Page 43 of The Merciless Laird
Thor reached. Matilda caught his small hand before it connected, gently, automatically, and Thor looked at his captured hand and then up at her and opened his mouth.
"Dinnae, me love," Matilda said, her voice dropping into that low, melodic command that had silenced Ivar in the storage room.
Thor closed his mouth.
Ivar watched Erik watch this happen. Erik's eyebrows went up. He looked at Ivar.
Ivar looked back at him with nothing on his face.
"He never daes that," Claricia said. She was staring at Matilda. "How did ye dae that?"
"I have nay idea," Matilda said, which was honest.
"She used the same voice on me," Ivar said. "First night. Works every time."
Matilda turned her head and looked at him. He kept his expression entirely neutral as she looked back at Claricia.
"I'll need that explained later," Claricia said to Matilda, keeping her face and her tone neutral.
Erik roared, clapping a hand on Ivar’s shoulder that nearly sent them both into the fire. "She’s got steel in her, Raven."
"She has more than steel, Erik," Ivar said, his eyes meeting Matilda’s for a long, charged moment. "She has a very sharp tongue when provoked. I’d advise ye tae watch yers."
"Good." Erik looked at Matilda directly. "Lady Matilda. Welcome tae Mull. I'm Erik. The best-looking of the lot."
"He says that every time," Magnus said, from behind him, Astrid against his chest in her wrap, Ada at his side.
"It keeps being true."
"It keeps being something," Magnus said.
Matilda looked between them. A small line had appeared at the corner of her mouth, cutting through her nerves. "Are they always this exhausting?" she whispered.
"Only when they’re trying tae impress a lady," Ivar replied, his thumb tracing a slow, distracting circle against her hip.
"Besides, they're worse, usually," he said. "Today they're making an effort."
She pressed her lips together and noticed how his eyes lingered on his lips.
Ada stepped forward. Looked at Matilda, and said, "How are ye managin'?” Her voice was low, only for Matilda.
"Ask me tomorrow, please," Matilda said. "Today is too overwhelming fer an answer."
Ada looked at her for a moment. "Aye," she said. "That's the right response."
Ragnar came last with Isolda, and Isolda looked at Matilda with the eyes of someone who had been through exactly that and remembered it clearly.
"Ivar's keep is warmer than Ragnar's," she said, by way of opening. "That's somethin'."
"Is it?" Matilda said.
"In November, considerably." She glanced back at Ragnar, who had already crossed to Ivar, and lowered her voice. "The first week is the hardest. After that ye start tae ken where things are."
"Daes it actually get easier?" Matilda said. "Or dae people just say that?"
Isolda considered it. "A bit of both," she said. "But mostly it is true."
Ragnar stopped beside Ivar and looked across the hall at Matilda.
