“Yes, he has no sons of his own, only daughters who are all nearly grown. His wife Magda will love to have a son to care for.”
“But earlier…”
Ragna sighed. “Earlier, everyone was upset. Angry. And Tormod ensured justice was done and that will be the end of it.”
“You are sure?”
“He is the jarl. The village must obey his judgments when they take place in the Thing. It is our way.”
“I will speak to Elisedd, find out if he knows who did this thing, as well as why and how he came to be here.”
“And if the answers mean you will have to betray your family?”
Aoife regarded the other woman steadily. “Tormod is my husband. He is my family now.”
Ragna considered her for a moment, then nodded. “Come, we have work to do, decisions to make for the future.”
The two women headed outside together.
Chapter Fourteen
When Tormod arrived atHåkon’s farm the next morning, he checked first on Elisedd. Although he was sure Håkon would not break his oath, he felt the need to prove to his wife that he had taken her concerns seriously. Elisedd came outside with Håkon as soon as Tormod arrived, carrying a spade to help them. Tormod saw the disappointment on the boy’s face when he realised he had not brought Aoife with him, but he’d smiled when Tormod spoke to him in Brythonic and assured him that Aoife would visit later.
“It seems like the boy’s story holds,” Håkon said as they watched the boy trying to dig over a small patch of burnt ground. “Elisedd led me to the spot where the boat landed. There are marks on the beach where a boat had been pulled up.”
“No sign of a boat?”
“No, and I have searched up and down the coast. Whoever started the fire most likely left in it once the blaze took hold.” Håkon glanced at Tormod, then away. “I should have thought first, before I accused him. Elisedd did not try to run away when I found him. He only wanted to see your wife.”
“No one will threaten my wife,” Tormod stated, then put a hand on Håkon’s shoulder. “But no one blames you for being suspicious, Håkon.”
“No,” the other man said. “But maybe they should. He’s just a boy… and I wanted him dead for what he had done. What I thought he had done. And then it turns out he was trying to help me.”
“A wise man never makes a decision in haste. It is why we have aThing. You made the right choice in the end.”
“Your wife…”
“She does not blame you. She just…” Tormod stopped and took a breath. He did indeed wonder exactly what Aoife thought and how she felt about the boy. Was it just as she had said, that he was her maid’s child? Was it just because he was a familiar face amongst so many strangers? Or was there a bigger secret here? Had the boy been brought over intentionally? No, that didn’t make sense. If he was being sent to Aoife, the fire would not have been started—and why not just send the boy with her in the first place? And what of his mother? Aoife was clearly worried about his mother’s safety.
“We must work in the belief that this alliance will hold,” Tormod eventually said. “Perhaps the news of it was slow to reach some quarters and this will be an end to it all.” Tormod knew even as the words left his lips that he did not even believe them himself.
“Do you think the boy spoke the truth?” Håkon asked.
“Yes, although maybe he did not tell us the whole story.”
“He is just a child. He may not have known all that was going on, may not have understood the relevance of what he was overhearing. I think he just came with the men whom he thought would take him to your wife. He hinted at there being trouble in Lord Cadell’s household.”
“You have spoken to him?”
“Magda has learnt some Brythonic. She was able to speak to the boy a little.” Håkon bowed his head. “I… I should have asked her to speak to him before I assumed his guilt and dragged him to you for judgment.”
“That’s true. However, it is in the past now. Aoife will ask him later and we will make sure the village knows that neither my wife nor the boy is our enemy.”
Håkon put a hand on Tormod’s arm. “Perhaps you should let your wife spend some time with him. He will trust her.”
Tormod hesitated, then realised what he felt was jealousy that Aoife wanted to spend time with the boy. How ridiculous. They were the only ones of their people here in the village, why should they not want to spend time together? Had he not felt the same when he had found himself in faraway marketplaces or even among the Norse living across the Kattegat?
“I believe the boy,” Håkon said, distracting Tormod from his negative thoughts. “He showed me where the boat came ashore. I could not understand everything he said, but I think he was worried about your wife — I think he thought they meant to kill her. But why would her father want her dead?”
