“Will you join us, sister?” Magnus asked.
“I must see the cook as he had said earlier he needed my assistance with something,” she said looking directly at Elspeth with a shy smile.
Elspeth had heard her brother had taken to a Viking, but didn’t know until now exactly which Viking. And she could see why. Vigdis was petite and delicate, yet there was a shrewdness about her that was comforting. As though she could go to battle with the rest of them, though perhaps with a smaller weapon.
Elspeth’s favourite was the dagger she kept hidden in her skirts. The handle was never far from her hand, and she’d practiced drawing it many times over the years. Osgar would be mortified if he knew she possessed it, so she’d kept it hidden from all of her family.
“What would you like to see first?” Magnus asked as they stepped outside from the shield of the longhouse. The sky was a bright blue reflecting the orange and red leaves that had yet to be pulled from their anchor.
She took a moment to enjoy the view from the longhouse toward the shore. The inlet was fairly small with a long wharf to which several galleys were moored. The sea was flat and calm, perfectly reflecting the surrounding hills. She breathed in the crisp October air filled with the aroma of smoke and salt water. She could get used to this view. Her home was a small castle, not nearly as large as MacDomnail’s, but with ten main chambers plus a keep and the kitchen housed inside. The structure of this longhouse was incredible; it had taken her several minutes to recognize the roof was in the shape of a ship’s hull.
Elspeth took it all in and rested her gaze on the man who waited patiently for her reply. By God he was handsome. Tall and thick with blonde, almost white hair and eyes like the north sky on a clear day. She wished she didn’t feel so tongue-tied at the moment, because she wanted to tell him how excited she was to be in his village and how fascinating she found it all. But instead, she muttered, “Armoury, please,” and waited for him to lead the way.
They walked in silence through the brush and along a well beaten path away from the beach. Her fur cloak snagged on a couple branches which threatened to challenge her balance once or twice, but for the most part she was able to keep pace with this great gentle Viking ahead of her. Or at least that was the impression she’d gotten so far.
“If you are tired, we can return to the hall at any time. You are a guest here and we want you to feel welcome,” Magnus said from over his shoulder.
‘We want you…’, somehow she would have preferred ‘I want you’ to feel more comfortable. God, what was wrong with her? She was never this tight lipped.
“I am enjoying your village,” she said. “I would like to see it all.”
When he turned around with his brows raised, she smiled at him.
“So she speaks,” he said with a grin.
“Aye, I do. My family would be shocked at my former silence.” It was true, she’d never had a problem forming words before. Perhaps she’d caught some sort of bug on her voyages.
Magnus’ brows knit for a moment. “You will tell me if you are unwell. Despite what some may think, we are not barbarians. We will not allow a lady in our care to be ill-treated.”
Elspeth couldn’t be sure, but she had an inkling that he was making a dig about her brother. If he didn’t know her part in that adventure, she would rectify that immediately.
“Please do not be so hard on my brother. I hid on his ship—”
Before she could finish her sentence, Magnus leaned down so close to her face, she could smell him and dear God, that was a jolt for which she wasn’t prepared.
“I would never put you in harm’s way. Never. Do you even fathom where he brought you? I know what your status as a lady entails. I may not be a Scot, but I know you are to be protected, not exploited.”
His burst of anger was surprising as was his revelation of the expectation of her status. In truth, at home she would not be permitted to stroll through a village with a man unaccompanied. The thought had not even entered her mind until this moment.
He looked so concerned in that moment, her fingers itched to reach up and stroke his smooth face. That was another unusual feature of his—he was clean-shaven, and she’d not seen one other Viking man who looked like him.
“It appears I am safe now—uh—what should I call you?” She knew his name, but did he have a title to which she should refer?
“You should call me Magnus, my lady,” he said with a grin. There was definitely an underlying implication there that she couldn’t quite grasp, of that she was certain.
“Magnus it is. Well, Magnus, will you please show me the rest of your village before we lose any more of this glorious day?”
“The armoury seemed to capture your interest earlier. Would you like to start there or the tannery?”
Elspeth didn’t want to sound greedy, but she wanted to see it all!
“The armoury sounds lovely, thank you Magnus.”
She loved saying his name. It sounded strong and virile and made her want to stare harder at the tight leather trews he wore. She didn’t know a man’s legs could be so thick, and she didn’t know the sight and scent of a man could scatter her brains so much.
Magnus winked at her and turned to lead the way again. Could he read her mind too? Before she could ruminate on him further, the clanging of metal drew her attention ahead.
Magnus led her into a long stone-walled and thatch-roofed building lighting several torches to illuminate the contents. Elspeth had seen an armoury before but none like this. She studied the axes, swords, and shields marvelling at the sheer size imagining the weight the largest axe must be.
