Estrid gets an unexpected gift

Brede had chased Estrid out of the bed, around the room, and out into the small sitting room where they had their fire. This was nothing new: he knew it was only a game she liked to play. When she truly didn’t want him, she would only lie still and wear the long-​​suffering look of a martyr – though she did not shove him off or swear at him, as Hilda was said to do.

He nearly captured her before the fire, where a broad skin rug was conveniently located, but she shrieked softly and slipped away through the heavy curtains that separated this room from the gallery that overlooked the chapel.

This was something new.

He followed after her, grinning maliciously. There was no way out of there but back the way she had come.

He found her only a few paces inside, afflicted with a sudden modesty and attempting to cover what of her naked body she could with her two arms. The chapel was dark but for the fat candle his uncle had left burning below and the firelight that came through the gaps in the curtains onto the gallery. Oh, she was magnificent! One would have said Venus in a temple to herself.

“But, Brede,” she whispered. “I don’t think we should be here in the chapel.”

“Why not?” he chuckled and grabbed her. She was easy prey now. “Uncle isn’t here tonight. And do you suppose Stein often gets up at night to say his prayers?”

“No,” she giggled with a nervous excitement. “But Brede!” she gasped and squirmed as he began kissing down her neck. “We can’t – not in the chapel!”

On the contrary, he thought it an excellent idea. If nothing else, it would give him something amusing to think about tomorrow morning during Mass. And he could look over at Estrid and wink, and watch her blush!

But even Brede in his boldness was startled when they heard a distant knock.

“Brede!” Estrid whispered and clutched his arms tightly enough to hurt him with her fingernails. “Someone heard us!”

“I think it’s at the door…” he murmured and pulled her back behind the curtain.

“Oh, the babies!” she whimpered.

It was only very recently that he had convinced her to have the twins moved to their own room instead of having them in the little antechamber off their bedroom. She still got up so often at night to check on them that he wondered whether their presence had not been a lesser distraction.

“I’m certain the babies are fine,” he soothed, but he told himself that the person at that door had better have a similarly grave announcement to make, to have interrupted them so late – and at just that moment!

He yanked a blanket off the bed and wrapped it around himself, and then he hobbled out into the antechamber and opened the door.

“What the hell?” he growled when he saw that it was not the nurse, not his sister, not even Stein come to admit himself to be in another tough scrape, but rather his steward, looking rather mussed and confused himself.

Brede’s bedroom door opened onto the gallery that overlooked the hall on two sides, and he could see that candles had been lit below – or left burning. Brede’s servants knew well their lord’s preoccupation with the number of candles used in the household, though it did not stem from stinginess so much as from a long frustration with trying to light a house made of such dark stone, and which no amount of candles ever seemed to brighten.

But it was true that the sight of candles burning needlessly so late was almost enough to make him forget his initial irritation at being interrupted with his wife.

“Sir,” the man said quickly to head off the rage he saw building, “forgive me for waking you, but her ladyship’s brother has just arrived…”

“Her brother?” Brede squeaked.

“Her brother!” a familiar voice bellowed from the hall below.

“Shhh!” Brede hushed as loudly as he could hush.

“Brede?” Estrid quavered from the bedroom.

“Your babies are fine, Puss,” Brede called. But – he would have to tell her! Perhaps… perhaps he could go down and speak to Eirik for a moment, send him to a bed, and then tomorrow…

“Bre-​​de…” the voice below sang softly. Oh! He hadn’t even seen him yet, and he was already taunting him!

And then Brede remembered the indignity of the blanket he held wrapped around his waist like an enormous red diaper, and he saw the quivering mustache of his steward, who was trying valiantly not to laugh, and he heard Eirik chuckling to himself below – and the sound of cloth being pulled over Estrid’s body. She was getting dressed! She would go down to him in what? her nightgown?

“Tell him I shall be right down,” he hissed at his steward and slammed the door with his foot. He dropped the blanket where he stood and ran unencumbered back into the bedroom. Estrid was even then tying the bodice of her gown.

“Wait!” he said and scrambled for his leggings.

“What happened?” she whispered. “What’s happening? Where are you going?”

“Nowhere, Puss. Only…”

Hundr was yowling at the door by now. No doubt he had heard Eirik with his keen ears. Traitor! Brede thought.

“Wait – Estrid! Where are you going?”

“I’m going to see my babies,” she mumbled.

“No, wait!” he wailed as she went past him. He was still fighting to get both legs in the thing. “Estrid, wait! Not in your nightgown!”

“What? Who’s here?”

“Just – ”

“Is it Sigefrith? He already did saw me in my nightgown. Come, Hundr.”

“Sigefrith? No! It’s – it’s Eirik!”

He had his leggings on by then, and it was the best he would be able to do, because Estrid and her cat disappeared at once. Bare-​​footed and bare-​​chested he ran after them.

“I made it! I made it!” Eirik was laughing as Estrid rubbed her face over his neck like a great kitten. “It’s late, it’s raining, I’m wet, but it’s still your birthday!”

“It’s the best birthday gift I ever, ever got!” Estrid gushed, Brede’s various gifts to her having been forgotten.

Then Synne’s head appeared overhead among the shadows of the gallery. “Eirik!” she cried softly.

“Good evening, Synne!” Eirik grinned and waved at her.

“Synne!” Brede barked, for Synne too had come out in her nightgown – and Synne was not Eirik’s sister.

“Good night, Eirik! I shall see you tomorrow,” Synne said softly and disappeared again.

“Good night, Synn!” Eirik chuckled, and then he winked at Brede. It was the first attention Eirik had paid him since he had come down.

Hundr, of course, was meowing enthusiastic greetings which grew ever louder with his frustration at being ignored. Then Stein too heard the commotion and came out into the hall, and there was much rejoicing.

Only Brede stood aside, feeling as he always did when Eirik arrived: more inconspicuous than a servant in his own house, more foolish than a man wearing an enormous red diaper.