Page 104 of The Caged Viking

“Too bad you didn’t come sooner,” Hauk said. “You missed the wedding yestereve.”

“Wedding?” she said dumbly and just then noticed a very attractive, nobly-dressed redhead standing at the entrance to the keep, along with two young, dark-haired girls. Then she looked at Hauk. Was it possible? Had Hauk gotten over her so quickly? Had he wed one of those females standing there? Yes, the girls were young, but men of this time period tended to go for adolescent girls in order to ensure they were getting virgins. On the other hand, it might be the mother, or older woman, he’d wed, not that she was old old, probably thirty-something.

Kirstin blinked away the tears that burned her eyes.

“Hauk was magnificent,” Thorkel told her. “He said the words like he’d done weddings many times.”

Kirstin gasped. It was true then. Hauk had married someone else.

“You pig!” she said and ran away, back the way she’d just come. “Oh, my God! Oh, my God! This was such a mistake. Can I go back? I have to go back. Oh, my God!”

Hauk didn’t even follow after her.

“I’ll show him,” she muttered. “I’ll go back and he’ll never see me again.” But halfway back to the mossy place, with the snow coming down more heavily, Kirstin sneezed, felt a cough tickle her throat, and shivered uncontrollably. Her cloak was back in the courtyard where Hauk had dropped it.

“Maybe I could warm up a bit first,” she muttered to herself. But there was no way she was going back to face Hauk again, or to pass his bride. With that in mind, she headed around the side of the keep to what was the rarely used front courtyard. By now, she was covered with an inch of snow, even her eyelashes, and the cold was marrow-deep. She pushed on one of the two doors and stepped into the hall where the three middle hearths were blazing…and almost fell over at the heat.

But she didn’t want to stay here where one after the other men sitting at the tables, eating cold foods, drinking, or playing that board game hnefatafl, turned to stare at her. Instead, she ducked into the guest bedchamber where, to her surprise, Signe was smoothing out the bed furs.

“Oh, my gods!” Signe exclaimed and rushed over to pull her into a hug. Immediately, Signe stepped back and observed her, “You’re cold as an icicle.”

Kirstin nodded and with chattering teeth told her, “Got wet. Lost my cloak. Freeeezing.”

“Here. Let me get this damp gown off, and you can snuggle under the furs.” Signe gave Kirstin’s white lace bra and white silk bikini underpants a sharp look before pulling a linen bed gunna over her head and bundling her onto one fur and under another and she smiled as she helped take off the athletic shoes that Kirstin had chosen in lieu of high heels or ballet slippers. Fortunately, Signe didn’t say anything, for now; Kirstin wasn’t up to explaining, not with Hauk’s betrayal occupying her mind. Signe also stared at the small flashlight that Kirstin had tucked in the center of her bra. She probably thought it was some kind of jewelry. “Thank you, Signe. Once I warm up, I’ll be out of here.” She sneezed once, twice, three times and wiped at her nose with the back of her hand. It was obvious that she had a cold coming on. No wonder, with her getting wet and with the chilly air.

Signe frowned. “Why would you leave again?”

“Are you kidding?” When Signe still looked confused, Kirstin explained, “The wedding? Does that ring any bells?”

Signe brightened. “You heard about that? Oh, I wish you had been here. It was wonderful.” A dreamy expression covered her face, and Kirstin could swear there was a flush covering her face and neck…almost like…hmmm.

“Seriously, Signe? It’s not like you to be so mean.”

Signe put a hand to her chest, as if wounded. “Why is it mean to wish you had been here at my wedding?”

“Your wedding?”

“Who else’s?”

“Hauk’s.”

Signe burst out laughing. “Thorkel and I wed yestereve. Where did you get such a fool idea that it was Hauk?”

Kirstin sat up. “Well, Hauk said it was too bad I’d missed the wedding, and he said it in a very snarky tone. Then Thorkel said that Hauk did a wonderful job saying the vows,”

Signe sat on the side of the bed and took her cold hand in both of hers, rubbing it to get the circulation going. “Hauk said the vows, which we repeated. He performed the ceremony, Kirstin.”

“Oh.”

“Who did you think he wed, pray tell, so soon after your leaving?”

Kirstin felt her face heat with embarrassment. “There were three women…well, a woman and two girls…standing outside, and…”

“That was Jarl Ingolf’s wife and daughters. They are here as yule guests.”

“Oh,” Kirstin said again.

“Have you any idea how distraught Master Hauk was when you left him? Like a bear with a thorn in its paw, he was. Growling at one and all. In truth, I saw tears in his eyes that first night when he went looking for you.”