Etheldreda thought to give them a few moments alone together and held back. King Alfrid drew up beside her. She felt the pressure of his knee on hers, and when she met his eyes there was a look in them that made her uneasy. Since the incident of the water fight she had avoided him as much as possible. When their paths had crossed he had not mentioned it, but his eyes always looked at her as though he were seeing her naked. She drew away from him now and cantered forward towards the Mercian party.
She knew that Oswy wanted her to greet the son of the man who had killed her father in a way that conveyed the desire for a peaceful future between them, while letting him know, very subtly, that the past was not yet forgotten.
She smiled bitterly. Had this not been the way she had greeted Oswy
