War Prize by Smith Maren

Author:Smith, Maren
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Red Hot Romance Inc
Published: 2023-12-27T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Six

There were eighteen warriors gathered in the hall of Sweyn Forkbeard, eating and drinking at his table, seated upon animals’ furs and the floor since the only savage with a chair was Sweyn himself. It took everything Robert had to keep his disgust at their manners from showing. They stank of sweat and animals, belched and passed wind without apology, and none thought anything at all of blowing their noses in the same water that they passed around to wash their hands with. It turned his stomach to watch, so Robert kept his eyes averted and when the bowl of water was finally passed to him, he ignored it. Disgusting animals though they might be, he still needed them.

“You have heard my offer,” he told the leader of their camp. “What do you have to say to it?”

The Danes stared back at Robert with veiled expressions, their faces obscured by shadows and long beards and half-closed eyes that glittered in the torchlight. Sweyn was just as hard to read. Short and stocky, with a barrel chest and massive arms, he was a hardened warrior with many raiding years behind him and wealth enough from his successes to have his own hall, his own ship, and more slaves than a man could count on two hands. Robert had dealt with him many times over the past few years. But this was the first time he had ever come uninvited to his home.

“We have long been friends with the Britons of Berkshire,” Sweyn said slowly, chewing on a piece of bread. “Why should that change simply because you are no longer friends with them?”

“I am Berkshire,” Robert told him, his voice trembling with the effort it took to remain calm. “The man who has stolen my keep has been appointed by the Unready specifically to keep you out of England. You are no longer welcome there, and shall not be again for as long as he rules my house.”

“Then take up your sword and take back your house.” Sweyn took another bite of the hard bread.

“It would take more than one man to oust that devil.” Resting his arm upon the table, Robert leaned towards the Viking leader. “My men will harry him. They will keep him tired and uncertain. But I need your men to kill him. You already have the King’s wrath.”

Sweyn scoffed.

“Exactly,” Robert agreed, spreading his hands. “A little more would mean nothing to one as strong as you. But to me, it would mean the difference between keeping what I win back and having to urgently fortify it against a royal siege. My head would be on a pike by the year’s end. Consider my offer; it is more than fair.” He paused to allow the massive Dane to do just that. “Everything you can carry will be yours—women, gold, food, whatever you desire. Just leave me Berkshire and the Lady Hallie for my wife, and you will again have Berkshire as your friend.”

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.