She turned to him masking any disinterest if she felt any, wearing a shy smile. “I will happily show you my village, Giric of Alba. You may discover all the reasons I believe this to be the best place in the world.”
“I very well may,” he said, enjoying the look of surprise on her face and the smile that now played on her lips.
“Are you telling me you would consider living in a small Viking village?”
“I am not saying anything at the moment, merely asking a beautiful woman to show me her world.”
She scanned his features as if examining him for sincerity. After a few moments she nodded.
“Very well, then. Let us get started. We have a lot to cover today if you want to learn all there is to know about Viking life.”
“I very much do, thank you.”
Giric stood and pulled back her chair. At first she appeared startled but then she stood and composed herself. With her height and build, she possessed grace and great balance.
He stepped back, allowing her to walk on ahead only partly because it was the polite thing to do. The other reason had everything to do with him wanting to watch her bottom in those leather trews of hers. The sight of it made his cock ache. Could he manage a morning with her without wanting to bend her over the nearest fallen tree? He had no choice. He would treat her no differently than any other lady he knew, despite how much he was growing to want her under him, atop him, beside him, or in any other position she’d allow. Christ help him. When she was near all reason appeared to fly away like pigeons that had been caged up too long.
Chapter Seven
Saga led Giric along the path away from the longhouse toward the main part of the village. She was ever aware of his nearness.
As they approached the first turf houses she noticed him touching the peat bricks.
“What is used to support the structure?” he asked. His wide eyes gave him a look of boyish wonder.
She liked seeing this side of him.
“The frame of the house is built with tinder and the peat bricks are packed all in around. This helps with the wind and the rain, but does not always smell so nice. That’s why air flow is important. You will see holes in the roofs to let out the smoke, but also some in the sides to help create a draft. Do you not use peat bricks where you come from?”
He shook his head. “Not like this. Most of our dwellings are built with wood and stone.”
“Does that not make for a cold place to live?”
“Aye, that is why we have hearths in most rooms and tapestries on the walls.”
Saga showed him how some of the homes were built with tinder and peat, but others were built strictly from tinder with two or three stories.
“These are for larger families,” she said. “Most of the residences are close to one another and belong to those who support the chieftain. I assume it is the same for you?”
“Aye, there is usually a village close to a castle made up of the people who work there.”
She led him toward the central part of the village which was already bustling with activity.
“I understand you have already seen the forge.”
“Aye, and the armoury. It’s quite impressive.”
She liked that he seemed genuinely impressed. “And here is the tannery and the weaver, though during the colder months, the weavers are invited to the hall where it’s warmer for their hands.”
She showed him the pottery and the trading tables at the market.
“How many people live here?” he asked after touching nearly every item on a jewellery and pottery table.
“I do not know exactly, but I believe it to be several hundred. But if you count the farms and all their hands, all collected I would say there are more than five hundred of us. Gunnar could tell you specifically.”
They walked to the end of the village boundaries and onward to the cattle holding and leaned against the fencing.
“You said last night you’d never heard music, but you were singing yesterday. Where did you learn it?”
