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“Cadwgan is dead,” he said. “Killed by a panicked horse. My companion stands over his body. He speaks no Gaelic, but Dai can tell you what you need to know. Rhiannon has been injured, and I must take her to Heledd immediately.”

Hywel’s attention flew from Leif’s face to Rhiannon’s bloodied gown. “You,” he yelled at the nearest guardsman. “Locate the castle laundress, Heledd, of whom Leif speaks, and send her to Miss Rhiannon’s chambers directly.”

The guardsman took off at a run. Offering Hywel a grateful nod, Leif exited the stables right behind him.

Chapter 36

The dull ache in her neck would not leave. Rhiannon moaned and turned her head. The rustle of the straw mattress penetrated her conscious, and with it came a flicker of panic. She was no longer with Leif. Her last memory was of being in his arms, her cheek pressed against his firm chest, enveloped in a warm sense of safety and belonging.

“Leif,” she whispered.

Someone approached the bed and took her hand. “Miss Rhiannon?”

Rhiannon forced her heavy eyelids open, blinking against the bright sunlight as the person at her bedside came into focus. “Heledd.” Unexpected tears pricked her eyes. “You are here.”

The elderly lady smiled gently. “I’ve been here from the moment the Norseman walked into the room with you in his arms, bach. Prince Cadell gave my responsibilities to another until you are well enough to be on your own.”

Rhiannon slid her other hand free of the blanket and tentatively touched the cloth wrapped around her neck.

“The bleeding has stopped,” Heledd said. “The moisture you feel is the salve I applied after cleaning the wound. It will take several weeks for the cut to heal completely and for you to regain your strength, but if you are diligent in applying the salve, I believe it will heal fully.”

Gratitude overwhelmed her. “Where would I be without you?”

“Where would we both be without that tall Norseman?” Heledd shook her head somberly. “I never thought the day would come that I would express thanks for a Viking. But Dai told me what he did for you. What he did for Dai.” Her chin trembled. “We have much to be grateful for.”

Rhiannon’s hand moved from her neck to her chest. Her soiled gown was gone. Someone had dressed her in a clean shift. She slipped her fingers beneath the linen fabric and found the thin chain she’d been seeking. Drawing it out into the open, she wrapped her fingers around the silver wave at its base. “Leif gave me this,” she said, unfurling her fingers so Heledd could see.

“I noticed it when I helped you out of your bloodied clothes.” Heledd’s smile held a hint of sadness. “For one who met you so recently, he knows your heart well.”

It was true, and Rhiannon could not explain it. They came from different lands and cultures. Their first encounter was under the worst possible circumstances. And yet, their connection was as real as it was incomprehensible. Her eyes were drawn to his whenever he was near. He made her heart beat a little faster and her spirit soar a little higher. She felt safe in his arms.

Her grip on the pendant tightened as the ramifications of this bewildering revelation settled upon her. She wished to wear Leif’s jewelry. She wished to come to know him better. She wished to be with him.

She glanced at the beams of light stretching across the wood floor from the slits in the window shutters. It had been evening when Leif had carried her from the stables. It now looked to be past noon. With Cadwgan’s involvement in Anarawd’s death uncovered, Leif would be anxious to return to Ireland to inform his father and Cadwaladr. “Has Leif quit the castle already?” she asked.

“Not unless he did so within the hour.” Heledd crossed to the pitcher of water on the small table in the corner and filled a goblet. “He has come by your chambers three times since daybreak, asking about you. Princess Gwenllian, the queen, and Prince Hywel have also visited.” She set the goblet down and helped Rhiannon rise to a sitting position in the bed before handing it to her. “All four were disappointed to hear that you had yet to awaken. I daresay each will make another attempt to see you before nightfall.”

Rhiannon took a sip of water. Leif would leave soon. She knew it in the same inexplicable way that she had sensed he would come after her when Cadwgan had taken her from the great hall. An unanticipated loneliness settled upon her. She could only hope that he would visit her chambers one more time before then.

Leif stared at the door to Rhiannon’s chamber. If he was unable to speak with Rhiannon this time, he would be forced to leave the castle without seeing her. Knud had been willing to wait until midday but no longer. Even now, they would be hard-pressed to travel the distance they needed to cover before darkness fell.

Raising his hand, he knocked, and moments later, Heledd opened the door.

She greeted him with a smile. “Good day, sir.”

“How is she?”

Heledd pulled back the door. “She is awake, and I believe she would be glad of your company.”

Leif crossed the threshold, his eyes focused on the bed in the corner. Heavy green-and-gold tapestries hung around it, but on one side, the fabric had been pulled back to expose Rhiannon sitting up against the dark-wood headboard. A gray wool blanket was pulled up to her waist, and her dark hair tumbled past her shoulders to cover her white shift and pillows. A strip of cloth was wrapped around her neck. Her face was pale, her brown eyes luminous, and Leif was quite sure he’d never seen anyone so beautiful.

He cleared his throat, attempting to do the same for his thoughts. Did he tell her he had scarcely slept last night for thinking of her? That over the last few days, her welfare had become more important than his own? Or did he simply say farewell and wish her a speedy recovery, knowing that his past would forever lie between them?

“I thank you for permitting me entrance into your chamber.” It was not eloquent and fell short of expressing his feelings, but at least the words were coherent.

Her smile was shy, hesitant even. “I am glad you are come. When I realized that I had awoken so late in the day, I feared that you were gone already.”

“I must be on my way shortly,” he said. “Knud is at the stables, readying our horses.”