3
" Miss Mackintosh waved her arms wildly." Oh, please stop, and let me guess," she cried. " I shall go crazy with joy if I'm right. It was an old Peerage, and so she found that Lady Deal was Helena Herman--" " Whom she had seen ten years ago at a music hall as a male impersonator," cried Diva." And didn't want to know her," interrupted Miss Mackintosh." Yes, that's it, but that is not all. I hope you won't mind, but it's too rich. She saw you this morning coming out of your house in your bath-chair, and was quite sure that you were that Lady Deal." The three ladies rocked with laughter. Sometimes one recovered, and sometimes two, but they were re-infected by the third, and so they went on, solo and chorus, and duet and chorus, till exhaustion set in." But there's still a mystery," said Diva at length, wiping her eyes. " Why did the Peerage say that Lady Deal was Helena Herman?" " Oh, that's the last Lady Deal," said Miss Mackintosh. " Helena Herman's Lord Deal died without children and Florence's Lord Deal, my Lady Deal, succeeded. Cousins." " If that isn't a lesson for Elizabeth Mapp," said Diva. " Better go to the expense of a new Peerage than make such a muddle. But what a long call we've made. We must go." " Florence shall hear every word of it to-morrow night," said Miss Mackintosh. " I promise not to tell her till then. We'll all tell her." " Oh, that is kind of you," said Diva." It's only fair. And what about Miss Mapp being told?" " She'll find it out by degrees," said the ruthless Diva. " It will hurt more in bits." " Oh, but she mustn't be hurt," said Miss Mackintosh. " She's too precious, I adore her." " So do we," said Diva. " But we like her to be found out occasionally. You will, too, when you know her. "
4
" Her feet shifted underneath her. “I’m not sure what troubles
you.”
The wolf prowled, though he sat in a great chair. His uneasiness
made her skin tight and her heart race. Hakan was a handsome
man, very appealing to all of the fairer sex tonight with his black
jerkin stretched across broad shoulders. He had shaved for the
Glima festival, and his blonde hair, lighter from summer, loosened
from the leather tie.
“Many thoughts trouble me tonight, but Astrid’s not one of
them.” In the dim light of the longhouse, his white teeth gleamed
against his tanned face.
“Does your head ail you?” She clasped her hands together,
comfortable with the role of nurturing thrall.
“Nay, but ‘twould please me if you sat close to me and played
your harp.”
“Music would be pleasant.” Skittish and studying him under
the veil of her lashes, Helena retrieved her harp.
She sat cross-legged on a pelt near his chair. ‘Twas easy to
strum a soothing song and lose herself in the delicate notes her
fingers plucked. But when the last note faded, the restless wolf
stirred on his throne, unpacified.
“Why did you play that game with Astrid? Letting her think
more goes on between us?”
Ice-blue eyes pinned her, yet, ‘twas his voice, dangerous and
soft, that did things to her.
“I…I don’t know.” Her own voice faltered as warmth flushed
her skin.
Glowing embers molded his face with dim light. Hakan
leaned forward, resting both elbows on his knees. His sinewy hand
plucked the harp from her, placing it on the ground.
“Why?” Hakan’s fingertips tilted her chin. "
― , Norse Jewel (Norse, #1)
