Twin Passions by Miriam Minger Page A

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    The finality of her last thought caused Gwendolyn to
curse her weakness of judgment. Heatedly she swore to herself it would never, never happen again. The flash of
defiance was still burning in her eyes when she looked up to find the Viking
regarding Anora intently.
     
     

 
    Chapter 11
     
    Hakon drew in his breath sharply. Now that the captives
were in the light, he was able to study them more closely. He liked what he saw
huddled on the deck before him. The wench was truly a beauty, despite her
soiled appearance and tangled hair. Nay, not just a beauty, but probably the
most enchantingly lovely young woman he had ever seen.
    As for the lad, he obviously was her brother, for their
resemblance to each other was remarkable. In fact, he thought as his sharp eyes
took in every detail, their features were virtually identical. Twins were
indeed a rare sight, and oddly enough Hakon found himself thinking their
presence on his ship was a good omen:
    Yet the lad's defiant glance served as a reminder to
Hakon, and he turned his mind somewhat reluctantly to the grim task yet at
hand. He turned first to the oarsmen seated in the stern. All eyes were focused
upon him, their interest obviously piqued by the sight of the beautiful wench
on board. Their faces revealed no knowledge of the captives, however, so Hakon
turned to the oarsmen seated forward of the well in the bow section of the
ship.
    Again all eyes were upon him, except for those of the
very two men he had suspected. With their shoulders hunched and their backs to
him, Svein and Torvald were the picture of guilt.
    Hakon strove to check the cold fury in his voice. "Escort
those two men amidships!"
    Rushing to obey, Egil noted that he had never before
seen Lord Hakon so angry. He strode over to where Svein and Torvald were
sitting. "All right, you two, you heard Lord Hakon. On your feet!"
    With a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, Svein
rose slowly from his bench, his face a pasty white. Surely the captain would
not make good his threat of throwing him overboard, he thought nervously, but
he could not be sure. Torvald also rose , his massive
size somehow diminished by his apparent fear. Walking in front of Egil, the two
men approached the cargo well.
    Hakon's face was inscrutable as he addressed them. "I
am sure you men recall my orders when we landed in England. There was to be no
disruption of any kind upon the inhabitants of that land during our brief
stay—no raping, no pillaging, and no killing unless we were attacked. Do you
remember?" Receiving short nods, he demanded, "How did these captives
come to be on my ship, then?" Another question plagued him, but he did not ask it . . . not yet . He only knew that if the
wench had been raped, the two men would not live to see a new day.
    Torvald looked at his feet, unable to find his voice to
answer. Speaking for both of them, Svein kept his tone ingratiating and
servile. "My lord Hakon, we found those two during our hunt, and thinkin'
you would be pleased to possess so lovely a wench, and the lad thrown in for
good measure, we could na' resist bringing them to the ship as an offering to
our fine captain." His pale eyes shifted over to the captives, their
watery blue depths sending an undeniable threat of violence in their direction.
Shuddering, Anora hid her face in her hands.
    Hakon could have struck him down at that moment for his
bald-faced lie. But first he needed to hear from the captives themselves the
extent of Svein and Torvald's crimes. He walked over to Anora, bent down, and
tilted up her chin to face him. Staring into her eyes, so lushly fringed with
gold-tipped lashes, he felt for a moment as if he would lose himself in the
deep emerald pools gazing back at him. Strangely enough for a man who so dearly
loved his freedom, the thought did not displease him.
    "Tell me, little one," he murmured gently, "were
you hurt in any way by either of those two men?" Hakon dreaded to hear her
answer, fearing the worst,