His Captive Lady Read Free Page B

accepts us as allies, then I can recall the warband and at the least our household will be reunited.' Erica transferred her gaze to the housecarl who, in better times, her father had thought to see her wed. 'Ailric, you said in your last report that you had located Thane Guthlac's camp, that he, too, has taken refuge in East Anglia.'
    'Yes, my lady. Guthlac has kept his warband together and his encampment...' His voice trailed off.
    'What of it? Where is it?'
    Ailric shrugged and a brooch at his shoulder gleamed gold in the firelight. 'It is not so much an encampment, but a castle.'
    A ripple of surprise went round some of the men. Erica, too, was startled. Whoever had heard of anyone building a castle in this watery world? But Ailric was nodding.
    'A castle, my lady. Oh, to be sure it is a wooden one, it is not built in stone, but it is imposing none the less. Guthlac has had it thrown up on one of the larger islands; there is a palisade, and even a mound, and the main hall is built on that. From the distance you would think it a tower, a wooden tower.'
    Erica's forehead puckered as she struggled to imagine it. 'In the Norman style?'
    'Very like. It resembles the ones that William of Normandy built in London and Winchester, before he brought in his Frankish stonemasons.'
    'And Guthlac has used wood throughout?'
    'Aye. It is...' Ailric's eyes lost focus as he recalled the details. 'It is as well built as any I have seen. The palisade looks impenetrable and there are walkways and sentry posts around the tower. It dominates the marshes for miles around.'
    Hereward grunted. 'Guthlac always was a prideful fool, to draw attention to himself by such means. Soon every Norman in East Anglia will discover its location. Ailric tells me that by night the place blazes with more lights than King Harold's palace at Bosham ever did.' The housecarl gave Erica a straight look. 'You cannot mean that we should ally ourselves with such as he?'
    'Indeed I do.' Erica stiffened her spine. 'Guthlac is our only hope.' She made herself smile at Ailric, and prayed that he would not sense the doubts in her. 'Ailric, you will accompany me, tomorrow at dawn. You will take me to Guthlac's...castle, where we will discuss the terms of an alliance.'
    An appalled silence filled the cottage. It was broken only by the popping of willow logs on the fire and the wind combing the reeds outside. And then Hereward and Siward bounced to their feet, the young housecarl and the old, united in their horror at what she was proposing.
    'Tomorrow? No, my lady!' This from Hereward.
    'Lady, no , you cannot forget the feud!' This from Siward. His gnarled hand had gone straight to his sword hilt.
    Rising to move round the fire, Erica put her hand on Siward's and gently peeled it from his sword. 'The time has come for us to put it to rest.'
    'But, my lady!' Hereward was practically spluttering into his beard with outrage. 'The feud is as old as I, older! It was old in my father's time.' Glaring at Erica, his eyes were hard and indignant. 'You cannot simply dance into Guthlac's lair and expect such a feud to be ended. I told you,' he muttered in Siward's direction, 'that to pass Thane Eric's authority on to his daughter was a mistake. The woman does not live who understands the sacred nature of a bloodfeud.'
    'Sacred? Enough! ' Erica made a chopping motion with her hand. Her jaw was as set as the jaw of the young man quivering in front of her, her determination was as grim. It had to be, for this, she was convinced, was the only way forwards. She drew herself up to her full height. 'Hereward, you forget yourself. I know full well the import of the bloodfeud--have I not grown up with it? Did I not lose my cousin to it? I will not waste breath discussing the futility of his death to a fellow Saxon on the very eve of the Norman invasion. I know how you men...' she looked into each and every silent face around the fire and poured scorn into her voice '...do value this...squabble. And