men. Within half an hour he had returned but by this time she had dried herself as best she could. Her teeth were still chattering even though she had wrapped herself in her cloak. Ulfric began dragging a large keg which had been split lengthways down the middle into the centre of the room. He then instructed the servants to bring as much hot water as possible and fill the keg in order that Juliana could bathe.
She laughed when she saw how it rocked from side to side but he was not to be outdone and pushed the chest to one side and a large bench to the other to stop it moving. He then left her and went down to the Hall below finding Hilde stitching in front of the fire.
“Hilde, please see to your daughter before she catches her death of cold.”
Hilde flew up the stairs and entered the bedchamber and helped Juliana to step into the hot water. She lowered herself into the make-shift bath and laughed.
“This is marvellous, mother. I love this contraption Ulfric has made for me. You must try it.”
“No, daughter, I will wait and see how you are afterwards. Shall I bring you some soap?”
“Oh, luxury – yes please!”
Juliana soaped herself all over and Hilde washed her hair for her, shouting to the servants to bring fresh water and leave it outside the door. Afterwards, Juliana felt refreshed and cleaner than she had for a long time and vowed that she would use the bathing keg again. Hilde left her alone wrapped in animal furs and she began to drag her fingers through her hair to dry it, thinking how thoughtful Ulfric had been to think of such a wonderful thing.
A knock on the door brought her back from her musings and she opened it to find the servants waiting to empty the bath. They filled buckets and then dragged the keg away out of the room. Ulfric walked in when they had finished, anxiously looking to see if she had stopped shivering.
***
Juliana looked so relaxed when she smiled and held out her hand to him to sit beside her both of which he took to be a sign of encouragement.
“Did you enjoy your hot water bathe, Juliana?” he asked. “It must have been better than diving into a cold beck.”
“It was the most beautiful experience of my life, Ulfric, and I want to thank you for providing it for me. I was thinking that we could have something made that would stay here in the room and I could use it every day. Our carpenters both went to war with my father and have not returned, but I am hoping others will come to take their place. Perhaps we could ask in Lincoln if anyone would like to make their living here.”
“There are carpenters among my men. We need many skills within an army and carpentry is one of them. I’ll ask what they can devise. The keg was their idea but only a short term solution.”
“Then I am indebted to them for their skill,” she smiled.
Ulfric was acutely aware of her nakedness beneath her furs and looked into her eyes for a long moment, trying to gauge her mood. He took a cloth out of her hands which she had used to dry her hair and let it fall to the floor, leaving her wild red curls in disarray around her shoulders. He gasped at her beauty as her deep pink lips curved into a smile and her eyes softened as she met his gaze. He touched her hair and then cupped her face between his hands, his heart hammering against his chest as he moved towards her. She closed her eyes and parted her lips to receive his kiss and as their lips met for the first time a spark ignited a flame which could not be quenched by one kiss alone. He stood and pulled her up to stand in front of him, and felt her tremble in his arms as she sought to keep herself covered. He lowered his head for another kiss and felt one of her arms creep around his neck. He groaned aloud when she pushed herself against his body and he felt her curves through the fur. When she at last pulled away he looked at her questioningly.
“Juliana, you have bewitched me. Tell me again that you would rather sleep on the floor than share the comfort of my bed.”
“Sire,” she said, her voice