“He is. However, the reason for his variety of items is that this is a small town, and if he simply stocked one particular product, he would not do well.”
She found intelligence an excellent trait in a husband. “Then I should meet him,oui?”
Anthony shook his head. “That was not my intention, as he is already married.” He glanced at her. “You can enjoy the experience of the day in addition to finding a husband.”
Not happy that she had to turn her head to see him due to the lace on her bonnet, she wished Dory hadn’t talked her into adding the material. Now, she was sure she would rip it out as soon as they returned to school. “I can enjoy my days once I am settled. I have little time to avoid marriage to a peer.”
He returned his attention to the street in front of them. “Then I would suggest that after this shop we go to the Woodcock Inn, which serves hot cocoa in addition to being the place where many of the tradesmen in this area gather in the afternoon.”
A feeling akin to that which she had just before breaking into a seemingly abandoned house back in France filled her. It was not knowing what or whom she might encounter inside that caused the anticipation. Pleased she would soon begin the journey to a happier life than the one planned for her, she took time to enjoy the sights and sounds of the village.
It was not unlike the one she grew up near, with its single-lane road lined with building next to building for a short distance and then nothing but fields or woods. Most likely the closest field was used for fairs or traveling shows. As they drew closer to Miller and Sons, she could hear pounding coming from a blacksmith’s shop near the end of the street. Directly across from them as they arrived at their destination was a tavern.
She removed her arm from Anthony’s as they all entered.
“Oh, this is quite impressive.” Mrs. Kingman waved toward the back of the shop, which was a bit larger than expected from the outside, though there was absolutely no organization to it. “I’m sure we can all find a bit of something here.”
As the woman strolled forward, Ellie looked over her shoulder and winked before directing their instructor toward a shelf of books.
On tables throughout the shop, there were teacups and plates next to tools divided by piles of cloth. Shelves along the walls held figurines, more books, silver, and even sweets.
“And is there something you might like to purchase?”
At Anthony’s question, Lissa shrugged. “Doubtful, but I’m happy to look. It is not every day I am able to escape from school.”
As she started in the opposite direction from her instructor, Anthony was quick to respond. “Escape? So you are not as content as you had me believe?”
“Oh, I am, for now. It is just I’m still getting accustomed to not having the freedom I had back home.” She gave him a lopsided grin as she raised a pretty silver candleholder. “It’s not as if I can ride out into the night and find something pretty like this to trade with.”
He didn’t smile like she expected him to. “I would be happy to purchase that for you. You no longer need to survive on your own. You have friends here, and you are free to thrive.”
He said it so seriously that it made her uncomfortable. She was not who he thought her. The more he treated her as if she deserved something better, the more he put distance between them, though he obviously didn’t realize that. She studied the candlestick holder, turning it this way and that. “No, I do not wish it.” She set it back upon the table and moved forward, for once happy to have the bonnet lace to keep him from studying her.
Anthony never simply looked. He examined, studied, analyzed, but he rarelylooked. She was quite sure even now he scrutinized her dress or her gait.
He stopped and lifted an apricot-colored ribbon from a tiny wooden rack set upon the table. “Perhaps this would interest you. It matches your dress exactly.”
She looked down, having forgotten which dress the maid had laid out for her. She didn’t care for day dresses, as they were so light that she could only hide two daggers when wearing one. Not that she ever expected to need them, but she felt safer for their presence. “I appreciate the offer, but I fear I have more ribbons and frippery than I’ll ever use.”
He returned the ribbon to its resting place. “Of course. I’m sure the Captain has outfitted you and your grandmother with all that you need. So maybe we need to find something youdon’tneed.”
She turned at that, confused. “Why would I purchase something I don’t need?”
His gaze softened. “I forget when you are dressed in such lovely clothes that your life has been difficult.”
She wrinkled her nose. “My life has been wonderful, not difficult. I havelivedmore in France than my friends have lived here in their well-kept homes.”
“I meant no offense.”
“I do not take any. I simply state facts.” She smirked. “However, if you wish to buy me something I do not need, I will put forth effort to find something.”
“Excellent.” He held his hand out to the tables still to explore.
As she studied the variety of items, she searched for something with no purpose. The figurines could, in fact, be such, but they were not to her taste. So she changed her strategy and looked for something that a woman wouldn’t need. There were many male items, but not useful ones like pantaloons, boots, or knives, but then again, the item wasnotto be useful. As she approached the last table, she could sense Anthony worried she wouldn’t find anything.
Irritation filled her. He’d never worried if he could please her before. He looked at her differently, reacted to her differently because her clothing wasn’t what it was in France. He no longer wore a uniform, but she still saw him as her friend. That he couldn’t see her in a similar light was disappointing. Annoyed, she had reached for a cravat, just to fill his need to buy her something, when she spotted a cravat pin just beneath the frills and picked that up instead.
It was a cockerel, but not just any cockerel. It sparkled with small blue gems, a white one for the eye, and a red wing and comb. It embodied her two favorite symbols of her country, the French colors and the bird who symbolized the common people, new birth, a new day, a fresh beginning. Her throat closed and her chest tightened at what it could mean that she’d discovered it this very day.
