Lord of Raven's Peak - Catherine Coulter [52]
He waited, was content to wait. He watched Sarla dismiss the slaves, watched all the children herded off to the small sleeping chamber where they slept, watched his men and Merrik’s men roll themselves into blankets. He waited until all was nearly silent. He prepared to rise, but stopped. Merrik was walking to where Laren was lying near the fire pit, her blanket wrapped closely around her, Taby tucked in the curve of her belly. He came down beside her on his haunches.
He said low so as not to awaken Taby, “You are my concubine, I have heard said today. I think it is the only thing that might save you from my brother’s lust. You will give Taby to Cleve and come with me. We will sleep in my sleeping chamber.”
She stared up at him in the dim light cast by the dying embers. “Will you hurt me?”
“I will look at your leg and at your back and probably apply more healing cream to both. Then we will see.”
“I don’t want you to see,” she said. “I don’t want to be your concubine, Merrik, ’tis just that I could think of nothing else to say.”
“I know, but you are the one who said it. Therefore we must continue as you began, else Erik will be beside you within another instant. Well? What do you wish?”
She didn’t look at him, just said calmly, “Where is Cleve?”
Merrik smiled at her. “I will fetch him.”
10
ERIK STOOD OVER her, oblivious of his brother and their people who stood near. “Give the child over and come with me.”
“I fear she cannot, brother,” Merrik said. He turned to Cleve. “Take Taby for the night. I would keep his sister with me.”
Cleve said nothing as he gathered up the sleeping child, nor did Laren. She waited there on the floor, wrapped in her blanket, watching the two men.
“I want her,” Erik said, and she heard the petulance, the covetousness in his voice.
“She is my concubine and she is my slave as well, Erik. When I tire of her, I will consider selling her to you. Come along, Laren.”
“She said you didn’t want her because it was her monthly flow. She said you wouldn’t want her until she had finished it. And I’ve watched you, Merrik, you haven’t touched her, even scarce looked at her since you came home. All you care about is that damned boy.”
Merrik said slowly, consciously relaxing his hands from fists at his sides, “It is true that I like not taking her at those times, but I am in much need and thus will make do. I try not to look at her, because whenever I do it makes my lust rise. I do not like to torment myself. But tonight I will not wait longer. It is my will that prevails here, for she is my slave, not yours. I bid you good night, brother. I see Sarla awaiting you.”
“Damn you, Merrik, ’tis not just that I want to plow her belly, I would have her tell me what happened to Grunlige the Dane!”
If she hadn’t been so afraid, Laren would have laughed.
“She will tell you tomorrow night, Erik.” Merrik reached out his hand, and without hesitation, she placed her own in his. He pulled her upright. She fell forward, against his chest, and he laughed a little, stroking her hair with familiarity as he did so. He held her there as he said, “I told you she was thin. She is. So thin you would look at her only once and tell her to leave you. Also, her hair is short and ragged, as you see, not as full and thick like your wife’s or your mistresses’.”
Laren heard a laugh and knew it was from the woman Caylis.
She saw Sarla from the corner of her eye. How could Erik shame his wife like this? It enraged her. Before she could say anything, Merrik leaned down and kissed her hard.
The shock of it rendered her immediately silent. He laughed again, gave his brother a small salute, and picked her up in his arms. She didn’t move, barely breathed in fact until he laid her upon the box bed that had belonged to his brother before their parents had died.
The chamber was small and dark. Merrik cursed under his breath, left the chamber,