When they passed the final village and he knew they grew close to Thurso, he sent men on ahead to meet with an old friend of her father's who'd promised them food and shelter. The man's estate was south of the town, which suited Rurik, for he could leave half of his men there to see to Margriet's safety and comfort and send the other half to Thurso to find Sven and Elspeth.
The unusual arrangement he'd made with the man was to have use of the house without any others present. When they arrived, Rurik found it all as he'd asked-a well-stocked larder, fresh horses for their use and clean beds. There was even a barn large enough to house most of the men.
Within two days, Magnus had secured places on a ship going north to the islands and discovered Sven's hiding place. Now, he waited only for nightfall to uncover the truth.
Chapter Fifteen
Margriet had finished her prayers and lay completely awake in the large bed. This was the one comfort she could become accustomed to-a soft feather bed on top of ropes that kept her off the hard ground while she slept. This was nothing like the pallet on which she slept at the convent, nor the bed at the inn that she'd shared with Elspeth. This one was piled high with pillows and blankets and even some animal skins to keep her warm.
And they did.
The weather was changing and the cooler air crept in as autumn approached. She dreaded going north now, in a boat that would be tossed about on the sea. Margriet wondered though, as she had walked around the perimeter of the house before she retired, whether it was the boat or the destination she feared the most.
Now, when sleep should be coming, it did not. Although Rurik tried to hide it from her, she knew that he'd found Sven and Elspeth, and was going to confront them this night. She could not imagine the outcome, for no matter which way she turned it over in her mind, she could see no good end.
If Sven knew Elspeth's truth, and she prayed Elspeth had revealed no other secrets but her own, she doubted the girl was still a virgin. Rurik could not demand marriage between them, as they were not equal for the girl's honor to matter in that way.
All she could do was wait and pray, both for the well-being of all involved and for forgiveness for her part in this. If she had not resisted her father's call home-nay, if she had no reason to fear her father's call-none of this would have happened to Elspeth. The girl would be safely living at the convent until her parents made arrangements for her marriage to a suitable man they knew. Now, and only because Margriet had dragged her into this charade, the girl would suffer.
She drifted in and out of sleep, awaiting some word from Rurik on his return. The moon rose high in the clear sky that night and its beams of light lit the chamber where she slept through several windows high on the walls. Then, a noise brought her awake and she found him standing over her. Brushing the hair out of her face, she tugged the blankets up to cover her.
"Did you find them? Is Elspeth well?" she asked.
Instead of answering her queries, he turned and walked out. Confused, Margriet climbed from the bed, found a robe and pulled it on as she followed him. The house was not large but it felt as if she ran for miles to catch up with him, reaching him in the larder where he poured ale from a skin.
"Rurik? Tell me what happened, I beg you."
'Twas the wrong thing to say, for he turned on her, forcing her against a wall with his form and his height. He stopped then and took a step back and away from her. She caught sight of her wimple and veil, now crushed in his fist. Margriet was about to try to tuck her hair in the back of the robe when he laughed. A horrible sound, it was filled with pain and anger and none of the amusement a laugh should carry.
He drank the cup empty then filled it again. When that was done, he filled it yet again. Drinking it in two swallows, he threw the empty cup to the floor and wiped his mouth on the sleeve of his shirt.
"Do you know that I was actually jealous of Sven for following his heart? I thought him courageous for claiming the woman he loved, regardless of their situation or the outcome."
Margriet shook her head at such an admission. They had fought the attraction between them and overcome it, had they not? They understood their place, even when their hearts tried to say otherwise. And now he would applaud Sven for forgetting all that?
"You found them?"
"Aye, found them and confronted them tonight in town. They are married, damn the consequences."
Margriet inched along the wall until she reached the doorway leading back into the kitchen. He was unpredictable tonight, hurt in some way that she could not determine and filled with anger. His next words made it all too clear.
"What did I do that made you believe lying to me was better than the truth?"
The pain in his gaze nearly brought her to her knees. "I did not mean … "
"Did you think me too far beneath you to offer the truth? Did you not believe your father would choose someone worthy enough to be your escort? Is a bastard not good enough for the truth?" He held out the head covering to her, but drew it back as she reached for it. Tearing it in pieces, he threw the strips of linen and cloth on the floor. "Elspeth told me the truth-you also hide behind the clothing of a nun."
"You must understand, Rurik," she tried to explain. "I was in fear of my … "
Even she could not speak the lie and say she thought him a threat to her life. He'd proven over and over during their journey that her safety was the most important thing to him. By his every word and action, she knew to the depths of her soul that he cared deeply for her.
"I swore to protect you, Margriet, and instead you mocked me at every step. Did you and Elspeth laugh when I apologized for kissing you that night by the river? Or when I thought you had died and felt the very soul within me being ripped asunder?"
Margriet saw no way out of this. Like a wounded animal, he growled out his pain and nothing she said would make a difference now. The worst of it was that he was right-she should have trusted him, at least about not taking vows in the convent. But by the time she realized that she could trust him, she was beginning not to trust herself and the dangerous attraction between them was growing.
She edged her way toward the kitchen, hoping one of the men would come in and interrupt this before he did something he would regret. Strangely, she still felt no fear of him, even as he grabbed her hand and pulled her into his arms.
"Or when I admitted my love to you even though we knew the impossibility of such a thing existing between us?"
He brought his lips down on hers and plundered her mouth with an intensity and power she had not thought possible. With one arm around her waist and the other hand in her loosened hair, he kissed her over and over, taking all from her and demanding even more. Her body felt not her own as he gripped the top of the robe and pulled it off her, leaving only the thin chemise between them.
"Is that what you feared from me?" he whispered harshly.
If Finn's kisses and caresses were love, then this must be complete possession, for she felt as though they breathed as one and not two. His hand slipped between them now and cupped her breast, setting her on fire and making every secret place throb in want of more. Her mind screamed out for her to stop, to stop him, but her heart ached for this. To be wanted with such abandon, with such passion, with such love, was something she could not deny.
He eased her down on top of the robe and separated only long enough to tug his shirt off over his head. Then he was covering her, heating her coldness and enveloping her in his desire. His mouth captured hers again and he plunged his tongue deeply inside, touching hers and dancing with it, suckling on it and giving his for her exploration.
"Or did you fear this?"
"Rurik," she moaned. "We cannot … "
Any protest was lost then as he caressed her breasts and moved down to kiss them. The cloth of the chemise was no barrier to sensation, for she could feel the stubble on his chin and the edges of his teeth as he grazed the sensitive nipples. Her hands fell away as he suckled on them, first through the chemise and directly on her burning skin when he ripped it apart.
"I did not want to pursue you because I thought you were a nun, Margriet, but I stopped," he said, as he reached down and tugged the edge of the shift up over her legs, "because you told me to." With one of her legs trapped now under his, she held her breath as he slid his hand ever closer to the tender spot between her legs.