Page 82 of Summer of the Viking

Alwynn stood completely still. It had been too much to hope for that Edwin would overlook the ring. But she knew she wore it with pride. Pride in the man who had left it for her and pride in the love she bore for him. ‘You may tell the king what you like. I know the truth about Valdar and how he saved this village while you went off to further your fortune at court. I know because I was there.’

‘I will find him, Lady Alwynn, and when I do, I will make sure he is drawn and quartered like all Northmen deserve to be and then I will see you executed.’

‘You had best seek the king’s permission, then. After all, you don’t want to do anything which will damage your reputation.’

Edwin stepped back. ‘You’ve become unbecomingly bold, Lady Alwynn.’

‘Your threats do not frighten me.’

‘They should.’

* * *

Alwynn took great care with her court dress. After today, everything would change. Today she would give an accounting of her deeds and the king could decide. Where once Lord Edwin’s words would have frightened her, now she was fiercely determined to have her say.

She kept tight hold of Merri’s hand. Merri chafed under the unaccustomed formality of the court dress, but on the whole was well behaved.

‘How much longer?’ Merri whispered.

‘There are certain to be others before us,’ Alwynn replied. She steeled herself, waiting for the right opportunity to bow before the king and throw herself on his mercy.

She was the one at fault and it was only right that she should bear the blame. But she had the satisfaction of knowing that Valdar remained free. She hoped he was far to the north now, in Pictland, looking for a boat which would take him back home.

‘And now to why we are here—Lord Edwin’s routing of the Northmen.’

Alwynn’s mouth dropped open. Edwin had claimed the victory for himself? He hadn’t even been there. What sort of game was he playing now? Was he counting on her being so frightened of her own skin that she wouldn’t say anything?

‘Stepmother!’ Merri pulled at her gown.

‘Hush, Merri!’

‘The Northmen’s bodies have been disposed of, but Lord Edwin has the badges.’

Lord Edwin came forward and made a low bow. ‘As you can see, my liege...this is how I deal with Northmen who dare set foot on my land.’

‘Liar!’ Merri cried. ‘He is nothing but a gigantic liar. Lord Edwin was not here. He was off at court and his steward was with him. He left us unprotected.’

The entire court went silent.

‘Who is this that speaks?’

‘Lady Merewynn, my stepdaughter, sire,’ Alwynn answered. ‘And she is correct. Lord Edwin was away. It was one of his farms which was attacked, but it was my steward who fought off the attack.’

‘Where is this mysterious steward of yours?’ Lord Edwin said with a sneer. ‘I have heard tell he is a Northman himself. Where precisely did he come from? And where has he gone now?’

‘He came from the sea.’ Alwynn held out her hands. She had to make the crowd understand. ‘But what of it? Have we so lost our way that we condemn every stranger to death? That we act before we find out who they are? What sort of men they are? If this is what my country has become, I want no part of it. Actions like these protect no one and they harm us all. Without my steward, more lives would have been lost. Valdar Nerison was the sort of man to be proud of. He did nothing but good on the estate. And he was not afraid to fight. He fought for us, knowing if we discovered where he came from, we would kill him. I ask you, how is that right?’

Alwynn looked around at the increasingly hostile faces and knew she was truly alone.

‘Where is he now?’

‘Now?’ Alwynn gulped. ‘He has gone. His time here had ended and so he left.’

‘Which proves his guilt,’ Lord Edwin said.

‘It proves he had somewhere else to go. Another life beyond Northumbria,’ Alwynn retorted. ‘My word against yours, Lord Edwin. It will be up to the king to decide.’

Edwin’s sneer increased. ‘Not quite. We have a witness. Bring forth the prisoner.’

Alwynn steeled her features. She’d hoped and prayed so hard that Valdar had escaped.

When a badly beaten young man was dragged in, she blinked in surprise. Was this Valdar’s missing boy? The one he had sought to save by jumping into the sea? The one who had escaped and whom Girmir had been hunting when he attacked the farmhouse? The one whom Valdar thought murdered?

‘Who is this?’ King Athelfred asked.

‘My proof.’ Lord Edwin bowed. ‘Cleofirth the Plough caught him and sent him to me for safekeeping. He wanted his wife cleared of sheep stealing, a crime the Northman steward had accused her of.’

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