Edwin’s face turned three shades of purple.
Onetooth intervened, grabbing Tyr’s shoulder. “Let him go, milord.” The captain pried his fingers loose one by one.
Freed, Edwin flipped over. He spit the food out on the floor, gasped violently for air, then sagged to his knees.
Scanning the hall, Tyr located the prince’s men. They were surrounded by Tyr’s personal guards. None of this bothered him half as much as the horrified look on Rachelle’s face after she learned the fate of her countrymen. Tears stained her cheeks. Words wouldn’t console her. And Tyr didn’t dare touch her.
Uttering a heart-wrenching cry, she fled upstairs.
Chapter Eleven
Confessions
Rachelle set thebolt on her bedchamber door, then collapsed against it. How quickly feelings changed. The pain churning inside her belly burned and ached. The man she had grown to admire over the last two days appeared to be as ignoble and thoughtless as everyone else. Edwin’s version of cruelty served no purpose other than to imperil Tyr’s respectability with her.
She likened the two men to wolves fighting over the same bone.
With no news of Uncle Henry, and no knowledge of what arrangements Tyr had made in order to secure her release, the hope of ever getting home evaporated. She suspected her captor never intended to let her go. It didn’t matter anymore. Because her kinsman never refused a fight. If he had survived Stamford Bridge, he’d likely marched south with the king.
The implications of King Harold’s death were grim. If the Normans occupied her homeland, she’d pray for a merciless and swift death forallSaxons. Those beasts of prey shared bloodlines with the Norse. What atrocities would they commit to achieve dominion?
She sniffled. The best she could hope for was his burial in consecrated ground. God had abandoned England. Banging her fists on the door, she prayed for mercy. Tears bled from her eyes. Her life was over.
At Tyr’s signal,his guards surrounded Edwin’s men near the main entrance of the hall. Stripped of their arms, they didn’t protest. Onetooth held his position nearby, still using his body as a barrier between Tyr and the prince.
“There will be consequences for this violence,” Edwin threatened.
Tyr grinned. “And what punishment will your half-brother Magnus mete out once he hears how you abused the power he vested you with? Using your birthright as a means to gain leverage against the legitimate princes of Norway is a crime. And if you’re threatening me with bloodletting, take your weapon and face me.”
Still hunched over the table, the prince wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. His color was improving. Straightening, he grabbed a pitcher of water off the table and gulped it down.
“As for your mistreatment of Lady Rachelle—”
“I’d never hurt her,” Edwin grumbled.
Perhaps the first truth this man had spoken since his arrival. Tyr considered the severity of his situation. He didn’t fear reprisal from Magnus. Edwin disturbed the peace in his home and shamed King Hardrada’s memory. Beyond that, he emotionally terrorized a young woman under his protection. Those offenses alone were worth a few broken bones. However, if Tyr chose self-restraint and sent the bastard away unharmed, the indignity of having been force-fed horsemeat at the feast in front of a hundred guests would follow him wherever he went. That idea overwhelmingly pleased Tyr.
“The girl is no longer your concern.” He waved his hand dismissively.
As if Onetooth read his mind, the captain grabbed Edwin by the arm and hauled him away.
“How can ye treat a king’s son with such inconsideration? Make amends before it’s too late,” Aaron hissed.
The glower on Aaron’s face depleted Tyr’s patience. “Get out, or I’ll be forced to whip you for challenging my authority.”
“Where am I supposed to go?”
“Sleep with the beasts.”
Aaron was getting what he deserved. He played the martyr. Although born and raised in Scotland, his cousin knew the ways of the Norse better than his own heritage. Accountability set men apart from beasts. That’s why Aaron’s father begged Tyr to foster his eldest son. And until his kinsman learned to accept his bitter portion in life and strived to change his future, Tyr had little use for him. He tolerated his cousin out of loyalty for his uncle and nothing more.
“You want me to sleep in the stable?”
“I want you to learn to be a man,” Tyr said.
Aaron shrugged unrepentantly. “I’ve done nothing to deserve this kind of treatment.”
“You’ve committed no crime,” Tyr countered. “If we measure the depth of everything you’ve done to create discord in my home over the last five years, we’d be standing neck deep in shite. A few nights in arannmight wake you up. Now go before I impose a more severe punishment.”
