The Silken Cord Read Online Free PDF

men should find us by
morning.”
    “I have no change of dry clothing to offer
you,” Gara said.
    “That’s all right. I feel warmer already. We
should be able to leave as soon as the storm passes.” Ariana hoped
Jenkin and the others found them by then. But Wulfgar’s men would
fight to take him back.
    Unless she could first convince Wulfgar to
help her.
    Wulfgar crouched before the fire, his entire
body trembling. She felt the same. He’d saved her life when he
could have left her to the sea. She didn’t understand, but now she
owed him a great debt.
    Wulfgar looked at her from over his
shoulder, his long hair plastered to his head. His lashes were
spiked with rain; lashes any woman would envy. She saw the glitter
of his eyes and the flash of his white teeth as he smiled. They
were safe for the time being. How different would their lives have
been had he not committed treason and they had met at court?
    Ah, but she would never willingly go to King
William’s court. She hated all Normans. They had successfully wiped
out most of her family. Four elder brothers, her father, and
numerous other family members and friends. Except for Dafydd, Aunt
Frida, and Rhodri, her small cousin, all her family had been
killed. She must save Dafydd or she would have no one left.
    In silence, Ariana watched as Callum placed
more peat moss upon the fire. When it appeared it would burn long
and hot, they all rested for a time.
    Wulfgar had saved her life, but what about
later tomorrow? Sighing deeply, she closed her eyes and decided not
to think about that now.
     
    * * *
     
    Ariana awoke slowly, blinking her eyes. The
glaring sun blinded her and she quickly closed them again. The cry
of a babe awoke her, followed by the opening of the door. The
squawk of sea birds and the roar of the ocean filtered inside the
drab hut. The sharp aroma of brine stung her nose and the grit of
sand on the dirt floor dug against her cheek.
    Turning her head, she found herself staring
at Wulfgar’s profile. He sat on the floor beside Callum, talking
quietly as the two men shared a piece of cheese. Gara and the baby
were gone and Ariana assumed the mother had taken her child
outside.
    Wulfgar’s eye was black and swollen from the
beating he’d suffered yesterday. An ugly welt creased his left brow
and his soft beard hid other cuts and scratches. Their swim in the
ocean had cleansed the wounds around his eyes and jaw. His split
lips were full and her gaze centered on his mouth. His dark hair
fell in unkempt lengths to his shoulders. The Normans from the
auction had worn their hair cut short. Wulfgar's shaggy appearance
must be from his enforced servitude rather than his personal
preference.
    With him so close by, she felt strangely
safe. An odd notion, surely.
    Resting her head back, she closed her eyes,
her body still weak from their ordeal at sea. Opening her eyes
again, she sighed, reconciled to dealing with her predicament.
    She looked about the hut, finding no
furniture and no ornaments of any kind. A few weapons leaned
against the wall and one cooking pot rested over the fire. The
aroma of mutton stew made her mouth water. These people seemed
destitute, yet well fed.
    What might Wulfgar be saying to Callum? What
if he promised a reward if Callum helped him escape? Though they
weren’t starving, Callum and Gara looked in great need. If they
decided to help Wulfgar, Ariana could do nothing to stop them.
    She sat up and stared at the two men, her
mind filled with suspicion.
    “Good morning, lady,” Callum greeted her
with a smile, looking anything but villainous.
    She peered at him with doubt. “How do you
know I’m a lady?”
    Callum glanced at her sodden cloak lying
beside the fire. “Your clothes. They’re too fine to belong to a
serf.”
    Although Ariana’s dress was almost dry, the
colorful embroidery at the neck and cuffs was soiled and torn. What
a shame. Aunt Frida had crafted the gown for Ariana’s last
birthday. She reached for the