Page 68 of The Reluctant Viking

Ruby could only gape at him dumbly, her words and intentions lost in the marvelous spectacle he posed before her. Holding his helmet in his right hand, Thork impatiently wiped the sweat off his forehead with a jerky swipe of his left forearm. He breathed heavily from the hard physical labor, and his chest rose and fell, delineating finely honed muscles under the close-fitting chain-mail shirt he wore. Corded muscles in his thighs rippled as he shifted restlessly from foot to foot, waiting for her to leave. His wet, braided hair framed fine cheekbones, drawing attention to blue, blue eyes which impaled her angrily.

“I just…I just needed to talk to you about something,” Ruby stuttered, realizing she was being scrutinized by many of the males, including Eirik.

Eirik! For heaven’s sake! Ten years old and wearing miniature armor similar to his father’s. He carried a sword in one hand and a shield in the other! Ruby jumped on that as a warm-up topic before hitting Thork with her other ideas.

“It’s about Eirik,” she said indignantly. “You’ve got to do something—”

Ruby heard Eirik protest loudly, calling her a vile name. Thork gasped at her effrontery and picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder so quickly she could only grunt in reaction. When they reached the manor, Thork grabbed her bruisingly by the waist and lowered her to the ground, pinning her to the closed door with his palms against her shoulders.

“Heed me well, wench. Stay out of my way. In fact, stay out of my life.”

To Vigi he snarled, “Last warning, halfwit! Keep her from my sight, or you are on the next slave ship to dock in Jorvik.”

When she shuffled peevishly into the keep, Ruby saw Dar standing just inside the door near an open window. He’d witnessed the whole scene. Instead of lashing out at her angrily, like Thork and Eirik, he smiled slyly, as if he shared a secret with her.

The almost feral look on Thork’s face at the evening meal halted any thoughts Ruby might have had about accosting him again so soon. He doggedly avoided looking in her direction, but then he disdained the fair Linette, as well, to Ruby’s supreme satisfaction. Eating little, Thork drank one goblet of ale after another.

Once, for barely a second, Thork’s sapphire eyes collided with hers inadvertently, and Ruby felt scorched by the blaze. Was it anger or passion?

Ruby knew that Thork was as attracted to her as she was to him, but he did a damn good job of fighting it. And he had good reason to do so, she admitted. After all, she couldn’t promise him that she wouldn’t leave Northumbria. Still, she needed to convince him that she came from the future, and it was destined that they be together for however long her sojourn in this land and time period lasted, perhaps even until death.

When Linette had finally had enough of Thork’s neglect, she leaned over, hanging on his arm seductively, and whispered something in his ear. Probably X-rated. Ruby couldn’t hear the sharp words Thork snarled back, shrugging off her hands in distaste, but she could see the hurt surprise that flashed across Linette’s red face before she burst into tears and ran from the room. Ruby almost felt sorry for Linette.

“Didst thou hear the news about the bitch, Linette?” Ella asked, sidling up to Ruby.

“Ella, you shouldn’t use such language, especially when you might be overheard. What news?”

Ella sniffed dramatically, prolonging the suspense as only a true gossip like her twin Rhoda could have done, then revealed, “Linette is to be wed.”

Ruby’s heart dropped and tears smarted her eyes.

“Tsk! Tsk! ’Tis the fool you are, girl. ’Twill not be Thork for her. At the mistress Aud’s prodding, Dar has arranged a marriage for her with some Viking hesir in Denmark—Askold, by name. To be sure, he must not have heard of her many lovers, or else he may be ugly as the backside of a boar. ’Twill be a good match, think you not?”

Ruby could have wrung Ella’s neck for scaring her, but she was so thankful to find her initial fears unfounded that she gave the thrall a quick hug.

Ella shrugged out of her arms uncomfortably, looking around to see if anyone had witnessed Ruby’s unbecoming gesture to a lowly servant. When she saw that no one noticed, she smiled at Ruby.

“Askold comes to the Althing where they will wed and return to his farm in Denmark.” Ella slapped her knee in glee. “Can you just picture Linette milking a cow?”

Aud walked up to them and inquired coolly of Ella, “Have you naught better to do than spread your tales?”

“Yea…I mean nay, mistress,” Ella answered sheepishly and scurried away to the kitchen.

Aud turned her attention to Ruby. “We would have you entertain us with some songs tonight, Ruby. Much have I heard of your sagas and music.”

Maybe because she’d been exiled to the lower end of the hall, Ruby thought. And because she was two steps away from the executioner’s axe—or blood-eagling knife.

“Oh, not tonight, Aud.”

“Dar has asked for you,” Aud told her in a tone which brooked no argument. “Tomorrow the skalds will arrive with the first of our guests. They come from afar to travel with us to the Althing next week. We may never have another chance to hear your wondrous tales.”

“Guests?” Ruby asked weakly. So the sand had finally sifted through her hourglass, and the Althing was almost at hand. Aud’s pessimism about her not having another chance after this week did not bode well for the outcome of her “trial.”

The family group had moved from the dais to the fireplace area. Dar sat sipping his ale, studiously avoiding Ruby’s eyes as they approached.

What was the old goat up to now?

Occasionally he spoke to Thork, who seemed to answer only in monosyllables. Thork continued to down ale in alarming amounts. When Thork saw her, Ruby thought he would get up and leave. Instead, he glowered at her hatefully, with his upper lip curled, as if she were a vile toad.