Caedwulf sees his sister in a new light

Caedwulf caught Ari by the wrist and spun her around.

“This one,” he whispered.

He had stopped her in front of the door to Selwyn’s room. Selwyn, of course, was not in it, for he had been allowed to go to Norway with the King and the others. If Selwyn was to be permitted to spend the spring chasing after hordes of unconquered blonde beauties, he ought not begrudge his best friend the use of his chamber in his absence – or so thought his best friend.

“Now where did I put the key?” he asked thoughtfully and patted his flanks. “Help me find it.”

Ari giggled and ran her hands from his hips up to his ribs and back down again. “I knew you were going to say that,” she whispered.

“How well you know me,” he smiled.

In truth, she scarcely knew him at all, for she was hardly old enough to “know” anybody. But he supposed even the young girls had heard tales.

She slid her hands around to his belly and patted him all along his belt.

“A little lower, I think,” he whispered.

“Oh, no!” she gasped and giggled wickedly. “If we do all the key-​​finding here in the corridor, what’s left to do in the room?”

“All the unlocking.”

She gasped again. “You’re so bad!”

But it sounded like a compliment to him.

“Wait!” he whispered. “I just remembered it’s in my boot.”

She rolled her eyes and stepped away while he extracted the key. But the lock fell open as soon as he touched it – it had not been locked at all. Caedwulf snorted and pushed open the door, and then–

But there was already someone in the room.

In an instant Caedwulf went from startled to angry, but as his eyes adjusted to the moonlight, he saw the red hair on the young man who was attempting to scramble away from the embrace of some young woman. He remembered then that the Baron and his two eldest sons were here, and he supposed moreover that Brinstan’s younger brother Fenric, who was a page in the castle, had somehow procured for him a key.

In his young man’s solidarity with other young men engaged in the same pursuit – provided it was with entirely different girls – Caedwulf began to pull the door shut again, laughing, “Oops, sorry, Brin – ”

But the girl gasped, “Caedwulf!”

He did not for an instant mistake the voice for that of one of his companions of prior evenings.

“Brit!” Then he remembered the girl beside him, and he attempted to correct himself. “Brin – Brin – Brinstan! God’s blood!”

He spun around and pushed Ari into the corridor.

“You, get out of here!”

“But how am I supposed to get out of the castle?” she whined.

“The guards are there to keep people out, not in! Now go!”

He slammed the door and turned back into the room.

“Now, what, what, what in the name of God and His archangels is going on in here?” he asked in a growling whisper that he longed to make a roar.

“It’s not what you think,” Brinstan began.

“Then, by God’s eyes, it must be worse! For it’s plain what you were doing! On top of my sister! Jesus Christ! Are you dressed, Brit?”

“Of course!” Britamund sobbed.

“‘Of course,’ she says,” he mocked. “God damn you, Brinstan! Get up so I can hit you.”

As soon as Brinstan was on his feet, Caedwulf drew back his arm and punched him in the nose with the flat of his knuckles.

“Oh!” Britamund squealed. “You punched him!”

“Didn’t I say I would? Now shut up!” Caedwulf hissed. “You want someone to hear you in here with us?”

“Brin!” she whimpered. “You’re bleeding.”

Caedwulf swatted away the arm she held out to her – dare he think it? – lover.

“Get out of here before I slap you silly!” he panted.

“You’ll kill him!” she sobbed.

“I can’t kill him! I might need him to marry you!”

“That won’t be necessary,” Brinstan mumbled.

Caedwulf smacked his fist into his palm. “Won’t it?”

“We never…”

“We never!” Caedwulf sneered. “It doesn’t matter what you did or didn’t do, you idiot! Shutting yourself up alone with her – in a bedroom, for Christ’s sake! Her honor’s already gone – whatever you may or may not have left between her legs.”

“Caedwulf!” Britamund gasped.

“Oh, Christ, Brit, it’s too late to start up the blushing maiden act now! If anyone finds out what was going on in here…”

“You… you won’t tell?” she quavered.

“Of course I shall tell! I shall tell Theobald, and I shall tell Eadie, and if I’m in a sour mood tomorrow I may even tell Dunstan.”

“No!” she squealed aloud.

“Shut up!” he hissed. “God! Why are girls so stupid? Don’t you get it? If that girl outside heard you or saw you – or anyone heard you or saw you – you’re through!”

“That girl! That girl!” she panted. “You were coming in here to do a lot worse than Brin and I!”

“That girl! Do you truly want to be that girl? Have a romp or two with this creature here, and then when your red-​​headed baby’s born, if you’re lucky, he might give you a little money and a good position in somebody else’s castle? That what you want? A common little splay-​​legged slut you want to be?”

“I won’t let you say it,” Brinstan growled.

“You shut up, too! God damn! You pick a fine moment to start defending her honor, after you’ve trampled it in the muck!”

“We love each other!” Britamund sobbed.

Caedwulf rolled his eyes. “Oh, in that case, please carry on.”

Britamund turned away and began to cry in earnest.

Caedwulf’s throat ached from trying to shout quietly enough that he would not be heard in the corridor. But he knew that threats could be all the more chilling if only murmured.

“As for you,” he said softly to Brinstan, “be thankful I was not wearing my sword. She is not only my sister, she is a royal princess of my father’s kingdom, and I should slay you twice over. But beware if your father or my stepmother decide that Dunstan should be told.”

Britamund sobbed something unintelligible, and Caedwulf spun around to grab her arm and shake her with it.

“Quit your sniveling or I shall teach you how to cry properly! You get to your room at once, and stay there until Her Majesty summons you! Or you shall await our father’s return in a convent!” He shoved her away and turned back to Brinstan. “And as for you…”

“I shall go tell my father at once.”

Caedwulf snorted. “See that you don’t show yourself in too flattering a light.”

Brinstan wiped his eyes and his bleeding nose on his sleeve. “I don’t see how I could.”