'What are you doing?'

“What are you doing?” Estrid asked Hilda as she came bouncing into her cousins’ bedroom.

“What does it look like?” Hilda snapped. “Resting.”

“Is this youngster bothering you?” she asked as she hopped on the bed and briskly rubbed Hilda’s belly.

“That’s not it,” Hilda grumbled. “I can’t walk across the hall without getting dizzy.”

“Oh! He’s wriggling!” Estrid giggled.

“Thank you for waking him!”

“No trouble. Good morning, little brat! You know your Auntie Estrid is here, don’t you?”

“He wishes he could kick you, that’s all.”

'He wishes he could kick you, that's all.'

“I’m certain his mother feels the same way.”

“God, yes! Where have you been all morning, anyway?”

“I went out with Eirik.”

“Oh, so you didn’t go to see Sir Brede?” Hilda smirked.

“Don’t call him sir.”

“Come, Estrid, it’s only a few days difference. When are you getting married, anyway?”

“Don’t start that,” Estrid huffed and fell back onto the pillow.

'Don't start that.'

“Why not? You know, you had better make certain of him soon. Once he’s a sir, all the girls will be after him.”

“Who could have him? There’s no one old enough or young enough for him besides me, except for the common girls.”

“Perhaps his cousin Sigefrith will send to Denmark for a bride for him, I don’t know. Besides, look at whom Sigefrith married the first time. Maud was scarcely a country gentlewoman, if that. All they care about is a pretty face.”

“That isn’t true. I don’t think Brede would choose a wife only for her face.”

“Granted, not her face, but some other parts of her body perhaps.”

'Granted, not her face, but some other parts of her body perhaps.'

“Oh, shut up, Hilda. You don’t know anything about him.”

“Don’t I? I know he likes a pretty face well enough. Lots of them.”

“He doesn’t do that anymore,” Estrid pouted.

“Doesn’t he?” Hilda laughed. “Are you certain? I’m telling you, don’t count on him yet. Why don’t you make certain of him?”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“You know perfectly well, don’t play innocent with me, sister. Who has been standing guard while you go off to his bedroom?”

'Who has been standing guard while you go off to his bedroom?'

“We didn’t do anything like that,” Estrid mumbled.

“You should have! If anyone finds out, you will be blamed as much as if you had. You might as well have had your fun.”

“I don’t want to.”

“You’re a fool then. If you’re the only one that won’t, he won’t forget it.”

“I think he will respect me for it.”

“Respect you!” Hilda shrieked with laughter. “You’ve gone too far for that already. Besides, the only girls a man wants to respect are his sisters. And as for brothers, as I said, you’ve already gone too far for that. If Eirik ever found out what you’ve done…”

'If Eirik ever found out what you've done...'

“Don’t say such things, Hilda.”

“You don’t want to hear it, but you know it’s true. Listen, Estrid, there’s only one thing to do, and that’s what I did. If there’s a baby, Eirik won’t hurt you, and he won’t be able to kill Brede, either, because he will need Brede to marry you.”

“Then both Eirik and Brede would hate me.”

“If you’re waiting for Eirik to kindly consent to your marrying Brede, you might as well take the veil right now. And as for Brede, what do you care? so long as he marries you, which I am certain he would.”

'I am certain he would.'

“Don’t you care whether Sigefrith loves you?”

“What? I don’t know. He does anyway. But even if he didn’t, I don’t really mind, so long as he leaves me alone, and doesn’t beat me or anything.”

“Perhaps he would,” Estrid said. “His father does.”

“Do you think he beats Leila?”

'Do you think he beats Leila?'

“I don’t know about her,” Estrid sneered. “She’s so dark anyway, you could never tell. But you saw what he did to Lady Eadgith.”

“I’m certain she deserved it,” Hilda snapped.

“Oh, Hilda, don’t say that.”

“She did, I’m certain! She’s insufferable! I wish he lived with us so he could beat her every once in a while to put her back in her place!”

“You only want him to live here so you can flirt with him,” Estrid snickered.

'You only want him to live here so you can flirt with him.'

“With him? Good God, he’s such a boor.”

“You seemed to have another opinion of him last night at supper.”

“But Estrid,” Hilda laughed and squeezed her friend’s arm. “That’s only because Queen Eadie was there! I wanted to make her squirm.”

'I wanted to make her squirm.'

“She did, too!” Estrid giggled.

“I know! It kills her, she’s such a prude. And her father humiliates her in front of her king.”

“Sigefrith doesn’t even notice, though.”

“He’s used to Leofric, I think. I would have to go a lot farther with him before Sigefrith would ever notice.”

“Oh, don’t, Hilda! He would do it if you let him!”

'Oh, don't, Hilda!'

“I know he would—his own son’s wife! But I can’t do that.”

“Certainly not,” Estrid agreed.

“I need to find someone else to do it for me.”

“To do what?”

“Why, lead my father-​in-​law astray. All the better if Lady Eadgith learns of it, too.”

'All the better if Lady Eadgith learns of it, too.'

“Who?”

“I don’t know. You perhaps?”

“Oh, Hilda, no!”

“If you won’t have Brede, perhaps you will have Leofric?” Hilda said with her glittering smile.

“If I won’t have Brede, I certainly won’t have Leofric. He’s so… old, and so… drunk!”

“That’s true,” Hilda mused. “I don’t believe I’ve ever seen Brede drunk.”

'I don't believe I've ever seen Brede drunk.'

“He never is. He doesn’t want to be like his father.”

“What was his father?”

“Some sort of brute.”

“Like my father-​in-​law?”

“Worse, I think.”

“Good God! What a monster he must have been!” she shuddered. “Keep your eyes open, Estrid. A serving-​girl, anything. God grant that he turn his tickling to some other unfortunate girl as quickly as possible. We simply need to make certain that Queen Eadie learns of it.”

'We simply need to make certain that Queen Eadie learns of it.'