Unfortunately, he couldn’t think of a way to dissuade Anne without offending her. He was representing himself as a man of means, and even though he suggested he was from a small clan, he was still supposed to be the Laird’s son. What son of a Laird could not afford a simple dagger, especially when it was a gift for a woman to whom he was making romantic overtures? If he refused her this request then he would end up offending her, and the spark of attraction she felt might well be diminished. As hesaw it, there was no choice but to buy the dagger. He supposed the riches at the end would make up for it, and it would help improve her opinion of him.
“Of course, I would be glad tae,” he found himself saying, forcing a smile that was belied by the hardness of his eyes. “Perhaps ye would like tae join me for a picnic afterwards and we can admire yer dagger taegether?” he said, wanting to lock her into a promise of spending time alone before anything else could happen. She nodded enthusiastically and placed her hands on his arm to say thank you. She fluttered her eyelashes at him and he found it hard to be angry with her.
He fished some gold out of his purse and begrudgingly handed it over to Edgar, turning away quickly. However, Edgar frowned.
“Dae I know ye, sir?” he asked.
Finlay kept his chin tucked down and his face tilted away from Edgar.
“I dinnae think sae,” Finlay said.
“He is the son of a Laird. Finlay Ross,” Anne boasted. “Perhaps yer legend is growing,” she teased, nudging him in the ribs. Finlay cleared his throat, becoming flustered.
“I hae never heard of the Ross clan, but yer face… there is something familiar about it,” Edgar said.
“I’m afraid ye must be mistaken. This is my first time in the area. Speaking of the area, we should be off. I heard some people talking about a lovely opening over there,” Finlay pointed far away from the market, and whirled around to offer his back to Edgar. He started walking away, taking Anne’s arm again. The last thing he wanted was to give Edgar enough opportunity toremember him. He just had to hope that Edgar would shake the feeling away and that the memory would fade into the mist.
“Thank ye sae much for this, it really means a lot,” Anne said, clutching the dagger tightly.
“Dinnae think anything of it,” Finlay said through gritted teeth. She had better be worth it, he thought, because spending time with her out in the open was not only risking his life, but also his gold reserves. At least he would be repaid for the dagger, which helped soften the blow on his finances. She flashed a wide smile towards him and it quickly helped him forget about the drain on his resources. A stray lock of hair fell across her face, and by instinct, he reached up and pushed it behind her ear, his hand lingering on her skin just a second too long.
8
Anne hadn’t intended to buy anything from the market, but when she came across the dagger she realized that the reputation of the McLeod clan had been well-earned. She hadn’t failed to notice how much of a toll this trip had taken on Rory. She had asked a lot of him when really a young boy should not have been tasked with such matters. Seeing the dagger reminded her of how Rory had asked her for one. He didn’t get excited about many things in life, and he never dared ask her for too much as he knew that they did not have two pennies to rub together. Although she hated the idea of getting him a weapon as she did not want to encourage this fantasy he had of becoming a warrior, she did want to do something nice for him. She wanted to show that she appreciated all he did, and she thought that this way she would be able to show him just how good life could be for them, and it would also allay his concerns for the remainder of the gathering.
There was just one problem; she couldn’t hope to afford it. But that’s where Finlay came in, and the noble desire to buy a present for Rory also acted as a test for Finlay’s affection. This was a chance for him to show her how serious he truly was,and a chance to flaunt his wealth. Her eyes lit up as he casually rummaged in his pocket and pulled out a handful of coins, giving them to the blacksmith without a second thought. He didn’t even spend a moment or two haggling over the price, which she had seen many people do during their time in the market. It was clear that he was already eager to do anything to make her happy, and she knew this boded well for the near future.
He thus invited her on a picnic she was eager to accept. He mentioned that he had bought some food from a stall earlier, but she must have been too distracted to notice. They left the bustling village and headed towards the area that Finlay had overheard people talking about.
When they arrived, Anne could see why it was held in such high regard. The field was flat and fertile. As the breeze drifted over the field, the colorful flowers swayed in a beautiful dance. The air was sweet, and in the distance, the field was framed by a thick forest. She could see rising plumes of smoke, which were no doubt produced by farmhouses. It was far quieter than the village was and she was glad of the peace. It reminded her of home, and it gave her and Finlay the chance to be alone. She tilted her head to look over her shoulder, hoping that Rory knew better than to follow her out here where he might be noticed.
Finlay unclasped his tartan cape and floated it onto the ground, turning it into a makeshift blanket. He then produced the bread and apples, placing them on the ground as well. He took Anne’s hand and they lowered themselves.
“This really is beautiful,” he said, gazing out at the horizon.
“It truly is. Thank ye for bringing me here, and thank ye again for the dagger.”
“It’s nae problem,” he said, smiling. “When is yer uncle expected?”
“Oh, he’ll be along taeday. He will nae want tae miss any of the gatherings. I think it’s likely that he’s been held up at the gates. There was a long line of people waiting tae get in when I arrived,” she said, knowing that she was going to have to think of a way to divert him from trying to meet this make-believe uncle.
Finlay broke bread and offered her some. She started to nibble on it. “So why are ye here with yer Uncle and nae yer parents?” he asked. “Could they nae make the gathering?”
Anne looked away for a moment. She had spent the journey thinking about the backstory to her lie, but from experience, she knew that the best lies were the ones that nestled closely to the truth. “My parents are dead,” she said softly, her words dropping like stones.
“I’m sorry,” Finlay said. He wore a grave expression. “I dinnae know.”
“How could ye?” she offered him a smile, but the sadness in her eyes was genuine enough. “It happened a long time ago. Ma grew sick and eventually, it got the better of her. Da was a warrior. He went out tae fight villains like bandits and thieves tae earn his coin and give me a good life,” she had to catch herself from saying ‘us’, as Rory was not her brother, only her uncle’s apprentice to Finlay’s knowledge. “One day the fighting got tae much for him. I suppose there are only sae many fights ye can endure before they catch up with ye. Hae ye been much of a fighter?” she asked.
“Thankfully my clan is small enough where we hae nae been troubled by many bandits. I’m sorry that yer Da hae tae resort tae fighting. Did he nae want tae be a merchant?”
Anne snorted and shook her head. She reached down and picked up some blades of grass, tearing them out of the ground. “I think he wanted tae get away from home. After Ma died it was nae the same. He was reminded of her.” She rolled her shoulders. She had had a lot of time to think about why her father had made the choices he did. “I think he hae a lot of rage in him as well. Fighting was probably all he had left.” She sighed and then this was where her story deviated from the truth. “But my uncle stepped in and took care of me. He gave me a roof over my head and always hae food on the table. He took me on his trips and I was able tae learn a lot about the world, and when Da died… well… he made it clear that I would never hae tae worry about haeing nowhere tae live. He told me that I would always be safe, and he promised tae give me a good life. Sae far he hae lived up tae this promise,” she choked on her emotion, but it was more due to the fact that she would have loved this type of life rather than the one she needed to endure. She would have loved to have had a relative reveal themselves and become her savior, rather than having to resort to theft and deceit.
“He sounds like a good man. I look forward tae meeting him. I hope that he thinks I am good enough for ye.”
“I’m sure he will,” Anne spoke sweetly and sidled towards him. Revealing her past to him, even though it was varnished with lies, made her feel vulnerable. He had said all the right things to her though. Unlike the other men she had seduced, she actually wanted to spend time with him and be close to him. There was no doubt in her mind that plenty of young, graceful girls would be falling over themselves to earn a place as his wife. She feltas though she was in competition with them, and didn’t see why they should have this when she couldn’t. If she could win his love then it would be a defiant statement to every woman everywhere, and it would prove to herself that she did not need to slum in the grimy taverns.
“And I look forward tae meeting yer family tae. I’m sure it will nae be long until yer Da arrives. He’s probably stuck at the gates, like my uncle,” she added.
