Chapter
9
Gunnar
Torvald finished reading the missive then let it fall to the floor while burying his face in his hands.
“Well?” I crossed to him and propped my foot on the bench beside him. At the early morning hour, neither of us had finished dressing and wore naught but our tunics and leggings.
Our chambers were next door to each other, and when a messenger had arrived breathless and disheveled from riding all night to deliver a letter to Torvald, I’d barged into his room. Only bad news came with such great haste, and I wanted to be present for my friend as the blow felled him.
My muscles tensed at the waiting. I wasn’t by nature a patient man, but I forced myself to let Torvald tell me when he was ready.
The light of dawn making its way through the open window touched upon his bent head, highlighting his dejection. The air was cold, but in the months of traveling together, I’d learned Torvald preferred the cold and liked to slumber with his window open as oft as possible.
“’Tis news from home.” His voice was so low I could hardly hear him.
“Your father?” Torvald rarely shared personal information about his family, but I knew enough. His father was frail and growing ever weaker, and a rift existed in the father-son relationship although I wasn’t sure why. “Is he worse?”
Torvald released a sigh that was laden with immense sorrow. “’Tis a sickness of mind.”
My thoughts spun back to the condition of King Ulrik last autumn when his mental faculties had deteriorated. The king had acted irrationally, impulsively, and put himself and the kingdom in danger. Was Torvald’s father making rash decisions now too?
“He has called me home.” Torvald spoke as if he’d been issued a death sentence.
I wanted to blurt out that Torvald need only write back and tell his father he was too busy, that he was on an important mission for the king. But again, I waited, wanting to support Torvald in whatever decision he made without putting undue pressure upon him.
“I am to leave with all haste.”
“Do you want to go?”
“I have no choice in the matter.”
“Then I shall go with you.”
“No.” Torvald sat up. “This will take two weeks. We cannot delay the search that long.”
After a sennight of hunting for the chalice in Romsdal, we were no closer to finding it than we’d been when we first arrived. We’d eliminated almost every possible hiding place in the city and surrounding countryside. The only area we’d yet to scour was Likness Castle. But I hadn’t discovered a way to probe without drawing my brother’s attention and censure.
“While you’re gone, I can stay and investigate the castle as best I’m able.” I’d have to ingratiate myself to Bernhard, perhaps stay with him through the long hours of revelry and trick him into saying more than he normally would. I might even have to resort to searching in the dark of the night after Bernhard and the rest of the guests retired.
Torvald stood suddenly and paced to the window.
“So two weeks?” I asked. “Will that be sufficient for you to tend to your father?”
Torvald stared outside, his back rigid. “A fortnight will be sufficient . . . for me to wed the woman of my father’s choosing.”
“Wed?” I released a short laugh. “You’re jesting.”
“I wish I was. But I must get married to save the Wahlburg estate from ruination.”
Whistling my surprise, I lowered myself to the bench. As the firstborn and only son, Torvald would someday inherit his father’s lands and title. But as a man of twenty and five, Torvald was still young and had put his whole heart into serving the king. He’d made no secret he wasn’t ready for marriage.
“My father has emptied the coffers and turned the family fortune into nothing.” Torvald’s tone was again low, but this time bitterness laced it.
“So, he would have you marry into wealth to replenish the fortune?”
“Yes.”
What would this mean for Torvald as a Knight of Brethren? No rules existed preventing the elite knights from marrying. But the unspoken standard was that upon marriage, the knight would retire from the honored position. I couldn’t imagine the Brethren without Torvald. He’d become more than just a fellow knight. He’d become my closest friend.
“I will not abandon this mission for the king.” Torvald spun, his feet spread, anger hardening his features. “I will go home and do my duty. But then I shall return and continue our search until we find the chalice.”
“’Tis a reasonable enough request to make of your father and new bride.”
As a coveted Knight of Brethren and close companion to the king, Torvald was in a position to claim any woman he wanted. Clearly, his father had taken advantage of Torvald’s popularity to secure a woman with a large dowry. His marriage would be more of a business arrangement than anything.
“Do you know the woman he has chosen for you?”
Torvald blew out a tense breath. “No, and ’tis of no significance to me.”
I wouldn’t be able to stand where Torvald was and enter into a marriage with a woman I neither knew nor cared about. Fortunately for me, as the second son, I didn’t have the same pressure to make a good match. Yes, Bernhard had spoken several nights ago about trying to find me a wealthy and comely bride, but I’d jested with him about not wanting to settle down yet with just one woman.
He’d sneered and remarked that I didn’t need to worry about settling down with just one woman, even after I was married. I’d laughed at his remark, but inside I’d been sick. The truth was, when I was finally ready to wed, I wanted to remain faithful and true to my wife, loving and serving her above all others. Unlike Bernhard, I intended to honor my marriage vows and the marriage bed forever.
Bernhard had thrown out several suggestions, maidens from especially wealthy families. He’d even offered to invite the families to visit Likness Castle in an effort to begin arrangements. But he hadn’t pushed me overly hard. He wasn’t ready yet to sever my connection with the king and the renown it brought. My rise to fame had elevated his status too, so that he’d been given a place on the Noble Council that convened several times a year in Vordinberg to discuss important matters of the country.
Regardless, I’d already decided not to enlist Bernhard’s assistance with finding a spouse. I would find the right person on my own.
My mind jumped back to the past three nights in the nursery, sneaking Nanna and Mikaela food and desserts and telling stories to my nieces. That part of my day had become my favorite. In fact, even now, I was counting down the hours until I could see them again. I couldn’t deny the time with them was something I wanted as a part of my future.
But I didn’t allow myself to dwell too long on such thoughts. Mikaela wasn’t someone I could ever have in my future. As a bondservant, she belonged to my brother. And even if I offered to purchase her, I feared what Bernhard would do to her if he learned of my interest in her.
In fact, I was already bringing too much attention her way, which was why I had to cease going to the nursery every night. Even though I’d promised Mikaela I would tell bedtime stories, Nanna had warned me again last eve that not only were the servants starting to talk but Rikissa and Renate had told Sofia I was visiting. It was only a matter of time before everyone saw past my blustering to realize I cared for Mikaela.