Sigrun's Secret (20 page)

‘Your brother is well enough, thank you for your concern for him,’ I said coldly. ‘And now, if you don’t mind, we have work to do.’

Knut bowed slightly, and let us walk on without him. I couldn’t help glancing around once to see if he was following us. He wasn’t, but he was standing watching us go and lifted his hand in a brief wave. ‘See you again, Sigrun,’ he said.

‘As if I would tell him anything!’ I said angrily to Maria once we were safely back in Thrang’s house. ‘Even if he’d been the most caring brother in the world, a patient’s symptoms are between me and the goddess.’

‘What goddess?’ asked Maria.

‘Eir. She’s the goddess of healing. She teaches us the secret power of herbs. We must never betray her secrets to a man, nor speak of people’s illnesses unnecessarily.’

Maria nodded, pounding the bark, leaning over it, using all her weight to grind it into fine powder.

‘Thorvald may be rude and ungrateful, but I’ll do my best to cure him,’ I muttered, crumbling some dried leaves into a pot of hot water.

Maria glanced up at me looking amused by my indignation. ‘It’s king’s family,’ she said mildly. ‘They not like us. They fight each other for power.’

By the time Leif, Thrang, and my father returned, Thorvald’s wound was healing, and his stomach settled. His father Siefred thanked me personally and promised honour and respect to my family as long as we stayed in Jorvik. Thorvald himself sent a fine gold bracelet with a servant who presented it to me with his master’s compliments.

When he’d gone, Maria and I both bent over it to admire the workmanship.

‘It’s a snake,’ said Maria. ‘Eating itself.’

‘It’s the Midgaard Serpent,’ I explained. ‘It holds the whole world in its coils.’

‘I never heard that. Norse have strange beliefs,’ said Maria. She picked up the bracelet and weighed it in her hand and then sent me a wicked look. ‘It cost lot of money. Thorvald must like you, oh much!’

‘You know very well he doesn’t!’ I retorted. ‘He’s just grateful, I suppose. I probably saved his life treating that wound. In any case, a costly gift shows the giver in a good light. He’s showing me he’s wealthy as well as generous.’

Maria smiled. ‘What you do with it?’

‘We can wear it!’ I said. I picked the bracelet up and turned it so that the gold caught the light. ‘We have enough money for now. We’re acquiring quite a collection of fine jewellery, aren’t we?’

I laughed, delighted that despite Asgrim’s treachery, we had more money than we needed. With the help of Ingvar’s precious amulet, my skills had made our stay in Jorvik more comfortable, and I was very proud of myself.

‘You’d better have first turn wearing this,’ I said to Maria. I caught her hand and slid the heavy bracelet onto her wrist. ‘I’m already starting to look too much like the fine ladies of Jorvik, and nothing like a farmer’s daughter from Iceland. I don’t recognize myself.’

* * *

A few days later I called on Leola with some hollyhock for her cough. I was pleased to find her almost back to full strength.

‘I hear you go everywhere now, and have made a name for yourself,’ she said.

‘I’ve been fortunate to meet with trust and kindness,’ I agreed. ‘I’m grateful for your recommendations.’

‘Oh, it was my uncle, mainly,’ Leola said indifferently. ‘Will you take a drink before you go?’

I was tired and thirsty after my long walk, so I agreed. Leola fetched a goblet for me and a jug of whey. As she reached forward to pour the grey-white liquid, a gold bangle slipped down her arm onto her wrist, peeping out from under the sleeve of her woollen kirtle.

‘Oh, that’s just like mine,’ I said, struck by the coincidence. I pulled back my sleeve and held out my arm to show her the serpent which Maria had insisted it was my turn to wear today.

There was a clatter and the jug of whey spilled across the wooden table. ‘I’m sorry,’ said Leola loudly, jumping to her feet and running to fetch a cloth. ‘I’m such a clumsy thing,’ she added, as she wiped up the mess. There was a vivid flush in her cheeks, and she’d pushed the bangle back out of sight on her arm.

I opened my mouth to ask what the matter was, but Leola rushed to change the subject and chattered busily about anything and everything else for the remainder of my short visit.

I could tell how relieved she was to see me go. For some reason, she’d been completely thrown by the incident. I wasn’t sure if it was because I’d seen her bracelet or because I had one the same. I’d assumed it was a coincidence, but her behaviour made me wonder if it was something more.

My father’s return put all thoughts of Leola out of my mind, however. He was there when I got back and in the excitement of greeting him and hearing about the voyage, I forgot all about the bracelet.

The winter month of Ýlir came without any sign of my brother. I thought of home and wondered how my mother felt about spending the feast day of Yule without us all. I hoped her leg had healed now. I thought of Ingvar too, and wondered, if I had been there, whether there would have been any stolen kisses under the Yule boughs. His face came vividly into my mind, and I felt breathless at the thought. The longing for him and for home was an ache that I couldn’t treat with any medicines I had.

We were invited to the king’s for the Yule feast; a great honour. It couldn’t compete with the thought of home, of course, but I was looking forward to it all the same. There would be good food and all manner of entertainments: music, stories, and games. My father was to be one of the storytellers, and had kept his chosen story a secret even from me.

I went out to see an old lady with arthritis first thing in the morning, followed by a visit to a boy in the poor quarter with rickets. I carried a portion of
skyr
for him, milk curds made from fresh milk using our Icelandic recipe. Milk in all its forms was always good for rickets, just as berries or sheep brains always cure winter sickness. Sometimes food is the best medicine there is.

Maria didn’t go with me to my patient, as she was busy helping Unn prepare some Yule delicacies. Instead, Leif walked the first couple of streets with me.

‘Where are you off to this morning?’ I asked Leif. ‘Not business on Yule day surely?’

‘No, indeed,’ said Leif, looking a little self-conscious. ‘I’m visiting friends today.’

I suspected he was planning to call on Leola, and my heart sank a little. He still saw her frequently and his ardour for her didn’t seem to have cooled in the least. I said nothing however. We parted, and I made my visits. They took considerably longer than expected, as both families pressed me to take refreshments and to drink each other’s health in celebration of the feast day. It was well into the afternoon before I reached Thrang’s house again.

My father and Thrang were engrossed in a noisy game of Fox and Geese, while Erik watched, a jug of spiced wine between them on the table. They were clearly all in a good mood. Maria and Unn were baking by the fire and the other men were out.

I noticed Leif sitting quietly in a dark corner of the room, well away from the fire.

‘Did you find your friends well?’ I asked, sitting down next to him. He turned to look at me, and I caught my breath when I saw the dark bruise discolouring one side of his face. ‘What happened?’ I asked.

‘Officially, a beggar tried to rob me in the street,’ he said quietly, nodding towards his father.

‘I see,’ I said. I got up and searched through my medicines, looking for my arnica salve. This was a new medicine I’d discovered in Jorvik for bruises and I intended to take lots home with me.

I brought the salve across to Leif and gently smeared it onto his cheek, pausing while he flinched and caught his breath with pain.

‘And unofficially?’ I asked.

‘If I tell you, it must remain a complete secret,’ begged Leif under his breath.

‘I’m good at secrets,’ I assured him.

‘I visited Leola.’

I smoothed the last of the salve out across his cheekbone, and sat back. ‘I guessed as much,’ I said, disappointed.

‘I found her alone, and in great distress. She’s rarely alone, you know. She’s very popular, and has a great many friends. But today she was sitting by herself, still and silent. I asked her what was wrong, and she said she couldn’t tell me.’

I wager she couldn’t, I thought. She probably had some affair of the heart to hide. But I said nothing, waiting for Leif to go on.

‘She burst into tears. Sigrun, I couldn’t bear it. That beautiful, innocent creature in distress and tears! I couldn’t help myself.’

‘What did you do?’ I asked startled, forgetting to keep my voice low.

Leif hushed me, but his father had heard my voice and looked round. ‘Ah, Sigrun. You’re treating that bruise, I see,’ he said, seeing the pot of salve in my hand. ‘Good girl, thank you. If I ever get my hands on the scoundrel that did this … !’

He ground his teeth angrily, but then my father called his attention back to the game.

‘I didn’t do much,’ Leif whispered. ‘I don’t consider it wrong. I wanted to comfort her. I gathered her in my arms, held her close and swore that I’d do anything, anything at all I could to help. That I was hers for life. I told her again of my love.’

‘And what did she say?’ I asked.

‘Nothing. She kept crying. But she clung to me, and it melted my heart. I … I kissed her. I swear I was only trying to comfort her.’

‘Of course,’ I agreed, wondering for the hundredth time what the young men all saw in Leola. ‘Was she angry with you?’

‘Leola? Angry? No! But then … just at that moment, her uncle walked into the room.’

Everything was now clear. Leif didn’t need to tell me of Eadred’s anger, his outrage, I could imagine it all.

‘He had three of his men throw me out of the house,’ Leif finished. ‘I tried to tell him I wanted to marry her.’

‘What did he say?’ I asked curiously. Leif was not a bad match for the Saxon girl. He and his father had a successful business and were relatively wealthy.

‘He said … well, he said, “Don’t make me laugh”,’ repeated Leif bitterly.

‘And what did Leola herself say?’ I asked.

‘She didn’t have a chance to speak, with her uncle ranting like that!’ said Leif defensively. ‘But she would have said yes, I’m sure.’

‘Maria says Leola’s very ambitious,’ I said cautiously. ‘You told me yourself she was born a princess.’

‘She doesn’t have a mercenary thought in her!’ said Leif hotly. ‘How can you say such a thing of her?’ He put his head in his hands and groaned. ‘I’m not going to the Yule feast with the king tonight. Eadred’s sure to be there.’

‘He can’t hurt you at a feast,’ I pointed out. ‘I’m sure your father won’t want you to offend the king by staying away.’

‘I don’t care,’ said Leif. ‘I’ll not show myself in public with this bruise. It would be humiliating.’

‘I’d offer to keep you company,’ I said. ‘But I don’t think my father would allow it.’ I’d been looking forward to the feast, but Leif was my friend and I wanted to support him.

‘No, of course you must go,’ said Leif at once. ‘Don’t worry about me.’

I sat with him a little longer and then began to get ready for the feast. Maria helped me heat water and pour it into the tin bath, and I shed my rough working kirtle and enjoyed the luxury of warm water and scrubbing myself clean of a week’s city dirt.

I’d put on my best kirtle, woven of softest wool, and was pinning my silken apron dress over it when I heard the sounds of an arrival.

‘Sigrun!’ called my father. ‘Have you finished?’

I stepped out into the main downstairs room, my long hair still wet from the bath, to see an agitated slave talking to my father. As soon as he saw me, father turned.

‘Sigrun, you’re needed at a birth,’ he said. ‘It sounds as if the woman is in great difficulty.’

‘Please come with me right away,’ the slave begged. ‘My master is a chieftain and will pay very well. My mistress is in terrible pain.’

‘Of course,’ I said at once. ‘Let me just get changed.’

I withdrew again and with a sigh I pulled off my fine clothes and dressed in my plain kirtle again instead. I’d been looking forward to tonight. If only the woman could have waited until tomorrow to have her baby.

‘But you can’t miss the Yule feast!’ exclaimed Thrang, startled when I reappeared in my work clothes.

‘How could I sit at a feast knowing that a mother and child might be dying for want of my help?’ I asked him.

‘Of course, I see,’ said Thrang. ‘When you put it like that, to be sure … we’ll make your apologies to the king, of course.’

‘And mine too, please, father,’ said Leif. ‘I’ll walk Sigrun to this woman’s house. The town will be rowdy tonight. Everyone’s celebrating, most of them with drink.’

‘Thank you,’ I said, touched, as Leif put my cloak around my shoulders and fastened it for me with the pin.

‘You’re welcome,’ he said, ignoring his father’s grumblings. He smiled down at me, and then winced as it hurt his injured face. ‘It’s cold out,’ he warned me.

I laughed up at him. ‘Not by Icelandic standards,’ I assured him.

‘Will Maria go with you?’ asked Leif.