Page 89 of Viking in Love

It was clear that the archbishop did not like Caedmon’s tone, but he finally agreed with a nod of his head.

One hurdle handled.

“You are daughter to King Thorvald of Stoneheim. A princess.”

She hesitated, then said, “I am, but I do not use the title.”

“You and your sisters, including Lady Vana, were at Havenshire when the earl went missing.”

So, he knows more than we expected. “We were.”

“Dost know where the earl is?”

Under a pile of…nay, I cannot even think of that. “I do not.”

“Did you kill him? You or your sisters?”

Bloody hell! I must needs tell one lie after another, and I am no expert at lying. “What? You wound with me your words, Your Grace. You have no reason to say that to me.”

“The man has disappeared off the face of the earth. What else can I think?”

Who asked you to think? “Mayhap he is with his mistress.”

“He is not.”

He does not seem at all perturbed that Oswald had a mistress. How typical of a man! And a priest, at that!

“She believes your sister is responsible for his disappearance.”

“She would, would she not? To divert attention from herself.” By thunder, how much longer will the questioning go on? He is sure to catch me in my web of lies if I am not careful. She could not help herself then. “You do know that Oswald was a vicious, cruel man who beat my sister?”

Dunstan waved a hand dismissively. “She no doubt deserved disciplining.”

Breanne was about to launch herself at the misogynistic, poor excuse for a priest, but Caedmon put a hand on her forearm and spoke first. “You have to know, Your Grace, that Lady Havenshire is a small woman in stature and strength. How would she have been able to kill and then hide such a big man as Oswald…if he is in fact dead?”

“With help,” Dunstan replied, staring at Breanne accusingly, as if his stare would cause her to reveal all.

I have been stared down by better than you, priest. My father, for example, has guilt staring down to an art. “If you are accusing me and my sisters of some conspiracy to kill the earl of Havenshire, you are wrong.”

“Why did you leave?” The archbishop’s questions pelted her like little stones.

“My sister…Vana…was in such distress, grieving over the loss of her husband, that we felt she needed a change of scenery.”

Dunstan arched an eyebrow. “A husband whom you claim abused her?”

Breanne shrugged. “Some women love men who are not good for them.” Where did that load of nonsense come from?

“Why Larkspur? Why not some place closer?” Dunstan narrowed his eyes at her.

He is suspicious. “Caedmon is kin to my sister Tyra’s husband. We decided to visit.”

“You came all the way from Havenshire to Larkspur…for a visit?”

“Yea, we did. And Caedmon has been generous in offering us hospitality.” Believe that and I have a fjord I can sell you in Trondheim.

“Where are your sisters now? Where is Lady Havenshire?”

“Two of my sisters have gone to nearby Heatherby to help prepare a wedding. And Vana has returned to Stoneheim.”