Blind Allegiance (28 page)

Good sense must prevail.

Randvior must have sensed her discomfort and leaned closer.

“Have you anything to add?” he asked.

Noelle wrung her hands and stared at Lauga. A shred of kindness from the woman would motivate her to intervene. Just as the Lord showed mercy in Nineveh, if Lauga repented, she would shield her from Randvior’s wrath.

But a face as hard and bloodless as stone stared back at her. The scarlet shade of Lauga’s gown accentuated the delicate color of her face. With her hair pulled high, she appeared years younger.
Any
man would be easily tempted.

Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, and even a deadly spider has her charms.
Noelle’s face hardened—she refused to be a victim any longer.

“Why?” she blurted out. Lauga did not answer, only stared back.

“Answer the lady of Steingard,” he commanded.

Lauga laughed mockingly. “Steingard? How very charming. Only the filthy English give pet names to sticks and stones.”

Lines marred Randvior’s face. “I believe my wife asked you a question. But let me rephrase it since you seem so unwilling to answer. Why did you hire assassins to kill me, pay for Brian Sinclair to travel from England to murder my wife, and consort with Christians in a place where Odin’s law is the heart of the people?”

The question upset the crowd.

“Kill
you
?” Lauga faltered. “I did no such thing—they were supposed to kill
her
.” The affirmation burst from her lips, seemingly involuntarily. She gasped and covered her mouth.

“Thrice you have attempted murder on my wife.”

Sickened by her demeanor, Noelle shot up and interrupted her husband.

“I strove
to win your respect from the moment I met you. In obedience to my husband, I made peace with these women and accepted what small role you were willing to assign me. If we had settled our differences, even agreed to exist side-by-side with mutual tolerance, I would have been satisfied. There is always hope where God reigns true.”

Without warning, Lauga charged the dais with a knife.

Randvior blocked his mother’s path; she screamed as his massive hand closed around her throat.

Men below pulled their swords and attempted to shove their way through the crowd. But Aud and his men stopped the attack. Three men collapsed on the floor after the brief conflict ended. Noelle rushed to Anundr’s side; he quickly grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her behind his chair.

“Stay by me.” He pulled a long knife from his belt.

She wanted to close her eyes and will this nightmare away. But Lauga had tried to kill her—again! Not even her Christian upbringing could overshadow the fury she felt in that moment. Herbs and powders, magic spells, and consorting with witches, all offenses punishable by death in Christian lands. Eighteen men were marched to the front of the room. Lauga was still caught in Randvior’s unforgiving grasp. Her knife lay on the floor.
Aud scooped it up and placed it on his weapon belt for safekeeping.

“Silence!” Randvior commanded.

All the excitement upset Noelle’s stomach again and a burning pain spread across her chest.

Anundr narrowed his eyes. “What ails you?”

Not wishing to alert him to her delicate condition, she scooted away from him and found Unnr, who encouraged her to sit and recline on her chair while she gently blotted sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief.

“Violence can give anyone serious indigestion. And while you’re pregnant, expect it even more. This too will pass.”

Knowing what would happen next as her husband confronted the men who tried to attack him, Noelle could hardly keep her mind focused on one thing. She watched as Aud whispered something in her husband’s ear.

Randvior exploded. “Insurrection is punishable by death, take them away.”

The muscles on his face flexed as he stared at her, as if he were making sure she was listening. “Hang them until they’re dead,” he told Aud. “Leave their bodies in the forest so the beasts can pick their bones clean.”

Enough violence and death. Enough pain and suffering. Enough misplaced allegiance. She had never seen so much brutality in one place. There was nothing for her husband to prove. She knew he loved her. He chose her over Lauga, killed Brian, and sought to avenge the deaths of his tenants. Randvior was no longer the soulless sinner in her eyes. His fierce loyalty astounded her. She had put all her faith in the right man. But now she wanted peace. Not for herself, but for the safety of her child.

Undeniably shaken, she knew unfinished business remained between her husband and his mother.

He spoke to the crowd again. “If there are others amongst us who wish to stand with my mother, do so now!” Randvior prowled. Searching and stopping—looking for signs of faithlessness on the faces of his tenants and guests. No one seemed safe at the moment.

Lauga stayed silent.

Aud and his men pushed the offenders toward the main doors. Women cried out and ran to Randvior. Four dropped to their knees in front of him, blocking his path.

“Favor us today kind master, spare our husbands. They were hypnotized by your mother’s promises of wealth and prestige if they served her well.”

“I am fresh out of mercy and tolerance. Let this serve as a severe warning.” He flushed with obvious displeasure. “Aud, do as I commanded.”

Guards removed the hysterical women from the room. Randvior headed for his seat, but checked on his father first. Anundr pointed at Noelle.
This is it. . . he’ll find out I’m pregnant before I have a chance to tell him myself.
With all the misery, she didn’t want to share this joyous news yet.

Raising his brows, Randvior asked, “Are you sick, Noelle?” He palmed her forehead. “You look thinner and pale.”

“She’s with child,” Unnr revealed without hesitation.

Noelle straightened. Her friend had spoken without batting an eyelash. Everyone within earshot waited breathlessly for the jarl to react. A private matter had just been made public. Noelle fisted her hands in bitter disappointment. She had envisioned a quiet evening curled up on his lap, with her head resting over his heart so she could feel it skip a beat when she told him. She wanted to see
and
feel his joy.

He stood dumbly in front of her and thumbed perspiration from the tip of her nose.

“Thank you for providing me with clarity of purpose.” Without another word or acknowledgement of her condition, he sat.

He raised his arms and the droning of voices subsided. “I am ready to rule on my mother’s case.”

Before he spoke again, Randvior stared at the ceiling. Her heart ached for him. No matter what he decided, Randvior knew, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that his mother was guilty. She couldn’t begin to imagine what it felt like to face the woman who gave birth to you in such grim circumstances.

“Because the Thing does not convene until late spring, I am entitled to act as judge. By my mother’s own pathetic admission, she plotted many times to kill my wife. And now she has deepened her culpability by striking out in front of everyone in this room. She has not denied the allegations linking her to the Christian rebel Olaf Haraldsson. Rarely have I seen a more corrupt person.”

He acted more the avenging angel than judge. Sitting so close to him, Noelle could feel the heat radiating from his powerful body. Although her child was little more than a flutter inside her womb, she had held out hope that Lauga would be a part of their lives someday, if only for the child’s sake.

However, it would never be . . .

Randvior pronounced her sentence in one word. “Banishment.”

As tragic as a death sentence. She’d fare better facing the hangman.
Aud braced Lauga’s wilting frame against his body.

Randvior’s voice blared as loudly as a war horn. “You will no longer call me son, and I shall never again refer to you as my mother. You are without family or friends, and no longer have roots in these lands—no kinsmen will ever shelter you. Odin will blot the sight of you from his eyes.”

Noelle clutched her husband’s hand. He spread his feet wide, dropped her hand, and folded his hands behind his back, looking as impenetrable as a fortress. His threatening stance elicited murmurs from the crowd.

“You will never see the next generation of Sigurdssons grow and prosper. Be gone from me before I change my mind and have you hung beside your fellow traitors.”

Those were his final words. He turned his back on Lauga and so did every man, woman, and child in the room. Only Noelle faced her.
So this is what it feels like to have your life erased.
Despite Lauga’s horrendous crimes, Noelle’s heart ached for her.

“Why do you gawk at me girl?” Lauga hissed.

She sucked in a breath and held it before she could bring herself to answer.

“I pity you,” she said at last. Lauga’s eyes revealed the immeasurable depth of her hatred.

“I don’t need your pity, nor want it. I am free now.”

Chapter 22

Tidings

The atmosphere inside the great hall changed once Lauga Sigurdsson vacated the premises. For the first time since she had arrived in Norway, hope colored Noelle’s world. Gratitude crept into her heart—Randvior had made the ultimate sacrifice.

Pleasurable aromas from the kitchen drifted into the room and made her mouth water. She didn’t understand how everyone could return to their duties so easily. Thralls brought food and drink. Happiness surrounded her. A tragedy had occurred here today, not something to be taken lightly in her opinion.

Once again, Unnr tried to comfort her. The woman could read her almost as well as Randvior.

“Norsemen rarely show emotion. It took a great amount of courage for Jarl Randvior to punish his mother. He has gained immeasurable respect by rejecting his own kinswoman. Only a man guided by Odin’s hand can find the courage to do such a thing. Wisdom is a divine attribute.”

“So is mercy.”

“Aye,” Unnr agreed. “But did Lauga show any?”

“No.”

“Odin has. See how loved and admired you are.”

“Odin?” Noelle looked surprised. She was stunned an English woman felt anything for a pagan god. “Why would you attest to Odin’s charitable character?”

“Because, I too, worship him.”

As amusing as it had been watching Noelle struggle after Unnr made the unexpected announcement about her pregnancy, Randvior decided it was time to set things right between them. He took her to Odin’s altar to pray for their unborn child’s life. Promises had been made there weeks ago and he believed his patron would protect his family.

“Why did you wait to tell me?” he asked.

“I have hardly seen you over the last few days. And between the attack and Lauga’s trial . . . I didn’t want to share such wonderful news at such an unfortunate moment in our lives.”

A plausible excuse.

He stared at his wife. All this time he had carried doubt in his heart. Jealousy had eaten away at his flesh and darkened his soul. No longer, he would learn patience and dedicate his life to mercy.

“Mercy on your enemies, too?”
a voice interrupted.

He drew his weapon and tucked Noelle behind him. “Who is speaking to me?”

His pulse accelerated. Hadn’t there been enough surprises for one day? Noelle stared at him, then they both searched the clearing. He shifted his gaze toward Noelle again and she started to say something. He held a finger to his lips.

“A man without children has no purpose. Your sons and daughters are your future,”
the voice continued.
“Carve out a new existence for yourself. You are not meant to die. I have plans for you yet, Randvior Sigurdsson.”

Whose voice dared invade his head? His wife couldn’t hear it; he pushed her protectively behind the altar stone. His eyes swept the area again. Not a blasted thing seemed out of place. And his slaves and guards remained where they belonged.

He sheathed his weapon, scratched his head.

“What troubles you?” Noelle asked.

He rubbed his chin and started to question his own sanity.

“Sometimes . . .” he started.
It is impossible to put this delicately.
“It’s rumored the gods may speak directly to you if you listen with your heart.”

“Aye, the saints were blessed by intimate conversations with God.”

She didn’t need convincing,
he
did.

“Why deny me
?” There it was again. “
Enjoy the pleasures I give you, Norseman. Hear me. Soon these lands will be obliterated by martyrs’ blood. You aren’t meant for this battle. Leave. Take your family and sail the North Sea to a new land. I will follow. Wherever you erect an altar in my name, I will come.”

Randvior ran his fingers over the peak of the stone. He never doubted Odin’s spirit resided in this place, but to hear his god’s voice . . . to experience something so incredible had never been in the realm of possibility. Such a privilege should only be reserved for the greatest warriors. The warning—command ignited a spark in him. His steely faith and willingness to protect the religious rights of his brethren had always captured the respect of his peers. Apparently the gods had taken notice, too.

The only hitch: abandon the lands he had poured his life’s blood into over the last eight years. Of course, Randvior admitted ruefully to himself, starting a new life in a new place appealed to him after everything he and his young wife had been through. If they could settle in a place closer to England, where Noelle might have an opportunity to visit Margaret and worship her god without fear of reprisal, he knew his family would flourish. Especially now that Brian was dead.

“I will heed your warning, Odin,” he said aloud. He took Noelle’s hand and kissed her fingers. It was time to make this dream a reality. They started for the house.

“Where are you going, Viking?”

Randvior swung around and flashed a smile. Staring at a hunk of rock didn’t bring him any closer to Allfather.

“I’ve paid a great price, honored my departed friends, disenfranchised my family, executed a dozen of my men, and killed my wife’s only brother. I need peace and maybe a bit of pleasure before I lay plans to leave this place.”