Annis was still pacing her chamber when a knock sounded at her door. An hour must have passed since she had left the hall. It was hard to tell as, after Goda had finished helping her change and brushed out her hair, she had spent the ensuing time pacing the length of her chamber. She kept eyeing the Norseman’s bone-handled dagger lying on a chest, but her normal ways of protecting herself would not work this time. The marriage had to be consummated before Jarl Eirik arrived.
Before she could make herself cross to open the door, Rurik pushed it open as he let himself inside. His eyes took her in—her hair was unbound and fell to her waist, and she wore a simple, linen underdress—before stopping on her face. The look he gave her was one that threatened to swallow her whole. She took a step back from him as he closed and locked the door behind him without looking away from her. He wore a long, dark tunic that was open down the middle and secured with a belt and his bare feet were peeking out from the bottom of the long hem. It was not until he stepped closer that she realised he only wore trousers. The fabric parted to reveal his bare chest beneath. Thankfully, he did not take it off, but she got a glimpse of firm, sculpted muscle. She shivered both in fear and a sort of anticipation she did not know how to manage. There was no question that she had been attracted to him from the first, but to have him here in her space, like that, was too much.
Reacting in the only way she knew—to take control—she crossed to the bone-handled knife and picked it up. Laying it across her palms, she turned back to him. Her brain could not quite believe that he had been a guarded enemy, a prisoner even, the night before, and now she was handing him a weapon. Cedric had insisted on keeping men posted in the corridors for safety, but they would be too late to help her if she truly needed them.
‘The knife,’ she said. ‘The other weapons are in the armoury. We can retrieve them tomorrow if you like.’
Her heart pounded as she awaited his reply, anticipation at his pleasure in seeing it threaded with fear. She could hardly miss the way his eyes lit up when he saw it. His fingers touched the hilt with the same reverence in his gaze as he took it from her and turned it over in his hands. ‘Thank you.’
The appreciation startled her. She had imagined him to be a bit more self-righteous in his acceptance of it. The tension in her shoulders relaxed ever so slightly. ‘You’re welcome. I know it is important to you, so I wanted you to have it with you.’
The hint of a smile touched his mouth. ‘My mother gave it to me not long before she died. I think she knew she would never see her home again. Feann had given it to her.’
‘Is it the only thing you have of hers?’
He nodded and walked to place it back on the chest. ‘She gave it to me, because I was the older. I don’t think Danr ever forgave me for being born moments before him.’ When he turned around she could see the teasing light in his eyes and relaxed a tiny bit more.
‘You and your brother are twins?’ Shock coloured her voice. She had heard of the phenomenon, but had never actually seen twins. ‘Do you look alike?’
Walking slowly towards her, he explained. ‘Only a little. He is known as Danr the Fair because he is blond and favours our father. I am called Rurik the Dark.’
‘Rurik the Dark. Hmm... Perhaps that is how our people shall know you.’ She forced a lightness she did not feel and was surprised when he laughed. How was it so easy to fall into this familiar play with him? She had been terrified until he walked into her chamber. Perhaps it was her own imaginings causing her to be so afraid rather than him.
Even so, she could not help but let out a small gasp when he came right up to her and put his hands on her arms. She was not accustomed to him touching her at will.
‘Are you afraid?’ he asked, dipping his head down slightly to meet her gaze.
Admitting to her fear seemed almost as bad as having that fear to begin with. ‘I am not.’
‘I will not hurt you, Annis.’
The solemnity in his eyes made her believe him and a little more of the tension holding her rigid began to ease. However, she also knew not to expect the coming night to be particularly comfortable. Grim had taken his time with her and, while the intimacies between them had been far from terrible at the beginning, it had taken some time before they were more than tolerated on her part. She had no reason to believe it would be different with Rurik.
To delay the inevitable, she said, ‘Earlier you mentioned an agreement. Things happened so fast that we were not able to properly discuss it, but I had hoped that things could be settled.’ She braced herself for his disappointment and possible anger.
‘Ah.’ He dropped his hands from her arms. ‘You are right.’
He did not seem particularly angry as he walked the short distance to her bed and sat down. The heavy brocade fell open, revealing the broad planes of his chest, lightly furred with hair, and the slight ridges of his stomach. If nothing else, he was an attractive man. A surprising urge to press her hand to his chest came over her. Would the hair there be coarse or soft? To stifle it, she made a fist and shoved her hands behind her back.
‘If it is a separation of duties you want, then I will require supervision of the warriors and their training.’
Though Wilfrid and Cedric both had seen she was trained in the use of weapons, she claimed no knowledge of warfare. ‘Of course. Cedric has always had that responsibility. I am certain he intends you to have a place there.’
‘And you will have the run of our home?’
Her heart fell. This was sounding more and more like the type of arrangement she had expected. ‘That is typically the case with the lady of the house.’
His eyes sharpened as he picked up on her dissatisfaction. ‘What is it that you want?’
‘I want to have an equal say. I want to be part of solving the problems that face Glannoventa. Every week Wilfrid sat for meetings with the farmers and villagers, but it is something he has not done for a while, so I have continued that.’
‘Then I have no issue with you continuing.’
It seemed too easy. ‘Truly?’
‘I am a man of action. My father had days like that back home and I despised the sitting and endless negotiating of grievances and disputes. He would often send me and one of my brothers out to some of the far settlements in his place. It was a task that I detested. I would prefer not to deal with those, unless, of course, I am needed.’
She had not once allowed herself to imagine that he would not fight her on this. ‘Then you will leave the smaller disputes to me?’
‘All of them, unless you need to discuss them with me.’
‘What of the larger decisions that affect Glannoventa? What if the crops fail one season, or once, years ago, there was a red tide and the fishing did not recover for two years, what happens—’
He rose and walked over to her. This time his hands fell on to her shoulders and he squeezed gently. ‘From what I have seen today, Annis, you have done an admirable job in the years you have taken over for Wilfrid. I have no wish to take anything away from you. I would be a fool not to see the benefit you bring here and I assure you that I am no fool. We will face those decisions together.’
She smiled as the full weight of her fear of the future lifted. She had allowed her fear of marriage to colour her perception of this man. Despite the fact that he had been her prisoner for most of their acquaintance, he had proven his honour and goodness. He was a man of his word and she felt shame that she had ever convinced herself that he could be otherwise.
Of course, that did not address her immediate fear of the coming night.
His large palm cupped her cheek, while the other smoothed down her arm, leaving her skin to prickle in pleasure. ‘I told you a bit about my father. There were many things I admired about him, but I do not wish to repeat the mistakes he made with my mother or his own wife. I want us to agree now that we will work to make this a true marriage.’
‘A true marriage?’ She was struck speechless so that she could only echo his words.
He nodded and his thumb stroked over her cheekbone. She could not quite explain how, but she felt an echo of his touch deep in her womb. ‘It seems to me that a man and a woman can come together in marriage and still like and respect one another. I admit that the how of that is a mystery to me, but I can promise you honesty.’
‘And that you will not take a concubine?’
He grinned at the reminder of their earlier conversation in his bed. ‘I will not seduce another woman.’
She found herself smiling back until she remembered that she could not be honest with him in return. Turning away from him lest he see the guilt in her eyes, she remembered Cedric’s words to her. He had begged her to stay silent, but didn’t Rurik deserve the whole truth? He would not take out his wrath on the whole of Glannoventa now, would he?
‘There is something you must know.’
Taking her by the shoulders again, he pulled her back against him. She did not even realise she had closed her eyes until the hard length of him nudged the small of her back and her eyelids shot open in surprise. His hands began a slow and delicious descent down her body, skimming past her breasts to settle on her hips where he held her against him.
‘Do you not want the same thing?’ he whispered, his breath touching her ear and making her skin prickle with gooseflesh all over.
‘Of course I do.’
‘Do you promise not to take another man aside from me?’
‘Of course.’
His hands found her waist and he turned her in his arms. ‘Then no more talk tonight. No more negotiating.’ He leaned down until his mouth was only a breath above hers.
‘There are things you must know.’ Her voice was a whisper because she did not seem capable of more. She was trembling inside, so she set her hands to his shoulders to hold herself steady. They were so hard and powerful beneath her palms that she squeezed a little. ‘Things that might change how you feel.’
‘Then I will know them later. There are things I have to say to you that cannot be said with words. Let me show them to you tonight.’
She moistened her bottom lip in anticipation of his kiss and excitement began to coil tight in her belly. Still, as much as she wanted his kiss now, it would not be fair to him to go forward without telling him the truth. Even as she opened her mouth to tell him, Cedric’s words came back to her.
You must think about your people. Not yourself. Not even Rurik in this. This is about doing what is right for Glannoventa.
Annis was very much afraid that she did not know what was right any more. Everything seemed to be turned on its head. ‘What if the thing I have to tell you changes your perception of me?’
He smiled and it lifted her heart because smiles from him seemed so rare. She placed the memory of every one in a secret chest inside her head. ‘You will be my wife, Annis. Whatever you have to tell me will not change that. We will face it together.’
‘Then—’
‘Later.’ He was quick to add, ‘We will face it later. Right now we must face the coming night.’ His fingertip stroked a path from her cheekbone to her lips. She took in a sharp breath at the contact, unprepared for the shiver of pleasure that snaked down her spine at the simple touch.
Right. They must get through tonight to face tomorrow. Tomorrow would bring yet another battle with the arrival of Jarl Eirik.
‘Why do you say “will be”? I’m already your wife.’ She could not seem to stop talking. It was the only way to calm the trembling that threatened to overtake her.
‘Where I am from, a man and woman are not truly married until they have joined together.’ His finger dropped from her lips to toy with the string holding the neck of her underdress closed. He gave a tug on the looped end, pulling the linen across her breasts which made her nipples tighten. ‘Will you become my wife in truth, Annis?’
There was a pulse deep inside her belly in response to him. His eyes had darkened so there was little of the pure blue left. It very much felt as if he wished to devour her. The odd thing was that she very much felt she would enjoy it.
When she nodded, his lips split in a grin that bared his teeth to her. They were straight and white with pointy eye teeth, making him seem quite wolfish. Why did her heart leap in anticipation?