“Kenneth took off with Elspeth and has been trying to negotiate her for his own gain,” Osgar said.
“Elspeth?” Kenneth said to her. “Do you want to tell them the truth or will I?”
“I will tell the truth,” she said. “You could have hidden me away. You didn’t have to make me—make me—”
“Make her what?” Osgar said and grabbed Kenneth by the tunic.
“I didn’t make her do anything. I saw an opportunity to gain favour and I took it.” He shook his head. “Remember, brother, ’tis you who want to get in bed with the Vikings.”
“Not by prostituting my sister!” Osgar drew back to punch Kenneth who merely smirked and waited.
Gunnar was on his feet and standing between the two men in a flash. “Not in my hall. Kenneth, return to your ship and await your brother’s orders. You and I have no further business. Osgar, come and sit. We will get to the bottom of this. Vigdis, prepare your chamber for our guest and take her with you. She will be your responsibility as long as she is here.”
Magnus watched his sister try to guide a wide-eyed Elspeth from the hall.
“But you don’t know what happened,” she said to Gunnar. “’Tis not all my brother’s fault.”
“There will be plenty of time to explain. Right now I need to speak with your brother. Now go with my sister.”
Magnus watched as she stared hard at Gunnar, as though she had so much more she wanted to say. She met his gaze and once again it was like a punch in the guts. He didn’t quite know what to do and before he could decide, Vigdis whisked her away to the back chamber beyond the hall.
* * *
The woman beside her was about the same height as she which was a relief from straining her neck around the men in the hall. By God, she was ready to tear her brother apart for his treatment of her once he’d discovered her on board his galley. Of course she wasn’t supposed to be there, but he could have just hidden her until they returned to Alba.
“You must be weary from your travels. My name is Vigdis,” she said in surprisingly clear Scots. “Would you like to rest? Are you hungry?”
“You are very kind and, aye, I would like to rest.”
“Do you want to talk about your ordeal?”
Ordeal? Oh dear, she couldn’t let this kind woman go on thinking she was completely a victim here. That wouldn’t do. And if she hadn’t been shut down by those damned men in the hall, everyone would have understood by now.
“I feel I must if we are to be friends,” she said hoping she sounded genuine. The chamber was so welcoming and inviting with a crackling fire in the hearth and furs on the bed. Elspeth was so travel weary she couldn’t wait to climb underneath the furs and fall into a deep sleep. But first things first, her new friend deserved to know the truth.
“My brother did not take me from my home; I hid away on his ship. The initial fault is completely mine and I take responsibility for it.”
The petite blonde haired woman’s jaw slacked. “Why would you do that?”
“Because I was tired of having to sit in a room all day long and stitch pillows and listen to idle gossip about people I do not like. I wanted an adventure. I’ve heard the stories about your sister, and I wanted to see a little of the world before I become as dull as one of the cushions and lose my desire for anything else.”
The woman chuckled. “My sister can sometimes have that effect on people, but being a shield maiden has its challenges too. It’s difficult to get either sex to take you seriously when you don’t easily fit either mold and I know Saga has had her struggles.”
“Not from what I hear. I’m told she can best three men at the same time.”
Vigdis shook her head. “Whether she can is irrelevant. Saga has been training for battle since she was a young girl.”
“I ken what you mean, but regardless, I wanted an adventure.”
“And did you find one?”
“What I found was an angry older brother who would have likely thrown me overboard until he remembered my gift and the possibility of exploiting it for his own gain.”
“What do you mean, gift?”
Elspeth sighed. There was no point holding anything back now. “I have a gift passed down to me from my grandmother. There are many healing methods that can be passed down through family members, but for some reason, my mother did not receive this one.
“My brother is jealous of Osgar and wants to establish himself as an important player in this grand alliance between the Scots and Vikings. He thought if he could curry favour with King Olaf, he could secure a more lucrative position in the upcoming talks. So, he offered to show off my gift to the King. The problem is that it doesn’t work that way.”
