By Love Enslaved Read Free

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    “Don’t tease me,” he cautioned, his voice deepening as he forced himself to be stern. “You know your mother would set the dogs on me if I ever came anywhere near you or your farm.”
    His unexpected taunt brought a bright blush to Berit’s cheeks because she knew it was undeniably true, and that pained her. She cared not at all what the circumstances of his birth had been, but since she could think of no way to encourage him to visit her without revealing more than she dared, she offered no such invitation. Deeply embarrassed by his rebuke, her lips formed a bewitching pout. She murmured no more than a hasty farewell, then tapped her heels against her mare’s flanks and quickly followed her mother through the gate with the twins following close behind.
    Erik had only briefly glimpsed Berit’s expression, but he had witnessed a disturbing array of emotions: frustration, anger, and the same sense of hopeless rage he often felt, although he was uncertain of exactly what had upset her.
    Dana had seen, if not overheard, the parting conversation between Berit and Erik, but his resulting frown was too deep for her to think he would wish to discuss it. He was such a good-natured young man, she hoped Berit had not said something thoughtless and insulted or hurt him.
    “Erik,” she called as she approached him. When she had his attention, she explained the errand that would take them to Grena’s the next morning.
    “What?” Erik’s dark brows came together in a harsh line as his frown deepened into a hostile scowl. “Haakon refuses to own thralls. How could you and your mother have forgotten that?”
    “Please don’t misunderstand. We’ve not bought the man,” Dana hastened to explain, but when Erik still failed to respond favorably, she revealed the true reason Grena had asked them to take the man temporarily.
    In spite of the darkness of his mood, Erik began to chuckle. He was a handsome man, and a smile made him all the more so. “I find that a difficult tale to believe, but now I am too curious not to go with you.”
    “Good, because I don’t dare risk going alone since the danger is so great I might also be tempted to seduce him,” Dana responded with a sparkling laugh. She reached up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek, for she loved Erik as dearly as she did her other two brothers. “Let’s pretend we have no idea why he’s being sent here. I imagine the poor fellow will be grateful for a chance to rest if Grena’s women have pestered him so relentlessly.”
    “I’ll not say a word,” Erik promised with a sly grin. As he returned to his chores, he laughed time and again over the prospect of meeting a man so many women were eager to possess. But then he began to wonder if Berit had found the Celt slave attractive too.
     
     
    Late that afternoon, Dana joined her mother when Freya awoke from her nap. She sat down on the edge of her bed, and taking advantage of the privacy afforded by the cozy sleeping chamber, she was eager to discuss their favorite maid. “Moira is twenty. Don’t you think we ought to be giving some serious thought to finding her a husband?”
    Freya covered a wide yawn with a pale hand before nodding in agreement. She found it difficult to shake her desire for more sleep. “Yes, I most certainly do. She is such a dear little person, I don’t understand how I could have been so remiss.”
    Dana was delighted to find her mother’s interest in Moira’s future was as keen as her own. It would provide a welcome diversion, for she knew her mother spent far too much time dwelling on the aftereffects of her long illness. Freya had recently celebrated her thirty-seventh birthday, but Dana still thought her mother beautiful. Her golden-red hair was as glossy and curly as her own, and her flawless complexion was unlined. Only her eyes looked different. They had once sparkled with the fiery brilliance of sapphires, but now her gaze held only a compelling sadness that frequently