The entire crowd laughed. A hot tide swept up Kara’s face. Easy words—that was all they were. Ash didn’t mean them, just as he had not meant the compliments he had given her seven years ago. Her father-in-law had demonstrated that fact when she’d fought for Rurik’s life. Ash had always used charm and flattery to get what he wanted.
Ice-cold anger swept through her. She might have recognised Ash but it didn’t mean she had forgiven him for what he’d done or how long it had taken him to return home. She would not revert to the starry-eyed naïve girl she had once been.
‘The marriage between Valdar Nerison and Kara Olofdottar will not take place today,’ the priest confirmed. ‘Ash Hringson has returned to the land of the living.’
‘This is not the end,’ Harald Haraldson said, rising to his feet. ‘I will ensure a proper investigation is held into where this man’s allegiance truly lies. I refuse to harbour a Viken viper in our bosom. Our country’s security should not be put at risk by this...this reckless woman.’
Without waiting for an answer, he stormed out of the hall. The room burst into pandemonium and a crowd of well-wishers swept Ash up, hoisting him on their shoulders and parading him about the room.
Kara stood at the altar, numb and shocked, unable to make any plans or even think straight as the noise surrounding Ash grew louder. Trust Ash to cause the most mischief and chaos that he could. He delighted in things like that.
They might be married, but it was not going to be the same sort of marriage that they’d once had. Her days of longing for approval and thinking he was her ultimate hero and saviour were over. No more. She had grown up. She required a good man by her side, helping her to farm the land and bring her son up, rather than one who went off to find glory. Someone steady and safe like Valdar, rather than someone who was only interested in their personal comfort or good fortune.
‘Thank you, Valdar,’ she said quietly, turning away from the spectacle Ash had created and looking directly at her former fiancé who had remained beside her. ‘I appreciate what you just did. Despite Harald Haraldson’s outburst, I know Ash will be a true Raumerike subject. He has only come back to claim what is his, not overthrow the king. He is no Viken viper.’
‘Kara?’ Valdar regarded her with an intent expression. ‘Why didn’t you tell me that there was a possibility that your husband might be alive? You should have trusted me with that knowledge, rather than allowing this to happen. Steps could have been taken.’
‘Tell you what?’ The crown pressed harder against her forehead and she struggled to control her anger at this latest injustice. Did he truly think she had arranged this near fiasco? That she wanted this? She had envisioned today ending very differently. ‘You must know that I intended to be a good wife. I thought him dead, like everyone else. The dead simply do not come back to life. Or at least until today...’
‘Your husband has returned. You recognised him without hesitation. Normally in these cases, there is an investigation. I thought maybe you had arranged in advance...’
‘I’m as surprised as anyone to see him alive,’ she snapped and instantly regretted her tone as Valdar looked very hurt and concerned. Whosever fault it was, it wasn’t Valdar’s. She sighed. ‘I’m sorry, Valdar. I don’t know what to say. Believe me.’
He squeezed her hand. ‘I hope you are right, Kara, as you will be the one married to him. You’ll have to share his fate if it is proven that he is a Viken spy or worse. This is the first time I’ve seen you act impulsively in the four years we’ve known each other.’
Kara closed her eyes. Valdar only knew the new Kara, not the one who had married Ash as quickly as she could in case he changed his mind.
‘I can’t marry you, Valdar.’ Kara pressed her trembling hands together. ‘I’m sorry. It appears I already have a husband. You deserve someone better.’
‘Why would I want anyone else?’ Valdar raised her hand to his lips.
‘Find your own wife, Valdar Nerison! This one is taken!’ Ash called from behind her.
‘Please, Valdar. I hate scenes.’
Valdar dropped her hand and took a step backwards. ‘At your command, my lady.’
The hurt in his eyes tore at Kara’s heart. She’d only considered the marriage for Rurik’s sake, but he seemed to have truly desired it. She hated that she’d wounded him.
Ash raised his arm and requested silence. The hall hushed instantly. ‘I have been recognised and welcomed back. I assume a wedding feast will have been prepared. It should now become a welcome-home feast. I look forward to drinking toasts with each and every one of you. I bear none ill will or malice. But would it be too much to ask for time alone with my wife before someone else attempts to steal her from under my nose?’
The entire chamber laughed as Kara fumed. Ash had them in the palm of his hand, just as he always had. Hring had sworn his son had been born with a tongue which could charm the birds from trees, never mind the maidens into his bed.
The last thing she wanted was to be alone with Ash.
Before Kara could object, the priest nodded his assent and indicated that they should use his antechamber.
‘We should go to the feast. People will want to greet you,’ she said in desperation. ‘Someone should be there to supervise.’
‘Shall we go from here, wife?’ Ash gave an elaborate bow, but his eyes remained colder than a glacier. ‘The men will not miss us for the brief time it will take to exchange our private greetings. The food and drink will flow whether you are there or not.’
‘Do you wish me to come with you?’ Valdar asked in an undertone. He placed his hand on the hilt of his sword. ‘I’m here if you need me, Kara. The priest will allow it if I ask. I want...I want to be your champion.’
Kara pressed her hand to her mouth. If she had ever had any doubts about Valdar, they vanished now. Not only had he been willing to recognise Ash, but he was also willing to fight for her. She truly had not deserved him. She wished that she felt something more than simple friendship for him. She wished she had been marrying him because she loved him, instead of to provide protection for her son.
‘How touching, Valdar.’ Ash’s voice could freeze icicles. ‘But my wife has no need of any champion except for me.’
‘That is for the Lady Kara to decide.’
‘I will be fine,’ she whispered back. ‘Fear is not something I have ever associated with Ash.’
Valdar bowed low. ‘Remember, Kara, I wanted to marry you, not the jaarldom. There is always divorce.’
‘I could never...’ Her throat closed. How could she have mistaken his intentions so badly? Somehow it made everything worse. She had nearly repeated the same mistake as seven years ago, only in reverse. Did that make her as wicked as Ash had been? ‘It depends on...’
Valdar nodded, understanding that she could never leave Rurik. In any divorce, the children stayed with the father. Ever since she had first felt Rurik move within her womb, she’d loved him unconditionally. She could not simply leave him with a father who was likely to leave on some adventure again, abandoning him. Equally she knew she could not stay with Ash as she once had, looking for the best in everything and instantly forgiving her hero anything.
‘Shall we go?’ Kara said with icy deliberateness. ‘You have much to explain.’
Ash put his hand on the small of her back, pulling her close. His lips angled down. She turned her face. A tiny tremor went through her as they brushed her cheek. She stiffened, but his hand kept her close.
‘As do you,’ he murmured, giving Valdar a significant look. ‘Wouldn’t want anyone to think we weren’t the happy reunited couple, would we?’
Kara clamped her mouth shut and knew his touch on her