"Your pardon," she began to say as she regained her balance and stepped back. "I was rushing and not looking."
Keeping her face tilted down, for she really did not want to answer questions about why she was leaving Rurik's chambers, she pulled from the man's grasp. "My thanks for your help, sir."
"'Twas my pleasure, my sweet," he answered.
At first she knew he must think her a harlot visiting Rurik, but the voice was too familiar. She did not dare to stop as she tried to remember which of the men in their company of travelers had that tone. 'Twas not Donald, for his voice tended to go high, and Leathen's was deeper than this one. Sven and Magnus had the right accents, but 'twas neither of them.
Margriet reached the other side of the chamber when she realized the truth. Glancing back, she caught sight of the man, still standing where she'd left him. The distance was large and the candles threw only a dim light, but she could see his face.
His beard was gone now and his hair was longer, but it made no difference. Margriet was certain of his identity. For some reason she could not define, instead of running to him, she ran away.
Hoping he had not seen her face, she made it to her father's chambers, checking several times to reassure herself that he did not follow her. When she reached her bed, she climbed into it without undressing and pulled the blankets up to cover her. Her stomach heaved and she thought she would be ill, but she lay still and tried to calm herself.
Finn was here! He'd not lied; he was here in Kirkvaw waiting for her arrival. Did he recognize her?
Although in some ways this comforted her, in more ways it unnerved her, for now her father would find out the truth and her fate would be sealed. Judgment day was here for her and after all of her hoping and praying, she had no idea of what would happen.
He'd been truly surprised by her, running down the stairs that led to his half brother's chambers. Thorfinn had been watching her since she arrived earlier this day, but did not want to expose her yet. He needed to make certain that Rurik had a good taste of his "new life" before Thorfinn ripped it from his hands and sent him back to where he belonged. For now, he watched as she staggered away from him and he could tell she was not certain of his identity yet.
Aye, he'd changed his appearance somewhat, shaving the beard he wore when he met and ruined her, and letting his hair grow back to the length he preferred, but still, he would think she would recognize the first man she let into her body. Especially when she swore her undying love for him as he pushed into her, pummeling her virtue and her honor with one thrust.
She was just as much a whore as the rest of them, swiving so many that she remembered none. He suspected that she'd let Rurik have her as well, for his spy reported that an incident had happened between them outside of Thurso to him and he had no doubt that his half brother would take what she offered. The fact that Rurik took her on the floor and left her there when he finished just proved that they both deserved each other.
Though he himself had been her first, she would be fit for no one else when he finished with her, or mayhap he would share her with many, he had not decided yet. The bastard she carried in her belly, for he felt the hardness there when their bodies collided, was of no consequence to him and would more than likely not survive his plans for her. It worried him not, for in that he was better than his father before him who indiscriminately spread his seed, allowing his whore to bring forth his bastard. Thorfinn would not let that happen.
He heard the steps of someone approaching and waited for Rurik to find him there. How touching! He followed her, probably panting after her and wanting more.
"Brother," he said in greeting, though the very word burned his mouth with its insult. "Was that Gunnar's daughter I just saw?" Rurik hesitated in his answer, so he urged him on. "Sigurd pointed her out to me when she arrived earlier."
"Aye, it was."
He raised his brow and demanded an answer with just that simple gesture … and he got it.
"We needed to talk."
"Ah, talking with Gunnar's daughter," he said, with all the sincerity he could muster. "The two of you must have much to talk about." He paused just long enough and then added, "You both being newly arrived and strangers to most here, of course."
Rurik nodded at his words and, with a curt farewell, he climbed back up the steps to his chambers, his pursuit of the slut interrupted for now.
So when questioned about this, he could truthfully say that he saw Margriet coming from Rurik's chambers in the middle of the night and Rurik, man of honor that he was, would have to corroborate his words … and damn them both. Thorfinn laughed to himself at the ease with which some were led to slaughter.
One of Rurik's biggest problems was that he needed to learn that there was only one use for a woman's mouth … and it was not talking. 'Twas a lesson those who served him knew well, as would Margriet in due time.
Chapter Nineteen
Five days had passed since Margriet came to his chambers and he'd not seen her since. He followed her to deny her claim about them, but when he found Thorfinn returning to his own chambers, he decided against it. Torn between finally accepting that there could be nothing between them and begging for her to accept the love he had for her, he took her disappearance as her answer.
Now he'd traveled with his father and Thorfinn to their outlying properties near Birsay and learned more about their interests in and ownership of several businesses in Kirkvaw. Their fishing boats made up half of those who fished the waters off the main islands here and their grain counted as more than one third of all grain leaving for Scotland and Norway. Erengisl would remain a very wealthy man on just his income here alone.
Erengisl also introduced him to one of Lady Agnes's kin who was also kin to Denmark's king. Lady Ingeborg was lovely and demure and respectful and wealthy and of royal blood-everything that Margriet was not-and he found himself hoping she would wink at him or question something he said or refuse his request, anything but comply with unceasing politeness. After spending a few hours in her company, Rurik knew she would never do anything unseemly, such as disguise herself as a nun or purposely fall into a river because she was too hot. Or follow him when he was in anger's grasp.
But she would, after all the negotiations were finalized, become his wife and mother to his children. When he thought of it in that way, his life stretched out before him with every possibility of him being bored to death by her, for Ingeborg would be the perfect wife for Erengisl's son.
Over the next days, Rurik was invited to the homes of a few of the more important merchants and each tried to impress him with their wealth and generosity, gifting him with horses, silver and even a few servants. The most surprising gift was presented one night when he stayed with the merchant who ran two market towns for his father and was in charge of importing cattle and other livestock to the islands.
He would have expected to receive several heads of cattle or some newly butchered pigs or goats, but instead Rurik opened the door to his room just before dawn to find the man's daughter there, naked but for the ribbons and jewels in her hair. At first he thought her lost or confused or mayhap even drunk, but when he looked out into the corridor, both the merchant and his wife stood waiting expectantly for him to accept her.
Once he thanked them and refused their gift, though not their good wishes, he realized the lesson in it-some would do anything to win the favor of Erengisl and his sons. Even giving their daughters to him for bedplay.
He had never had a problem finding a woman when he had the need or desire when he lived in Scotland, but his change in circumstances brought them out in droves to his door, the corridor outside his door and even into his bed when one enterprising young woman bribed a servant to allow her in. The servant and the woman were dismissed.
He found himself out of sorts with no desire to bed those he initially found appealing. Each time he kissed them or touched them, he found himself comparing them to Margriet and her reactions to his kiss and his touch. Desire fled then and he slept alone.
By far, the most bizarre occurrence happened in Thorfinn's chambers when he answered his brother's invitation for the noon meal and instead was met by a serving girl barely ten-and-five who began to undress him while he waited for Thorfinn's return. When he stopped her from removing his tunic and breeches, she tried to touch him through them. Finally, he held her apart from him and she dropped to the floor, begging him to let her pleasure him or to kill her for she did not want to face her master if he found she disobeyed his orders.