Wild Viking Princess (8 page)

Ivar took off his woolen cap and scratched his head. “You think the woman you seek is with Prince Reider?”

Dieter felt a pang of doubt. This shrewd seaman probably judged him naive to rely on a hunch. He swallowed hard. “I do.”

Ivar laughed and slapped him on the back. “Me too.”

“You do?”

Ivar lay back to gaze at the stars, his hands behind his head. “Prince Reider is exactly the kind of man who would go out in a storm to save another boat. And if anyone would be likely to jump into a roiling sea to save another person, it would be him.”

Dieter craned his neck to look at the stars. “You know him then?”

“I do, and I know his step-brother, Gorm, who now rules in his place.” He sat up and spat. “Never did trust the man.”

Margit slapped the thrall hard across the face. “Ouch! Be more careful with the comb.”

Olve scrambled to her feet and retrieved the whalebone comb from the floor, her face reddened with the imprint of her mistress’s hand.

It gave Margit satisfaction that the thrall trembled as she tried once more to unsnarl the thick curly tangles. She was in a mood to make others suffer. As usual, Gorm had left her bed during the night after satisfying his own needs, leaving her wanting. It amazed her that such a well-endowed man knew nothing about a woman’s pleasure. He had not been persuaded to marry her, though she had tried every ploy in her arsenal to convince him.

The comb snagged again. Margit screeched, leaned back in her chair and kicked the child hard in her swollen belly. The thrall cried out and doubled over, crawling out of the chamber when Margit sent her packing. “Send another thrall, one who is not so careless.”

That should take care of the wretch who had stupidly gotten with child, probably Gorm’s.

Margit seethed as she paced back and forth, tugging the comb through her black hair. Gorm’s smell still clung to her. He treated her no better than a thrall. Worse, because he would kill her if she lay with another man. He seemed to have forgotten that without her help he would not be sitting on the throne of Strand.

He gave her no say in the judgments he rendered, did not allow her a seat on the dais beside him. She would have been better off marrying Reider. She cupped her breasts, remembering with a shiver how Reider’s big hands had fondled them. She barred the door, took a deep breath and brushed her palms over her hard nipples, frustrated that she would have to once again take care of her own needs.

~~~

Reider choked on his response when Dagfinn Alfredsen embraced him, uttering words of condolence he knew were heartfelt. His father and Dagfinn had been friends and allies for many years. The two neighbouring principalities had supported each other for generations. The Hall in which they stood had witnessed many marriages between the two peoples.

Dagfinn looked him in the eye. “I never trusted your step-brother.”

Resentment stuck in Reider’s throat. “Was I blind? Why did everyone else see his treacherous nature, but I didn’t?”

The older man put his hands on Reider’s shoulders. “Because, my boy, you see the good in people, but sometimes you are blind to their faults. Your father was the same. He became so determined to make a strategic marriage with Gorm’s mother, he failed to see the son’s greed. It cost him his life.”

Reider let out a long breath. “My life too, had it not been for Kjartan.”

Dagfinn shook Kjartan’s hand and embraced him. “Welcome, Kjartan. Your cousins are anxious to renew acquaintance. It’s been too long since you visited your family here.”

Kjartan smiled. “I agree, and it is to my shame that it is tragedy that brings me here this time. With your permission I will seek them out.”

Dagfinn slapped him on the back. “Go now. Bring them.”

Reider watched his friend leave, envious of Kjartan’s extended family. Dagfinn eyed him curiously. “What of Margit?”

A worm coiled in Reider’s bowels. “She betrayed me. Her betrayal cut deeper than Gorm’s. I will never trust a woman again.”

But as he swore, his thoughts went to Ragna. He sensed she cared for him. Would she betray him, if he trusted her with his heart?

A thrall approached with tankards of ale for Reider and his men. Others brought victuals. “Sit! Enjoy our meagre fare,” Dagfinn declared.

Reider gazed at the haunch of venison and inhaled deeply. “My lord, we have dined on naught but fish for a month. This is ambrosia.”

Dagfinn chuckled. “Eat then! We’ll fill our bellies and talk of how we might defeat this murderous usurper.”

They sat down to feast. Kjartan entered the Hall with uncles, aunts and cousins in tow. He had not seen them for several years, and their boisterous joy was evident. He reintroduced Reider to two female cousins, little girls when Reider had last seen them. Now they were alluring young women. Reider winked at his friend.

“Never mind that,” Kjartan said with a shrug. “I have something to show you.”

He placed a cloth-covered bundle on the table and carefully unfolded the wrapping to reveal a small dagger. Reider’s mouth fell open. How had Ragna’s dagger come to be here? He frowned and glanced up sharply at Kjartan. “How—?”

His friend picked up the dagger and handed it to him. “Almost identical, wouldn’t you say?”

Reider accepted the weapon and ran his fingers over the intricately carved Viking on the handle. Emotions warred within him. The same artisan had carved this dagger and Ragna’s. “Where did you get this?”

Kjartan pointed to one of his cousins. “It belongs to Dagfrid, my beautiful cousin. It is a family heirloom passed down from generations ago, but only to the women. It was made for a woman’s hand. When I saw Ragna’s, I knew I’d seen something similar before.”

Reider’s thoughts were in a whirl. “But this means—”

His comrade finished the thought for him. “Ragna and I are somehow of the same blood. Probably second or third cousins many times removed. We may have shared a grandfather four generations ago.”

Anger crept into Reider’s soul. “She lied then. She must have known.”

Kjartan took the weapon from him and wrapped it in its covering. “Lied? How could she know? Do you think she arranged the storm so her boat would be blown off course and she could leap into your life and mine? Be reasonable, Reider. Take care that grief and hatred do not make you doubt everyone. Ragna has never given us cause to believe her a liar. She is an honourable woman. Fate has brought her back to the land of her ancestors. She is one of us.”

Ivar coaxed his boat slowly into the mouth of Husembro cove before dawn, admonishing everyone on board to remain silent. They had anchored off shore overnight. Dieter’s heart throbbed in his ears. He had lain awake, listening to the creaking of the ship’s timbers as it floated in the mercifully calm sea. Unlikely as it was that he would find Ragna here, hope surged within him. He had to cling to it.

The weak rays of the rising sun barely penetrated the fog on the water. He peered into it. Was there a crude shelter tucked into the forest beyond the beach? He tapped Ivar’s shoulder and pointed.

“Looks like a lodge,” Ivar whispered. “Not been there long I’d say. Might be we are on the right track, but I don’t see any boats. That concerns me. We’ll wait until there is more light before we make a move.”

As the
knarr
rocked in the waves, Dieter’s belly turned over. He did not want to be seasick now of all times. He took a deep breath and concentrated on the barely visible shoreline, looking for movement.

“There!” Ivar pointed. “Men on the beach.”

Dieter made out two or three dark figures. One of them lit a fire. A woman emerged from the building, accompanied by a black dog. She was bundled in furs, but there was no mistaking the banner of blonde hair. The fog lifted as though her arrival had heralded the sun, and excitement bubbled up in his throat. He gripped Ivar’s arm. “It’s her.”

Ivar narrowed his eyes. “We must be careful. We cannot assume she is with friends, but there seems to be only a handful of men. However, we do not know how many are inside the lodge. We’ll approach slowly and I’ll hail them. I still see no boats.”

Timbers creaked as the
knarr
strained closer to the shore. The noise caught the attention of those on the beach. The men drew daggers. One of them motioned the woman to return to the lodge. She seemed ready to obey, but then turned to look out to sea, shielding her eyes.

Dieter chuckled. “Definitely Ragna.” He waved and shouted her name.

~~~

Emerging from the lodge, Ragna inhaled the damp air, dreading another day with no word from Reider and his men. She had lost track of how many days they had been gone. Where were they now? Had they persuaded their old allies to help them?

The men left to guard her were friendly and the freed thralls treated her with respect, grateful for her part in their liberation, but she was still the only woman among them. How long would she be safe? They were vulnerable here. She sensed it, though the Danes doubted Gorm would attack, especially with the persistent fog.

Suddenly, Torgrim drew his dagger and ordered her back to the lodge. A boat had pulled into the cove. She shielded her eyes to determine the threat. As the fog lifted she saw that it was not a longboat. Someone waved. She narrowed her eyes and gasped. “Dieter?” she whispered. She had not seen her brother-by-marriage for several years, but was sure it was he waving frantically. Then she heard his voice on the wind. “Ragna!”

Relief surged over her. “Dieter has come to our rescue, Thor.” She would not be marooned on this lonely shore. She would see her family again. Waving both hands high over her head, she jumped up and down. Thor ran round in circles, barking loudly. “Dieeeeterrr!” she bellowed, running into the waves. Torgrim ran after her, trying to pull her back. “No, no, Torgrim, it’s all right. It’s Dieter. I know him. Put away your weapons.”

Her excitement spread to the other survivors and they too waved their arms, shouting and beckoning for the ship to come into shore.

Dieter leapt into the waist high water and strode towards the beach. Ragna waded out to meet him and collapsed into his outstretched arms. “You came,” she sobbed. “You didn’t give up.”

Dieter grinned broadly, hugging her tight. “Ragna! I am relieved to find you.”

Laughing, they waded out of the water, Thor leaping in the waves and chasing his own tail. Dieter’s hand went to the hilt of his dagger when he saw the Danes with their weapons drawn, but Ragna reassured him. “We are safe with them. They were left here to protect me.”

The shipwreck survivors mobbed Dieter, shaking his hand and thanking him.

Ivar’s crew came ashore and introductions were made. The Danes knew Ivar and obviously felt comfortable with him. They too became swept up in the celebration. Ragna had not given any thought to how isolated and vulnerable they too must have felt. They had been left behind because of her, when they would rather have gone to fight with their leader, their prince.

The newcomers were welcomed into the lodge and invited to break their fast. Dieter was given dry clothing and his apparel strung on the drying line. Everyone shared their story. Ragna shuddered when she told Dieter of jumping into the sea.

He laughed. “I heard the tale, and I knew that if anyone had the courage to leap into the sea, it was Ragna FitzRam.”

Ragna was astonished that her fate had hinged on the ramblings of a dying survivor of the wreck. The newcomers learned the details of Reider’s betrayal, and that he and Kjartan had gone to regain Reider’s birthright.

Like the Danes, Ivar also believed Dagfinn Alfredsen would fight with Reider. “He’s a good man. Murder of a rightful ruler would not sit well with him.”

~~~

The thought occurred to Ragna that Ivar might be a good source of information. “Captain Ivar, tell me about Margit.”

The seaman looked at her curiously. “You speak of Margit Hansdatter?”

Ragna felt her face flush. “I do not know her name. She was Reider’s betrothed,” she murmured, hoping her nervousness was not obvious.

Ivar drew on his pipe. “Margit came from Heide as an arranged bride for Reider. She is a beautiful woman…”

Ragna’s heart fell.

“…on the outside. But I always thought her devious.”