Annis and Cedric stepped outside, Annis with a look that suggested she was being led to the gallows, though Cedric seemed more resigned and less likely to stab someone at a moment’s notice.
‘Good morning,’ Annis said. He noticed she left off any form of address. ‘We thought that you might like a tour of Mulcasterhas and Glannoventa, before...’
‘Before our wedding?’ He supplied the words, while gauging her response.
She flinched, an unusual reaction for her, and glanced at a boy who brought out two more horses. Instead of answering, she walked past him to her horse, a sturdy-looking animal that whinnied in greeting at her approach. She stroked his muzzle and he dipped his head to get a scratch behind the ears.
Rurik found himself admiring her tall, lean frame as she moved. He had always found her attractive, but now that he had agreed to wed her—and it seemed that she had accepted him—his interest intensified. His body knew that she was his even if his heart and mind were slow to catch up. He liked the way she took the time to stroke the animal, before making use of the stool placed down for her to assist in mounting. He liked how she still crooned to him softly from his back as she settled herself. He liked how she sat in her saddle, both graceful and strong.
‘Will you come with us?’ she asked, when she caught him watching her.
Surprised to see that Cedric was already mounted, he hurried to the horse Alder had presented to him. She waited long enough for him to settle himself in the saddle, before leading the way through the gate. Cedric dropped behind with the three other guards who trailed along, allowing them a modicum of privacy as she showed him around. Mulcasterhas and the surroundings were on the remnants of a Roman fort and much of the original was still visible. Stone stalls had been converted to living quarters and wattle-and-daub huts had been built more recently to replace the ones that had disintegrated with time. The barracks had been rebuilt and enlarged to more comfortably house Wilfrid’s warriors...soon to be his warriors if all went as planned. A new weight came over him as this realisation settled in. This would be his. An arrangement he was not likely to find in Maerr, even before the massacre.
The responsibility and the opportunity it presented was appealing. To rise from a barely tolerated acknowledged bastard to lord of all this was a heady proposition.
She showed him all of it with pride in her voice. The barracks had been a project she had instigated and they were well done.
‘How many warriors?’ he asked.
Pride threaded her voice as she gave him an accounting of the warriors stationed here and those that could be called in if they were needed. He followed her arm as she indicated the endless hills that rolled far beyond their corner of the world. All of that would be his. ‘Come.’ Giving him a hesitant smile, she led the way up the stone steps to the top of the wall that surrounded Mulcasterhas.
And what a world it was. He had not had the time or inclination to appreciate the beauty of the landscape when he had arrived. But now, it was impossible to miss. Despite the fact that winter was upon them and white dusted the tops of the highest hills, the abundant evergreens kept the world from turning completely brown. Sunlight shimmered on at least two lakes hiding in the valleys where a silver thread of water snaking through the hills joined them together. He imagined how lush and verdant the summer would be and felt a pang of longing for Maerr and what had been lost.
But look at what he had found. It was not until that moment on top of the wall that cordoned Mulcasterhas from the rest of the world that Rurik truly understood the task he was taking on. His heart jolted with the first burst of excitement.
Warriors sparred in the valley below the wall and some of them had stopped to take notice. He had no doubt that talk of their possible marriage had already reached the men. The clang of the swords and shields of those in the distance continued on. The fight to gain their loyalty would no doubt be an uphill battle, but he welcomed the challenge. He had come to Glannoventa for vengeance and justice. While he had not found vengeance, perhaps this truly could be his opportunity for justice. A chance for all this to be his.
Theirs. He looked over at Annis, who stared back at him with a wariness he was beginning to understand stemmed from fear.
‘You do not give this up by marrying me,’ he said, keeping his voice measured so the conversation would not travel to Cedric and the others. He resented that he had not had a moment alone with her since agreeing to this match the night before. Now he thought perhaps it was her own doing. She might have been avoiding him because she was reticent about the match and rightly so.
A wry smile curved her lips as she looked out at the hills beyond. ‘As I am a woman, you will rule here. Not I.’
Closing the small distance between them, he stood so close their shoulders touched and he took her chin in his palm. ‘As my wife, you will sit beside me. I am certain we can come to an agreement for a suitable division of duties.’ He did not quite understand why he was saying this. It was his right to do as he wished and she would have no choice but to answer to him, yet he wanted to see the spark return to her eyes. It had been there from the first and was one of the many things he admired about
