“And who might be making that decision for you? Ivar? Athelstan?” he snapped icily. He threw up his hands in resignation. “Holy Thor! Why am I ever surprised by women and their machinations? You tried to trap me. And fool that I am, I almost fell for your ploy.”
Ruby wept silently, unable to offer Thork an explanation he could accept.
Finally he ordered, “Leave my chamber and do not dare to tempt me again, or I swear I will kill you with my bare hands.” Furious swear words spouted from Thork’s mouth as he threw her tunic at her and pulled her off the bed, shoving her toward the door.
“Vigi!” he yelled out the open doorway into the hall, “Get your bloody arse here, or I will skin you alive.”
“Thork, you’re making a mistake. Please. You don’t understand. Please. It’s not what you think.”
Thork would not even look at her as she donned her tunic, despite her pleas.
Soon a red-faced Vigi came running from a room down the hall, struggling to lace a hastily donned pair of pants. He cowered under Thork’s stormy vindictives, which ended with an order, “Tell Linette I want her—now!”
“Oh, no! Oh, Thork, don’t do this. Don’t destroy the beauty of this thing between us. How can you be with Linette and not me?” she asked with tears choking her voice.
“Because she expects naught of me,” he ground out, “and because she is honest, and you are not.”
“Linette, honest? Hah! If you weren’t so blind—”
Thork grabbed her by the upper arm and pushed her out into the hallway. “You have teased and tormented me for the last time, wench. Never doubt that the fire you ignited in my belly can just as easily be quenched in another sheath.” He looked pointedly at Linette, who was scurrying toward him expectantly with Vigi close behind.
He pulled Linette into his arms and kissed her hungrily, uncaring of Ruby’s hurt, watchful eyes. The door slammed soon behind them both, but not before Thork ordered Vigi, “Keep the wench out of my sight, or you will suffer the bloody consequences.”
Stunned, Ruby stared at the closed door, knowing what was about to take place. She pounded on the locked door and screamed, “This isn’t the end, you bastard. Just you wait and see. Just you wait and see.”
Realizing the foolishness of her position, Ruby stopped. How could he? she cried with inner torment. How could he? She rocked back and forth on her heels in pain at his cruelty until Ella put a comforting hand on her shoulder and led her back to her tower room, under Vigi’s guard. She stayed with her, holding her hand until the harsh sobs stopped racking her body.
“Your plan did not work, did it?” Ella asked gently when Ruby finally dried her eyes and blew her nose on a linen cloth.
“Yes and no,” Ruby snuffled.
“What does that mean?”
“It means I tried to seduce Thork and ended up the seducee.”
“Huh?”
Ruby suffered miserably that evening when neither Thork nor Linette showed up in the great hall for dinner. The next morning Ella informed her that Thork had gone off for several days to Jorvik where he would ready his ship for sailing.
“Linette went along fer the company,” she added, rolling her eyes dramatically. “And Gyda be spittin’ mad that Linette travels with her husband, sez she does not trust the witch with her man. Aud and the master bin’ arguing sumpin’ fierce all day and she sez she will not speak to him till he gets the wench a husbin. And the master Dar sez all the trouble began when you came to the manor.”
“Me?” Ruby exclaimed after Ella’s long-winded ramble. “What have I to do with Linette’s alley-cat morality?”
” ‘Twould seem Linette hid her doin’s better till this past few days when you arrived.”
Ruby realized as she looked up to the dais that evening that this time Ella had her facts straight. Aud deliberately turned her face away from Dar throughout the meal and talked only to her other eating companions. Dar’s face reddened as he downed one horn of ale after another, refusing food. Once he looked directly at Ruby and glared. It seemed Ruby had one more vote against her at the Althing.