Page 18 of Wolf Alliance

“Maybe. But we shall see.”

He nodded and she urged him up, then pulled aside his furs and he climbed onto the bed. She covered him up and she kissed his forehead.

“What are you going to do with Hendrie and Thorfinn?” Johnne sounded worried about them.

“’Tis up to them. You sleep. I’ll see which one wants to bathe next. If neither will, we will see you to break your fast in the great hall in the morn. Your nanny will stay with you tonight.”

“No’ you?”

She chewed on her bottom lip. “Aye, if you wish it.” If it helped her to be closer to the boys, she would.

“I do. Our mother would no’ do it. She said she wasna a nanny.”

What difference did that make? She had been their mother! Accalia wasn’t even their mother, yet she was fine staying with them if it pleased the boys. “All right.” Then she opened the door and said, “Who wishes to take their bath next?”

Hendrie looked at Thorfinn and that decided it for her. She took Hendrie’s arm, pulled him into the chamber, and shut the door. Hendrie glanced at Johnne half asleep in bed. Johnne gave Hendrie a small smile.

Hendrie didn’t look reassured, but then Accalia and Etta helped him out of his clothes and assisted him into the bath.

“When I was a little girl,” Accalia said, “my mother had died. I felt lost. My da was away fighting battles often. I only had the maids and nannies to talk to. My mother was everything to me.”

“Did you ever get another mother?” Hendrie asked as Etta washed his hair.

Accalia shook her head. “You know how wolves are. They lose a mate and sometimes they dinna want to find another to replace the one they lost and loved.”

“So Da isn’t going to marry you?” Hendrie asked.

“We will see. It depends on how we feel toward each other. And how you and your brothers feel toward me.”

“You were going to lock us in the dungeon,” Hendrie said, frowning.

She glanced back at Johnne. He was sound asleep. “Only if you didna bathe. Do you see how nice this is? No’ torture at all. Staying in the dungeon would have been uncomfortable and maybe even scary.”

Then she helped dry him off, combed his hair out like she had done with Johnne, kissed the top of his head, and covered Hendrie with his furs. “Sleep well, Hendrie.”

Like Johnne, he was practically asleep when he climbed under his covers.

The maids smiled. Etta said, “We are very impressed.”

But it didn’t mean it would stay that way if the troublemaker—Thorfinn—returned to the chamber. She could see him waking his brothers up and causing mayhem, to prove she wasn’t in charge of them.

So she had another thought. Now that both boys were asleep, she said, “We heat water for Erik’s bath.”

“But what about Thorfinn? You dinna plan to put him in the dungeon, do you?” Etta asked.

“He will take a bath in Erik’s bedchamber. I dinna want him to disturb his brothers.”

Then Accalia and the others left the room, except for a nanny who stayed with the brothers.

“We go to Erik’s chamber now,” Accalia announced to the guards.

“What did you do to my brothers?” Thorfinn asked.

“Bathed them and put them to bed. They are sound asleep.” Accalia led the way.

“I said I wouldna take a bath,” Thorfinn said.

Accalia ignored him.