Brodie groaned inwardly. He didn’t want to part with Laurel while she was aggravated with him. It would only make approaching her that evening more difficult. He stepped forward as she took a step back. He held up both hands, nearly touching her arms, which held her new fabric away from her soiled gown.
“Lady Laurel, I seem to be blundering through this,” Brodie said sheepishly. “I don’t mean offense. I simply wondered because I saw your guards training today. They are diligent and attentive to their surroundings. I don’t understand why you wouldn’t have them accompany you while you shop.”
Laurel stood silently.
“Lady Laurel?”
“Aye?”
“Have you naught to say to that?”
“You hadn’t asked a question,” Laurel answered archly. “I have plenty to say, but for once, I’m keeping my own counsel.”
“Do you not fear moving around the town unaccompanied?”
“Clearly I do not.”
“You should.”
“Dressed as little more than a peasant widow?”
“Why do you dress that way?” Brodie pressed.
“I prefer it.”
Brodie scowled, his expression hardening. He knew it was generally intimidating, and it caused people to jump when he wore it at home. But Laurel grinned, then laughed. She shook her head and turned toward her chamber.
“Lady Laurel, must you always be so difficult?”
Laurel looked back over her shoulder. “Aye. But at least I respect you.” She didn’t wait for his response before she continued down the passageway. She glanced back when she reached her door and found Brodie standing with his arms akimbo, watching her. She giggled and shook her head. On a whim, she waved before she ducked into her chamber.
Laurel glanced out of her window embrasure and realized she’d dawdled far longer than she realized, but she’d enjoyed her banter with Brodie. But it had cost her time she needed to work on her gown. She rang for Ina while she stripped off her ruined kirtle. When her maid arrived, the woman took one sniff of Laurel and rushed to order a bath. With as much care as she could, she laid out her evening gown and unfolded the new garnet fabric. She knew the easiest solution would be to cut a seam where the material tore and make the garnet satin into a decorative panel. While she waited for Ina, Laurel gathered her needles and threads. She dug out her shears and held her breath as she cut her gown. She’d reconstructed enough gowns that she knew she shouldn’t feel nervous when she took the scissors to a kirtle, but she always did, especially when time was not on her side.
Ina returned with servants carrying the tub and buckets of hot water just as Laurel finished cutting the garnet satin to fit the panel she would make. Sensing her anxiety, Ina silently scrubbed Laurel’s hair while Laurel ran the sudsy linen cloth over herself. She would have preferred to soak until the water chilled, but she didn’t have that luxury. She was in and out of the tub in less than five minutes. She sat before the fire to dry her hair, her back to the flames while she worked on the gown. Her nimble fingers quickly added the yards of fabric, making it appear as though the blue and deep red materials were seamless. Glancing once more at the window, she sighed as church bells rang in the town. She had an hour before she would need to dress for the evening meal. Feeling calmer, Laurel pulled embroidery thread from her basket and set about stitching.
An hour later, Laurel straightened her back and looked at her work. A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth as she considered the scene she’d stitched. While she usually sold embroidery that included complicated patterns and designs, she tended toward flowers and birds on her own gowns. It ensured no one connected the goods she sold to what she wore.
When Ina returned to fashion Laurel’s hair, she glanced at the gown she’d just finished, and her heart felt lighter than it had in years. She almost felt like she had before she arrived at court. She opted to wear her hair down, a rarity these days. Laurel felt that despite her maiden status, she was too old to wear her hair down like most unmarried women. But her carefree mood railed against having pins pushed into her scalp from every direction to hold her thick locks in place. Ina wove a ribbon into Laurel’s hair, framing her face, but otherwise, Laurel’s hair was unadorned. With a warm smile and a pat on Ina’s shoulder, Laurel donned her gown and headed to the Great Hall.
