Beyond the Sea Mist by Mary Gillgannon Read Free Book Online Page A

she let him see just how terrified she was, how close to utter despair. He nodded and a fierce expression came over his face. A moment later, he returned to the ship, grabbed a mooring line and used it to scramble back on deck.
    * * *
    She was here. She’d sought him out.
She’d smiled at him.
Magnus felt a glow of pleasure as he climbed back on the ship. The image of the Irishwoman’s face seemed etched upon his vision. Even when her demeanor was haughty, she was a lovely maid. But when she smiled—by Freya—then she was truly beautiful. A sight to haunt a man for the rest of his life.
    Which is exactly what would happen if he didn’t find a way to aid her. If she fell back into Croa’s clutches, he’d never see her again. And when she thought of him it wouldn’t be with a smile on her face, but an angry scowl.
    Sobered by his dark thoughts, he made his way to where Sigurd and the rest of the crew were sitting on their otterskin bedsacks breaking their fast. Sigurd must already have done some trading, for the men were eating cheese and fresh bread rather than the usual fare of flatbread and salted fish. Magnus’s stomach rumbled at the sight of the food, but he pushed the yearning aside and crouched down near Sigurd.
    “You certainly work fast, Magnus,” one of the men chortled. “We’ve only been here a night and already you’ve got a wench asking after you.”
    Magnus ignored the jest and spoke to Sigurd in low, urgent tones. “The woman’s situation is desperate. She and four other women were stolen from their homeland and enslaved. They’ve escaped their captors for now, but if they don’t find a place to hide, they won’t long remain free.”
    Sigurd grunted. “Are you suggesting we take them aboard?”
    Magnus nodded. “I’d take full responsibility for them.”
    “Who’s their captor?”
    “Croa Ottarson.”
    Sigurd’s blond brows shot up. “Not a man I want to cross.”
    Magnus felt his body grow rigid. He’d feared Sigurd would be reluctant to get involved. Recalling the dread he’d seen on the woman’s face, he went on, “But these women have no one else to turn to. Their families have all been killed. They’re completely alone and at Croa’s mercy.”
    “And so you think I should offer them shelter on my ship?”
    Almost breathless with hope and dread, Magnus nodded.
    Sigurd shook his head. “That would be no different than if I broke into one of those warehouses and took a pile of hides or a bale of wool. I would be stealing from another trader, a merchant of my own race. I can’t do that. I have my reputation to consider. When I travel to a foreign port, men there must say, that is Sigurd Hrolfson. He drives a hard bargain but he’s a fair and honest man.”
    Magnus’s spirits plummeted. He’d feared this would be the captain’s response. Even so, he tried again. “These are well-bred gentlewomen who’ve fallen into unscrupulous hands. What if it were your sister or mother who was so cruelly enslaved?”
    “Such a fate would never have befallen my sisters or my mother. They all had strong husbands to protect them. If the men responsible for these women failed to keep them safe, then it’s inevitable they end up as thralls. It’s the way of world. The strong always prey upon the weak.”
    “Even so, I—”
    Sigurd put up his hand. “You won’t sway me, Magnus. I’ve a duty to my crew. I must consider their safety above that of a group of foreign women.” His expression softened. “Don’t look so grieved. If these females are all as young and fair to look upon as the one standing on the dock, they won’t have difficult lives.”
    Magnus got to his feet, mentally cursing himself. He should never have approached the Irishwoman, never pretended he had the means to aid her. She’d come all this way for nothing.
    But as Magnus returned to the side of the ship, another thought came to him. What if he hid her away in the one of the warehouses until Croa gave up