Chapter 29: Balancing Act

“I’ve never heard of the wife looking up the mistress to become friends, but I like it.” – Nikolaj Coster-Waldau.

York, Great Britain. March 1074

With every day that went by, Marion became more anxious. Luke was due home in January, but he wasn’t home yet. Marion couldn’t be mad at him since the Baltic Sea iced over the previous winter, trapping the British fleet. Since the British didn’t have icebreakers, they had to wait for the spring thaw.

Luke was almost as anxious to get home as Marion was to have him home and used that nervous energy to drive the development of mining operations. With the extra time and frozen ground, mining operations were almost ready to start. The only thing left was to link the mine to the town with a rail line to move supplies, labor, and ore. Once the ore arrived in town, it was concentrated for shipment to Britain, where it would be refined.

Finally, the ice broke up, and a convoy of supply ships arrived. Every Brit was thrilled to see supply ships from home. Although they weren’t threatened by starvation, their diet had been bland. Smoked fish got really boring really quickly. Now, the ones staying would have variety, and the ones going home would get their replacements. Since Luke knew there were no hostile forces in the area, he only assigned one regiment to guard the mining works and town. Two patrol boats would also be stationed there for maritime security.

The first thing Luke noticed was the change in the British flag. The Cross of Saint Patrick had been added, meaning Marion had annexed Ireland into Great Britain. It was now the Union Jack Luke knew from his world, which meant Marion was even more powerful. She didn’t have a land enemy near her, so most of her military spending could be used for the navy. With a powerful navy, Britain could rule the seas and, with them, the world.

As the Panther steamed out of port, Luke stood on the fantail and watched the town, now named Chromite, slowly recede into the distance. The soldiers and locals had voted on the town’s name and picked Chromite because, without the mineral, none of what was happening would have been possible. He stayed there until he felt the wind hitting his back change. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw red and knew who it was.

“Hey, Kukka.”

“How did you know?”

“I felt the wind change, and I saw red out of the corner of my eye. You’re the only one in the fleet with that color of red hair. You develop an acute sense of situational awareness when you’ve been shot at as often as I have.”

“Damn red hair.” Luke chuckled.

“I love your red hair.”

“But you didn’t have to deal with the teasing growing up.”

“You don’t need to worry about that now.”

“I know. I can’t wait to see your home.” Luke chuckled again.

“You’re nervous about meeting Marion. Don’t worry about it. She’ll love you.”

“I still can’t believe your wife will be able to get along with your mistress.”

“Why not? She gets along with my other wife, and I get along with her wife. It only works because none of us are jealous. We had another woman living with us for a while, but she wanted one man to herself, and everyone knew it. She found her man, and they are happily married. He can’t have children of his own, so he adopted her five even though they come from two fathers.”

“The woman a whore?”

“Be very careful what you say about her,” cautioned Luke. “She is my best friend, and I’m the biological father of two of her children. The other three belong to her first husband.”

“Oh. I’m so sorry, Luke. I didn’t know.”

“I know, and that’s why I gave you a warning instead of taking your head off.”

Kukka came around and stood in front of Luke with her back to his front. As she hoped, Luke wrapped his arms around her. The sigh that escaped her mouth was involuntary but appropriate for her feelings. Nobody could make her feel like what Luke made her feel. She hoped his wife would accept her because Kukka knew she would never again find a man like Luke.

The trip across the Baltic was cold but smooth. Before they crossed the North Sea, Luke had them stop in Niðaróss for a day so he could catch up with Ingegerd. When she met with Luke and Kukka, Luke knew she wouldn’t be bugging him for an heir because she looked eleven months pregnant.

“Well, look at you.”

“Yeah, stare at the beached whale,” growled Ingegerd.

“So, who is the lucky lad? You’re too big for it to be me.”

“You would be this big, too, if you were carrying twins.”

“Well, congratulations.”

“Wait, I’m confused,” interrupted Kukka. “What did you mean when you said she was too big for it to be you.”

“Luke is the father of the two buggers kicking me right now. He’s the only man I have ever been with, but I can’t love him. I was in love with a man, but he died before we could do anything. Marion was kind enough to loan Luke to me so I could become pregnant. One thing I envy about you, Kukka, is nobody will care who your children are. I don’t have that luxury. Every noble with political ambitions in the kingdom has been after me. They wanted my bed and throne. Luke doesn’t want either, and they left me alone after it became known I’m pregnant.”

“But are you worried someone will question who the father is?”

“That is a possibility, but enough people in my household know the truth to end the rumors. Not even the bravest noble will go against Luke. They all know the stories about him, about him killing men with his bare hands and impaling nobles and their families when they rebelled against Marion.”

Kukka’s head snapped around to stare at Luke with wide eyes. She hadn’t heard those stories and was worried about the man of her dreams. Luke shrugged. It did him no good to deny the stories, especially since they were true. Kukka was quiet until they left that evening. Luke wanted to get home, so he begged off an invitation from Ingegerd to spend the night. He had a blonde woman he wanted desperately to see, hold, and love.

“Hey, you, okay?” Luke asked once they laid down in their hammock that evening.

“Yeah, I guess.”

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s just...” Kukka sighed. “It’s you. I never heard those stories about you.”

“And now you’re wondering what kind of man I am?”

“Yeah...”

Luke held her tight as he told her his entire story. It took several hours for him to get through, but by the end, Kukka had tears streaming down her face. All the sharp edges of Luke’s personality now lined up, and all the strange sayings and words made sense. Kukka snuggled tightly against Luke. Strangely, she didn’t feel threatened by Luke’s past; she felt safe and loved. Luke was loyal to those he loved and would do anything to protect them from harm.

To Luke’s surprise, Kukka didn’t get seasick when the fleet ran into a small storm. The storm wasn’t severe but produced plenty of rain. The pair stood on the bridge and watched. Luke had his arm around Kukka’s waist, and she leaned into him.

When they steamed into Hull, Kukka’s eyes were huge. She knew the British were advanced but had no idea how advanced. Her first clue was when she saw the HMS London steam past. The steam cranes on the dock were the next clue. She watched as they lifted cargo from vessels and placed it on train cars or the reverse.

She held Luke’s hand as she stepped on the dock. Taking her first step on British soil, Kukka felt at home. She looked over at Luke and smiled. He smiled back and suddenly picked her up, causing her to squeal. The troops laughed at Luke’s antics, especially when he threw Kukka over his shoulder and smacked her rump.

He carried her to the train station and wrapped his arms around her when he put her down so she couldn’t retaliate. Luke gave Kukka the money at the station and had her buy the tickets; this way, she would know how to purchase tickets. Even though Luke owned the train, he bought tickets like everyone else but traveled 1^st class.

As they traveled toward York, Kukka was like a cat with a laser pointer. She couldn’t believe how advanced the British were, but some things seemed missing to Kukka. The people around her were always in a hurry and seemed to rush past everything. Finally, they arrived in York, and the rush increased.

Luke’s guards formed around them as they headed to the palace. Kukka got more nervous the closer they got. When they walked around a building, Kukka lost her breath. The palace before her was stunningly beautiful, with the polished marble and granite exterior shining in the sun. Every piece of window glass had a golden tint from the anti-reflective coating. Luke looked at Kukka and chuckled; he loved seeing people’s reactions when they first saw the palace.

Marion was in a budget meeting and getting more frustrated by the minute. She was tired of accounting nerds; this was the fourth budget meeting she sat through that week. Just as she was going to kick the nerds out, her secretary knocked and stuck her head in.

“Ma’am. There’s someone here for you.”

“I don’t care. I don’t want to see them right now.”

“Ah, ma’am. I think you will.”

“No, I don’t. Now go away!”

Her secretary withdrew but quickly stuck her head back in.

“Ma’am. You are really going to want to meet with these people.”

“Fine!” Marion snapped. “Send them in.”

The secretary withdrew, and a moment later, a large general came in with a tall redhead.

“General MacDougall repor...”

“LUKE!!” Marion squealed, jumped up, and ran across her office to jump into Luke’s arms.

He laughed as best he could with Marion’s lips locked onto his. Her arms were tightly wrapped around his neck, and her legs were around his waist. Luke had one hand on her arse and the other traveling up her back. The hand traveling up her spine gave her chills that hardened her nipples and sent shocks to her lady parts. While Marion was riding Luke, Gabriella sent the accounting nerds out; the meeting could be finished later.

The tingling in her lady parts caused Marion to grind her hips into Luke. It only took a minute of grinding for Marion to have the best orgasm in months.

“Oh god, Luke, I missed you so much.”

“I know. I missed you as much.”

Kukka watched this display with Luke and Marion and felt a wave of jealousy sweep through her. Her man was making out with another woman, but then she deduced the blonde hanging on Luke was his wife. When Marion dropped to the floor, Kukka saw the wet spot between her legs.

“And you must be Kukka,” Marion said, turning to Kukka. “I’ve been eager to meet you. I wondered about the woman who could catch my husband. Now that I see you, I can see why. By the way, I’m Marion of York. Luke’s wife and Queen of Great Britain.”

“Your Majesty...”

“Skip the “Your Majesty.” We sleep with the same man, so call me Marion.”

“Okay.”

Marion smiled. “Relax. I have a feeling we will be spending a lot of time around each other. Luke, why don’t you go see your other redhead? This redhead and I need to spend some time together.”

“Ah shit,” Luke mumbled. The last thing any man wanted was his wife freely talking with his mistress. Once Luke left, Marion turned to Kukka.

“If you want to be in this relationship, jealousy won’t work.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Don’t give me that!” Marion snapped. “I saw your look when I jumped MY husband. Remember this, Kukka: Luke is my husband. You understand, MINE. I don’t mind if you want to play, but I will kill you if you try to steal him.”

“I thought you said jealousy wouldn’t work in this relationship? It sounds like you’re jealous.”

“Listen, I almost lost Luke to a wench who is doing time in one of my mines for her crimes.” Kukka jerked back like she had been punched. “I see we understand each other. Now, do you want to be part of our family?”

“Wha ... Wha ... What?”

“Do you want to be part of this family?”

“Do I have to have sex with you?”

“I hope you would. I see why Luke fell for you; you’re HOT!”

Kukka had spent enough time with Luke to get what Marion meant and turned red from her roots to her breasts. Marion saw the blush on Kukka’s face, and before she could react, Marion pulled her head down and kissed her on the lips. Kukka stood stunned. From behind Marion, Gabriella began laughing. She moved around Marion and kissed Kukka, too. This time, Kukka moaned, and Marion smiled as Kukka was on her way to sharing their bed. Marion pulled up a chair and signaled Kukka to sit; they had much to discuss.

Meanwhile, Luke was headed to the hospital; he had another redhead to see. When Luke arrived, Alice was teaching a beginning medical class, so he slipped into the rear of the classroom and waited. She was busy teaching, and Luke liked watching her. His wife struck a striking figure in her olive service uniform and white lab coat with her red hair pinned up.

When she reached the end of the class, she asked for questions. One young man in the front of the class raised his hand and stood when Alice called on him.

“Will you meet me after class for dinner?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“I’m married, and I don’t commit adultery.”

“Your adulterous husband won’t know. From what some friends tell me, he found another redhead. So why not return the favor? He will never know.”

Alice gave the young man a cruel smile; she saw Luke sitting at the back of the room.

“I know all about the other redhead, and he will know.” Luke stood up and walked to the front of the room; Alice looked at the man when Luke was halfway to the man. “Why don’t you ask him yourself if he minds his woman being with another man?”

The man looked up to see Luke staring at him, and the color left his face. Luke stared into the man’s eyes with his ice-cold blues, and the man found he couldn’t look away.

“She is my wife. If you proposition her again, I will rip your tongue from your head and strangle you with it. Do you hear me?” The man stared back at Luke, and the smell told Luke he had pissed his pants. “I take your silence as a yes. You can leave now.”

Alice had never seen a man run so fast, and she chuckled, then turned her attention back to Luke.

“Welcome back, my husband.”

She smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck and lifted herself to wrap her legs around his waist. Their kiss was slow, sweet, and lasted until they had to breathe.

“Well, if that’s how I’m welcomed back, I should be away more.”

“I don’t think so.” Alice sniffed. “Why do I smell girl cum?” She looked at Luke. “You visited Marion already.”