There had been no further trouble from any of their neighbours since the field had been burned and Tormod hoped the fire had simply been a knee-jerk reaction from a few of Cadell’s men. Lord Cadell himself had denied all knowledge when Tormod had sent Ulf and Arne to inform him of the incident, and reluctantly even Ulf had admitted that he believed him.
Håkon was pleased with Elisedd. The boy was learning Norse quickly, although he spoke to Magda often about his mother. Tormod had begun to wonder if he could buy the woman fromCadell or trade for her when he visited. He didn’t want to mention the idea to Aoife, though, in case it came to naught.
Just the day before, Aoife had returned from the farm in obvious distress and had said she was worried about Rhiannon. Elisedd had told her more and more about the situation at Car Cadell as the weeks passed. The boy was too young to understand the significance of all he had witnessed but both Aoife and Tormod were concerned. Tormod worried too remembered the meeting with Cadell and Ula, the influence the woman had exerted over her husband. Could he attribute it merely to Ula’s desire to get rid of an unwanted stepdaughter, or was there a more sinister force behind it?
Cadell had not brought Aoife to meet Tormod as promised. Instead, it had been only his steward, Rhydderch. Was there a significance to that? The steward certainly had not seemed to hold his master in proper respect.
It was clear that he should visit Lord Cadell himself and demand answers. The sooner he understood what was happening at Car Cadell, the better. He would prefer to take Aoife with him so she could help him to understand what was normal for her people and what was not. On the other hand, though, he worried about her safety. Strange how he was now more concerned about her in her own father’s fort than here in the Norse village. However, he would fight for her, if necessary, as would Björn, Ulf and Arne. He suspected there were few in her father’s household who would be willing to do the same.
Tormod turned at the sound of cheering and clapping at the top of the slope. TheMidsommerstånghad been hauled upright into position and the villagers were excited about the dancing and feasting that would come later. He spotted Aoife and Ragna next to the fire pit, supervising the thralls preparing the food for that night and was impressed when he heard Aoife call out some simple orders in Norse. She must have felt his gaze on her, becauseshe turned and smiled at him. His body reacted to the sight of her. He had almost forgotten what it was like to have a willing woman in his bed every night. Perhaps soon, he would consider the prospect of a child although recently the memory of Ingrid’s death in childbirth haunted him more and more often.
“I know the bathhouse is ready, but I fancy a swim,” said Björn coming up to stand beside him.
They had spent much of the morning training for combat and he could see the fatigue on his cousin’s face as well as feel it in his own muscles. A swim would be pleasant. “I will join you,” he replied, and they headed for the shore, undressing as they walked.
“Your wife pleases you, then?” Björn asked.
Tormod frowned. “Why do you ask?”
“You were watching her just now.”
Tormod glanced sharply at his cousin. Was there an underlying suspicion in the question? Björn had every right to be concerned about how Tormod’s loyalty to Aoife would affect the village. Tormod just didn’t want to admit it. “Yes. She does.”
“And her father?”
Tormod laughed. “He does not please me. But then I never expected him to.”
“When do you plan to confront him?”
“Soon. And we will take my wife with us. Although we will need to protect her carefully. There is treachery in Lord Cadell’s house, I am sure of it.”
“I agree. He should not have sent his steward to the exchange. There was something not right about that. I would like to know exactly what.”
“They will not interfere with our settling here.”
“No.” Björn surveyed the village, took a deep breath, and grinned. “I like it here. Come on, to the rocks and back — a race.” With that, he ran into the water and dived. Tormod soon followed.
“Marriage has slowed you down, cousin,” Björn crowed from the beach after he had soundly beaten Tormod in the race.
“The advantages outweigh winning a mere race,” Tormod replied, grinning as he strode through the shallow water and sat beside Björn on the beach to dry.
“The advantages this time.”
“Aoife is nothing like Ingrid,” Tormod snapped.
“I hope not. For all our sakes.”
Tormod glared at his cousin, although there was little he could say. Björn was right. He had made a terrible mistake in the past. One that had nearly proved fatal. Arne had suffered more than others as a result. He would not make the same mistake twice.
“One advantage of an arranged marriage,” he said to Björn, “is that there is little to cloud one’s judgment. No mistaken ideas of love, certainly.” Seeing that his cousin meant to argue, he decided to change tack. “And when do you plan to settle down?”
“Never,” answered Björn immediately.
“I think Ylva may have something to say about that.”
“She can say whatever she likes,” Björn retorted. “Marriage is not for me. It brings only sadness and misery. And besides, Ylva gets exactly what she wants from me already. Why would she need to marry me?”
Tormod raised his eyebrows. “And what if there is a child?”
