Margit Sandemo - The Ice People 27 - The Scandal

But it wasn’t the treasure that was to blame for her unrest; it would, after all, become hers some day.

No, it was something much worse.

She had been in the grip of the demons. She had had sex with them. Well, she hadn’t gone all the way with them, but as far as was possible. Her escape from Graastensholm – how had they taken it? Were they still waiting for her?

She was still beautiful, she knew that, but not in the same innocent way as before. There was something more devilish about her now. She was more irresistible than ever.

It had been almost twenty years ago. But the desire they had awakened in her still burned. The thought of those four demons was staggeringly exciting.

She crossed the city square, where mortal men had exhibited at least as much bestiality as those demons. About two centuries before, these very cobblestones had been the site of the Linköping Bloodbath, when members of the noble families Sparre, Bielke and Banér were executed so that the absolute power of the monarch would be strengthened.

When would people ever learn?

Mortal men did not appeal to her. She was satisfied with her Tomas, whom she still loved with an intensity that almost frightened her.

But she didn’t really belong here. She belonged in the world of the demons. She had had a taste of their sensuality, which was dizzying, as cold as ice and scorching hot all at once. They had turned her on, time and again, seemingly uninterrupted, every time she had been with them.

She didn’t find them repulsive to look at. She thought they were immensely fascinating.

Many of the women of the Ice People had been drawn to demons. Sol. Ingrid. Even Silje, who wasn’t even one of the Ice People, had come under their influence: she had seen Tengel the Good as a demon in the dreams she had about him.

So it really wasn’t so strange that Tula felt divided and rootless. She was like a bird whose wings had been clipped. Tomas and Christer and her parents kept her grounded. But were she ever to lose them ...

She didn’t want to think that thought through to the end. She didn’t want to admit that both her father and her mother were well over sixty, or that Tomas was no longer nearly as strong as he used to be. He often had back pain and wasn’t eager to use his legs, which he had never learned to walk on properly. And Tula had misgivings about the strength of his heart now. That was often the path that a body would take when it was racked with rheumatism.

She had written a letter to Heike:

You old fox, how long do you plan to keep the treasure? My beloved Tomas is sick and I have no remedies to give him. I’m not implying that you should die so that I can get the treasure – no one in the family wants you dead, and you know that. But is it really necessary for you to keep the medications to yourself?

Incidentally, it’s been a long time since we saw each other, so you and your family might consider taking a trip here. For reasons that only you and I know about, I can no longer appear at Graastensholm, and I refuse to bring my son to that damnable haunted castle!

Heike had answered immediately. He explained that they were too busy on the farm to leave it. However, he sent a handsome package of medicines, which Tula had great difficulty getting through customs, that is until she cast a spell on the customs officers so that they immediately allowed the parcel through without understanding why, and Tomas got his soothing elixirs. But they weren’t going to last forever ...

She refocused on the city of Linköping.

Tula was going to do some shopping and visit a friend.

The friend’s name was Amanda, and she was the wife of a pharmacist; she therefore had a high status in the town. She and Tula were about the same age. They had met when Tula was buying medicine for Tomas, and when Amanda discovered that she was dealing with a cultivated person they befriended one another. Amanda found Tula fascinating. And different!

The pharmacist, the doctor and a number of other prominent citizens were busy making preparations for the annual festivities for the town’s bourgeoisie. They asked whether Tula and her husband would be coming? There was going to be a big party at the local hotel, which would include a dinner, a dance and numerous worthy but boring speeches.

Tula thanked them effusively and said she would have to consult Tomas first. It was very difficult to get him to come into town with her so she had her doubts.

“Try anyway!” Amanda said. “It would be so wonderful if both of you could come!”

The two friends went shopping together and afterwards Amanda walked Tula to her carriage. But they stopped in a beautiful park and sat down on a bench to rest and talk a little more. They saw one another so seldom. And the packages they were carrying were heavy. They had had a frenzy of shopping, they realized now. Tula had bought tools for Tomas and material to make a dress for herself and a shirt for Christer. He was staying with his grandparents, Erland and Gunilla, while filling in as a lockkeeper for his grandfather, but he came to visit Tula and Tomas from time to time.

They heard the angry voice of a girl calling, “Sascha! Come here! Come here, I said!”

Sascha? Wasn’t that the name of Magdalena’s dog? The girl Christer had talked about?

At that very moment a tousled little dog dashed past them, on the run, its head and tail down.

A young girl was chasing it. Tula didn’t get a chance to look at her properly; all she could tell was that she must be about fifteen, perhaps a little more. The dog was caught by a couple, who had to be the girl’s parents. They also had a little boy with them, about four years old. Then they left the park. Tula turned to Amanda.

“You know, I think I recognize that family. Do you know who they are?”

Her friend, who was always elegantly dressed with her hair done in the latest style, said in a slightly sullen voice: “Them? They’re the Backmans.”

“So it was them! But do they live here in Linköping? I thought ...?”

“They moved here three years ago. They live in that large, detached house on the other side of the park. The big white one, just over there.”

“Hmm,” Tula said, sounding as if she were hatching a cunning scheme. “Then I would like to pay them a visit one day.”

“Them? They never receive visitors. They don’t associate with just anybody. You practically have to be royalty to be considered worthy of their company. But they have accepted the invitation to attend the annual celebration, which came as something of a surprise.”

Tula said slowly: “Amanda, I don’t think I’m going to try to persuade Tomas to attend the festivities. But may I bring my son with me instead?”

“Yes, of course. Christer is such a charming boy!”

“Then we will accept your kind invitation. Christer and I would be happy to attend.”

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.