Eirik raised an inquiring brow. “What a bloodthirsty wench you are. Let me tell you something else about the man. He and a group of his men raided a Viking homestead a few years later, and not only did they rape and kill the first wife of Selik, my father’s best friend, but they carried the skull of his baby son on a pike for weeks to lure Selik out of hiding.”
“Oh, Eirik. So that is why you hate Steven so?”
“That, and much more.”
“I knew Steven was immoral after he betrayed me so callously, but I never suspected the extent of his wickedness. How could there be more?”
“Because I did not bend to his will, because I finally dared to fight him, Steven delighted in tormenting me through the years. Oh, never so openly again. He is a master at hiding his dirty tricks. My favorite destrier was found dead. My mistress was raped by masked attackers. Lying rumors were spread about my alleged cowardice and treasonous activities.” He shrugged. “But I was not the only victim. Many men and boys suffered through the years to satisfy Steven’s insatiable appetite for pain. And women, as well, of course. Like my wife.”
“Your wife?” Eadyth barely squeaked out. “Elizabeth?”
“Yea.” Eirik gazed at Eadyth accusingly. “Like you, she succumbed to Steven’s charms.”
Eadyth felt her face color at Eirik’s reminder of her indiscretion. “Was she married to you at the time?”
“Yea, but that did not bother her overmuch. ‘Twas more than ten years ago. We had been wed only a year, and we were very young.” He shrugged. “Apparently I did not meet her… needs.”
Eadyth stared at Eirik, dumbfounded. Even with his distorted features, she found him devastatingly attractive. Oh, ’twas true, Steven was godly handsome. Nay, she corrected herself, more like devilishly handsome.
“Do not dare to link me with your wife. Womanhood is our only bond. Oh, mayhap I was as blind as she in failing to see Steven’s rotten core, but I have never betrayed you. And furthermore, I would never describe you as inferior to Steven in physical appearance. You win that contest without question.”
“You think me attractive?”
Eirik’s eyes flickered with interest, and his lips tilted in a lopsided smile. He looked ludicrous to Eadyth. And wonderful. She felt her heart tug oddly and expand, causing a rush of blood to all the extremities of her body, filling her with a wonderful warmth. “God’s Bones! You turn a woman breathless and well you know it, you loathsome lout. But that will get you nowhere with me. I am immune to your blatant charms, you fool.”
That caused his face to contort even more as he made a disastrous attempt to smile wider. For some reason, Eadyth felt absolutely no inclination to laugh. Instead, tears clouded her eyes.
“Do not cry for me, silly bird,” Eirik said softly. “Weep for Elizabeth. Steven planted his seed in her, as well, but she chose not to carry it to fruition. Unfortunately, she waited too long to seek the midwife’s cure, and she died along with Steven’s unborn son.”
Eadyth stared at Eirik in horror. No wonder he hated Steven so much. And mistrusted all women. Without thinking, she muttered, “Good Lord, the man may have bastards from one end of the country to the other. Why would he persist in seeking my son?”
“I think I know the answer. ‘Tis rumored that he suffered from a massive bout of St. Anthony’s Fire’seven years past which has rendered him incapable of fathering any more children.”
“Serves him right. ‘Tis unfortunate the devil’s disease did not bum off his very manhood.”
“My thoughts exactly.”
They sat in easy silence for several long moments, both lost in their own thoughts.
” ‘Twas a foul thing you did to me, Eirik,” Eadyth finally said.
“Yea, ’twas. I do not offer this explanation to justify myself. I just wanted you to understand why I went berserk when I saw the letter from Steven. I thought… well, I thought it was happening all over again. Like Elizabeth.”
Eadyth knew that the perfect time had come to confess her masquerade, to lay all secrets out in the open between.them. “Eirik, I have many faults, but dishonesty is not one of them. When I hesitated at your question about deceiving you, ’twas not because of adultery. Actually, ’tis just a tiny little secret I have. Of no real import.”