The blast of warmth from the hearth fire inside the tavern was a balm against the cold beating at Joshua’s body. Hopefully, the tavern keeper had a bed to rent for the night and a snug barn for Fuil.

The low-ceilinged room was nearly empty. An old man with deep creases in his face stood behind a stone bar, his bulbous nose perched above a tankard as he took a drink. With no trees about, most of the locals’ furniture and houses were made of the plentiful gray stone that held Orkney up out of the angry sea.

A woman leaned toward him over the bar, her trousers-clad arse nicely rounded and generous and leading to long legs. She wore a short cape and a pair of boots that were laced over fur pelts, a fashion he’d adopted from the islanders to stay warm. Her pale gold hair was woven into an intricate braid that slid down her back, the end tied and tapered as if pointing an arrow toward the crux of her legs.

“Even if Erik is gone, you should still accept Torben,” the old man said before raising his eyes to Joshua. His tankard plunked down on the bar top.

She slapped her palm down. “To appease Fiona?” She shook her head, making her braid swing gently in contrast to the snapping hardness in her voice. “I will not tie myself to a man again.”

So the lass was free of any restraints, like marriage. Joshua’s brow rose.

The old man nodded toward Joshua, and she snapped around, surprise lighting her distinct features. High cheekbones sat in an angular face with a straight nose. Wisps of hair had broken free of her braid to lie in waves along her tan skin. Long eyelashes framed wide-set eyes, but he could not tell their color in the low light given off by the hearth and several oil lamps. Anger narrowed them. What would they look like under a bright sun?

The silence stretched with the wind whistling beyond the walls. Och but Orkney even sounded cold.

“I would like to rent a bed and a stall for my horse for the night,” Joshua said.

“No beds are open,” the old man said.

Joshua glanced pointedly around the empty room. Did the man know Joshua had helped Lord Robert’s men become more efficient to deter the local islanders from raiding his building materials and hunting on his land?

“Then a barn for my horse,” Joshua said and pulled out several coins, letting them clink on the bar top.

“No barn, either.”

Joshua pointed over his shoulder. “Like the one across the road?”

“All the stalls are full.”

Joshua crossed his arms over his broad chest. “Then my horse and I will stay the night in here.”

The old man snorted. “You haven’t enough of Lord Robert’s gold to pay for that.”