Viking's Love (15 page)

He placed Allisande onto her stomach and eyed
the torn, bloody welts grimly as Elwynn and Janna entered with a
tray to tend to her wounds. Janna looked at him unkindly. He
flinched from the censure in her gaze.

“
We will tend to her, Joran,” Janna
said coolly. “Your leman is demanding your presence in the
hall.”

Joran glared at his friend’s wife and stomped
out of the room to go below. Merta paced before the hearth and eyed
him resentfully as he approached. Her green eyes were cunning
despite her attempt at looking fearful.

“
You must sell her, Joran. She tried to
kill me. You saw that. If I remain here now, I will have to worry
about her lurking in wait for me around every corner of the hall,”
Merta said in an attempt to sound convincing, but her failure was
evident in Joran’s cold features.

“
Haldon will see you to your brother’s
longhouse this day, Merta.” Joran’s eyes held little warmth as they
met hers. “Just because I took you to my bed last night doesn’t
change the matter. I wish you to go home. I wouldn’t have you worry
of being attacked again. I bid you leave here now since you cannot
seem to keep from tormenting my slave.”

“
That slave attacked me! Twice now, and
you send me away?” Merta asked harshly. “I will not have it, do you
hear me?”

“
You taunted my slave into attacking
you, and don’t deny it, for we both know it is the truth. You
wanted her punished, and so she has been.” Joran gazed at his
former bedmate with little fondness for her actions. “I obeyed the
law in this. You have but pushed my hand to end our arrangement to
keep the peace in my home.”

“
Do not lie! You send me away because
you want her, Joran! Don’t bother to deny it! I have seen the way
you look at her!”Merta raged now, her face flushed. “You will find
her knife in your back. I have given you nothing but loyalty and
tenderness, and you cast me aside for a slave?”

“
You see more here between us than
there is, Merta.” Joran shrugged with a dark scowl, his blue eyes
frigid with coldness. “I made no promises to you. You stayed here
knowing that. It is time you returned to Garran so he can find you
a husband. I won’t marry you, Merta. You waste your time here. You
are leaving today. Go pack your things.”

Merta digested his words and realized he
meant what he said. The women looked on approvingly as she stomped
up to the small room she kept above stairs to gather her things.
Haldon approached with a grin, having overheard them argue. Joran
instructed him to take Merta back to her brother’s longhouse.

Haldon grinned and looked pleased the redhead
was leaving. It was a mere five miles up the fjord, but faster
reached by ship. Garran would be angry he was sending his sister
back to him, for Merta didn’t get along with his wife, but he had
no choice.

Merta would only goad Allisande into doing
more serious harm to her, in order to see her suffer for it if she
stayed. Her troublesome behavior caused much strife in his home. He
knew none would miss her when she was gone. He wouldn’t miss her,
he realized.

He should have sent her back to Garran long
before now, but her willingness to remain in his bed with no vows
between them kept her there. She wanted more, it was obvious, and
he would not have her tricking him into taking her to wife. He
thought of his slave with a disgusted expression.

The girl’s ransom value was starting to not
be worth all the trouble it caused him. His blue eyes grew cold as
he thought of the way she held the knife to Merta’s throat. He had
no doubt she meant what she said.

If he hadn’t come in time, she would have
killed Merta. His leman had no idea how she’d been saved this day,
or she would be swimming back to her brother’s longhouse in
gratitude.

Janna and Elwynn came down the stairs after a
time. He was informed his slave was sleeping with the aid of a
draught Elwynn gave her when the pain in her back became too
unbearable.

Joran was tight-lipped as he sat at his high
seat. He glowered down at his tankard. The lashes would no doubt
leave scars, even with Grogan going as easy as he had during the
whipping.

He told himself he was only concerned with
damage to his property, but Merta’s obvious instigation made him
feel badly for Allisande’s punishment. Grogan was working on
getting drunk, eyeing him accusingly from the other end of the
table. He could stand it no more.

“
Out with it. You are angry about the
punishment, Grogan? You think it too severe?” Joran was aware of
the many eyes and ears about them. “You disagree with the law, or
you having to meet out its punishment?”

“
Both! What justice is there when one
gets attacked and isn’t able to defend themselves?” Grogan demanded
with a scowl. “You allowed it. You knew Merta attacked the girl
first, and you did nothing. She may be a slave, but it isn’t
right.”

“
She is a slave, Grogan. She has no
rights. I did not make the laws of our land. Merta can cause no
more trouble here. Do not worry over the girl. She will learn she
is a slave and realize her place.” Joran set down his tankard with
a loud smack on the trestle table. Grogan finished his tankard and
left the hall.

Joran was aware of the looks he was receiving
from his people. He was angry it was caused by the girl. She would
no doubt enjoy all the trouble she created in his home. She would
take twenty more lashes if she knew it garnered her sympathy with
his people.

Joran could take it no more. He rose and
retrieved his bow. He would hunt for the rest of the day to be out
of the hall. He stomped out to the stables as Haldon was leading
Merta away to the docks with her bundle of possessions. She was
sending him pleading looks he ignored as he entered the stable and
retrieved his horse.

Joran led the stallion out of the stables. He
headed for the forest. He didn’t want to think about his slave or
the pain she was in. Her violet eyes looking up at him dazed with
pain haunted him. He almost missed his target when the stag stepped
into the clearing. His aim was true after that. He smiled as he
stepped out of the trees to claim the fallen animal.

****

Allisande awoke with an agonized sob. Her
back was on fire. She bit her lip and raised her head from the
pillows. She gritted her teeth as tears formed in her eyes, but she
refused to allow them to fall. Gentle hands held her down and a
soft voice soothed her.

“
Don’t try to get up. You will only
hurt yourself more. “Janna pushed her down firmly. “I applied a
salve and cleaned the wounds. You will feel much better in a few
days. You must lie still and rest now.”

Allisande was aware she was in Joran’s room
and panicked. “I will not stay here!” She balked and made to rise,
but gentle hands again forced her back down.

“
He is the one who brought you up here.
It is not for you to question him. I would not attempt to leave
this room if I were you. Joran is angry over what happened. He has
sent Merta back to her brother this day. You will not have to
contend with her abuse anymore.”

Allisande was relieved to hear the redhead
was sent away, but the thought of sharing Joran’s room made her
uneasy. Janna gathered her tray and left several moments later.
Despite her warnings to stay still, she rose from his bed and
winced in pain. She looked around and couldn’t help but approve the
luxurious chamber.

It was a masculine room, with a huge bed that
dominated the center covered in rich thick fur blankets. Shields
and weapons of war hung on the walls. The large copper tub from the
ship sat in the corner. The room wasn’t windowless, as were most of
the rooms in the house. She looked out over the fjord beyond with
longing in the pit of her belly to be back at her home, thinking of
the view of the sea from her own bedchamber at Lockwraithe.

Allisande bit her lip with frustrated rage.
She was a slave in this harsh unyielding land. The unfeeling man
who now owned her made her eyes glow with hatred. She turned away
from the window and finished surveying the room.

A large wooden chest was at the foot of the
bed. She assumed it was where he kept his clothing. She looked
around at her leisure, opening the chest, searching for anything to
protect herself, but found no weapons stashed anywhere.

Allisande went to the door and found it
barred from the outside. Janna anticipated her desire to escape and
locked her in. She paced in front of the fire in the hearth,
ignoring the pain in her back.

Her thoughts were on fleeing this place. She
would rather be in her cell than here in the Viking’s room. His
leman was gone and he no doubt blamed her for it. She feared he
would seek to punish her for what happened.

She sat in the comfortable chair in front of
the fire and stared into the flames, her thoughts of Lockwraithe.
Her situation had gone from bad to worse quickly these last weeks.
Her people were either dead or enslaved.

Collin would have little choice but to appeal
to the king for the funds to pay her ransom. She cringed when she
thought of it. Her brother would owe the king much when it was all
over and she was returned.

Allisande vowed she would find the means to
escape instead. She would not see her brother beggared by Joran the
Stonehearted. Thinking of his anger when he found her gone made her
smile. She meant to leave here if it was the last thing she
did.

****

Joran returned with a huge stag dragged
behind his mount. He was appreciative of the lack of coldness from
the women as they saw him bring it into the courtyard. Many were
angry over Allisande’s whipping and they sent him frigid looks
since then.

Haldon returned and approached him with an
angry frown. Normally the man was unflappable. Joran realized he
would have no peace this day, and listened to the man’s words
without expression.

“
Garran wasn’t happy to have Merta
back. He is talking of appealing to the tribunal to force your hand
to marry his sister.”

Joran threw back his head and laughed
uproariously at the news, and eyed his friend with mirth in his
eyes. He knew because he was Ivar’s son, the tribunal wouldn’t want
any part of it. “The heads of the tribunal have all sampled Merta’s
favors, Haldon, and would not force me to wed her. Reysa is furious
her sister-in-law has returned, and Garran makes idle threats. You
will see when the tribunal arrives at the gathering. Garran may be
a Chieftain too, but he cannot force me to wed the woman.” Joran
felt his black mood improving suddenly.

Haldon looked relieved. “How is the girl?”
Joran could see the concern in his friend’s eyes. He wondered why a
mere slave merited such continued respect from his people.

“
No doubt still plotting to kill us
all, my friend,” Joran said with a shrug. He frowned darkly on his
way back to the hall. He learned from Elwynn she was resting in his
chamber. He was eager to see if his slave was more agreeable since
her whipping, and left the gutting of the deer to
Haldon.

Joran took the stairs two at a time and went
to his chamber. He unbarred the door and entered. She lay on his
bed on her stomach. The site of her there made his heart quicken.
He approached and eyed her tattered back with regret. The gown she
wore was destroyed. She couldn’t wear it in the hall.

Joran approached his chest and opened the
lid. He rummaged through his wife’s old clothing, and determined
Aelynn was of the same size as Allisande and fingered the soft,
pale lilac fabric. Imagining how she would look in it inflamed him
even more. He tossed the gown onto the end of the bed.

Joran stood over her, letting his eyes trace
every curve of his slave’s injured back, remorse in his eyes to see
the damage. The torn gown exposed her to the top of her trim hips.
He let his gaze fall lower and grimaced in dismay as he felt
himself grow instantly hard. Merta wasn’t gone a full day and he
was already rutting after the girl. She needed to heal before he
took her to his bed.

He looked under the bed and found the
shackles he brought up. He need not worry about her running away in
the mean time. Allisande stirred suddenly. Hearing the shackles
clanking in his hands, she sat up quickly. She gasped as pain shot
through her back.

Joran gazed at her in detachment, despite his
desire quickening at the sight of her in his furs. Seeing him
holding the shackles made her try to scurry to the other side of
the bed. He was too quick, and grabbed a handful of her long hair
and dragged her back to him. She cried out as pain shot through her
scalp. Her eyes brightened with tears as they met his.

He cursed under his breath for his
unnecessary roughness. He reached down and grabbed her slender
ankle. His big hand encircled it easily. She watched mutely as he
snapped them onto both her ankles before he released her.

The chain between her feet gave her enough
length to walk, but she couldn’t run hampered by the shackles. She
looked up at him with loathing, her eyes flashing in warning. “Are
you really such a coward, Viking, to chain me? Where do you expect
me to run to?” She was satisfied by the angry flush that stole over
his features before he yanked her up by her arms, and dragged her
to eye level of him, his blue gaze chilling as it met hers.

“
You brought the whipping upon
yourself! I will have no more of your mischief in my hall! You will
find me a much more reasonable master if you behave!” He released
her roughly and she fell back onto the furs, wincing as her back
felt the brunt of it. The feel of her in his arms was making him
aware of her lush bosom pressed to his chest. He grabbed the gown
and tossed it to her. “You may make use of whatever you find in the
chest.”