Page 101 of The Queens and the Kings
“Do you doeverythingjust in case?”
“Yes.”
“Sounds exhausting.”
He shrugged. “I let you stay in my cottage just in case you could get into the Archives.”
Britt laughed. “Well, sometimes it works in your favor.”
As they stepped into the road and the bustling sounds of Klipporno, he drew her closer. Her arm brushed his side. Their fingers tightened into a reassuring knot that, like Selma, was all he could do. His attention darted from left to right, taking in the ever-changing situation.
“Let’s go back to the ship.” She let out a fast breath. “I think you need some space to breathe.”
Chapter Twenty Eight
HENRIK
Henrik,hands stacked behind his head, stared at the seam between the wall and the ceiling. The porthole spilled a simmering claret sunset, while the corners of the room lay in sea darkness. With Klipporno at their stern and the broad ocean ahead, he breathed easier.
Stalking night shadows consumed his tension. In the darkness, thoughts flowed. Reservations dispelled.
Selma dominated his thoughts. He set her aside to think about Einar. Agnes. The Ladylord and her reservations around him. As if on a track, he circled back to Einar. To the soldats and early memories shuffling up from the bottom of the box. It peeked open, releasing silky vapors.
A ferocious young Einar, covered in mud. His eyes were red-rimmed from tears, his teeth clenched. Rain saturated the mud around them. They ran for their lives against older soldats meant to tear them down, test their weakness.
They won.
Barely.
Einar’s voice broke through the inky black of memories. The berth lay in utter darkness. He leaned against the thin door frame.
“You’re brooding.”
“I am.”
The door closed behind Einar. Ropes creaked as he settled onto his hammock. Pale starlight lined his figure. Boots stacked, arms behind his head.
“So?”
“So,” Henrik responded.
Another silence.
After a sigh, Henrik capitulated. “I met Selma.”
“It’s her?”
“It’s her.”
“How do you know?”
“She mentioned you.”
Einar went very still. Only a glimmer of his profile was visible in the dark when he asked, “What did Britt think about Selma?”
“She didn’t tell you?”
“She said that information wasn’t hers to share.”
