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Chapter Thirty-Six
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The Bartered Princess Chapter Thirty-Seven
Ketil was touched by the loyalty of the jester’s boy and his brother. The latter was still clothed in the familiar Feltspar livery and whispered that he had found him a horse. It turned out to be a grey mare but he wasn’t complaining. He sincerely hoped the glimpse he’d caught of her in the passageway wouldn’t be the last. She was a fetching vision, down to the thick red hose.His Mia was gone but he loved Queen Miriam no less.That was why he had to go. He hoped Daphne wouldn’t let him down.The jailer was still snoring given the potion in his ale. Orm was probably with Jenna, while Magnus may be anywhere including watching for anything suspicious from the battlements. Sigurd might not raise a hue and cry, though his uncle almost certainly would. Not that he could blame him; in his position he might well have done the same.Running was never a good option, even if you had no choice.He already knew where he was headed after visiting the nunnery. It had to be a port, just not the one
The Bartered Princess Chapter Thirty-Eight
The monthly visit to Daphne was long overdue. Following up her gift of freshly laid duck eggs would be hard but Miriam had something in mind. Such a shame it wasn’t the season for persimmons. Her sister was partial to them, as was she.She was hoping to lay her hands on a long ago imported red wine from the Frankish territory. She hoped not to encounter any mice when she ventured into the cellar. No-one would notice its lack given that there were hundreds of bottles down there. In fact, King Gregory could have considered selling them to boost the treasury rather than bartering his youngest daughter.Encountering Astrid as she was leaving the Great Hall following a morning spent hearing disputes, she asked for her help to search. The Norsewoman dressed like a warrior these days in laced trousers and jerkin, her long white-blonde hair secured in a single plait. She even trained with the men in the practice yard and was the proud possessor of her half-brother’s sword, though she insisted
The Bartered Princess Chapter Thirty-Nine
Ketil could not believe how easy it had been. Eggsor was his by right and in deed, with barely a clash of sword on shield. The witch was dead and had been for some time, after which his half-brother tempered the cruelty she had fostered. Ragnar was only too willing to surrender his jarlship, something he had neither sought nor wanted, which meant his supporters were not opposed to a change at the top, either.After venturing to the Ice Lands he was equally as reassured that Eirik would not challenge him, either, and they had parted as amicably as it was ever going to be between them. His younger brother was a father now to a baby girl, Edda, though his wife, Hild, had perished in the birthing of her.Ruling came naturally to him. The soft ways acquired in Vercia were soon banished. But he did not regret the time spent there, even if the laws which he had observed made little sense in practice. Whoever had determined the monarch owned all the game in the kingdom and a man could be fine
The Bartered Princess Chapter Forty
“What do we tell them, Sig?” Astrid persisted.In some ways she was like an annoying wasp which refused to accept being swatted away – hadn’t he told her, twice, to see to the horses and then clean herself up?“The truth.”“I am warning you, they will not like it. These Vercians have a strange sense of honour.”Did she think he wasn’t aware of that, given what he’d done with Daphne for the sake of both his blood brother and her sister? Granted, that had been at the behest of the Masked King, but the latter wouldn’t have been in such a position of power if King Gregory hadn’t invited him to his court.Daphne. He had tried not to think of her, knowing she was poison, trouble and, undeniably, a siren. That session in the mirrored room – compelled, maybe, compelling definitely – was creeping into his mind more and more.“She is good for him, Asti. We have all witnessed that.”“And what about her?”Acting impulsively, he took the opportunity to palm her face and kiss her. It was her own fa
The Bartered Princess Chapter Forty-One
Daphne’s face burned when she spotted Sigurd standing behind her former maid.“Ruthie, what a surprise,” she declared, reaching down to hug her.If others were uncertain around her, she knew how to handle them. This man had always been different. She tried not to think about what had happened in that mirrored room. Why did it stand out in her mind among all the other sordid liaisons? The answer was simple: it hadn’t felt sordid. Not with him.The why of it was a mystery to her and likely to remain so forever, she feared.Mindful of certain sensibilities, she elected to see them outside the building. Their walk took them past a flowering apple tree which would only bear fruit later in the season. That had seldom mattered in the palace given that foreign varieties came in through the ports all the time. She had observed as much for herself given that Papa liked to be seen to be indulging her so much.The red bearded giant came straight to the point.“We need your help.”“Oh?”“Ketil has
The Bartered Princess Chapter Forty-Two
Sigurd was surprised and not a little concerned that Daphne had not actually abdicated at all. He had wondered why only she and her advisers were closeted, even to the exclusion of Miriam, who had pleaded illness. Maybe it was all to the good as he now understand it would be extremely difficult, not to say impossible, to revoke.“Why?” he dared to ask as they strolled together along the battlements.She touched the sparkling earrings he could not fail to notice, pursing her lips. If it was a lie which left them he vowed to have nothing to do with her, despite his recent and urgent inclinations.“As sick as I was, I knew God would not want me to place my burden on Miriam,” she said.He nodded to the sentry who stood smartly to attention, his heart constricting. However misguided sometimes and certainly devious, this woman had been badly misjudged.“Will you take a consort?”Daphne was in the process of stepping aside to avoid a loose stone. She froze in place, her gown slightly raised
The Bartered Princess Chapter Forty-Three
Gifu was teaching her some Norse words when the unthinkable happened. She reached out and patted Miriam’s middle.“How long?” she asked.She blamed the tight-fitting apron dress with the belt which was her only alternative to the Vercian gown. Why was she continuing to say him nay when it came to marriage? It seemed important to him, despite availing himself of her body as and when he liked. Once, he had caught hold of her in the byre and she had remembered how to blush all over again.Fortunately, Ketil seemed none the wiser about her condition. He had teased her about gaining weight, indicating that he saw nothing to complain about in terms of her chest, though he would not want her to be rotund when they were handfasted.At this rate, any wedding dress would have to be let out and extra panels inserted, though Miriam would have liked to have sewn her own.In truth, she did not know the answer to the older woman’s question, so she shrugged and referred vaguely to Yuletide.“I help,”
The Bartered Princess Chapter Forty-Four
The King was to pay them a visit soon. Harald Einarsson was between wives, but reputed to be bear-like, foul-mouthed and cruel. Hopefully a pregnant former Vercian royal turned slave would be beneath his notice, though not as far as a tumble was concerned. When Gifu had explained the meaning of that word, she had felt her face burn, which it seldom did around other women.She supposed that was something she had to thank Daphne for growing up, apart from her readiness to take up the mantle of queenship once more, something she had apparently never relinquished. Whether that was through scheming or a kind of generosity, she truly did not know and could not second-guess.All Miriam knew was it freed her to make the best and only choice possible if and when Ketil asked her again.“I did not know how to tell you,” she confessed, as they walked hand-in-hand along the small, sand and pebble beach. The tide was out, though not far, and the distant mountains looked icy, despite the season. Nor
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