Anna Markland - Viking Roots Medieval Romance Saga 02 Read Online Free PDF

The Thor’s hammer he’d fastened around his son’s neck had done its work and he doubted the cleric had noticed it. No Viking boy should face life without Mjölnir in his arsenal.
    Things had gone better than expected, though he hadn’t understood most of the Latin rite.
    Torstein had provided the only irritation. What was the lad thinking, making eyes at Sonja? Was he mad? Her father would kill him if he so much as approached the girl, and only Thor knew what her brothers might do. Bryk had fought with Frits and Kennet Karlsen at Chartres. They were warriors who had a reputation as bullies. He’d have to have a word with his nephew. Mayhap Cathryn was right. He should take the youth under his wing and prepare him for the future.
    Torstein might be free now, but the Viking nobility would never forgive or forget he’d been born a slave. Still, it was his responsibility to make a place for the boy. Find him a suitable wife perhaps; a Frankish woman possibly, then there’d be no issue with his past.
    However, home first.
    “I love my new tunic,” he whispered to Cathryn, “but I want to get out of these fancy clothes.” He tickled Magnus Bernard under the chin. “I expected the cathedral to be chilly, but the wool is too hot.”
    She frowned, a curious smile lifting the corners of her mouth. He shook his head as he put a hand to the small of her back to usher her from the church. It wasn’t the tunic making him hot. He’d only to look at his wife for prickly heat to spread across his skin and his manhood to thicken. Hasten the day their bodies would join again.

WORLDS COLLIDE
    Cathryn believed her newfound kinship with the Archbishop of Rouen had contributed greatly to the quick acceptance of Viking rule by the townsfolk. Her uncle seemed to genuinely like Bryk and it warmed her heart. He’d confided that he and many Frankish nobles had come to realize the town would fare better under Rollo.
    The Viking leader showed real interest in Rouen and its people. He had instituted many projects to improve life, not the least of which was the ambitious and risky undertaking to divert the course of the Seine in order to make the many offshore islands more accessible.
    Vikings were expected to learn to speak the Frankish tongue and he encouraged marriages between his people and the local population.
    The Franks came to appreciate the Vikings as hardworking and resourceful, and did indeed intend to make their land flourish. Folk who had fled to the countryside or to other towns gradually returned.
    Archbishop Franco was particularly impressed with Rollo’s pious devotion to his new religion and openly supported the campaign against the Bretons and the steady expansion of Norse territory.
    Many Vikings snickered at the respect shown to Poppa by the local nobility, but acknowledged privately that her Frankish blood had smoothed the way to peace.
    Nevertheless, Cathryn was amused at her uncle’s uncharacteristic nervousness when Poppa sent a messenger one morning announcing her intention to visit later in the afternoon.
    Bryk had left earlier in the day, summoned by Rollo to a meeting of lieutenants to plot the next step in the campaign against the Bretons. Since Poppa must have been aware of this, Cathryn supposed she planned a gathering of females and would doubtless bring her retinue.
    The household servants were busily preparing for her arrival. Cathryn fed Magnus and hoped he would sleep contentedly until Poppa left.
    Apart from her uncle, Torstein was the only male left at the house, but he was tending the apple trees in the garden and would likely stay out of the way. Despite his freedom, he tended to prefer his own company. Cathryn worried for him and was glad Bryk had consented to teach him some rudimentary military skills. She had a suspicion it wouldn’t take the young man long to master those skills. Beneath a wiry exterior beat the heart of a tenacious wolf, she was sure of it.
    Bryk had also suggested seeking a