Page 36 of The Shipwreck
Then Avril responded with surprise to his confession.“You…care about me?”
He hung his head and sighed.Was it not written all over his face?He gave her a rueful chuckle.“Oh, my Pictish temptress,” he said, shaking his head, “it’s far worse than that.I fear I’m in love with you.”
Avril was struck speechless.She lowered the blade from his back as his words sank in.No one had ever said that to her before.She didn’t know how to respond.She’d fantasized about being Brandr’s wife, about making a family with him.She’d never imagined he might already have feelings for her.
She stared in wonder at the enemy she’d discovered only days before on this very shore.His long Viking-blond hair tangled over his wide invader’s shoulders and fell down his broad marauding back.But though he was definitely still a stranger, he no longer seemed a foe.
Now she saw the possibility of a bright future…for Kimbery, for herself, for the shipwrecked Northman.Theycouldmake a life together.Theycouldfind a place in the world.All she had to do was persuade Brandr of that.
He glanced over his shoulder.Misunderstanding her silence and her lowered weapon, he asked somberly, “Will you let me go now?”
She whipped the point of her blade back up so swiftly it startled him.“Not so fast, Viking.”A thrill of hope suffused her even as her eyes filled with happy tears.One way or another, she’d convince the Northman to stay…even if she had to keep him leashed in her cottage for a year.“I thought you said you weren’t a coward.”
He didn’t answer.
She continued.“You’re a damned Northman!You flex your muscle, rattle your battleaxe, and speak of glorious war.And yet you’d run away from acurse?”
He clenched his fists, but remained silent.
“Well,” she said, “I don’t believe in curses.Do you think you alone are fortune’s foe?I’ve lost everything, too.I’ve had bad times when I wanted to surrender.I’ve had moments of weakness when I wondered why I went on living.But I never gave up.Not once did I let despair get the better of me.Not once did I—”
“Mama!”Kimbery called out suddenly behind her.
Avril started in surprise.
“Kimbery!”she snapped, whipping around to give her daughter the scolding of her life.“I told you to stay at…”
But when she saw Kimmie hadn’t come alone, Avril’s heart plummeted, her knees buckled, and she nearly lost her grip on the sword.Her little girl was riding merrily atop the shoulders of one of dozens of Viking savages that now occupied her beach.
“Look!”Kimbery crowed, oblivious to her horror.“I’m a Frost Giant!”
All of Avril’s warrior instincts told her not to show weakness, not to waver, not to beg.Five years ago, standing over her father’s grave, bruised from a brutal rape, she’d vowed never to cower before a Viking again.
But five years ago, she hadn’t had a daughter she’d die for.
“Nay,” she choked out, “please.Don’t hurt her.”She prayed they could understand her words.Oh, God, she thought, what if they meant to steal Kimbery?What if they sailed away with her to the North?What if Avril never saw her again?
Quaking with fear, she moved her sword away from Brandr and set the weapon gently on the ground.“Take him.Take Brandr.Just give my daughter back to me.”
Chapter 11
Brandr wheeled around with his fists raised and his face in a fierce scowl, ready to fight whoever was threatening the women he loved.He lowered his arms immediately when he saw who it was.
“Halfdan?”he asked in disbelief.“Ragnarr?”Relief and joy coursed through him.Behind Avril stood his brothers—whole, healthy, and grinning.By the grace of Odin, they’d come through the storm, untouched, and they were surrounded by their men.“You’re alive!”
There was a rumble of celebration as he rushed forward to catch his brothers in a one-armed embrace.
“What happened to you?”Ragnarr asked, indicating his splinted forearm.
His injury was the least of Brandr’s concerns.“A scratch,” he said with a shrug.“But how did you find me?”
Halfdan frowned.“We followed the wreckage of your ship.”
Brandr nodded.There was a long moment of reflective silence as everyone thought about those who’d been lost.Then Ragnarr cleared his throat and announced, “Your men are no doubt feasting in Valhalla.”
There were cheers of agreement all around.
“But it’s been days,” Brandr said.“The wreckage must have drifted.How did you know to look for me here?”
