“It is beautiful,” she lowered her voice as the boys swarmed around her, fingering the expensive goods. “Truly, Gart, you do not have to buy me anything. I would prefer that you did not.”
His green eyes were steady on her. “Why not?”
She sighed regretfully, removing Brendt’s hand from a box of undoubtedly expensive soap. “Because I will have to explain it to Julian,” she whispered. “Already, I will have to explain these toys. I will have to lie or risk….”
She couldn’t finish, averting her gaze when the conversation became embarrassing and painful. Gart watched her delicate features, knowing what she was going to say and feeling a surge of anger bolt through him. But he fought it, mostly because the boys were clamoring around him and Lacy had her hands on his face. He found he just couldn’t get angry with the children around him, like water on a fire that quickly doused the flame. But along with the anger came the heartache, aching for Emberley in more ways than he could comprehend.
A man appeared in the door of the stall dressed in fine clothing and shoes with little silver bells on the toes. He swept from his shop and straight to Emberley, who was holding the box that she had taken from Brendt. His smooth, round face lit up with delight.
“My lady,” he bowed deeply, then did the same to Gart. “My lord, ’tis a pleasure to greet you on this fine day. How may I be of service?”
Emberley shook her head and set the box down when she realized the man was going to try very hard to sell them something. He had that air about him. She didn’t dare look at Gart, who was now less confident about buying her something than he had been. As Gart moved the baby’s hands from his mouth and attempted to reply, the man suddenly threw up his hands.
“Wait!” he exclaimed. “I have something wonderful for your wife. Wait!”
He bolted back into his shop, leaving the boys giggling and mimicking the noise that his shoes were making. They were dancing around and shaking their feet. Orin seemed particularlygleeful and he ran into the shop after the man, followed closely by Romney and Brendt.
“Oh… no,” Emberley charged in after them. “Romney? Orin? Come back here, please. Do not touch anything and, for Heaven’s sake, do not break anything!”
Gart followed with the baby in his arms, watching Emberley corral the boys and drag them back towards the entry. The stall was dark inside, cluttered to the rafters with treasures, and it was difficult to walk the narrow aisles and not hit something. As Emberley wrestled with the three, the merchant appeared from the rear of the stall with something in his hand. As he drew closer, they could see it was a beautifully painted box and he popped open the lid as he came to Emberley.
“I purchased these from a merchant who travels the roads of the Orient,” he told her with some drama, as if he held a great treasure. “It is a soap that smells of flowers and oil that softens the skin. Would you smell it, my lady?”
It was all so beautifully packaged with a pretty box and pretty fabric that Emberley couldn’t resist. She lifted out the phial of oil and removed the glass stopper, smelling the contents. It was lilac and violets.
By this time, Gart was inside the shop and standing next to her, stilling the wriggling boys with a snap of his fingers. Three pairs of blue eyes gazed up at him fearfully, terrified that they were going to get their toys taken away if they didn’t listen to the man. So they stopped tussling and smiled hugely at him, very innocently, and Gart bit off a smile. He had to look away quickly before they saw it, otherwise, his dominance over them would be over.
He reached out and took the phial from Emberley, smelling deeply. She looked up at him and their eyes met, locked, smoldered. The thunder rolled and the lightening threatened. He smelled it again and a smile spread across his lips.
“We will take this,” he told the merchant, his eyes riveted to Emberley. “If you have anything else decadent and sweet that she might like, bring it forth.”
The merchant was delighted. “You have excellent taste, my lord.” He was flustered as he ran about looking for more things to sell the man. “Your wife shall smell as beautiful as she looks. You are an extremely fortunate man.”
Gart didn’t even bother to correct the man. “Aye, I am. The most fortunate man in the world.”
The merchant grinned at him. “I can tell you are content. Few married men I meet are half as proud of their wives as you are.” He swept his arm in the direction of the boys. “She has given you three fine sons and a lovely daughter. What more could a man ask for?”
Gart just shook his head, slowly. “Nothing more. She is perfect.”
Emberley felt as if she had been punched in the gut as she listened to the exchange. She would have sold her soul for it to be true. It was at that moment that she realized she was falling in love with the man and the knowledge cut her deeply. Gart Forbes, her brother’s strong and compassionate best friend, had succeeded in stealing her heart. It was a horrible awareness. Blindly, with great anguish, she grabbed the boys and began shoving them out of the stall.
“Go,” she pushed them. “Out, out. We must leave.”
Brendt tripped in her haste and she picked the boy up, pushing them all out into the street. She felt someone bump up behind her and realized it was Gart. He had followed her from the stall. She caught a glimpse of Lacy in the big knight’s arms and she reached out, grabbing her daughter away from the man and listening to her scream. She began to walk, very quickly, down the street.
Gart didn’t let her get two steps before he was grabbing her by the arm, stopping her in her tracks.
“What is the matter?” he demanded softly. “Where are you going?”
She was pulling away from him, beginning to weep as Lacy cried loudly in her ear. “Please,” she begged, whispering. “Let me go. Please let me go and let us return to Dunster.”
He wouldn’t let her go. “Why?” his voice was a pleading whisper.
She finally looked at him, the anxious look on his face, and she broke down into sobs. “Please, Gart,” she wept. “I want to go home. I want to leave.”
Gart had no idea what her trouble was but she was deeply upset and he would know why. He looked at the boys, who were gazing at their mother with some concern, realizing that her behavior was frightening the children. Lacy was already crying loudly. Looking over his shoulder, he saw a couple of his men standing back in the shadows and he whistled softly to them. They came forward immediately as Gart returned his attention to Emberley.
“Give me the baby,” he pulled Lacy out of her arms before she could protest and handed her to Romney. Then he turned to his men. “Take the children, find them something to eat, and take them back to the carriage. I will meet you there.”
