Page 29

“I’m sorry for leaving you earlier. When Father and Egon get an idea in their heads, it’s difficult to stop them. There was no end to their questions! Did Mother find you?” he asked.

“She did,” Sigrid said.

Erik’s gaze drifted up and down her body. There was a sharp intake of breath.

“You look beautiful,” he said, and with that compliment, all was instantly forgiven. Erik stayed with her for the rest of the night, never straying from her side. The mood of the village was a happy one as everyone celebrated his safe return, despite the fact that he had brought with him a somber warning and a promise of war.

“Did you have feasts like this where you came from?” Egon asked, leaning across to make an effort to get to know her.

Sigrid shook her head. “Ivar only ever had feasts to celebrate his glory, and I was only allowed to observe. He liked getting drunk and rowdy, and his idea of dancing was pulling a woman onto his lap and watching her squirm.”

Egon’s face scowled. “I will see that he pays for all he has done. I shall not rest until I have rid the world of these people who dare to call themselves Vikings.” His words were severe, and Sigrid knew why. In the interim, Erik had told her about what Egon had been through. He had been cast in the role of a traitorous Viking by liars, and he only found out the truth moments before it would have been too late. The threat of this man, Arne Hagen, had been dealt with, but unfortunately, there were more of his kind. Sigrid had never had much patience for Vikings, but among these people, she started to see the joy that could come with being warriors and acting with honor. She found herself singing along to familiar songs, and when Erik asked her to dance, she found it impossible to resist.

They were carried along by the rhythm of the music. She threw her head back and laughed, and she welcomed the feeling of his touch while dancing. The world spun, and for a moment, everything seemed absolutely perfect. The only thing that would have made it better would have been for Erik to pull her in a little more closely and bless her with a kiss, but she thought that she would have to give up on that dream. As much as she liked it here, she knew that she was not the kind of woman that Erik would be destined to marry. He needed someone who was as good with people as she was, someone who would be happy living in a place like this, not someone who was rough around the edges and prickly. In time, she would be back in Norway, trying to figure out what to do with her life while he would be here, probably marrying a fair maiden who would give Erik all he desired. Sigrid was jealous of her, whoever she might turn out to be. She wondered if Erik would ever tell his wife about the wild, surly woman he had encountered in Norway or if she would be a secret that he never mentioned, a memory that he returned to sometimes when he gazed at the horizon. There would be a flash of heat as he remembered the fervent gasps and the bliss of her touch, and just for a moment, he might wonder what would have happened if he had kissed her that night when they were dancing.

It was a bittersweet thought, but she felt as though it was the most she could hope for.

Erik was giving his feet a rest after dancing for most of the night. It felt good to be home. He could breathe a little easier knowing that he was among friends and allies, and family. Seeing everyone he loved again was wonderful. There had been a few moments where he didn’t think he was ever going to make it back to the Highlands, but here he was, and with Sigrid in tow. She was something to be admired, the way she took everything in her stride and never seemed fazed at all. She was off elsewhere, indulging herself in the new surroundings and new friends she was making.

Egon came to sit beside Erik and handed Erik another mug of ale. Egon took a hearty swig and belched.

Erik smiled. “I’m glad to see that marriage hasn’t changed you.”

Egon slapped him on the back and grinned. “It’s changed me more than you might think. And what about you? This girl is different from the ones we’ve grown up with. Is there another reason why you might have brought her back here?” he asked with a slanted, inquiring smile.

Erik sipped his ale and leaned forward, brushing the hair away from his face. “I’m not sure, in truth. She’s been through a lot. You don’t know half of the sorrow. All her life, she’s been let down by everyone she trusts. I don’t know what kind of life she wants for herself after all this.”

“Maybe she’ll want the same kind as you if you show her what that life can be like. Sounds to me as though she needs some stable surroundings, and there’s never been a more stable man than you.”

“Thanks, I think,” Erik said.

Egon laughed heartily. “It is a compliment, Brother! You have always known your course. It is something I’ve admired about you. I don’t know if there has ever been another man who has been surer of their destiny than you. If you can see this woman in your future, then you owe it to yourself to tell her. Then she can make up her own mind.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Erik muttered under his breath. Sigrid had the habit of pulling away whenever anything became too real, of pushing back because she was afraid of getting hurt. He tried to be gentle with her, tried to be patient. Refusing to sleep with her had been perhaps the hardest thing he had ever done, even though he wanted to. He could feel himself falling in love with her, but he had to keep a firm grip on his feelings because he didn’t want to hurt her. Sigrid would never have admitted it to anyone, but he had seen how vulnerable she was. But when he was close to her, he was filled with a fire as bright as any flames he had ever encountered, and he wasn’t sure how long he could deny these feelings for.

Perhaps Egon was right, and he should tell her the truth of what lay in his heart.