“Ah, well, that would be Daisy,” he admitted. “She was upset she didnae get to ask ye to bring her back sweets before ye left, so when she found out ye hadnae gone all the way to Inverness, she begged me to go after ye.”
Thalia shook her head with a chuckle. “Well, I suppose she would need more sweets, sincesomeoneate them all last night.”
His lips curled up as he pointed out, “And I seem to remember someone elsehelpin’to finish them.”
“I hadone!” she protested, but her grin betrayed her amusement.
“Ye had at leasttwo. I have a very good memory for these things,” he insisted with a grin of his own.
He was happy to see her back to her typical self after her scare, and if teasing her about sweets was the way to do it, he would continue teasing her as long as possible.
Thalia scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest as she pretended to think. “Then I guess I daenae have a choice. I must help ye make it up to Daisy and buy her more sweets.”
“Aye. ‘Tis the right thing to do,” he agreed.
“Shall we, then?” She gestured down the street, and he nodded.
“After ye, me Lady.”
CHAPTER 23
Finlay followedThalia back to the fabric shop. The old woman behind the counter bobbed a deep curtsy when he entered.
“Welcome, me Laird. I’ll be happy to assist ye and the Lady however ye need,” she offered.
Finlay nodded at her. “Thank ye, that is kind.”
Thalia went straight back to the fabrics along the back wall, and he followed her.
“Since ye are here, I suppose I could use yer opinion,” she said. She pointed out a plaid woven with blue, brown, and green. “I thought I could use this. It’s a similar pattern to yer tartan, is it nae?”
He nodded, surprised she would remember a detail like that. “Aye, I think that would be a good choice.”
“It could be symbolic, too.” She looked up at him from beneath her long, dark lashes. “Showin’ that we are serious about our union.”
The correction jumped to the tip of his tongue, but since he had just declared in front of the entire village his intent to marry her, he decided it might not be the right time to remind her that it was a fake betrothal. She knew that, and perhaps she was only playing the part in case any other members of Clan MacGibbon were around.
“Aye,” he agreed.
They went to the front counter, and Thalia discussed how much of the fabric she would need for what she intended to make.
As they talked, Finlay watched the villagers peering into the shop as they passed by. It wouldn’t take long for the news of his betrothal to spread in a village this size. Gossip was a commodity almost as valuable as silver in places like this.
When Thalia finished, the older woman folded the fabric with nimble, withered fingers. Thalia handed the coins and accepted the fabric with a cheerful thanks. She held it in her hands, then frowned as she eyed the satchel slung over her shoulder. Even Finlay could see that the fabric would not fit inside it. It was much too bulky, and she would have to carry it in her hands for the rest of the trip.
“I’ll grab that for ye,” he offered.
Thalia jerked her head up in surprise. “Oh, nay, I couldnae ask ye?—”
“Ye didnae ask. I offered.” He took the bundle of cloth before she could argue any further. “Good day to ye,” he told the old woman, who smiled at them.
“Ye make such a lovely young couple,” she remarked.
Thalia blushed scarlet at the compliment, looking up at him with a shy smile that made him wish they were not in public. Did she know what that smile did to him?
No, he knew she was not experienced. This was just how she was with everyone.
He swallowed hard, nodded at the older woman again, and then left the shop.
