They rode through Alvey’s gate long after night had fallen. Aevir had deemed it the best place to keep prisoners since there was a slight chance of retaliation by the Scots. As luck would have it, Jarl Vidar had gone home to Alvey after Rolfe had returned to Banford with good news, so he was there waiting for them.
Aevir was as tired as he had ever been as he left his horse with a boy in the stable. Taking his wife’s hand, he took the necessary but dreaded steps that would take them inside the hall. Her other hand came over to cover both of their clasped hands as she walked beside him. ‘Aevir, tell me we’ll be fine.’
He swallowed and looked out over the walls to the trees in the distance. ‘We’ll be fine.’ The truth was that he wasn’t entirely certain what would happen. She was officially under the Jarl’s control now that her father was dead. If he wanted, he could refuse to honour their marriage. There had been no witnesses. But he also knew that were that to happen he would leave Alvey with her.
She stopped walking, forcing him to stop as well. Leaning up, she put her hands on his cheeks and forced him to look at her. ‘Now tell me as if you mean it.’ She gave him a brilliant smile, warming him with the sunshine she carried around inside her. By the gods, he loved her.
‘We’ll be fine.’ Even if fine meant that he had to take her out of here by force. He would not give her up.
She gave him a nod and together they walked inside with Oleif following behind. Aevir’s fingers clasped with hers, he led her to where Jarl Vidar and Lady Gwendolyn sat at the end of their table. The evening meal had long since passed, but the tables were still busy with evening amusements. The Jarl nodded and called a greeting. Lady Gwendolyn beckoned to a serving girl who sat near the hearth. They had likely been apprised of the group’s presence the moment they approached Alvey and had prepared for them.
Lady Gwendolyn stood and hugged Ellan. Her astute gaze took in their hands and Ellan’s reluctance to let his go, but she didn’t say anything. ‘Welcome back.’ She smiled at Ellan and then turned to Aevir and Oleif. ‘Come. Sit and eat. You look as if you’re famished.’
The three took their places at the table and the serving girl brought them meat and roasted vegetables. Another brought them mead. It reminded him of the night he had first come to Alvey and met his Ellan. It hadn’t been that long ago, but it felt as if it was a lifetime. So much had changed. He had changed.
‘What happened?’ Lady Gwendolyn asked as she settled herself, her pointed gaze on the scratch at his brow where a Scot had hit him with the hilt of his sword.
If the Jarl and his lady thought it was odd that Ellan had positioned herself at his shoulder without a breath of space between them, no one commented. The Jarl probably thought she was here as his concubine. He had better put a stop to that before the hapless man said something and it fired Ellan’s anger.
‘Tolan did not give her up easily?’ Jarl Vidar asked, his brow raised in warning.
‘Tolan is bound and ready for questioning.’ They had not been able to save any of the Scots. The few that had lived had run off on their horses rather than be taken. Taking a swallow of his mead for fortification, he launched into all that had happened on their journey.
‘I am sorry for your father, Ellan,’ said Lady Gwendolyn when he had finished and reached over to pat her shoulder.
Ellan nodded. ‘Thank you, Lady.’
Aevir noticed that his wife avoided looking at the Jarl and reached over under the table to put a hand on her thigh. Squeezing gently, he silently offered her courage.
‘What has happened with the Scots at the Banford border? Did Rolfe return?’ he asked.
Jarl Vidar nodded. ‘The border has been quiet. You won’t believe it, but Rolfe found no sign of the Scots moving south. The only rumblings were of a group of Saxons with a few Scots riding the countryside to drum up support.’ He paused and then said, ‘I’m starting to believe this threat has always been Godric and his sons and the few Scots they had managed to entice to come south. That’s certainly how it appears from what happened to you.’
‘I agree,’ Aevir said. ‘I think with Godric gone the threat of attack will die down.’
They spoke for a while longer on the Scots as the hall slowly cleared out and some of the men bedded down for the night. Finished with his meal, Oleif bid them goodnight. Ellan spoke to tell them what Galan had told her about their dwindling support. It all pointed to the fact that Godric had been an instigator in the Scot and Dane relations. With a solid defence to the northern border, Jarl Vidar seemed inclined to believe that the threat of attack was minimal. The knowledge set Aevir at ease. If he was forced to leave and take Ellan with him, then he wouldn’t be leaving them under the threat of invasion.
Finally, Aevir said, ‘There is one more thing you should know.’ He squeezed Ellan’s thigh, but she took his hand in hers instead, holding on tight. ‘Ellan and I are married.’
Jarl Vidar looked stunned while Lady Gwendolyn looked delighted.
‘Congratulations,’ said the lady.
‘Nay,’ Jarl Vidar said drawing the attention of everyone at the table. Though he did not raise his voice or speak with anger, he spoke with conviction. ‘When? How?’
‘Last night,’ Aevir said. ‘We shared a tent during the storm. I gave her my pledge and she accepted it.’
‘’Tis true,’ Ellan added. ‘We are married and, while we do apologise for not seeking your approval...we intend to stay married.’
The Jarl shook his head. ‘It isn’t valid. Aside from the fact that there were no witnesses and no agreement with your protector, Aevir is already betrothed.’
‘Vidar.’ Lady Gwendolyn’s voice was soft, but there was an undercurrent of warning. ‘You can’t mean to force that betrothal. There was nothing signed. Jarl Eirik hasn’t even agreed to it yet.’
‘True, but he will agree come the spring. I was only to find a suitable warrior and I have.’ He waved his hand towards Aevir.
‘You can find another suitable warrior. Aevir is taken,’ said the Lady.
Ellan flashed her a grateful look, but her spine went rigid when the Jarl addressed her. ‘Are you certain you agreed to this marriage, Ellan? You weren’t coerced or forced?’
She blushed prettily and gave him a shy smile. ‘Nay, if anyone did any coercing it was me.’
The Jarl laughed despite himself and Lady Gwendolyn rose and gave her a hug. ‘Come, dear. Let us talk about a proper marriage ceremony.’
‘A proper one?’ Ellan repeated with a furrowed brow.
‘Oh, aye, we can’t have anyone actually questioning your marriage. Let us plan for a ceremony in front of as many witnesses as we can find.’ With that the two women went off up the stairs to the lord and lady’s chamber.
Aevir wasn’t surprised to look back and see the Jarl staring at him in disapproval. He had never gone back on his word in his life and the feeling of guilt ate at him, even if it was for Ellan. Even if he wouldn’t do a thing to change his decision. ‘I know that I disappointed you. It wasn’t my intention to not follow through with my duty. I love Ellan and I vow to you that I will take care of her until the end of my days.’
The Jarl shook his head. ‘What of the things we spoke of in the past? This status you want? There are things you want, Aevir, that marriage to this girl won’t give you. Will you decide in a year, two years, that you’ve given up too much for her? What will happen to her then?’
Aevir shook his head and smiled. If there was anything he was certain of, it was that he would never regret choosing Ellan. After having nearly lost her, he couldn’t imagine—didn’t want to imagine—life without her. ‘Nay, that is the only thing I know to be true. I will never regret her. I’ve had some time to think about the future. Talk to Tolan and if he tells you Godric was the instigator all along then you’ll need someone trustworthy in Banford to build this new stronghold we need to keep the Scots away. Send me there. I will keep the Scots free of your border and you’ll never have to worry again.’
‘And that will be enough for you?’
‘That and Ellan.’ He couldn’t wait to build a life with her there.
They spoke for a while longer, the Jarl challenging him and Aevir reaffirming to himself each time that he had made the right choice. Finally, when everyone else had retired for the night, Aevir found himself climbing the stairs and seeking Ellan out in the small alcove she used to share with her sister. Now it was only her in the small bed alone. Removing his boots, he climbed into the bed and pulled her against him. The act of simply holding her put him at peace. He could feel the tension and strain of the past several days leave his body as she settled against him.
‘I hoped you would find me,’ she whispered, her voice thick with sleep.
‘Shh... Go back to sleep.’ He placed a kiss on her temple.
‘Has he banished you?’ She was only half-teasing.
‘Aye, to Banford and you along with me.’ More seriously he added, ‘Will you be happy there?’
She turned in his arms and looked up at him in the dark. The only light came from the fire still burning below, but it was enough to see the shadowed outline of her features and her smile. ‘Husband, I will be happy anywhere you are.’
‘I don’t deserve you.’ He kissed her until she was breathless. ‘But I am never letting you go.’
The ceremony took place several days later back in the hall in Banford. Lady Gwendolyn and Lord Vidar were both present as were Rolfe and Elswyth. There had been grumblings from Desmond and a few of the other elders, but once Tolan had been found to have been helping Godric, a known traitor, no one could come up with a good reason why Ellan should not marry Aevir.
Ellan wore a crown of mistletoe and Aevir wore a rich velvet tunic in dark blue. She thought he had never looked so handsome. They exchanged the same vows they had exchanged in the tent, only this time Aevir had found golden rings for them to wear. Then they feasted and drank mead well into the evening. As the hour grew later, she noticed that Aevir’s hand would find her more often. He would touch her waist, her hip, her hand. His eyes became deeper and more intense. It was probably obvious to everyone what he wanted. Finally, he stood and declared that they would retire for the evening. Despite the fact that his wound was still making him limp, he picked her up and carried her out of the hall to a roar of approval from his warriors and several vulgar comments.
‘Aevir.’ She tried to sound angry, but that was impossible with the laughter spewing out of her. ‘Couldn’t you have been a little more subtle?’
‘You underestimate my need for you, Wife, if you think I am capable of such a thing at this moment.’ He stared straight ahead at the farmhouse as if he could will them to reach it faster. She burst out laughing again.
They had not lain together in the way of husband and wife since the night in the tent. With the next nights spent in the alcove at Alvey, there had been no real opportunity that afforded them privacy.
Someone, probably Elswyth, had left the fire blazing so that the small house was warm when they walked inside. Her sister had tactfully suggested that she and Rolfe would sleep in the hall tonight, so they had the house to themselves. The blanket she had hung for Aevir still hung at the alcove and the small bed looked freshly made.
He came up behind her as she was looking at it and pulled her back to him. ‘I suppose we need to find a bigger bed.’
‘Hmm...’ He pushed her hair aside and buried his face in her neck. ‘You smell good.’
Smiling, she turned in his arms and said, ‘You wanted a warm place and a proper bed. We have both.’
Giving her a wolfish grin, he lifted his tunic over his head. ‘And light. That might be the most important part.’ His fingers went to the lacing on his undershirt. ‘I have to see you, Wife. Undress for me.’ The shirt went the way of the tunic over his head.
She was breathless simply from the beautiful planes of his torso. She had seen him before, of course, when she had tended to him during his recovery, but this seemed different. He was hers now and he meant to have her. Butterflies took flight in her belly.
Her clumsy fingers worked at the fastenings on her clothes. She was dimly aware that as she worked, he dropped a boot to the floor and it was quickly followed by a second. There was a rustle of clothing and then he said her name. She turned to see him standing nude by the hearth. The flames painted his body in tones of gold and shadow.
‘Oh, Aevir.’ Her eyes widened at the sight of his erection. It was definitely her first time seeing that. It was strong and thick and reached right up towards his navel. Had he not already been inside her, she would have been convinced it would be an impossible fit.
He grinned and walked towards her. Her fingers worked faster until the dress fell away. Somehow, though she had no memory of doing it, the underdress came away, too. She had not worn leggings. Aevir went down on one knee and helped her out of her shoes. When he stood up, he studied her intently as his fingertips traced over her, from her small feet to that part of her hidden behind curls to her breasts and then finally her face.
He smiled, but it was softer now and his eyes were full of an emotion that she could only describe as love. ‘Thank you for not giving up on me. On us.’ His arm wrapped around her back and he swung her legs up, carrying her to the bed.
‘I will never give up on you, Aevir. Never.’
Pressing his forehead to hers, he closed his eyes and whispered, ‘Wife of my heart, I love you.’
If you enjoyed this story read the first book in the
To Wed a Viking miniseries
Marrying Her Viking Enemy
And check out The Viking Warriors miniseries
by Harper St. George
Enslaved by the Viking
One Night with the Viking
In Bed with the Viking Warrior
The Viking Warrior’s Bride
Keep reading for an excerpt from Stolen Kiss with the Hollywood Starlet by Lauri Robinson.
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