Chapter 6

6

B y the time Erik was ready to retire to bed that eve, he was surprised to see a guard posted outside his door. “What is this, Philbin?”

“The lady said I would stay here, though others will relieve me during the night.”

“Why…” Erik waved his hand in dismissal. “Go where you’re needed. I dinna need you here.”

“Aye, my lord.” Philbin hurried off, looking much relieved.

Erik would have to tell Accalia she had no business posting his guards. He saw the bath had been prepared for him and was delighted that someone had thought to do that since he hadn’t asked anyone to. But when he stripped off his clothes and put his foot in the bathwater, the cold water startled him. He frowned and cursed under his breath.

Then he heard a slight snoring off in the corner of the room where the trundle bed had been set up. What the…?

He drew closer to the sound and saw Thorfinn sleeping soundly under the furs on the bed.

That was why a guard had been posted? Accalia! Erik threw on his nightshirt and headed to the guest room where Accalia was supposed to be. But when he reached her chamber and threw the door open, he found the room was empty. Her bed hadn’t been slept in either.

God’s wounds. The woman was supposed to have bathed and put the boys to bed, not turn his keep upside down. He headed for the boys’ chamber, wondering where Hendrie and Johnne were.

When he pulled the door open, he found both boys sound asleep, both clean, the chamber devoid of toys, the beds clean. And there on the nanny’s trundle bed slept one angelic-looking Accalia, her golden, luscious hair hanging over her shoulders, her breasts rising with her breath. She looked beautiful. How could such an enticing creature create such a muddle for him?

But then he realized she had done what he had told her—wash the boys and put them to bed. He hadn’t told her which beds to put them in. He had to admit he hadn’t seen the boys so well-behaved at this time of night in a couple of years.

He quietly closed the door to the chamber and returned to his own. He watched his oldest triplet sleeping there, looking as angelic as the others, when he knew Thorfinn was anything but. He thought of having one of his guards carry him to his bedchamber, but it was late, and it didn’t hurt for him to sleep the rest of the night here.

Erik sighed, stripped, and bathed in the cold water in his bathtub. After washing up, he left the tub, dried off, and climbed onto his bed. For tonight, he would leave things the way they were. But tomorrow night, Thorfinn would sleep in his room.

Early the next morning, Accalia woke, surprised that Hendrie and Johnne had climbed into bed with her and were snuggled against her under the furs. She was astonished that Erik hadn’t given her grief as soon as he learned Thorfinn was sleeping in his chamber.

She wondered if the boys joined their nanny in bed if they became cold. Would Erik even approve? She suspected not, because the boys needed to grow up to be warriors, not coddled. On the other hand, the nanny probably wouldn’t have wanted them in her bed as dirty as they had been.

Accalia hadn’t realized how easy it was for her to connect with the boys. Well, these two. She wasn’t sure about Thorfinn. She slipped out from underneath them, not waking them because they were so tired, and she found a new gown for her to dress in.

Once she was ready for the day, she woke Johnne and Hendrie, helped them dress, and then ushered them out of the chamber. “We’re going to break our fast and then you can show me all your sword-fighting skills.”

“Do you fight with a sword?” Hendrie sounded surprised.

“Aye. All men and women should be able to protect themselves.”

“A wooden one?” Johnne asked.

“A real one. But if you are no’ too hard on me, I will practice fighting with you with wooden swords.” She loved to do that as a young girl. She hadn’t done that in years. She would be a little out of practice and could see the boys ganging up on her to get back at her for threatening to throw them in the dungeon.

They smiled at her, and she was glad she seemed to be winning them over.

They headed downstairs to the great hall, and she saw Thorfinn standing at the table where the lads had eaten last night.

“Will you eat with us?” Hendrie asked.

“Aye, you were our nanny, and the nannies always eat with us,” Johnne said.

She wanted to eat with the boys and bond more with Thorfinn. She figured it might take longer to get through to him as alpha as he was.

“Aye, I will.” She went with the boys to their table and Thorfinn’s blue eyes widened. “Did you have a good sleep, Thorfinn?”

“You are no’ sitting with us,” he said, not so much as that he was telling her, she didn’t think but was surprised that she might be.

“Aye. Johnne and Hendrie asked me to.”

“She slept with us too,” Johnne said.

Thorfinn’s jaw dropped. “Our mother would never do that.”

Everyone was watching her, even Beathag and Accalia assumed they would speculate about why she was sitting with the boys unless they believed she was escorting them to their table. Three nannies waited nearby to see what she would do. She looked over at the head table and saw Erik watching her.

She took her seat with the boys, sitting between Hendrie and Thorfinn.

“Mother never sat with us to eat in the great hall either,” Johnne said.

“After we break our fast, she will fight us with swords.” Hendrie sounded excited.

Thorfinn eyes widened. “Fighting? With real swords?”

“With wooden. Where did you sleep last night?” Johnne asked him.

“In Da’s chamber.”

“No’ in the dungeon?” Johnne looked like he couldn’t believe it.

“He took a bath,” Hendrie said, “so he didn’t have to go to the dungeon, right?”

“Aye,” Accalia said.

“What did Da say about you sleeping with him?” Hendrie asked Thorfinn.

“I was asleep in a trundle bed. I never saw him come or go. You are going to fight us with swords?” Thorfinn asked Accalia.

She thought he was ready to get even with her over forcing him to bathe.

“Aye. If no one throws food at the table or tosses food to the dogs.” She ate some of her eggs and was surprised Erik didn’t make her sit with him. Maybe he thought this was a better place for her since she seemed to be getting along with the boys—even Thorfinn.

They grinned at each other but when she frowned, they all lost their smiles and nodded in agreement. The dogs waited, hungrily anticipating morsels of food from the boys but were sorely disappointed.

After everyone finished seating, Erik joined her at their table and spoke with her. “Lads, you’re dismissed.”

They looked disillusioned.

“I’ll join you to fight you in a few minutes. Get swords ready for all of us,” she said, not about to break her promise to them.

The boys yelled, “Yahoo!” and took off running, the wolfhounds taking chase.

“Swords?” Erik asked.

“To practice sword fighting.” Of course.

“Why was Thorfinn in my chamber last night?”

“He’s the alpha of the boys and he was stubbornly refusing to take a bath, influencing Johnne and Hendrie, who were fine with taking a bath and going to bed. I didna want him disrupting his brothers’ sleep.” She brushed some breadcrumbs off her gown.

“And you?”

She smiled. “The lads wanted me to stay with them. I’m making progress with them, so I did.”

Erik was frowning at her. “You’re not to be their nanny.”

“Better than their enemy.”

He let out his breath and folded his arms across his broad chest.

She knew where Thorfinn got that mannerism from now.

“Thorfinn is no’ to sleep in my chamber any further.”

“Aye. I believe he will be fine with sleeping with his brothers and not be up to mischief this time,” she said.

“So you’ll be sleeping in your bedchamber.”

“Aye.”

Again, he said, “I dinna want them believing you’re another nanny.” Then he added with a hint of a smile brightening his dark expression, “I’ll see you in the inner bailey.”

She thought Erik would give her grief over her decision and was prepared for it. When he didn’t, she was glad. But she had planned to swordfight with the boys and hadn’t intended to do so in front of their da!