Page 60 of The Caged Viking

“Not that I disagree with you, but aren’t wives supposed to be helpmates, of benefit to their husbands? Marital bliss and all that?”

“Ye’d think so, but not in my experience. More bother than bliss.”

“Have you never married yourself?”

“I have. Three times.”

“Three?” she exclaimed. “You have three wives? The more danico then.” She shook her head with disgust at the Viking practice of multiple wives.

“Not all at the same time,” he said. “One died, one divorced me fer being gone a-Viking too much…abandonment, she called it, and the third is in Frankland. I have no idea if Estelle is dead or alive and no interest in finding out; I was forced into that one by an angry papa. I have women aplenty, when I want, but no more wives, thank ye very much.”

Kirstin had to smile. Picturing Egil as a ladies’ man was difficult, if not impossible.

“And children…do you have children?”

“Not that I am aware, though Estelle was big with child when I escaped her clutches.”

“And you don’t want to find out?”

He thought for a moment and said, “Nay.”

“How long ago was that?”

He shrugged. “Ten years or more.”

That meant he might have a son or daughter a little younger than Bjorn.

Seeing her disapproval, he elaborated, “I have no home to speak of. By choice. I like the roaming life. I like the tupping, good and well, but afterward I have not much use fer women. Oh, I know, ’tis not an attractive trait. But, truth to tell, women are too waspish by nature and demanding. ‘Do this, do that, I want, I need, where were you, who were you with?’ What man willingly submits himself to that?”

Kirstin laughed.

Midway down the ship, Hauk’s head went up at the sound of her laughter. He smiled, probably thinking that her anger was melting. She scowled his way just to let him know he was still on her shit list.

“Smitten!” Egil murmured with a decided tone of disgust.

“What?”

“The master. Head over arse smitten with ye, he is.”

“You think so?”

“Why else would ye be here on his longship, on the way to his broken down, long-neglected estate where a mistress with a witchy attitude awaits yer arrival? A saner man woulda left ye behind to get his affairs in order afore bringing ye home, but, nay, Hauk is too…smitten.”

She gazed at Egil with horror.

Then she turned to stare at Hauk, also with horror.

* * *

Not the homecoming he expected…

Finally, they had almost reached their destination, Haukshire.

Traveling down Friggsfjord, Hauk noted the stand of ancient blue spruce trees that marked the beginning of his estate. The waterway lapped at the rocks that festooned either bank, leading upward to more rocks. What greenery there was thrived only in the branches of the trees, the soil being too rocky and infertile except for the most hardy plants. But then, the vast number of evergreens here in the north were a boon in that they provided winter cover for plentiful game, like deer, hare, bears, wolves, and other fur-bearing animals.

One of the first things Hauk would have to do is send out hunters to bring in a goodly amount of meat for the snowbound months to come. Mayhap they would travel even farther north for bear and hreindyri, or what the English called reindeer, if there was time. And the furs would be good for barter in the markets of many countries.

Soon, around the next bend, his home would be visible up on the rise.