whose presence she had mostly forgotten.
Feigning ignorance, Nicola said, “I do not. You saw what Bjorn is capable of—”
“You know I do not speak of the boy poured into a man’s body.”
Nicola raised her eyebrows. “I fear I am lost.”
The woman harrumphed and leaned out the window to peer after her cousin. “Then I who also cannot have Vitalis lack rivalry in imagining he is as fascinated with me as I am with him.”
Nicola set her teeth against anger over being baited—not jealousy, she told herself as the Saxon woman turned and departed. And yet it seemed jealousy was what she felt as she watched the red, height, and breadth of the man who also fascinated her go from sight.
Did you even glance my way? she wondered. Did you look upon me whilst I looked upon Bjorn? Or has the one who told me to trust him and assured me he would take me off this isle forgotten I wait on him?
“And that I nearly go mad?” she said aloud and, swinging away from the window, gave a cry when she saw her room had grown smaller yet. She need not pace it out to know it was illusion resulting from isolation and boredom, but what else had she to do?
After verifying length and width remained unchanged in the number of strides, her thoughts shifted to more distressing matters.
If the earl learned the prince came, sooner the treasures would depart Ely. So be it. But if Bjorn heard of his cousin’s impending arrival…
Once more he might spirit her away, not only to provide more time for her heart to turn to him but to escape punishment when it was verified the earl had deceived King Sweyn and the prince by claiming ignorance of his son and Nicola’s whereabouts.
She halted, considered what would happen were she upon Ely when Canute arrived. Though likely he would ransom her to the D’Argents, worse than the great amount of coin it would cost her family was what it would cost Bjorn who might behave unforgivably when Canute took her from him, especially were drink added to his loss.
“After what you did, I do not care,” she said. “Nor do I care what punishment befalls your sire who would pass me among his men if not for you.” That last she did not waver on, but Bjorn…
She nodded to convince herself neither was he due sympathy, then moved her thoughts to Vitalis. “I have been patient and done what you told, I have trusted you. Now come for me, else you give me no choice but to get myself off this accursed isle.”
Chapter Seven
Though force would be used to remove her, it must be this eve. And timing was all.
“Aye, we can wait no longer,” Zedekiah said with grudging acceptance where he stood in the cover of trees alongside Vitalis watching the boats rowing upriver.
It would be dark before Hereward’s rebels assisted the holy men in disembarking near enough Peterborough they would reach their abbey before middle night, but not so near their captors could not be out of reach before alarms sounded.
“As soon as night falls,” Vitalis said and looked to the earl and his men gathered on the shore watching the former hostages go from sight. “Make ready the boat you have hidden. Once the drunkards depart the inn and its lodgers settle to their rest, meet me at the rear entrance. We shall take her then.”
Lord, let the Danes outside her door be full up in their cups, he sent heavenward. Unfortunately, both had not overly imbibed since Bjorn’s near ravishment of Nicola. Sometimes one of the two was senseless, as reported by the lone Saxon whom Hereward set to watch those who watched the lady, but always one remained alert enough to make it dangerous to free her. And of course, it would also be necessary to silence the Saxon.
“Anything else, my lord?”
“We remain true to Lady Hawisa’s code—death only to preserve our lives and those we protect,” Vitalis said. “And greatest mercy shown our own.” Meaning resistant Danes would fall more heavily than any Saxon. “You have gathered enough supplies to deliver us to Wulfenshire even if we must go the long way around to avoid pursuers?”
“Food, drink, additional weapons, and all that is required to tend injuries.”
As ever, the latter was of import in a country swarmed by enemies, Vitalis thought.
“Thus, all we must do is navigate the waterways to where I left our mounts,” Zedekiah concluded.
He spoke of