Return of the Viking Warrior
THE VIKING CLAIMS HIS WIFEKara Olofdottar thanked the gods when she married her childhood hero Ash Hringson. But this fearless raider has been gone so long his proud arrogance is the only memory she retains of him. Now she must remarry to protect her lands for her son.But then, on her wedding day, the conquering warrior returns – to gasps of horror and surprise! After all, Ash was supposed to be dead…though to Kara’s starved gaze he seems very much flesh and blood…and less than impressed to find his beautiful wife intent on marrying someone else!
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‘What is mine stays mine.’
A muscle jumped in Ash’s jaw as he continued. ‘I trust Valdar the Steady and everyone else understand that now.’
Kara’s mouth went dry. ‘Does that include people?’
‘I look after my own.’
Kara straightened her back and dug her heels into her horse’s flank. ‘Then I was never yours. Seven years you’ve been gone, Ash—seven long years.’
AUTHOR NOTE
For many years one of the stories I wanted to write was a ‘returned from the dead’ story. It has always intrigued me, the way people cope when a person has been through a life-changing experience and has to go back home—only to discover home is not the unchanging place he or she thought it was.
I thought about writing it as a Roman-set novel, then a Regency, and finally knew I had to write it as a Viking story. The characters and their situation really came alive in my mind and it was a relief finally to do justice to a story which I have wanted to write for a long time. Sometimes ideas scream to be written, and sometimes you have to wait until the moment is right to write an idea.
I do hope you enjoy Kara and Ash’s story.
As ever, I love hearing from readers. You can contact me through my website www.michellestyles.co.uk, my blog www.michellestyles.blogspot.com or my publisher. I also have a page on Facebook—Michelle Styles Romance Author—where I regularly post my news.
DEDICATION
For my eldest son, William
Born and raised near San Francisco, California, MICHELLE STYLES currently lives a few miles south of Hadrian’s Wall, with her husband, three children, two dogs, cats, assorted ducks, hens and beehives. An avid reader, she became hooked on historical romance when she discovered Georgette Heyer, Anya Seton and Victoria Holt one rainy lunchtime at school. And, for her, a historical romance still represents the perfect way to escape.
Although Michelle loves reading about history, she also enjoys a more hands-on approach to her research. She has experimented with a variety of old recipes and cookery methods (some more successfully than others), climbed down Roman sewers, and fallen off horses in Iceland—all in the name of discovering more about how people went about their daily lives. When she is not writing, reading or doing research, Michelle tends her rather overgrown garden or does needlework—in particular counted cross-stitch.
Michelle maintains a website, www.michellestyles.co.uk, and a blog: www.michellestyles.blogspot.com. She would be delighted to hear from you.
Previous novels by the same author:
THE GLADIATOR’S HONOUR
A NOBLE CAPTIVE SOLD AND SEDUCED THE ROMAN’S VIRGIN MISTRESS TAKEN BY THE VIKING A CHRISTMAS WEDDING WAGER (part of Christmas By Candlelight) VIKING WARRIOR, UNWILLING WIFE AN IMPULSIVE DEBUTANTE A QUESTION OF IMPROPRIETY IMPOVERISHED MISS, CONVENIENT WIFE COMPROMISING MISS MILTON* THE VIKING’S CAPTIVE PRINCESS BREAKING THE GOVERNESS’S RULES* TO MARRY A MATCHMAKER HIS UNSUITABLE VISCOUNTESS HATTIE WILKINSON MEETS HER MATCH AN IDEAL HUSBAND? PAYING THE VIKING’S PRICE
*linked by character
And in Mills & Boon® HistoricalUndone!eBooks:
THE PERFECT CONCUBINE
Did you know that some of these novels are also available as eBooks? Visit www.millsandboon.co.uk
Contents
Chapter One
Early autumn, AD 793—Sand, Raumerike,
south-eastern Norway
Seven years and Ash Hringson refused to think about how many thousands of miles it had been since he last set foot in Sand, the capital of Raumerike. He would have preferred to go straight home to Jaarlshiem, but he had a duty to inform the king of his travels and his plans for the future.
Ash rubbed a hand over his chin, fingering the small half-moon scar there. He had seen over thirty battles and minor skirmishes since he’d left. His face might be clear of all but the most minor scars, but he walked with a distinct limp, the legacy of a battle three years ago, which aggravated the injury he had received in a Frankish dungeon. He knew that he was not the same carefree youth who had left Raumerike’s shores, with a thirst for adventure and the certainty of a glorious future. In his mind, Raumerike and all he’d left behind remained the same.
A great unexpected feeling of long-awaited belonging rose up in his throat. He was in his home country. On his native soil. A foreigner no longer.
Ash gave a wry smile. He must have done enough to regain some measure of his father’s respect. Hanging his head in shame or walking in the shadows of life was no longer his destiny. He’d become a leader of men rather than a coward who left others to die in a fiery inferno.
The town had seen a few changes over the seven years he’d been gone, expanded with an air of bustling prosperity, but the streets were laid out the same. The blacksmith where he’d purchased his first sword looked to be under different management and the king’s hall appeared to have been rebuilt. The market by the quayside was larger with a broader range of fabric and fur, but the fishmonger still traded in the right-hand corner, calling about fresh herring and salted cod.
