The Caged Viking: Viking Navy SEALs, Book 8 by Sandra Hill

Author:Sandra Hill [Hill, Sandra]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sandra Hill Books
Published: 2021-06-21T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter 14

Where’re Molly Maids when you need them…

Kirstin had expected things to be bad, after all the years of Hauk’s or his father’s absence, but not this bad. She looked about the great hall of Haukshire and thought, Phew! It stinks!

Not only had the floor rushes not been replaced in ages…at least a year by her guess, when they were normally changed every season…but the trestle tables were covered with a layer of greasy grime. Some of the benches were broken. The hearth ashes were a foot high. Several flea-ridden dogs lay sprawled near the door leading to the scullery. And, even as she watched, a cat strolled onto the dais and peed on a tapestry that had fallen from the wall onto the floor.

Hauk had gone off to one of the barns with Halfdan, the steward, with the remark to Kirstin, “I’ll see how bad the situation is outside with the animals and hay and outbuildings. Can you check the inside for me? Make a list of what needs to be done and what we must buy from the market in Hedeby.”

“Me?” she’d asked. “I’m in charge?”

“Well, you are my wife.”

“And Zoya?”

“She will be gone soon.”

“Really?”

“Really.” He had been about to depart, but he paused and said, “Look, I realize that I might not have thought through this plan of mine, but—”

“You think?”

“More sarcasm. Tsk-tsk-tsk!” he’d said, tapping her on the chin with playful admonition. “What I started to say was…yea, I brought you to my home against your will to give us time, but the home I’ve brought you to is not in good order, not by any means. For that, I apologize.”

“You apologize for the condition of your home but not for bringing me here?”

“Well, yea, that is correct.”

“You’re a piece of work, Hauk Thorsson.”

“Thank you,” he’d said and gone off.

She glanced around the hall once again. In many ways, when she’d first seen Haukshire from the longship, she’d been reminded of Kattegat, that fictional village in the Viking TV series. A number of rustic longhouses and outbuildings surrounded the much bigger longhouse belonging to the king, or in this case the jarl. Even here in the great hall, she could see similarities to the Kattegat royal residence, the layout, the dim light, and the intricate carving on the wood. But that’s where the resemblance ended. This place was a mess. She hadn’t even checked the other rooms yet or the food cellar. They would probably be just as bad, or worse.

And Hauk expects me to fix this? I’m an academic, not a Molly Maid. Not that there’s anything wrong with a cleaning person, but I work with my brain, not my hands.

With a sigh, Kirstin chided herself, So, use your brain, girl. Raising her chin with determination, she headed toward the kitchen. Many estates of this time period had kitchens separate from the rest of the timber-framed buildings, a safety measure in case of fire. This house did not, although the cooking area did appear to have stone walls.

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