By Love Enslaved (34 page)

Brendan was in no mood to be summoned to the house, but when Thora came skipping up and took his hand as he crossed the yard with Soren, he gave her fingers a loving squeeze. He and the little girl followed Soren inside, and after glancing around the room, he forced himself to greet Freya and ask how he might be of service. But it was all he could do not to loudly protest what he was certain was Haakon’s bloody invasion of his homeland.

He already knows where Haakon is! Dana realized instantly. It was clear in the rigidity of Brendan’s posture as well as his insolent frown. She knew that defiant expression all too well, and certain the way they had parted could not have caused such seething rage as he now displayed, her spirits plummeted even lower.

Not fond of children, Jarald gave Thora only a hasty pat on the head before he began to look Brendan up and down. He then walked around him as if searching for faults that were not readily apparent. “Haakon has asked me to assist Freya in his absence, so you must show me the same respect that you would give him. I know that you helped Erik kidnap Berit. Dana says you will continue to be loyal to her family rather than to Grena’s. Is that true?”

Not enjoying being examined so closely, Brendan took a step backward to put more distance between himself and the inquisitive brute. Still clinging to his hand, Thora remained at his side. He caught Dana’s eye and held it before he replied, but there was nothing gracious about his tone. “Yes.”

Jarald nodded, then tugging at the ends of his mustache, he continued to regard Brendan with a curious gaze. “How loyal?” he finally asked.

Brendan’s unwavering stare remained fixed on Dana, who frowned slightly as if warning him of a trap, but he was already on guard. “You need not question my loyalty, for I have proven it several times.”

“Is that true?” Jarald asked Erik.

While Erik hoped Brendan was referring to his rescue of the children, or to that morning rather than to seducing Dana, he would not dispute his word. “I would trust him with my life,” he responded sincerely.

“You may well have to.” Jarald continued to regard Brendan with a thoughtful stare, but then with an impatient shrug, he appeared to cast off his doubts. “We need you to return to Grena’s. Convince her that you despise everyone here. Discover her plans, and then let us know what they are. Can you do that?”

Before Brendan could reply, Dana leapt to her feet. “You expect him to spy for us?”

“Why not?” Jarald asked. “He is only a thrall, and if he is as loyal to you as everyone claims, he will gladly do it.”

“That is no way to repay him for his loyalty,” Dana insisted as she came forward to confront Jarald.

That Dana thought him incapable of speaking for himself angered Brendan as greatly as Jarald’s request that he turn spy. Now that he had the opportunity to regard him up close, Brendan saw the big man’s eyes were an icy green that glowed with intelligence. Jarald was no dim-witted fool, but a near giant of a man with a keen mind. That was a dangerous combination, and Brendan did not want to ever have to fight him hand to hand. Never lacking for confidence, however, he was certain he would have the speed and strength needed to slice him to shreds with a sword.

A slow smile hovered at the corner of Jarald’s mouth, sending his mustache askew. “Does he mean so much to you?” he asked with a deep chuckle, apparently thinking such a thing an impossibility.

Suddenly all the eyes in the room were focused on Dana, and she knew she had to exercise extreme caution in her reply for not only were Brendan’s feelings at stake, but her own reputation as well. “I would never ask anyone to prove his loyalty to me with treachery, not even a thrall.”

Brendan was enraged now, for Dana was again discussing him as though he were one of her animals rather than her lover. Not about to stand there and take such an insult in silence, he joined in the conversation in an attempt to force her to speak to him directly. “If it will help Erik, I’ll tell Grena whatever you want her to believe.”

Aghast that he would make an offer in direct opposition to her stand, Dana instantly refused it. “You’ll do nothing of the kind! I’d not ask you to spy on my worst enemy. I’d never send you to my aunt for such a despicable purpose.”

Thinking it most unseemly for Dana to argue with a thrall in front of Jarald, Freya put an immediate stop to it. “Dana’s right,” she stated coolly. “We may have had no choice about going after Berit, but Grena is my only sister and I’ll not stoop to filling her household with spies.”

While she was grateful her mother supported her view, Dana continued to regard Brendan with a threatening stare. His glance was equally hostile, and she dreaded the heated argument they would undoubtedly have the next time they were alone. There was nothing she could do about her father’s travels other than reassure him about Haakon’s purpose, but when his mood was such a belligerent one, she knew he would never listen. Unaware that Jarald was regarding them both with an amused glance, she was startled when his hearty laugh broke the uncomfortable silence.

“It is not easy to find so loyal a thrall. When Jørn returns I’ll buy this man and give him to you for a wedding present. Would you like that?”

Dana saw Brendan flinch, but for once he held his tongue. Forcing herself to turn toward Jarald, she favored him with a near dazzling smile. “That’s an intriguing idea, but one we’ll have to discuss later privately.”

Fearing Jarald would note the hatred in Brendan’s expression and guess jealousy was the cause, Erik quickly dismissed him. For the time being he needed both men, and he didn’t want them wasting their energies fighting each other.

Seeking an excuse to avoid Jarald’s company for as long as she possibly could, Dana accompanied Berit to Svien’s room when her cousin said she would like to rest. As always, the blonde was eager to talk despite her recent ordeal. “Your mother told me to regard this room as my own, but I don’t think she’ll allow Erik to share it.”

“Most definitely not,” Dana assured her. “This has all been very upsetting for her. You and Erik must not do anything to make her regret her kindness.” How she could offer that advice so calmly when she had taken an obstreperous thrall for a lover, Dana didn’t know, for surely that knowledge would kill her mother. “I’m sure there will be as many opportunities for you two to be together as before, but you’ll have to be discreet and not flaunt your love.”

“Flaunt?” Berit questioned. “I’m sure it’s plain that I love Erik, but I’ll try not to revel in it in front of Aunt Freya. Now what about you and Jarald? How are you going to send him on his way when he’s so eager to help Erik?’

Dana had been pacing, but she stopped and turned to face her cousin. Her problems were multiplying faster than she could keep up with them, but she was fully aware of what she would have to do about Jarald. “While I’m sure Jarald likes Erik, I think he’s offered to help him mainly in hopes of impressing me. He’s a proud man, so I dare not refuse his proposal now when it’s so obvious Erik wants his help. I’ll just have to continue to let him think that I’m considering his proposal, and just haven’t been able to make up my mind. It’s not fair to lie to Jarald like that, but if Erik will benefit, and I think he will, then I’ll feel justified in doing it.”

Instantly understanding Dana’s dilemma, Berit nodded sympathetically. “You might even use Erik’s dispute with my mother as an excuse not to accept his proposal. I mean, how can your family be expected to plan any sort of a family celebration until my mother agrees to allow Erik and me to wed?”

Dana saw the danger in that option immediately, and took care to explain it to Berit. “I know he’d believe me if I told him that, but I hope your mother will soon relent, and if that’s the only excuse I’ve given Jarald, I’d be forced to start making wedding plans as soon as you had completed yours.”

Berit shrugged slightly. “Oh, well, it was just a thought.”

“Don’t worry about Jarald and me. If I have kept him at bay this long, then I can surely do it a while longer.”

“Dana?” Berit licked her lips slyly before continuing. “I rather liked Jarald’s idea about having Brendan spy on my mother. Since you didn’t, what about Ulla? I’ll bet my mother hasn’t even noticed she’s gone yet, and she’d be able to find out a lot more than Brendan ever could.”

Dana frowned slightly, for truly the idea of spying on her aunt did not appeal to her. “Ulla is your servant, so I’ll not tell you what to do, but I don’t think that’s a good idea and you know my mother doesn’t either.”

“I’ve got to do something,” Berit insisted. “Erik is such a good man, and he shouldn’t have to begin each day wondering if it will be his last. My mother will surely do something dreadful to get even for my leaving her, and if Ulla could just give us a warning so that we’d know what to expect and when, it might save his life.”

When stated in those terms, Dana had to go along with her cousin. “If you really think Erik’s life is at stake, then I’ll bring Ulla to you at once. I think the choice should be hers, though. She is an elderly woman and shouldn’t be forced to do something against her will.”

“You just ask her to come to me. I’ll take care of everything.”

Berit looked so determined Dana wasn’t at all surprised when after only a brief meeting, Ulla departed for home.

Brendan watched the sunset turn the sky from a vivid blue to a gold-lined crimson, but he was still so enraged over Haakon’s voyage to Erin that the incredible beauty failed to fill him with any awe or joy. Dana had been slow to agree to his urgent plea that they meet that night, and that had been before she knew about Jarald’s arrival, and before he had learned the reason for the man’s visit. Just thinking of the arrogant oaf made his lip curl into a snarl. They deserved each other! he thought with still aching pride.

He was thoroughly disgusted with himself for ever becoming involved with Dana, and it was all too plain to him now that she was always going to treat him as a thrall because that was all that he would ever be to her. When they were alone she might forget briefly, but when they were with others she showed him so little warmth he had been a fool to think she might actually care for him. Clearly she liked the physical pleasure he gave her, if nothing else about him, but now that he knew where her father had gone, he wanted nothing more to do with her.

Searching for a way to repay her latest series of insults, as well as her father’s sins, he vowed never to meet with her secretly again. He dared not, he realized, for the temptation was too great that he would seize just such an opportunity to choke every last bit of life out of her gorgeous body.

His depression as deep as it had ever been, the proud Celt soon entered the small house he and Erik had shared and went to bed. As he fell asleep, he hoped Dana would sneak out to meet him, catch a chill, and die within a few days’ time. That sorry fate would not only save him the trouble of killing her, but it would also save him the torment of wanting her still, regardless of what he had learned about her father.

After spending the evening in Jarald’s company, Dana doubted she could bear much more, even if it was for Erik’s sake. As usual, the heavyset man monopolized every conversation. He missed no opportunity to reach out and touch her, and she had lost count of how many times she had had to suffer through one of his suffocating hugs. Other women might find his tales amusing and his manner wonderfully affectionate, but she most certainly did not.

Excusing herself when Freya and Berit retired, Dana hurried her little sister into bed, then had to wait for what seemed like half the night for the child to fall asleep. Despite the wretched scene they were sure to have, she was too anxious to see Brendan to feel sleepy and left the house without bothering to don her boots the instant she felt it was safe to go.

She was disappointed not to find the Celt waiting, but because she had asked for his patience, she tried to show him that same restraint in return. It wasn’t until she had waited a very long while that she finally realized he wasn’t coming to meet her. She had wanted to talk about her father’s trip, to assure him that, no matter where Haakon went, his interest was always on peaceful trade, but how could she impress him with that fact if he failed to appear?

Was it possible he was also angered by her refusal to allow him to spy on Grena? Hadn’t he realized why she wouldn’t let him be used like that? He had asked her only that afternoon not to treat him as a thrall, and she had done exactly as he had asked. Was he grateful? Obviously not. Still, she had thought he possessed the courage to tell her how he felt to her face.

Discouraged clear through, she mounted Dawn’s Kiss and rode home, but her earlier excitement had been replaced with a sense of betrayal so deep she made only slow progress. It was almost dawn when she returned to bed, and thoughts of seeing either Jarald or Brendan that morning filled her with dread. She had never lived through a worse summer, and now it seemed as though it would never come to an agreeable end.

Chapter Seventeen

Brendan and Soren made ready to return to the new house early the next morning, but Erik insisted they wait for Dana, Thora, Berit, and Jarald to accompany them. While he had no desire to see Jarald ever again, the Celt was so proud of himself for not having trekked out to the woods in the dark of night, where he was certain he would have had a long and fruitless wait, he could barely keep from gloating when Dana appeared.