‘I made mistakes today, but it’s not finished,’ she said finally. ‘There will be a way around this problem. I simply need to discover what Hrolf Eymundsson truly wants, get it for him and he’ll depart. Sea kings seldom remain in one place for long. Then we can go back to the way we were.’
‘Any man would be proud to have such a beautiful bride,’ Blodvin said, clapping, but the pucker between her eyebrows told a different story. ‘Quite transformed. Honestly, Sayrid, you would have men breaking down your door long before now if you had worn dresses instead of...what you wore. You have far more curves than I thought.’
Sayrid gave her new sister-in-law one of her severest looks. ‘Any man who breaks down my door will get the sort of reception he deserves—the point of my sword in his belly.’
Blodvin retreated a few steps. ‘I was merely trying to be helpful. My mother always told me to find the good in any situation. But I will admit that I’m struggling here. Sayrid, you’re just so...so obstinate. You don’t want to listen to any of my compliments.’
‘I will take you to the pond so you can see that Blodvin is telling the truth,’ Auda said, grabbing Sayrid’s elbow and restraining her from tearing off the flowers. ‘If you wipe that scowl off, you will look pretty.’
Sayrid forced a smile. ‘Better?’
Blodvin gave a delicate shudder. ‘You should be grateful Hrolf Eymundsson has made it so you won’t have to fight again. You just need to manage your household. You can do that, can’t you?’
‘The pond. Now.’ Sayrid slowly clenched and unclenched her fist. One of the first things she would do when they returned home would be insist that Regin and his new wife move to a hall of their own.
Sayrid concentrated on keeping her head still as the flower crown threatened to slip off. The autumn sunshine warmed her back. Being outside made it easier to breathe, but she still struggled behind the pair who were busy gossiping.
‘Slow down. My body aches and these flowers won’t stay still,’ Sayrid called out. ‘I only hope Hrolf is suffering as much as I am.’
‘No, you don’t. You want him up to tonight’s task.’ Blodvin gave a little laugh which bordered on the dirty.
‘I suspect he will be good in bed,’ Auda added, with a speculative gleam in her eye. ‘His torso was impossible to miss before the fight. He has huge shoulders and feet. You know what they say about feet...’
Blodvin giggled. ‘It’s true. Regin—’
‘You’re unmarried, Auda,’ Sayrid said, using her I-expect-to-be-obeyed voice. When had her sister grown up? And she most definitely did not want to hear about her brother’s anatomy from his wife. There were certain things which should remain...well...private.
‘Do I need to explain what passes between a man and a woman in secret to my older sister?’ Auda adopted an innocent face.
Sayrid’s cheeks overheated. She knew precisely what went on. Or the theory at least. And the thought that Hrolf might do that to her made her insides do funny things. ‘I can really do without this sort of conversation right now. I declare you two are worse than the men for tittle-tattle and pointless gossip.’
Auda ran back to her and gave her a quick hug. ‘He is a man and you’re a woman. You’ll work it out.’
‘I know very well what I am!’ Sayrid attempted to loosen her overly tight back muscles and knocked the crown sideways.
She made an annoyed noise and crouched down to look in the pond. Despite their now bedraggled appearance, the flowers did soften the harsh planes of her face and her eyes appeared larger.
There was an unfortunate bruise on her right cheek where she’d taken a blow, but little could be done about that. Sayrid touched it gingerly.
‘I could put some paint on the bruise before we go to the ceremony,’ Auda offered.
Sayrid shook her head. ‘Hrolf is marrying me for the land and the loyalty of my people. Without it, he’d never have looked at me twice. I doubt he will even notice a little thing like that.’
‘Try to make the marriage work, Sayrid. For all our sakes,’ Auda said. ‘He is not the sort of man I’d wish you to have as an enemy. They say he is more ruthless than Lavrans and you know what he did to the north of here.’
‘I will try, but I can’t make any promises,’ Sayrid replied, carefully schooling her features as she gave her reflection once last glance. She had spent her early life hiding her emotions from her father and stepmother. No one would ever guess how scared she was, especially not Hrolf.
Auda and Blodvin exchanged glances as she fought against the urge to break down and cry for her lost life. She loved having the wind in her hair and pitting her wits against the sea. ‘I can make sure that everyone is kept safe...I suppose. I’m afraid I don’t trust your father, Blodvin. He accepted everything too readily.’
‘Surely anything like that is a matter for Hrolf,’ Blodvin said. ‘An attack against your family would be a direct insult to him. Leave it to your new husband to sort out.’
‘I have always looked after my family without help.’
* * *
Hrolf stood next to the priest and solemnly said his vows. He hadn’t planned for this at the start of the day, but sailing with fortune’s wind had always brought him good things.
Sayrid’s dress showed that he’d been right to marry her. The shortness revealed a shapely calf and the bodice clung, revealing the hidden curves he had encountered the other night. The flowers in the crown had slipped to one side and were all wrong for her colouring. But he was touched that she had tried.
He dreaded to think what she must have gone through for all those years—having to deny her sex and behave like a man. And it appeared that her younger brother had not taken on his role as head of the house, preferring instead to allow his sister to risk her life on the wild sea. It ceased now, Hrolf silently vowed. Sayrid would have the chance to be a woman.
At the priest’s final words, he cupped her face. A bruise showed under her eye. He brushed it with his finger. She flinched.
‘Does it hurt?’
She started to shake her head.
‘The truth, Sayrid Avildottar. I want honesty between us. Always.’
Her tongue flicked out, wetting her lips and turning them strawberry red.
‘I’ve endured worse,’ she whispered finally.
‘There should never again be any reason for you to suffer an injury in battle.’
Her blue eyes swam. ‘But...all I know how to do is fight.’
‘Learn how to be a woman.’
He gave into temptation and tasted her mouth before she could utter another word. Her lips trembled briefly under his, softened and parted. A sigh emerged from her throat.
Hrolf allowed his mouth one more heartbeat of pleasure and then lifted it. Her eyes were dilated and her lips full.
Ribald jests rang out. Instantly she stiffened and began to scrub her mouth. ‘What was that for?’
‘Your first lesson in being a woman—brides kiss their husbands after the ceremony. Tradition,’ he replied smoothly, seeking to cover his body’s intense reaction to her closeness.
‘Lesson?’ She froze in mid-scrub.
‘I would hardly want anyone else trying my wife’s mouth before me.’
Her