Douglas continued to look at the piece. “It could mean something else,” he said after a moment. “For example, if a man were to give it to a woman, it could indicate that he chose her.”
“Chose her for what?”
“His wife, of course.”
The woman nodded. “True,” she said. “May I have it back now?”
“How much do you want for it?”
The woman realized she might have a sale on her hands. “I bought it for six pounds,” she said. “I’ll take ten if you’re serious. That necklace is solid gold, worth a great deal.”
He nodded. “I can see that,” he said. “I will give you seven pounds for it.”
“Eight pounds and it is yours.”
He handed it back over to her while he pulled out his purse. Eyeing her for a moment, he pulled out two gold coins, worth about seventy pence each. He put them in her palm and she smiled brightly at him, thrilled to have sold him such a fine piece.
“’Tis a pleasure doing business with you, my lord,” she said. “My name is Magda. I own the stall with the red windows over on the street of the merchants. If you’d like to come by and see the rest of the things I bought from the nobleman’s daughter, I’d be delighted to show you.”
He carefully tucked the necklace into his purse and secured it back on his belt. “I might,” he said. “Set the good pieces aside and I’ll return in the next day or two. And if anyone ever comes to town again and steals from you, or harasses you or your fellow merchants, send word to Axminster Castle and I will come personally to dispense justice.”
Magda was thrilled to hear that. “Thank you, my lord,” she said. “What’s your name?”
“De Lohr.”
“De Lohr,” she repeated thoughtfully. “Hereford?”
“Aye.”
That was good enough for her. With a bold wink at him, she headed off with her merchandise and her pestle, talking the other merchants with her because they, too, had reclaimed their merchandise. When they were gone, heading back the way they’d come, Douglas turned to the Tatworth men.
“Now,” he said in a low voice, “I do not want to see your faces in this town again. Tell Tatworth that his men are not welcome in Axminster and neither is he. If I catch you in town again, I’ll throw you in the vault and keep you there. Is this in any way unclear?”
Meriwether nodded reluctantly. “Aye.”
Douglas pointed a finger to the road that led out of town. “Go,” he said. “And do not come back.”
Meriwether gathered his dazed and bruised men, heading to the livery on the edge of town to collect their mounts. Douglas sent a few soldiers after them to make sure they left as ordered. That left Douglas, Jonathan, Davyss, and five soldiers remaining.
“Let get out of here, too,” Douglas said, turning to Jonathan, to Davyss. “Back to Axminster for us.”
Davyss and the soldiers broke away, heading back to the area where they’d left their horses, as Douglas and Jonathan brought up the rear.
“Did I see a welt on de Winter’s eye?” Douglas asked.
Jonathan grinned. “He is going to have a beautiful black eye by tonight,” he said. “But he is a true de Winter. The man is greatly at home in a fight.”
Douglas grinned as they skirted the marketplace on their way to the horses. “He is eager, that is certain,” he said. Then he glanced at Jonathan. “And you? No damage?”
Jonathan shook his head. “I hardly raised a sweat,” he said. “What did you buy from that woman?”
“You saw that, did you?”
“I did. What was it?”
Douglas reached into his purse and carefully pulled out the necklace, handing it to Jonathan, who inspected it closely.
“Exquisite,” he said. Then he noticed the inscription on the back. “Meum arbitrium. My choice? My choice for what?”
