I gave him a squeeze and prompted, “Frey.”
“I bedded her,” he said quietly and I felt my brows draw together as my body tensed at his words.
“What?” I asked.
“I bedded her,” he repeated, one of his hands coming up to curl around my neck, he bent slightly so his face was closer to me. “I bedded her,” he said yet again and went on. “And asked her to attend the table the first night I returned with my new bride and your Mother shared that, in doing this, I gave her hope that she would again warm my bed, which, Finnie, I vow to you now that no matter what I said when I was angry with you, she did not.”
He was talking about Viola.
I nodded at this news that was not news to me and Frey kept talking.
“I’d no idea she was of weak character. I’d no idea her time with me led to an infatuation that was unhealthy. I’d no idea she would be open not only to conspiring to harm you but actually moving personally to carry out a plot to murder my wife.”
Ho boy.
“Frey –” I tried to break in on another squeeze of my arms but he bent deeper, got closer and kept talking.
“But she did and I knew the dangers you faced and it wasn’t my hand that tipped the vial of poison in the glass delivered to you but it was my actions that tipped her actions which means events unfolded, a woman lost her life and another woman narrowly avoided losing hers and that woman is my wife. So no, wee one, everything is not okay.”
All righty, this was a leap he was clearly determined to make, a leap that really made no sense but a leap founded in deep feelings of guilt and those kind never made any kind of sense.
And lastly, it was a leap from which I had to reel him back.
In an effort to do that, both my hands slid up his chest and came to rest on either side of his neck as I whispered, “What happened was not your fault.”
“I disagree, Finnie.”
I gave him a squeeze and a gentle shake. “Frey, you’re wrong.”
“Change places with me, my love, and tell me…” his hand gave me a squeeze too and he continued, “even if it was anyone but especially that it was this woman, a woman we argued over, an argument that spurred me to do something unwise which caused a rift between us, a woman you could only be sensitive about and, perhaps not now but possibly later, think about her, think about my thoughtless actions and what they led to and then let that fester. Knowing what already happened and what could happen as your mind invariably turns over the events of last night, how would you feel right now?”
Okay, he had a point there.
“Okay,” I said softly, “you have a point there but think about it. Firstly, if we were to change places and I was in your arms, feeling like shit that all this went down, in an effort to make me feel better and to understand it was really, truly not my fault, wouldn’t you explain that the actions of others are the actions of others? We had an argument and people do crazy things when they’re pissed. You were pissed and you acted on that. Everyone does stuff like that. You asked her to wait on a table, that’s it. You didn’t make any promises to her. She twisted that in her head and she did what she did but she did it. You can’t help it that you’re great in bed.” He did a slow blink at my words but I kept talking. “Well, I guess you could. If you wanted to be bad in bed, you could do that, I suppose. Though I’d ask you don’t start doing that now.”
“Finnie –”
“Because that would suck, for me.”
“Finnie –”
“And I didn’t try to poison anyone so I don’t think I should be punished.”
His hand at my neck gave me another squeeze; I focused more closely on him and saw that his lips were tipped up.
“Are you finished?” he asked.
“Do you feel better?” I asked back.
“Yes,” Frey answered and I pressed closer to him.
“Then yes,” I said softly.
Finally, he smiled fully at me then one of his hands slid down to wrap around me while the other hand slid up into the back of my hair so he could turn my head and press my cheek against his chest.
And, at that point, I felt better.
Then I felt his chest expand and contract as he let out a big breath before he whispered, “Thank you, wife.”
With both my arms around him, I gave him a squeeze and whispered back, “Your welcome, husband.”
He held me close for several seconds, I returned the gesture then when his hold loosened slightly, I tipped my head back to see he was looking down at me.
“As you peruse my cabin, try not to move anything so I can’t find it.”
Weird. He so totally knew me.
I laughed softly and nodded. “Okay, I’ll try.”
He grinned at me before he dipped his head and touched his mouth to mine. Then he said quietly, “We need to be away.”
I stared in his beautiful eyes and nodded.
He held my stare a second then let me go.
He was almost at the door when I called his name; he turned and looked at me, waiting.
“What’s your ship called?” I asked.
“The Finnie,” he answered casually and I felt every inch of my body lock.
Then my jaw released so I could ask on a breath, “What?”
Without hesitation, Frey replied, “When I decided you’d be travelling with me, and you demonstrated much excitement for this eventuality, I changed the registers, had her name sanded away, her new one painted on and rechristened her The Finnie.”
Oh.
My.
God.
He did not do that.
I looked at my husband standing patiently but obviously wishing to be away as the realization washed through me that he did do that.
I was stunned, my entire body felt warm, my heart felt light and I knew that quicksand was closing in on my chin.
And I had absolutely no intention of making the slightest effort to pull myself out.
“What was she named before?” I whispered.
“The Skadi,” he answered then, even ready to leave, he took the time to explain. “Ancient lore told that Skadi was brave but it also said that she preferred the mountains. There was a time when she needed to be called Skadi. That time is past for my Finnie makes the most of everywhere she happens to be including, I’m sure I will find, the sea.”
Yes, he so totally knew me.
“I’ll make the most of it,” I promised quietly.
“I know you will, love,” Frey replied quietly then continued just as quietly but also gently, “though, you keep talking, there won’t be anything to make.”
I smiled at him. “We could delay a bit, go out to one of those wharf side pubs, have a drink and I could chat to some doxies.”
He started chuckling and shook his head. “I see this would intrigue you, my wee one, but I must inform you now so when we return you won’t have your heart set on it, you will never be going to those pubs, having a drink and chatting to doxies.”
I grinned at him.
We’d see about that.
