Esmeraude unfastened her girdle, and used it to knot his wrists securely together. Célie rummaged through the satchel she carried, examining the few things they had brought. She produced a short length of rope. The two women exchanged a smile, and Esmeraude bound the man’s ankles together.
He stirred, groaned, and was still once more.
“The beauty of a handfasting,” Esmeraude said with quiet resolve as she stared at her would-be spouse, “is that either party has the right to leave the match if it proves unsatisfactory. I find you an unsatisfactory partner, sir, and thus I leave you.”
Célie clicked her tongue. “He may insist otherwise. If you are not present to defend yourself, who knows what will be said of you? Are you yet a maid?”
“Aye!”
“But he may lie. There is much at stake in this.”
Esmeraude had to think for a mere moment. “Then I shall leave a note, one that will make the truth clear. Aye, I shall leave a riddle so that those men who pursue me know the fullness of the truth on their arrival.”
Célie sat down heavily and crossed herself. “Esmeraude, you have no lack of audacity. What if the King of the Isles follows you?”
“Then I shall tell him before all that he has treated me poorly.” She dug through the satchel’s contents grimly. “Either way, I shall insist that whoever weds me pledges himself to any king other than the King of the Isles.”
“’Tis not your place!”
“I do not care! I have been poorly served, Célie, used as no more than a means to an end by a king I came to in trust. I was his guest !”
“Your trust was poorly rewarded.”
“Indeed ’twas! I did not agree to handfast with this one, yet I was forced. We both know ‘tis not customary to do such a thing.” She gestured to the Norseman with disgust, her anger now replacing her fear. “He would have injured me without remorse. The king wants Ceinn-beithe secured for all time, regardless of the price to me, even though ‘tis through me he would win it. ’Tis unfair! I shall make sure Ceinn-beithe is never his again.”
“God in heaven!” The maid regarded Esmeraude in shock.
“I know my words are uncommonly bold, Célie. But I am vexed and I am right. A man would see blood shed over such an indignity.”
“A man has the right to mete justice.”
“If the suzerainty of Ceinn-beithe is so coupled with my maidenhead, then I should have some right to say what shall be done.” Esmeraude smiled for her aghast maid. “I think my response quite temperate, under the circumstances.”
Célie blinked and protested no more. In the satchel, Esmeraude found the nib and the stoppered vial of ink, drew out a snippet of used vellum that had been carefully cleaned, and began to write.
“What shall we do now?”
“We shall do what I should have done in the first place. We shall visit my sister Jacqueline, for she will defend my right to choose the man I should wed. A woman will understand, as the King of the Isles did not.”
The maid shook her head. “But Airdfinnan is so far away!”
“All the more time to be rid of the one encumbrance to my quest,” Esmeraude said firmly.
“And what might that encumbrance be?” the maid asked faintly.
Esmeraude did not answer immediately, for she knew that Célie would not approve. She blew on the ink, then tucked the missive into the lace of the Norseman’s boots. As an afterthought, she removed the lace from about his neck, though she placed the talisman on the floor beside him.
She scooped up the lamp and beckoned to Célie, pausing to loop the lace over the latch. She drew it through the door as ’twas closed, used the lace to drop the latch, then flicked the lace so that it came free. The door had no means to lift the latch from the outside.
She grinned triumphantly at her maid, who shook her head. “Now, let him learn what it is like to be helpless at the will of another.”
Before her maid could chastise her, Esmeraude scooped up the
He stirred, groaned, and was still once more.
“The beauty of a handfasting,” Esmeraude said with quiet resolve as she stared at her would-be spouse, “is that either party has the right to leave the match if it proves unsatisfactory. I find you an unsatisfactory partner, sir, and thus I leave you.”
Célie clicked her tongue. “He may insist otherwise. If you are not present to defend yourself, who knows what will be said of you? Are you yet a maid?”
“Aye!”
“But he may lie. There is much at stake in this.”
Esmeraude had to think for a mere moment. “Then I shall leave a note, one that will make the truth clear. Aye, I shall leave a riddle so that those men who pursue me know the fullness of the truth on their arrival.”
Célie sat down heavily and crossed herself. “Esmeraude, you have no lack of audacity. What if the King of the Isles follows you?”
“Then I shall tell him before all that he has treated me poorly.” She dug through the satchel’s contents grimly. “Either way, I shall insist that whoever weds me pledges himself to any king other than the King of the Isles.”
“’Tis not your place!”
“I do not care! I have been poorly served, Célie, used as no more than a means to an end by a king I came to in trust. I was his guest !”
“Your trust was poorly rewarded.”
“Indeed ’twas! I did not agree to handfast with this one, yet I was forced. We both know ‘tis not customary to do such a thing.” She gestured to the Norseman with disgust, her anger now replacing her fear. “He would have injured me without remorse. The king wants Ceinn-beithe secured for all time, regardless of the price to me, even though ‘tis through me he would win it. ’Tis unfair! I shall make sure Ceinn-beithe is never his again.”
“God in heaven!” The maid regarded Esmeraude in shock.
“I know my words are uncommonly bold, Célie. But I am vexed and I am right. A man would see blood shed over such an indignity.”
“A man has the right to mete justice.”
“If the suzerainty of Ceinn-beithe is so coupled with my maidenhead, then I should have some right to say what shall be done.” Esmeraude smiled for her aghast maid. “I think my response quite temperate, under the circumstances.”
Célie blinked and protested no more. In the satchel, Esmeraude found the nib and the stoppered vial of ink, drew out a snippet of used vellum that had been carefully cleaned, and began to write.
“What shall we do now?”
“We shall do what I should have done in the first place. We shall visit my sister Jacqueline, for she will defend my right to choose the man I should wed. A woman will understand, as the King of the Isles did not.”
The maid shook her head. “But Airdfinnan is so far away!”
“All the more time to be rid of the one encumbrance to my quest,” Esmeraude said firmly.
“And what might that encumbrance be?” the maid asked faintly.
Esmeraude did not answer immediately, for she knew that Célie would not approve. She blew on the ink, then tucked the missive into the lace of the Norseman’s boots. As an afterthought, she removed the lace from about his neck, though she placed the talisman on the floor beside him.
She scooped up the lamp and beckoned to Célie, pausing to loop the lace over the latch. She drew it through the door as ’twas closed, used the lace to drop the latch, then flicked the lace so that it came free. The door had no means to lift the latch from the outside.
She grinned triumphantly at her maid, who shook her head. “Now, let him learn what it is like to be helpless at the will of another.”
Before her maid could chastise her, Esmeraude scooped up the
Similar Books
