MacAuliffe Vikings Trilogy 3 - Lord of the wolves (30 page)

Conar says that you will be traveling to various cities near you in the near future, but never fear, we are all great sailors, you know, and we"ll be there to visit you soon enough.”

“I"ll be looking forward to that!” Melisande promised her. She sank onto the log again, suddenly having little strength. Daria sat with her, Bryan hunkered down to his haunches, and Bryce came down upon a knee.

“It"s not far back here, either,” Daria said.

“And Dubhlain is not much farther,” Bryce said.

“Thank you,” Melisande murmured. “Thank you all. I hope that you do come. This is beautiful, and Dubhlain is incredible! But the fortress is fascinating, too. I hope desperately that you will come.” Bryan assured her, “There are occasions that draw us one and all, Melisande.

Never fear. We are away, but never apart.”

They talked a while longer, and as they did, Melisande realized that Mergwin had left them. She had not even seen him go. He had followed Conar, she thought, and she wondered if the old man had given her husband the same cryptic warning.

Darkness fell and they were still at the stream. They started back to the house. Melisande paused when she reached her mare, for Mergwin"s old gelding was still tethered beside it. She noticed that there was another horse there, as well.

Mergwin was still in the forest somewhere.

With someone else.

Daria seemed to sense her concern. She mounted her own horse and said softly, “Brenna will sail with you. He is giving her his last good-byes.” Melisande arched a brow, confused. Surely the elegant blond woman so at her husband"s beck and call could not be … intimately … linked with the old Druid?

Daria waved a hand in the air, smiling. “They discuss the world and the stars and the heaven—and try to foresee all our futures!” she said. “Come, let"s hurry back. Rhiannon will have ordered everything edible in the vicinity for a feast tonight, her way of saying good-bye.”

It was true. When they returned, Rhiannon and Eric were waiting in the great hall.

Eric"s arms were around his beautiful wife. The snapping blaze picked up the fiery red highlights in her hair as she leaned back against her husband"s broad chest.

Melisande found herself looking away, but Rhiannon had seen her enter the hall, and she quickly disentangled herself from her husband to wrap her arms around her sister-in-law in an affectionate hug. “It"s been so good to have you.

You are always welcome here, Melisande.”

“Thank you. I know I"ll be back. And I pray that you"ll come to me—to us—

too.”

“Of course! We will. We have a way of getting together, so it seems,” she said, smiling. “The children are upstairs, but they have come to love you dearly, if you wouldn"t mind taking a few minutes now to say good-bye.”

“Of course, I will see them immediately!”

She turned and ran up the stairs. Garth, like a little man, was waiting for her at the door.

“Mother said that you would come. She said you would never leave without saying good-bye to me!”

“And I never would.”

Melisande plucked him up from the floor and sat at the edge of the bed with him on her lap, rocking him, even though he was a very big boy.

“I will begin to dine in the hall very soon,” he told her. “I"m nearly old enough. And soon I will ride out with my father and my uncles.”

“You mustn"t be in such a hurry,” she warned him, glancing up at the pretty young servant who tended to the children.

“You"re a woman. You don"t understand.”

“I"m a woman, but I"ve ridden into battle. And you shouldn"t be in too busy a hurry to do so!” she insisted.

“Do you have to go?” he asked her.

“Aye, that I do. It"s my home we"re going to now, just as this is your home.

You understand that, don"t you, Garth?”

His gaze touched hers. So like his father"s. Like his uncle"s, too.

She trembled suddenly, and Garth felt the movement. “Are you shivering, are you afraid?”

She shook her head. “No, no I"m not. I"m anxious!” He shimmied from her lap to stand. “I suppose you want to hold my baby sister.”

“I do want to hold her.” Melisande stood and hurried over to the baby"s finely carved cradle. She picked up the cooing infant and held her tenderly.

“She"s very precious, Garth. You must look after her.”

“I do,” he promised. His hand fit into the crook of her elbow. “If you have babies, I shall look after my little cousins, I promise!” Babies …

She discovered herself shivering again, then looked up, past the young serving girl, to the doorway.

Conar stood there. Blue eyes hard upon her, as always.

Tremors streaked down her spine.

Garth turned and saw Conar, too. With a little cry he ran to his uncle. He was swept up, thrown into the air. Then Conar hugged him hard and set him down upon his sturdy young feet. He gripped the boy"s hand. “We"ll see you soon enough on the coast, eh, my boy?”

“Aye, Uncle!” Garth agreed. “Whenever I am needed!” Melisande set the baby back into her cradle and stroked her wonderfully soft cheek. She hurried across the room, suddenly wanting to escape. Conar was here with the boy. She had said her good-byes. She just needed to slip by them.

“Melisande!”

She stopped as Garth called to her. She turned slowly back to him.

He ran quickly to her, throwing his arms around her legs. She was nearly unbalanced, but caught herself just in time, slipping her arms around him. She bent down to him, lifted his chin, and kissed his cheek. “Good-bye, Garth,” she said, then stood quickly and slipped out of the room, leaving him alone with his uncle.

She fled down the stairs.

The soft sounds of a lute filled the hall when she returned to it. Servants carried huge platters of food to the tables, atop which sat whole wild pigs, and pheasant still adorned with colorful feathers, wild berries beautifully decorating the edges.

Rhiannon saw her return and lifted a brow, then offered someone a slow smile. Melisande spun around. Conar was coming right behind her.

She heard a whine and looked down. One of the big wolfhounds bounded into the hall. Dag was his name. He nuzzled his nose beneath her hand, and she stroked him. “I even have to say good-bye to you, eh?” she whispered softly.

The dog whined again and thumped his tail. He, too, seemed to look past her, wagging his tail with greater ardor.

Conar. He had reached her.

“Shall we sit? Rhiannon and Eric are taking their places.” He set his hands upon her shoulders, guiding her toward the table. She longed to shake off his touch.

She would bide her time.

They were all arrayed there once again, Eric and Rhiannon, Conar and Melisande, Daria, Bryan, Bryce, Mergwin, Brenna, a few of Eric"s men, English and Norse. Again she shared a chalice with Conar. Again when her fingers laced around it, she smiled at him coolly and drained the whole of it.

He allowed her to do so several times. She spoke enthusiastically with Bryce about horses and told him how eager she was to see Warrior, her father"s great bay stallion. “He"s aged, too, I imagine, but Philippe and Gaston see to it that he is ridden and tended, and I believe he will remember me.”

“It"s hard to tell,” Bryce warned her. “You were a young girl when last you saw him. Bear that in mind and take care.”

“You"ll hardly be needing use of such a horse,” Conar said suddenly, and she swung around to stare at him in amazement.

Now he meant to tell her that she could not ride her own father"s horse on her own property?

“Warrior is trained for battle. You"ll not be riding into any more battles.”

“But you have ridden into battle!” Bryce exclaimed. There was admiration in his handsome face. Melisande shrugged. “My father was dead, our people were losing a center of command. I had to go out—”

“How courageous!” Daria cried.

“Wonderfully so,” Conar said dryly, entering into the conversation. “Why, haven"t I ever fully explained? That"s exactly how I acquired my lovely wife, Daria. She was in the arms of the kinsman who had slain her father.”

“But, Conar, sometimes there is no choice,” Rhiannon explained.

There was a sudden silence, and she blushed, feeling a number of eyes upon her.

“My wife is quite remarkable with arrows,” Eric explained lightly. “She managed to send one flying into me once.”

“Could you refrain from giving Melisande any new ideas on the proper behavior of a wife?” Conar demanded.

He spoke lightly. Everyone laughed. But then Bryce said enthusiastically,

“Melisande"s weapon is the sword. She is really quite extraordinary with a blade. Have you seen her work with one, Conar?”

“Not as yet, but if you comment that she is talented, brother, I believe you.”

“She practices almost daily,” Bryce continued.

“Does she now?”

Melisande had her fingers curled around their shared chalice, and she kept her gaze upon it. But she felt his look, felt his movement as he came closer to her.

“Are you hoping to ride into battle, my love?”

“I am always hoping for peace,” she said smoothly.

“Then why the determination with the sword?” he asked.

She smiled pleasantly his way. The wine helped her do so. “Perhaps I am hoping to skewer you in your sleep, milord,” she suggested, her voice as pleasant as her smile.

There was easy laughter around the table, but she was keenly aware that her husband"s smile was very cold, and that his eyes held an ice-fire sizzle. She drank more wine.

He clasped the chalice from her, demanding softly, “For fortitude?” She shook her head, her chin hiked in challenge. “I think not, milord. Not tonight. I have a few demands of my own to make tonight!”

“Do you now?” he said very softly.

“Indeed.”

“And how is that?”

“It has come to my understanding that you are seeking things from me. If you would seek them, milord, then you must be willing to give in return.”

“So far, I am going to be skewered through by your excellent swordsmanship. I must find some wondrous concession to make in turn!” She tried to take the chalice. His grip on it was firm. “If you plan on bargaining, love, you had best keep your wits about you and slow down.”

“Ah, so now you are interested in bargaining!”

“We shall see!” he told her softly. “Tell me about the demands you think you will make of me.”

“Alas, not here, not now! We"re in the midst of a banquet set before us by your gentle sister-in-law. The one who is so excellent with arrows.”

“Aye, and who has since become such a tender wife!”

“Perhaps he has learned his lesson and become a far kinder husband.”

“Perhaps …” Conar mused, his eyes narrowing upon her. “But then again.. .

perhaps not!”

He suddenly pushed back his chair and stood, reaching for her arm. She stared up at him in astonishment as he pulled her away from the table.

“Conar—” she began, but he was already speaking with his sister-in-law at his other side. “Rhiannon, as always, you express the greatest warmth through the most spectacular meals. We thank you deeply for this wonderful banquet you have spread before us, yet forgive us—as we hope to sail very early, we need to retire early, as well.”

Rhiannon leapt to her feet, Eric at her side. “Of course,” Rhiannon said quickly. “You will want to retire early!”

“Indeed,” Eric agreed, looking at them both somberly, but with a grin pulling upon his lip. Rhiannon leaned against his side, which caused him to grunt. His hands fell upon her shoulders, his fingers curling tightly upon them. “I was thinking of retiring early myself.”

“We"ll be up in the morning with you, of course,” Rhiannon assured Melisande. “We"ll wish you Godspeed.”

“Thank you,” Melisande murmured to her, so surprised by his sudden determination to leave the great hall that she could not think swiftly enough of a reason to stay.

Conar propelled her about the room. He called a quick good night, his fingers firmly set upon her arm, and led her from the hall to the stairway. He had to practically run her to the top of it before she managed to speak.

“What is the matter with you! I had barely eaten! Rhiannon prepared all that in your honor!”

“I"m very sorry, my love!” he said, his tone anything but. “Yet you are the one who brought about our premature departure.”

“I—”

“You tempted me, goaded me. And I but took the bait.”

“I don"t know what—”

“But you do.”

“I don"t know what you"re talking about! I do know that you"re being incredibly rude and as crude and ill-mannered as any—” she broke off.

“Viking?” he finished. They had reached the door to her room. Her room!

The one she had slept in before he had followed her here.

She started into it ahead of him, throwing the door closed behind her with all her might.

But it didn"t close.

He caught it, shoved it open, and closed it deliberately behind him, and Melisande jumped as she heard the energy with which the bolt was slid.

“Let"s have it, Melisande. What is it you think you have as bargaining power against me?” he demanded. His tone was cold. His arms were crossed over his chest. He leaned against the closed door, watching her.

She told herself that she had to be determined where this man was concerned, as determined as he was. She stood very still, lacing her fingers before her and speaking very softly. “You would never have come for me, Conar, unless you needed me.”

He frowned at her. “What are you talking about?”

“You were given a bride you never wanted.”