Page 54 of Summer of the Viking

She turned a deaf ear towards that little part of her which whispered liar.

‘We fit well together but that is as far as it goes. When you depart, I will shed no tears. The here and now is our pledge.’

Something faded from his eyes. ‘I expected no less.’

Chapter Ten

Valdar hurried through his tasks, trying to get things done as efficiently and in as short a time as possible.

However, everyone appeared to have heard about his altercation with Cleofirth and the recovery of the missing sheep and they all wanted a word. He was left in no doubt that Cleofirth was little liked. Several of the wives brought small gifts to welcome him.

The gifts touched him more than he thought possible. These people trusted him and seemed excited when he spoke about repairing roofs and mending walls. And yet he knew if they were aware of his heritage, they would turn their backs on him. But each time he fixed a wall or had a look at a plough, he knew he was making things easier for Alwynn after he left. He was giving her a chance.

‘What is all this?’ Alwynn asked, coming into the scriptorium and eyeing the cheese, bread and eggs that he’d been given this morning.

‘Bounty from grateful tenants.’ He shook his head. ‘Where I come from, they expect far more from their overlord.’

A frown appeared between her arched brows. ‘My husband preferred to forget that he had any duty except for drinking and hunting.’

And whoring, Valdar silently added. Several of the farmers’ wives had whispered the rumours, particularly about Urien and why she had been married to Cleofirth with such haste.

It was also clear from their joining that Alwynn was new to physical pleasure.

‘I simply want to leave this place better than when I arrived.’

Something tugged at his heart. He never became too close to the thralls who worked his land. So why did these people matter to him?

She set down her basket of flowers. ‘You already have. I saw the work you did to the barns this morning. New stabling for Purebright. Merri is thrilled.’

‘It was nothing. There had been a small hole in the thatch.’

He gave in to impulse and drew her into his arms. She smelt of summer flowers and sunshine. All things good. He lifted her chin and tasted her mouth.

She yielded for a long heartbeat, but then drew back, glancing over her shoulder. ‘We must be circumspect.’

He closed the door with a decisive click. ‘You mean like this?’

A laugh bubbled from her throat. ‘That is one way of doing it.’

‘Perhaps the only way.’

She leant her head against his shoulder. Her hand reached up and stroked his hair. He turned his face and kissed her palm. ‘Now, about this reading and writing you plan on teaching me. I want to learn.’

Her eyes danced and he knew he’d stay with her until the last possible moment. ‘Is that why you are here?’

‘Why else? I plan to be an attentive pupil.’

* * *

A week later, the garden hummed with bees in the hot summer sun.

For once, the rain had held off and the flowers bloomed. Alwynn concentrated on pulling the weeds while she hummed a new tune, trying to work out what she’d sing for Valdar after supper. It turned out that he could play the harp after a fashion and his voice complemented hers.

Everything about him complemented her. She’d never known anyone as easy to be with. They could sit together and the silences were not awkward. She kept telling her heart that miracles didn’t happen, but in her heart she kept hoping. Somehow, they’d find a way to be together.

She rocked back on her heels. ‘No.’

The lavender had flowered. Early. She would have to collect it to dry, but it always seemed to herald the start of the late-summer flowers. Early summer was behind her.

The swifts’ chicks had hatched from their nests. Soon they would be off to their winter home. They were amongst the last birds to arrive and the first to leave, according to her late father.

She should have known that it was too good to last. The blooming lavender was a sign of that. Time was moving on. They were going to have to end. Valdar was going to have to return to his past.

Out of habit, she picked a sprig. Normally she loved the scent.

Whom was she kidding? She wanted to slow down time and make each day last a lifetime. She wasn’t ready for it to end and she knew she had lied that first day they made love.

When he went, she might not weep in front of him, but she would weep into her pillow for many nights.

The here and now. She had to stop thinking about the bleak future.

‘You are a sight worth waiting for.’ Valdar’s voice rolled over her. ‘I have searched for you in three different places, my elusive lady. I had almost given up, but then I heard the most wondrous sound, like a stream playing on the rocks, and I knew it was you, singing in the garden. What was the song? I have never heard it before.’

---