“M’lady, do ye no’ think we should head back to the wagon now?”
Edith turned to respond to Cameron’s pleading words, and blinked in surprise when she bumped her nose on the shield Ronson was struggling to hold up behind her as he followed her around.
“Sorry, m’lady,” Ronson said earnestly, stepping back a pace.
“That’s fine, lad,” she said with a smile, and then glanced to Cameron, opened her mouth and then closed it again with a frown as she saw that while his hands were free, one of them was on his sword. In the meantime, Fearghas, Geordie and Alick were all juggling overflowing armloads of the items she’d been passing back as she bought them. She hadn’t realized she’d bought so much. And she was only halfway through the list.
Biting her lip, she said, “Mayhap we should take everything back to the wagon. Then one o’ ye can wait with our goods while the rest o’ us continue shopping.”
“M’lady,” Cameron said wearily. “Ye really should no’ be here.”
“Aye,” Geordie agreed. “Niels did no’ even want ye out o’ the keep, let alone down in the village.”
“That’s as may be, but as lady at Drummond there are certain things that need doing, and if ye all want to fill yer bellies on something other than stew fer the next week, then we need to finish getting the items on Jaimie’s list,” Edith said firmly. This was the argument that had convinced them to reluctantly relent and let her leave the castle to begin with. Which was just utter nonsense to her. She was the Lady of Drummond and simply could have ordered her guards to make Geordie and Alick get out of the way and accompany her to the market and they would have had to do it. But she didn’t think that was likely to win her any points with her new in-laws, so she’d reasoned, wheedled and begged until the men had caved in.
Although, in truth, Edith suspected that in the end it was the threat of stew all week again that had won her argument. It certainly had turned the tide for Cameron and Fearghas, which had helped with the reluctant Geordie and Alick. It seemed stew had pretty much been the meal of choice the past three weeks and her people were heartily sick of it.
“How much more is there to get?” Geordie asked finally after the men all exchanged glances.
“Several spices, capons and cheese,” Edith responded at once, and then frowned and added, “And we are nearly out o’ soap too.”
Geordie shook his head, but said, “Carry on then. But one o’ us’ll soon have to start taking items back to the wagon. We can no’ carry much more.”
“Two o’ ye will have to carry items back and then one will have to watch the goods in the carriage while the other returns to carry more.”
Edith whipped around at that dry voice and smiled brightly at Niels as he pushed his way between Geordie and Alick to reach her. “Husband! Ye’re up.”
He grimaced at the words, but bent over Ronson and the shield to kiss her on the forehead before growling, “Ye should have woke me when ye got up.”
“Ye were tired and—”
“And ye should no’ be out here. ’Tis no’ safe,” Niels interrupted grimly.
“I have me guards, and yer brothers and even Ronson here,” she said, smiling down at the boy.
“Sorry, brother,” Geordie muttered. “But yer wife can be fair persuasive when she wishes, and it seems the cook has run out o’ a lot o’ items while she was ill and whatnot.”
“And I was thirsty,” Edith added, trying for a pitiful look. “But it seems all the drink at the keep has been locked up. Even the cider. So we came down and had a drink at the inn before starting to shop, else we’d surely be done and back by now.”
“No’ likely. We’ll be here until the market closes at this rate,” Alick said under his breath, earning a scowl from Edith.
“Ye let her drink at the inn?” Niels asked with dismay.
“Well, o’ course they did,” Edith said, scowling at him now. “Why would they not? The innkeeper could hardly be the one poisoning me at the keep.”
“Nay, but what if whoever is poisoning ye has followed ye from the keep and managed to drop poison in yer drink at the inn?” he asked sharply.
“I watched fer that, m’lord,” Cameron said at once and Edith glanced to him with surprise. She hadn’t even thought of that happening. It seemed her guards had, however. She supposed that’s why they were some of Tormod’s most trusted men. They thought of things like that.
“Wife,” Niels said now, drawing her gaze back his way. “The drink being locked up and yer having guards are to keep ye alive. But ye make that harder to do by putting yerself out in the open where ye’re an easy target. Ye should no’ have left the keep.”
Edith narrowed her eyes on him briefly and then asked, “Where are yer guards?”
“What?” he asked with surprise.
“Well, ye may be a target too now that ye’ve married me,” she pointed out, and added, “After all, Brodie’s Victoria was killed. Ye should have to stay in the keep too, and ye surely should no’ be riding around without a guard. So . . . where are they?”
“She’s right about that, brother,” Geordie said and reminded him, “We were talking about it last night. Ye could be a target now too.”
Niels scowled at his brother for his trouble, and then took Edith’s arm and tried to steer her away. “Fine. Let us both return to the keep right now.”
“Nay,” Edith gasped, digging in her heels. “There are still things Jaimie needs.”
When Niels paused and turned to frown at her, she added, “’Tis our job to supply what our people need, husband. Surely ye ken that? If I do no’ get what he needs, he can no’ properly do his job, and ’twould be because o’ my failure, no’ his.”
Cursing, he released her and threw his hands up in the air. “Fine. We will get what the cook needs, but no dawdling, Edith. Get it done quickly so we can return to the keep.”
Edith smiled at him brightly and nodded. “Aye, husband. And look, now ye’re here, none o’ the men need return to the wagon. Ye can help carry the spice and soap.”
Edith then turned away and hurried to the spice merchant with Ronson and the men rushing to keep up and bumping her on every side.
“And now ye ken how we ended up here shopping with yer wife.”
“Hmm,” Niels muttered at that comment from Geordie as they followed Ronson and the other three men hovering around his wife.
“Although,” Geordie added, “I will say she has brightened considerably since leaving the keep. She was sad-looking and dragging her feet there, but perked up once we got here.”
Niels frowned at the news that Edith had looked sad and slow when she woke up, but supposed it should be expected considering all that had happened. While Edith had avoided talking about her father and brothers, he knew from things he’d heard from Saidh and Tormod that Edith had loved her father dearly, as well as her brothers . . . even Brodie, who by all accounts was a wastrel. She’d been quite fond of Cawley too. And all had died in short order. In his opinion, she was handling it all incredibly well.
“So I’m thinking her getting out and about today may be a good thing despite the risk,” Geordie concluded.
“Aye,” Niels muttered. Certainly Edith seemed animated and less pale than usual as she haggled with the spice merchant.
“Niels?” Alick said, sidling closer to him as he paused behind Ronson.
“Hmm?” he asked, glancing to his brother and noting that most of what the lad held were bolts of fabric. One was a fine green cloth the exact color of Edith’s eyes that he hoped she planned to make a dress from. She’d look lovely in the material.
“We’ve nearly circled back around to the wagon,” Alick pointed out. “Why do Geordie and I no’ carry our items to the wagon, and then I’ll wait there to watch over everything while Edith finishes and Geordie’ll be able to help carry everything else she buys.”
“Aye, if ye do no’ mind that would help,” Niels said with a nod.
“Trust me, I do no’ mind at all,” Alick assured him.
“O’ course he does no’ mind, it means he can sit and flirt with all the pretty girls here rather than traipse around after Edith with his arms full,” Geordie said dryly, and then heading for the wagon with Alick, added, “I’ll be back directly.”
Niels smiled faintly as he turned back toward Edith and then glanced down with surprise when several items were piled on top of his crossed arms.
“Thank ye, husband,” Edith said as she stacked the spices on top of each other on him. “Fearghas can no’ carry any more, Ronson is busy with the shield and Cameron insists at least one o’ them must keep their hands free to defend me should the need arise.”
When she turned away quickly then, and hurried off to the next trader, Niels shook his head and shifted his arms slightly to hold the items now cradled against his chest. He then followed the others trailing after his wife. She was at the cheese trader now, he noted, and when his wife had selected several hunks of cheese and showed no sign of slowing, Niels glanced to Fearghas and suggested, “Mayhap ye’d best take that to the wagon and tell Geordie to hurry back.”