They reached the market, which was already extremely busy this early in the morning. They passed by various stalls. Nothing seemed to impress Finlay that much, and she assumed he had very high standards.
“Are ye looking for anything in particular?” he asked.
Anne hid her unease. She only had a limited amount of money with her and could not splash it around without any thought. “I need tae wait for my Uncle tae arrive. He only provided me with a small allowance tae begin with. For the moment I would prefer just tae look at the people. There are sae many of them.”
“And all from different parts of the Highlands. Ye can learn a lot from people by just watching them. Look at those two,” he pointed towards a couple standing near a market stall. The man was engaged in discussion with the merchant, while the woman was looking away. “At first glance they look like any married couple, but look at the way she is facing away from him. She is nae interested in anything he is saying at all. And he’s quite oblivious to her. I wonder if he would notice at all if she moved away.”
“It dinnae seem like she hae the courage. She looks rooted tae the spot. She may as well hae a chain around her neck,” Annesaid, although checked herself, wondering if this was something a noble girl would say. To move the conversation on, she directed Finlay’s gaze towards a merchant who was using flashy hand gestures to entrance women. He was a perfumier, and sprayed aromas into the air, enticing women towards him. They giggled with delight as he flooded them with compliments.
“Seems as though they are nae missing their husbands. Some of them are gaeing tae get more from that man than a mere scent,” Anne murmured, noticing the way the women held themselves and the lascivious looks in their eyes. A lot of women were looking for adventure to escape the drudgery of their normal lives, and this gathering might provide a lot of them with the opportunity that eluded them in their rigid, controlled world. Here, while their husbands were busy making alliances and boasting about their might, their wives could cavort with charming, exotic merchants, indulging desires that were neglected by the men they loved.
However, she once again realized that her tongue was loose and she was saying things that were perhaps out of character. She pressed her lips tightly together, forcing herself to be quiet. However, if Finlay noticed this then he did not seem to object. Instead, he wore an amused smile and took it all in his stride. They strolled around the market, examining other people, and Anne struggled to keep her bawdy humor at bay.
Finlay would ask her questions about various people, men and women alike. She joked that some of the men who held themselves too rigidly had warts in unmentionable places, while she suggested that had been taken out of taverns just so the men they were with did not have to bear the indignity of coming to this gathering alone.
“And what is yer background? Is yer clan filled with frippery and flatterers?” she asked. However, the moment she asked the question she felt as though she had made a mistake. Tension appeared upon Finlay’s face and he looked away.
“It’s really naething special. We’re just an ordinary family,” he said quietly. Then, it was his turn to move the conversation along. He laughed at a pompous man who didn’t realize he was dragging his cape along the ground, gathering a layer of muck along the base. Anne laughed along and was quite happy to avoid questions about her own background. Perhaps it was better that these things remained a secret for now, as then she could not be ensnared in her lie. She ignored the ache in her jaw that came from smiling so much, and she found that she did not have to pretend to enjoy Finlay’s company. He was a decently charming man with a sense of humor that delighted her. There was something else about him though, an air of mystery. She found it beguiling and she wanted to unravel this mystery as much as she wanted to seduce him.
He was always looking around, seeking to find someone else to conjure a story about, although eventually, she wished he would look at her more often. She blinked and pushed the thoughts away. She was here on a mission, after all, and it wouldn’t do her any good to let illusion bleed into reality. She was only playing the role of a besotted girl. She didn’t need to become one.
7
Finlay had to stop himself from staring at Anne for too long, lest she find it unsettling. There was something so natural and pure about her beauty, as though she didn’t have to try at all to be alluring. He had loitered around the stables for so long that he thought she was never going to appear. Thankfully, her companion had found him and Finlay had bribed him with some breakfast. The cake wasn’t going to deplete his funds, but he was going to have to be careful. He acted with indifference at all the items on the market, pretending that none of them were up to his standards. The truth was that he didn’t want to make a show of wealth because then she would become accustomed to it, and soon enough he would find his pockets empty. No, he had to wait until he had an opportunity to steal her jewels and get to the heart of her wealth.
He had been anticipating the morning to be rather dreary as he didn’t expect a noble girl like her to offer any interesting conversation at all. Most of them were quiet and shy, only speaking when spoken to. So it was a delight that Anne was quite the opposite. She had a grand sense of humor and some of the things she said forced a genuine belly laugh to erupt fromhis stomach. He put it down to her being related to a merchant. They were always loud, boisterous people who sought attention from potential customers, and some of it must have rubbed off on her. There was no doubt that she was a particularly precious jewel at this gathering and he noticed other men staring at her. No doubt they would have approached her if not for Finlay’s sharp glares to warn them away. He would have to try and keep her to himself, for her needed her attention if he was to get what he wanted.
It wasn’t long before he grew tired of the market, however. He craned his neck around, always worried in case someone recognized him. He subconsciously stroked his chin and touched his hair. It had been a long time since he had shown his face around here, and in the midst of so many strangers it was unlikely that anyone would notice him, but he couldn’t take that chance. When he thought of what might happen if anyone did see him, the chaos that would ensue; his heart beat rapidly and he found that he had to breathe deeply to compose himself.
A similar thing happened when Anne asked him about his father. At first, he almost blurted out the truth and admonished himself. He didn’t want to give her too many details about the fake family and clan he had created in case she started to see holes in his story. Being a noble girl, she must have been far more attuned to the different clans in the Highlands than he was and if he made an error she would likely pick up on it. While he backed his talents to nimbly navigate such a predicament, he didn’t want to plant any seeds of doubt in her mind. He wanted her filled with love and hope and all those other sweet things that naive girls dreamed about.
But it would be forward to try and take her away from the market and even then, where was he supposed to take her?While he struggled with this he spotted a stall that sold fruit and bread. He guided Anne towards it and pointed out a particularly lovely bushel of apples. Anne bent low and the merchant seemed delighted at the chance of some custom. He pushed his chest out and boasted about the food he was selling. Finlay took the opportunity to grab a small piece of bread and a few pieces of fruit. He had pockets sewn into his tunic for such occasions, and it only took a quick flick of the wrist before the possessions were his own. Neither the merchant nor Anne suspected anything, and when the alarm was not raised he breathed with relief.
He thought that perhaps he could suggest taking her on a picnic in the fields that surrounded the village, getting away from all the noisy people. He would have to act as though he didn’t know where he was going, however. She couldn’t know that he had grown up in this place, that it was once his home. The thought made his throat tighten with anguish and there was a heaviness to his heart that had weighed him down for many years. He remembered the cursed words hurled at him, as well as the innocent pleas that fell on deaf ears. Bitterness stained his tongue and he was tempted to rail against all those who had wronged him. Rage flowed like a river inside him, burning his innards. He had to remain patient, though. Justice would come to him soon enough, and Anne was the key.
“Anne, would ye like tae-” he started, but Anne’s eyes lit up as she saw a blacksmith’s stall. He found himself pulled in that direction and had no choice but to follow her. He didn’t get a chance to finish his conversation, even though he dreaded the moment because he recognized the blacksmith. The burly man had been a burly boy once upon a time, and Finlay had played with him in the fields. His name was Edgar and now he had taken his father’s place as a blacksmith.
“Look at that,” Anne gasped, her gaze falling on a dagger. It wasn’t what Finlay expected to draw her attention, but then she had already defied his expectations in so many ways. The dagger was a thing of beauty. Edgar had clearly inherited his father’s skill. The dagger was about eight inches long, the blade tapering to a sharp point. There was a design etched onto the blade, a signature of Edgar’s family and something that set them apart from the other blacksmiths in the clan. Finlay took a step back, trying to keep as much distance between himself and Edgar as possible in the hope that Edgar would not recognize him.
“It’s one of my finest pieces, my lady,” Edgar said, the words stumbling over each other. He had never been very good with women, Finlay recalled.
“Ye made this yerself?” Anne gasped. Edgar puffed out his chest and seemed to grow a couple of inches taller.
“Oh aye, ma’am. I learned everything from my Da.”
“I hae heard that the McLeod clan was famous for its blacksmiths, but I hae nae idea ye would be this talented.”
“We try and outdae each other. Competition breeds greatness. That’s what my Da says. And ye will find nae finer dagger here.”
“I know someone who will love this,” Anne said. Finlay wondered who she could mean. Presumably her uncle. Being a merchant must have been dangerous, what with all the thieves about. If a merchant had a dagger like this then thieves would think twice about stealing from them. Finlay knew that he would.
“I can wrap it up for ye if ye would like?” Edgar asked, clearly delighted at Anne’s reaction. Anne then turned to Finlay and rolled her lower lip under her teeth.
“But my Uncle is nae here yet.” She turned back to Edgar. “Dae ye think this will be here later in the day?”
Edgar wore an uncertain look. “Ah, I’m nae sure of that. I cannae guarantee that someone else will nae buy it, and with everyone around I cannae hold it for ye, I’m afraid,” he said. Clearly, the smithing skills were not the only thing he had inherited from his father, a man who had always been known to drive a hard bargain. Anne turned back towards Finlay.
“I feel as though I must hae this dagger, Finlay. I hate tae be improper, but would ye be able tae buy it for me? I can assure ye that I will repay ye as soon as my uncle arrives with the money. I would never ask this of ye if it were nae of the utmost importance, and I would be eternally grateful tae ye. Ye would hae me in yer debt forever,” the words dripped out of her mouth like honey. Her eyes glistened with promise and Finlay had to admit he liked the sound of that, even if the rest of the proposition was distasteful to him. Spending this amount of money on a dagger had not been a part of his plan, and he had to be careful with how he distributed his funds, especially after giving over most of his money to his father. He only had a few coins to call his own now and of course, he was a resourceful man, but he never liked spending coin unless it was absolutely necessary.
