"The other lairds," he said. "They arrive today. This afternoon."
She set her cup down carefully on the sideboard. "All of them."
"Erik and Claricia. Magnus and Ada. Ragnar and Isolda." A pause. "Harald and Enya willnae make it. Enya's too far along."
"Almost all of them then," she said again. "Today. At this castle."
"Aye."
"That I've been in since yesterday evenin'."
"Aye."
"And dinnae ken the layout of yet beyond the kitchen and me own chamber."
"Ye ken the Great Hall now as well," he offered.
She looked at him. "That is an extremely unhelpful addition."
"The wives are good lasses," he said, with the simple directness he gave things that were simply true. "Claricia will have ye feelin' like ye've kent her fer years inside of ten minutes. She talks a great deal but she means every word of it."
A pause. "Ada is quiet. Dinnae mistake it fer distance, it isnae. She sees everythin' and she decides slowly, but once she decides she means it."
Another pause. "Isolda is still findin' her feet but she's warm underneath the guardin' of it."
Matilda was quiet for a moment. "They've all done this," she said. "What I'm daein' now."
"Aye. Every one of them."
"And they're… they stayed. All of them."
"Aye," he said. "They stayed. Why? Are ye planning on leaving?"
She didn’t answer and looked at the fire for a long moment, then at the flames, and then she looked back at him.
"And the men. What dae I dae with four Viking lairds at me supper table?"
"Eat yer supper," he said. "They're mine. They'll treat ye well because I'll expect it and they ken what that means."
"Ye keep sayin' that."
"Because it keeps bein' true."
She studied him for a moment.
This man she'd known for less than a day, standing in his own hall in the early morning with complete equanimity, saying things that were simply true without dressing them up or softening them or watching her face to see how she received them.
"Fine," she said.
"Fine?"
"Aye, fine." She straightened. "But if there are any other lairds, kings, envoys, or significant events I should ken about before this afternoon, I'd appreciate the information before noon."
"I'll dae me best, and I will start by telling ye the royal envoys are meant tae arrive today or tomorrow as well," he said and she saw that expression at the corner of his mouth she'd begun watching for.
"That," she said, "is a very non-committal answer."
"Aye," he said. "It is."