“I think you know why I came,” Eahlswith said in a breath. “But I see now that I shouldn’t have.”
“Fuck, Alva, how can you even say that?”
The moment he used the name he had invented for her he knew it had been a mistake. He was doing the one thing she had asked him not to do. But he couldn’t seem to help it. She was Eahlswith to everyone else, and Alva, to him only. He liked it, liked that he had something of her no one else had.
She stood up. “I will leave you now.”
He didn’t answer. What was there to say?
Yes, she was leaving. As usual.
12
“Could you open the door for me please?” Cwenthryth called out from the corner of the hut. She was fastening her dress back up after having fed her daughter. “I’m afraid ’tis not quite the right moment for me to do so.”
“Of course.” Pleased to hear the laughter which indicated that her friend was well and truly back to her usual happy self, Eahlswith went to the door.
The woman waiting outside stilled when she saw who had opened to her.
“Forgive me, but I was told that there was a Saxon healer living in this hut,” she started, visibly ill at ease.
“There is but it’s not?—”
“Yes. I would understand if you didn’t want to see me.”
Eahlswith was more confused than ever. Why would she refuse to see the woman if she’d truly been the healer? And then it dawned on her. The petite Norsewoman was none other than Freydis, the one who’d gone to find Sven in bed earlier that morning. That explained her embarrassment. It was no wonder Eahlswith had not recognized her. In the dark, she had not seenher clearly and all she had been able to concentrate on had been Sven’s nudity, and what it meant—or rather what she’d thought it meant.
The woman cleared her throat, not knowing how to proceed.
Yes, Eahlswith thought with unusual ferocity,you can be embarrassed after what you did.
“It is not my place to accept or refuse you,” she said more crisply than she’d intended. “I’m not the healer. My friend Cwenthryth is.”
“I’m here,” Cwenthryth said, coming to the door. Had she sensed the tension between the two women? Probably. “Forgive me, I was just seeing to my daughter.”
“I will wait outside,” Eahlswith mumbled. Though it would be cold out in the wind, anything was preferable to hearing personal, feminine complaints from a woman determined to have Sven in her bed. Why had she come? Did she want to ensure their couplings didn’t have any issue in case she decided to leave again? Was she after a love potion to slip into his drink to make him accept her?
She headed straight to the vegetable patch, hoping that some weeding would help calm her nerves. Fortunately, nature had ensured she was not short of plants on which to focus her attention. Such was life. One was constantly trying to remove unwanted seeds from the soil—and block unwanted thoughts from entering one’s mind. It was often a losing battle. The only way to win was to keep at it and focus on the beautiful and nutritious plants you could cultivate thanks to your efforts and enjoy the peace of mind you earned by keeping negative feelings at bay.
Eahlswith fell to her knees and tackled the corner where the leeks grew. It was the one most in need of attention but it only served to remind her of the soup she had made for Sven the day he had repaired the roof for Osbert. It seemed so long ago now.She had the odd impression he had always been part of her life, and always would be, even if she never saw him again.
After a while, the door opened again. She heard Freydis thank Cwenthryth and a moment later, her friend joined her. She nodded at the pile of limp weeds by her side and smiled.
“My. You’ve been ruthless.”
“Sometimes it is the only way to get results. What did Freydis want, then?” Eahlswith asked, sitting back on her haunches. Despite the weather, she wasn’t cold.
Her friend arched a brow. “You know her name?”
Eahlswith waved a hand. There was no easy way to explain how she did and it was hardly important. “Did she want a potion that makes men hard against their will?” She was still seething from what Sven had told her that morning, she realized. How could the woman go to an unsuspecting man and all but rape him?
“Erm. Wait.Doyou know her?”
“You mean that’s actually what she asked you?” Another handful of weeds joined the pile.
“No, of course not, no one would come to me for something like that. I’m only a midwife.” Cwenthryth looked pensive. “But you do seem to hold a grudge against her. I don’t understand why, or even how, since she doesn’t even live in the village.”
I do hold a grudge, because she tried to seduce my man, against his will, no less.
