Goddess of the Sea (Goddess Summoning #1)(60)

"It is so difficult for me to believe. Are you certain, Father? She attended mass. And look at her tie to the Blessed Mother—how could one of the heathen be touched so?"

"She is a princess. She could easily have been nursed by a slave who had been captured from our shores. The poor woman probably tried her best to instill within Undine the true religion. You must remember, though, that she refused to take Holy Communion," he said, self-satisfied and smug. "My son, it was her beauty that deceived you." The abbot's voice turned warm and fatherly. "From the first I knew that she was evil. Look at the garish show of wealth in which she is swathed, and her unusually tall stature. And remember how outspoken and willful she became last night?"

CC pulled at her bottom lip, sorry she hadn't kept a better hold on her temper the night before.

"And I simply thought of her as exotic and beautiful."

Even though CC didn't love the knight, she felt stung at the betrayal in his words.

"The heathen mean to entice us to forget ourselves," came the priest's answer.

"Then my time here has been wasted, and my quest to find a wife who could dower Caer Llion back to its original state of glory has failed."

CC blinked in shock. Andras was on a wife hunt and her jewels and her title had made Undine look like the perfect prey. She shook her head in self disgust. Why should she be so surprised? Noblemen had been allying themselves with wealth and land for centuries. Actually, arranged marriages were probably the norm for ancient Wales. What would be unusual would be to marry for love. And she had to admit she did feel a sense of relief. The knight didn't love her. Sure, he desired her body, but at least she didn't have to feel guilty for breaking his heart.

"Let us not discard the princess's possibilities too hastily," continued Abbot William.

"You would have me ally Caer Llion with Norsemen?"

"Perhaps." CC could hear Andras begin to sputter a response, but the abbot interrupted. "True, the Wyking are heathen murderers, thieves and blackguards, but they have wealth. Caer Llion is far enough inland that you need not worry that her family could appear at your gate, so the alliance would be tenuous at best."

In other words, CC thought angrily, Andras should just take the money and the girl and run.

"Remember, once she is your wife, she is your property to do with as you so desire." The abbot's voice was sly. "And she would be beyond the reach of her heathen people. Of course you would immediately have to correct her willful spirit and be sure that her religious training is completed."

"I had already decided that if she became my wife she would have to curb her tongue and end her unacceptable behavior." He made a sarcastic scoffing sound. "Walking alone at night is not the behavior of a good Christian wife!"

"Just remember the Rule of Thumb, my son." The priest's voice sounded pleased. "You may not strike her with anything thicker than your thumb, no matter how much she vexes you, or how deserving she is of harsher discipline."

CC's mouth dropped open in shock.

"It would not please me to strike her at all, but I do understand that it is my duty," Andras said.

"I have no doubt that you would do your duty."

CC thought the abbot sounded almost giddy at the prospect, but his tone shifted and became more serious as he continued.

"There is one thing that concerns me very much. I am not certain that her walking alone at night is entirely innocent."

CC tried to still her heart from beating as she strained to catch every word.

"She may have been attempting to contact her people."

CC blinked in surprise. How was she supposed to have done that?

"How could she, Abbot?" Andras echoed her question.

"For all of her supposed ties to the Holy Mother, I believe that she is heathen, and perhaps even a sorceress."

She clearly heard the knight's sharp intake of breath.

"She could have been casting a spell in an attempt to contact the Norsemen. Did you not notice how mysteriously the fog suddenly surrounded Caldei? It could have been her conjuration in an attempt to cover her use of the black arts. Since Undine's arrival, Caldei has been filled with a sense of unease." The abbot paused, and neither man spoke for several breaths.

"I, too, have felt something." Andras's voice was almost a whisper, but it carried to CC's listening ears like a church bell. "I have not wanted to speak of it, but I have felt discord within these good walls."

"I cannot help but agree with you, my son. The woman's presence here in some way is causing evil."

CC thought that the abbot sounded more pleased than upset at the prospect.

"And knowing this, you still think I should consider marriage with her?"

"The Rule of Thumb, my son. Do not forget the Rule of Thumb. And do not underestimate the power of a strong, God-fearing husband. I believe once she is away from the sea, and the possibility of contact with others of the hea-then, she will be able to be controlled. Of course, you may choose not to marry her at all."

'Then what of Caer Llion?" Andras asked.

"The princess could be ransomed. True, a dowry would probably be more profitable than a single ransom payment, and the Wykings are notoriously difficult traders, but then you would be free of the problems she could create, and you would have at least a portion of the money needed for Caer Llion."