turgeis added.
“And no one was sent to kill me?”
“Turgeis immediately closed the gates to prevent anyone from leaving.”
She walked over to the giant and hugged him. “I can always depend on you, my friend.”
“Always.”
“You will not be angry with me for very long, will you, for going off without you?”
“Not too long.”
Selig carefully parted them and drew Erika possessively back to his side. She raised a brow at him.
He explained, if evasively, “We need to return to Wyndhurst.”
Turgeis just laughed, a deep barrel sound. Selig gave him a sour look. But they did return to Wyndhurst then, and even with all the extrahorses about, Selig still insisted she ride with him. She didn’t object this time. She doubted she ever would again.
Selig’s whole family met them just inside the gate. The bailey had been cleared, or at least it was back to normal, since Royce had been able to identify the rest of Durwyn’s men, and the lot of them were chained to the prisoner post.
“Sothatis Lord Durwyn?” Erika asked, staring in that direction.
“You know him?”
“He saw you with Alfred and asked me who you were, but he did not introduce himself, and I was too upset to wonder at his interest.”
Selig frowned, remembering. “We are going to have to discuss this upset of yours that made you behave so foolishly.”
“Oh, we will,” she promised, only she did not sound the least bit upset at the reminder. “But howdidyou find me, if you were not told where to look?”
“Kristen figured it out.”
Erika looked at her sister-in-law and smiled. For the first time, Kristen smiled back. A silent apology extended and accepted. They were not friends, but the possibility was now there that they might be eventually.
And then Selig surprised them all by saying, “We came here first to assure you that Erika is unharmed, but I am taking her home now. It will take me a while to get over nearly losing her. Until I do, I am not letting her out of my sight, and you are not like to see us for a while.Verily, as I need to recover myself from this harrowing day, I doubt me we will leave my chamber for at least a week.”
Since he was grinning outrageously as he said it, Erika blushed furiously. Garrick and Royce laughed heartily. Brenna teased, “Mayhap I should come with you, to assure you are cared for properly the while you recover.”
“Not if you want me to keep my sanity, Mother.”
There were a few more jests that caused Erika’s cheeks to grow even hotter, but then they returned to the peace and quiet of their own home. Only there was nothing quiet about it when they entered their hall with Turgeis, and Golda immediately started in on him.
“Covered in filth again, and blood this time,” Golda sneered. “Can you never manage to stay clean, Viking? Or do you do it just to annoy me?”
Turgeis said not a word as usual, but he didn’t ignore Golda this time. Far from it. He lumbered toward her, hefted her onto his shoulder, and, as casually as if he didn’t now have a shrieking woman pounding on his back, mounted the stairs to his room.
“Should I do something about that?” Selig asked Erika.
Erika closed her mouth, which had been hanging open. That he was serious made her want to laugh. “Nay, I think it would be best not to interfere. I do not know what he means to do with her, yet am I sure he will not hurt her.”
Selig grinned. “Ah. So that is the way of it.”
“I did not say that.”
“Nor did you have to,” he replied. “And I would not find it amiss if you would like to carry me off like that.”
