Ulf scoffed.
Tormod’s heart sank and a coldness descended over him.
Chapter Twenty-eight
Aoife looked from Tormodto Ulf. The same distrust was visible on both their faces. Should she tell them her secret? Did she have any other choice? She swallowed, unsure whether she was doing the right thing or not. Was everyone in her life destined to turn against her? She was indeed cursed. Cursed if she told the truth, cursed if she didn’t. It was true she didn’t know why the animals were sick, but as Håkon’s farm was the most easily accessible from her father’s land, it was only reasonable the Norsemen were making the assumptions they were. Either she had done something to cause the sickness, or she knew that her father had planned to do so. It didn’t matter that neither was true.
Her father had sacrificed her for the sake of Ula and her children. She should have let them die at Alt Clut. She pushed the uncharitable thought aside. No, she would never behave as badly as Ula. Though perhaps Ula would have preferred to die than to suffer the dishonour and suspicion that had followed them ever since the night of the feast. Aoife realised now there was simply no way to fix the problem. The only things she could do were tell Tormod, trust him, and hope.
“I will come with you to Håkon’s farm,” she said to Tormod. “And then I will tell you everything. But only to you. I will accept whatever decision you make then, but first let me see if I can help.”She glanced from one man to the other. Tormod looked confused, while Ulf’s expression gave nothing away.
“Can you ride?” Arne asked her and she was grateful for his presence as he seemed to believe in her innocence. “Or will I hitch the cart?”
“I would prefer the cart.”
“I can look after my own wife, Arne,” Tormod said.
“Just be sure you do,” Arne said as he headed for the door.
“And make sure it is not one of us who suffers this time if you are wrong,” Ulf added.
“I will make sure you do not suffer, Ulf,” Tormod said as his cousin left the room.
Aoife tried to work out what was going on, but there was something she did not yet know, some piece of the puzzle she did not yet understand. “What happened with your first wife? Her death was not the problem, was it?” Aoife asked.
“If you are not ready to share your secrets, then I am not ready to share mine,” he said and turned away. “Come, we must go. We can talk of this later after we have been to the farm.”
As the cart trundled into the farm, Aoife wished she had simply stayed in bed. While her feeling of sickness had not been so bad this morning, the odour of the farm and the beasts affected her. At the edge of the field, just where the beach met the land, there was a pile of animal carcasses, their tongues lolling out as she had seen in her vision.
“Herre.” Håkon’s voice was urgent. “I fed them early this morning and then I heard the cries and came out to see them dying. All in this field are sick.”
The farmer caught sight of Aoife and his face fell. He pointed a bony finger at her. “Why is she here? Perhaps she is the cause of this sickness. She has been here almost every day. Or told the boy to do it.”
A chill slid down Aoife’s spine at Håkon not using Elisedd’s name. “I am not the cause.”
“She might be able to help,” Arne said, stepping between Håkon and the cart.
Aoife alighted and headed towards the animals’ feed trough. It was mostly empty, but she raked through it and withdrew a slender, white tuber. “Where did you get these roots?”
“They were grown last winter to feed the herd.”
“You grew these?” She waved it—it was a longer, narrower one than most of the others.
“It’s a parsnip, so?”
“It looks similar, but these are poisonous,” she said. “Did you put these in here?”
Håkon looked at them carefully. “No, you are right. Those are different. No.”
“I will check the barn,” Björn said. “Show me where you keep the animal feed,” he instructed Håkon. The two hurried off towards the barn and returned a few minutes later with a handful of the poisonous roots.
“They have been mixed through with the others,” Björn said. “It is definitely deliberate.”
“We all know your people do not want us here,” said Håkon to Aoife.
“I am not my people. And besides, why would I tell you about the roots? I could have said nothing and continued to let you feed them to your animals.”
Tormod stepped up to Håkon. “Do you dare to accuse my wife?”
