‘Awk, Liddy, I’ve no idea where to start. You are searching for something which isn’t there. Will you nay give it up?’
Liddy surveyed the area just below the field they had used for cabbages last spring. There had to be a reason why Thorbin had travelled here. The group of oaks to the right of the field did look like the sacred grove. ‘It will be here. Where is it that you saw the disturbed dirt?’
‘The only thing you will discover is a sore back,’ Malcolm muttered, leaning on the spade he had retrieved.
‘But this is where you saw Thorbin and the woman. Thorbin departed and the woman didn’t. He will have killed her so that her spirit will guard his treasure.’
‘Yes, it was a full moon, the one before Easter. I was a bit late because I had been...well...there is no need for you to know what I had been doing over at the ale house.’
‘I have a healthy imagination, Malcolm.’
Malcolm wrinkled his nose. ‘Just so you don’t go proclaiming to all and sundry.’
Liddy laughed. It felt good to have her brother back. ‘Silent as the grave, me.’
Malcolm frowned. ‘That is not in the least bit funny. If he killed someone here, her ghost will walk this place.’
‘I need to know what you remember from that ale-fuddled night. Where precisely was that woman?’
‘It was dark. I saw nothing beyond them going into this grove.’ Malcolm threw down the spade in disgust. ‘Why is this important? What one Northman did with his woman is nought to do with us.’
‘Because it might save Sigurd.’ Liddy regarded the great oak. ‘I love him. I feel alive when I am with him. Your memories of that night may provide a way to save him. Why did you look at this field in the first place?’
Malcolm screwed up his eyes. ‘A shriek like an owl caused me to look over and I saw the pair. He was dragging her. She fought against him, but I recognised him and decided to stay away. I’d seen him in the area several times. I also didn’t stick around to see where they went. The next morning, I was hunting and went into the oak grove. The earth was disturbed. That is all I know.
Grim determination filled Liddy. She could clearly see the sacred grove with its bodies. The configuration of oaks was nearly similar. ‘He killed that woman to protect something and then buried it. We try digging in the middle of that grove.’
Malcolm screwed up his face. ‘Are you sure? It is not where I saw the disturbed dirt. That was more under the largest oak. Or at least I think it was. My head was a bit fuzzy, you know.’
‘I know precisely how hazy your memory can be and if I was going to bury something, I’d start in the middle.’
‘What do you want me to do?’
‘Dig, brother dear, dig.’
* * *
Sigurd sat in his room with Coll’s head on his knee. Returning Coll at least gave him an excuse to contact Liddy and see if she would forgive him for sending her away. He should be able to clear his name, provided that Ketil was prepared to listen, rather than having his mind poisoned by Beyla’s lies. He might lose the jaarldom, but they could have a good life together.
Coll gave him a hard look.
‘I know, boy, I miss her as well and I should never have allowed her to go.’
Hring entered without bothering to knock. Coll gave a low growl, but didn’t move from Sigurd’s side.
‘I thought you should know there is a guard outside your chamber.’
‘I am hardly likely to flee.’ Sigurd scratched Coll behind the ears. ‘Is there something you wanted to say to me, Hring?’
‘I wanted to apologise. I thought you exaggerated about Lady Beyla. Then I witnessed her performance today. I had understood she hated Thorbin.’ Hring scratched his head. ‘But she saved her real bile for you.’
‘No, she only hates the idea of being poor and without power.’ Sigurd concentrated on Coll, who licked his hand. ‘Once, long ago, I thought she was different, but power consumes her.’
‘That woman has wrapped Ketil around her little finger. I believe she has him convinced that Thorbin had nothing to do with the envoy’s disappearance and only sent him back after he was discovered murdered by Ivar the Boneless’s henchmen.’
‘If so, where was the tribute?’
‘You haven’t found any gold. Perhaps her tale about the ship being attacked by Ivar the Boneless is the truth.’
‘I doubt it.’
‘Without some sort of proof, Sigurd, she will see you destroyed.’ Hring shook his head.
‘Ketil might listen. He can inspect the captured longboat. That bounty will enrich his coffers.’
‘I will have to speak bluntly. You need a wealthy wife and unfortunately that is not your Eilidith.’ Hring tugged at his collar. ‘You could marry my daughter, Ragnhild. She needs a man to take her in hand. She has been allowed to run wild for far too long. And her dowry would be sufficient to provide the missing tribute. I am willing to stand proxy.’
Sigurd stilled. Hring had proved to be a true friend, but his offer held no appeal. Once he might have taken it, but not now, not when he had tasted what true love could be like.
‘You are offering me your daughter—why?’
‘Because I have seen the measure of you as a man. I would be proud to call you a son.’
Coll gave a warning growl and Hring took two steps backwards.
‘The only woman I want for my wife is Liddy,’ Sigurd declared. ‘I regret I must decline your offer. Allow me to do this my way.’
‘You are putting love above your career and your life? I never thought I’d see the day.’
‘I will prevail because I am innocent.’
* * *
‘My back aches something fierce,’ Malcolm complained, standing up from the hole he’d been digging under the oak tree.
It was the fourth sample hole they had dug. Liddy had dug the first three before handing Malcolm the shovel and telling him to dig where he actually thought he saw the disturbed dirt.
‘Just dig. It has to be here. I can feel it in my bones.’ Liddy hugged her aching arms about her waist. It had to be here. Malcolm’s vague memory had to be more than ale-fuelled ramblings. Thorbin putting him in prison proved it.
‘Let me have a rest.’
‘You rest after we have exhausted all possibilities. Do you think it will go any easier for this island and our family if Sigurd isn’t here?’
Malcolm lent on his shovel. ‘You really care about him.’
Liddy put her nose in the air. ‘My feelings for Sigurd matter for nothing in this. It is about what is best for everyone. My duty, as our father would call it.’
‘Forgive me, Liddy, but I’d rather you were doing this because you cared about Sigurd.’
‘Why?’
‘Because anyone can see he makes you happy. It would mean you were putting yourself first for once.’
‘He made me happy, but it is over now. He left me with Aedan.’
‘You enjoy lying to yourself. Anyone with half an eye can see you are well matched. It is why Fa sold you to him in the first place.’
‘What? Fa sold me because...’ Liddy stared at him.
‘Because he thought you had roses in your cheeks and a smile on your lips. The old sparkle had returned to your eye. He confessed as much to me when I returned from trying to buy you with Aedan’s gold.’
‘He tried to matchmake by selling me?’ Liddy put her hands on her hips. Right now she wasn’t sure if she wanted to murder her father or kiss him. His selling of her had enabled her to rediscover life. ‘It is not what I would call fatherly devotion.’
‘All I know is that you shouldn’t let it go lightly. Your dog likes him.’
A great longing swept through Liddy. More than anything, she wanted to see if Sigurd would listen to her declaration of love. She had let him go without confessing her feelings for him. If she didn’t find the treasure, she’d go to him. She’d find a way of making him understand that she cared about him. ‘Preaching to me will not find the treasure. Dig.’
Malcolm leant on the shovel. ‘I am only saying you need to consider things from other people’s perspectives.’
‘You can talk and dig at the same time.’
Malcolm lifted a few more shovels of dirt. ‘Do you even know what you are looking for?’
‘I have a fair idea.’ Liddy peered in the hole. It was the same as the other ones. Malcolm was right—her quest was hopeless. She was going to have to go empty-handed where she should have gone in the first place. She could at least give an account of why Sigurd had fought Thorbin. ‘What’s that muddy thing? It isn’t a stone or another root.’
‘What’s what?’ Malcolm wrinkled his nose. ‘All I know is that suddenly it doesn’t smell great around here.’
‘It is a bit of cloth. Get out of the hole, Malcolm, and let me see better.’
Malcolm gagged. ‘There is a body attached to that cloth. But there is something else beneath it.’
Liddy peered into the hole. A shimmer of gold was mixed in with a deep red pattern. Shona’s shawl. She had been sacrificed.
‘Dig the body out.’
‘Eilidith.’
‘We don’t have much time. Just try not to breathe. And we can arrange for the body to be properly buried. If it is who I think it is, she was unlawfully killed. I will take the shawl as there will be people who recognise it. Ketil needs to see the proof.’
She grabbed a shovel and started to help. Working steadily, they were able to move the body fairly quickly. Liddy whispered several prayers as she did so.
Under the strangled woman lay a small iron-bound chest and a single gold piece.
‘What are we going to do with it?’
‘I am taking the shawl and the chest to Sigurd.’
‘To the finder, the gold!’ Malcolm’s eyes gleamed as he grabbed the piece of gold. ‘Do you think there is more? We could open it here and perhaps a little bit could go...astray.’
‘And give Beyla the opportunity to say that we stole some of her inheritance? Not likely. This island has already lost enough. You think that Ketil Flatnose will just turn around and walk away? If he believes this Beyla, then we will all suffer.’
Malcolm sighed. ‘I suppose you are right.’
‘I know I am right. Come on.’ All tiredness vanished. Then she halted. ‘We will never get there in time if we travel over land. It will have to be by sea.’
‘Do you want me to take it? My boat is moored quite near here.’ Malcolm stood a little straighter. ‘I won’t let you down, Sister.’
‘I’m the better sailor. Always have been. I will pilot the boat.’ Liddy started to lift the heavy trunk while Malcolm stared at her open-mouthed. ‘Now what?’
‘But I thought you were cursed...and forbidden from going to sea.’
‘That was one of Brandon’s lies. We are going by sea and we are going to prevail. Sigurd is worth it.’
* * *
Sigurd stood in the great hall. Ketil and his bodyguard were on the raised dais. Beyla stood near Ketil, dressed in luxurious furs and with a queer triumphant smile on her face. She was striking in a cold reptilian way. He had no doubt that she thought she had won and vast riches would come her way. The man he’d been before might have been tempted, but he knew the value of a good woman and Beyla was only base metal.
‘How do you answer to the charges?’
‘Not guilty,’ Sigurd replied. ‘I challenged Thorbin in good faith and he lost his life. What I did, I did out in the open.’
‘There are plenty who will swear that he had surrendered before you killed him,’ Ketil said.
‘A false surrender designed to lull me into dropping my sword. I had reason to believe he would attempt to prolong the fight.’
Ketil stroked his jaw. ‘And yet you knew I wanted him to face charges of disloyalty. I wanted him alive.’
‘Those charges were never proved,’ Beyla said before Ketil had finished. ‘My husband will be proved to be innocent.’
Ketil lowered his brow. ‘Be silent, woman! Sometimes you jabber worse than a hungry seagull.’
Sigurd bowed his head to hide his smile. Obviously Ketil was not as enthralled with Beyla as she thought. The knowledge gave him hope. Her arrogance would prove her undoing. ‘I acted with honour, my lord. I acted to prevent further harm to a woman whose only crime was that she believed in your justice.’
‘Thorbin had threatened her? This woman?’
‘He said that he would treat her the way he had treated my mother. I lost my temper as he knew I would do. I believe Thorbin wanted to die quickly by my hand, rather than face your punishment for the crimes he had committed.’
‘He lies!’ Beyla screamed.
‘Alas for Lady Beyla—she was in the North and not on Islay at that time,’ Sigurd said smoothly.
‘I must agree with Sigurd Sigmundson,’ Ketil proclaimed. ‘Stop giving us your ill-considered opinions, Beyla Olafdottar.’
‘Have you discovered where Thorbin hid the missing tribute?’
Sigurd bowed his head. ‘I regret, no.’
‘That is because there isn’t any,’ Beyla snapped. She curtsyed. ‘As I told you, Lord Ketil, the problem lies elsewhere. Someone has blackened his name. Probably the islanders. There was one, Brandon mac Connall, the so-called king of the Loairn and laird of Kintra, who had repeatedly defied you and my husband. He and his men will be responsible for this.’
‘It is just as well Lady Beyla is not a warrior,’ Sigurd said. ‘Brandon mac Connall perished in Ireland over a year ago, fighting the Dubh Linn Northmen. His brother, Aedan, recently returned from there. He helped me in my recent fight. He agreed the bulk of the spoils belonged to you.’
Ketil stroke his chin. ‘A good warrior, Aedan mac Connall.’
Beyla pursed her lips as if she had eaten a rotten plum.
‘Do you have enough to pay this year’s tribute as well as the missing gold?’ Ketil asked.
‘There will be after the harvest,’ Sigurd said.
‘Aye, he will do it,’ Hring said, giving him a significant look.
‘Where have I heard that before?’ Beyla commented, rolling her eyes. ‘I wish you as much luck as my husband had. These islanders—’
‘You must let me in!’ Sigurd heard Liddy’s voice outside. His heart gave a leap.
‘There is a Gaelic female who demands entrance, my lord. She says that she has something of great importance, something with bearing on the case.’
‘Your former slave? How touching.’
‘Be quiet, woman!’ Ketil thundered. ‘Allow the woman in.’
Liddy came in, carrying a wrapped bundle. Behind her, her brother staggered with an iron-bound chest. At her nod, they placed both at Ketil’s feet.
‘And you are?’ Ketil Flatnose raised a brow. ‘Your intervention is most unusual.’
‘Lady Eilidith, formerly of Cennell Fergusa. My father, Gilbreath mac Fergusa, swore his oath personally to you, Lord Ketil. You gave him a ring as a token of your friendship.’
‘Ah, yes, I remember. A good man, your father.’
‘What are you doing here, Liddy? You were supposed to be somewhere safe,’ Sigurd asked in a furious undertone.
Liddy tried to ignore Sigurd’s glower and concentrated on the Northman lord who was sitting, resplendent, on the throne. She had to do this properly. She had to bargain for Sigurd’s life. ‘We believe that this is Thorbin Sigmundson’s treasure. My brother and I discovered the chest along with the woman who was murdered so that her spirit would guard it.’
‘Shall we see what is in the chest? I do not recognise it as my lord Thorbin’s,’ the woman who stood next to Ketil said in a strident tone. From her bearing, Liddy guessed that this was the infamous Beyla. And she was as beautiful as the rumours had implied.
‘We kept the chest’s lock intact. I would not wish for any to say that anything was missing.’ Silently Liddy prayed that she was right and that the chest did contain gold. The single gold piece Malcolm carried would only give credence to Beyla’s lies.
Ketil motioned to one of his guards who struck off the lock with a resounding clang. When the lid was opened, the room shimmered in a golden glint. The entire chest was packed full of gold.
‘But do we know who put it there?’ Lady Beyla asked in an arched tone.
‘We can’t know for certain, but I have my suspicions.’
She nodded to Malcolm, who reached into the bag and withdrew the red-gold shawl. ‘I believe this belonged to Thorbin’s late mistress, Shona. She disappeared about the same time. We found a badly decomposed body of a woman with this wrapped around it.’
The entire room erupted in pandemonium. Several people called out that it was indeed Shona’s shawl.
Ketil banged his fist down. ‘Quiet! It would appear that this woman was unlawfully killed.’
Beyla’s cheeks flushed. ‘Of course I wasn’t here, but no one can prove it was my husband who murdered her or buried that treasure chest.’
‘No, you weren’t there. You don’t know what happened. Just as you did not know what actually happened when your husband met his end.’
‘I know what happened that day,’ Liddy said in a firm voice. ‘Sigurd acted as my champion and when Thorbin threatened me, he killed him.’
‘It seems to me that you have borne false witness, Lady Beyla,’ Ketil said.
The woman blanched. ‘I only acted how I saw fit. There were others who told me such things. I thought them to be true.’
Ketil inclined his head. ‘I believe the life debt I owed your father is now settled. There will be no blood price for your husband as he was lawfully killed.’
Beyla gulped. ‘Yes, my lord.’
‘You may take your son and retire to your estate. Unless Sigurd wishes to pursue any claim against you.’
Sigurd shook his head. ‘The lady has publicly acknowledged her mistake. It is enough, but the missing tribute must still be paid.’
‘You have the gold in the chest,’ Beyla spat.
‘As Lady Beyla said, we do not know who put it there. Thorbin and his estate still owe Ketil the tribute.’
Ketil gave Sigurd an impressed look. ‘You are wise beyond your years, Sigurd the Bold. It is an ideal solution. You may pay the missing tribute, Lady Beyla, and that will end the matter.’
Beyla gave a cold smile. ‘Very well, on closer examination, I recognise that chest as belonging to my husband. The runes scratched into the iron are his. The amount should be taken from that.’
‘Wait!’ Sigurd shouted. ‘The chest was buried and lost. It now has been found.’
Liddy stared at him in astonishment.
‘To the finder,’ Ketil answered. ‘Of course. Forgive me, Lady Beyla, that chest no longer belongs to your husband. It belongs to the person who found it. Lady Beyla, you will have to find the missing gold from elsewhere.’
Beyla’s face contorted with fury, but she appeared to have learnt her lesson and kept silent.
Ketil looked between Malcolm and Liddy. ‘Who found it?’
‘I did,’ Liddy answered, perplexed. ‘It was buried on my dower lands. After Malcolm told me the story of why he’d been arrested, I knew where to search for the gold.’
‘Liddy did,’ Malcolm confirmed a heartbeat too late. ‘And she insisted we travel by boat to make it in time. I still say that she sails too close to the wind.’
‘How say you, Sigurd Sigmundson?’ Ketil asked.
‘Then I say this horde belongs to Eilidith, formerly of Cennell Fergusa,’ Sigurd declared. ‘With a quarter belonging to her brother who helped. Of course they should pay a token of thanks to Ketil. Thorbin’s estate should bear the cost of the missing tribute as it has not been proved how the tribute went missing and that should be paid as soon as possible.’
‘Such is the wisdom I expect of my jaarls,’ Ketil said. ‘It is a fair solution. I approve.’
‘My son will be left with nothing but a sword,’ Beyla protested.
‘Did I give you leave to speak?’ Ketil thundered. ‘Eilidith, you are one of the bravest women I have encountered. If all beautiful women displayed as much bravery as you do, the world would be a much better place. Sigurd Sigmundson, would that I were a decade younger, I would steal this woman from under your nose.’
‘Are the charges against Sigurd Sigmundson dropped?’ Liddy asked, meeting Ketil’s gaze directly. Her mind reeled. She was entitled to most of the gold. In a blink of an eye she’d become a wealthy woman. And she could accept Ketil’s compliment graciously, particularly as Lady Beyla appeared distinctly put out.
‘Yes, and he is confirmed as the jaarl of these lands. I can’t think of anyone better to rule for the wisdom he has shown today.’ Ketil turned towards Sigurd. ‘Will you rule these lands or do you wish to seek your fortune elsewhere?’
Sigurd bowed his head. ‘I will abide by your wishes.’
‘Good, it is about time someone did. I trust this year’s tribute will arrive on time.’
Sigurd bowed low. ‘I ask one further thing—allow me to be foster father to Thorbin’s son. I promise to bring him up as an honourable warrior.’
‘Why...why would you do that?’ Beyla asked.
‘Because—’ Sigurd looked directly at Liddy rather than looking at Beyla ‘—he is my kin and I will not leave my kin to starve or to suffer because of the actions his father took. Neither will I see him used as a counter in any game you choose to play, Lady Beyla.’
Ketil raised a brow. ‘A truly generous offer. I will see that Lady Beyla accepts it.’
‘I have always wanted what is best for my son,’ Beyla said. ‘I have no choice but to accept the offer.’
Saying that, Ketil went out of the hall with Beyla bleating at his heels about the unfairness of it all. The hall rapidly emptied after that until only Malcolm, Hring, Sigurd and Liddy were left.
‘Liddy?’ Malcolm cried. ‘Shall we go? Fa isn’t going to believe this. You are free with enough gold—’
‘Come on, lad,’ Hring said, pointedly taking Malcolm’s arm and leading him away. ‘We are not wanted here.’
An awkward silence descended once they had gone. Liddy wanted to run to Sigurd and confess her feelings, but the words stuck in her throat. All she could do was stare at him and think how close she had come to losing him.
‘Did Malcolm speak the truth—you voluntarily went in a boat?’
‘Not only in a boat, but I piloted it as Malcolm tends to take the wrong tack,’ Liddy confirmed, pressing her hands together.
He took a step closer. ‘Why, Liddy?’
‘Because I wanted to ensure justice was done. Because sometimes people are more important than fear.’ She swallowed hard and hoped he’d understand. ‘My share of the gold, it is yours. We made a deal.’
He stopped and tilted his head to one side. ‘You came because of justice and duty? Because of the bargain we made? I have no need of your gold. Keep it.’
‘I don’t understand,’ Liddy said to the floor. Her heart knocked against her chest. ‘We made a bargain.’
Sigurd’s face hardened. ‘You are already free, Liddy. There is no need to buy your freedom. That gold only complicates things. It is yours to do what you will with.’
All the pretty speeches she had practised on the boat vanished from her mind. Had she totally mistaken everything? Had he truly been saying goodbye?
‘I thought it was what you wanted.’ She gestured about her. ‘All this. I found the gold to give you your heart’s desire.’
He crossed the room and gathered her hands within his. ‘My heart’s desire is something else. My heart’s desire cannot be bought with gold or lulled with empty promises. My heart’s desire is true and honest and worth a thousand kingdoms. Her safety means more to me than life itself.’
‘Your heart’s desire is a person?’ she breathed.
He lifted her chin so she looked directly into his eyes. ‘Yes, and until I met you, I thought my heart was locked up tight for fear of losing it. Then you and that dog came into my life and I discovered that my heart had escaped and only wanted one thing—you. I love you, Eilidith. I’d offer you my heart, but you already hold it. You are all I want in the world and no amount of gold or riches would ever change that. I need you in my life. I should have told you this before I forced you to go with Aedan, but I wanted to keep you safe. I wanted to make sure I had something to offer you.’
Liddy looped her arms about Sigurd. ‘And you are all I want. I don’t care about the riches or the jaarldom, I care about you and being with you. You are the man I love.’
‘Truly? You love me? The man who enslaved you?’
‘The man who set me free.’ Liddy stroked his cheek with her hand. ‘I had thought my heart died with my children and I lived in a prison of my own making, a hell hole from which I was unwilling to escape, but you brought me back to life. You showed me that life had so much more to offer. Now I know hearts are not small things, but large with a capacity to grow. I love you, Sigurd, and I want to stay with you freely.’
‘Good, then you will marry me as soon as possible. My mother was right—true love is worth waiting for and I have found mine.’
There was a sharp bark and Coll rushed into the room. He put his paws on both of them and nudged them together.
Liddy laughed. ‘Coll thinks marriage to you is an excellent idea.’
‘And you always trust Coll.’
‘No, I trust my heart.’
He bent his head and captured her lips. And after that for a long while there was no need to say anything.
* * * * *
If you enjoyed this story, you won’t want to miss
these other great reads from Michelle Styles
PAYING THE VIKING’S PRICE
RETURN OF THE VIKING WARRIOR
SAVED BY THE VIKING WARRIOR
TAMING HIS VIKING WOMAN
SUMMER OF THE VIKING
Keep reading for an excerpt from THE COWBOY’S CINDERELLA by Carol Arens.
Get rewarded every time you buy a Harlequin ebook!
Click here to Join Harlequin My Rewards
http://www.harlequin.com/myrewards.html?mt=loyalty&cmpid=EBOOBPBPA201602010003