19
The ride was one of the best Charlotte had ever had. Growing up on her father’s lands, she was no stranger to horseback riding through beautiful countryside, but there was something uniquely special about riding through the Knox lands with Cameron.
It had taken them both a few minutes to shake off their encounter with Alec, though neither of them said a word about it. While she wasn’t sure what made him stay quiet on the matter, she kept silent so as not to upset him again. She hadn’t missed the way Alec had stared at her as Cameron had helped her into her seat, nor the way his jaw clenched when Cameron let his hand brush a piece of hair out of her face. And she doubted any of those actions were unintentional on Cameron’s part. But she couldn’t bring herself to regret any of it. Alec needed to get it through his stubborn head that she was for all intents and purposes, Cameron’s. She was not free to do what she wished, no matter what Alec thought. Beyond that, the truth was that she would have chosen Cameron over Alec even without the burden of her father’s expectations.
That thought alone had stunned her into silence as they galloped closer to the village.
“I thought we could explore the market. That is really all there is to do in town unless ye are here to see someone in particular.”
She nodded along with his plan, slowing her mare down to a walk as they approached the outskirts of the village. For the second time that day, her eyes went wide in amazement as she soaked in the sights.
Her father had never allowed her to leave the castle beyond the courtyard, claiming anything beyond that was far too dangerous for her. She had wanted to point out the fallacy in his thinking when he sent her from home, thousands of miles away, to stay with a stranger. It was only her shock at her changing circumstances that kept her quiet. Now she wished she had asked and begged and pleaded to be brought to their villages.
Rows of thatched roof houses lined the edges of the village, along with worked farmlands and corralled livestock. Every house was run down and near shambles, though the children playing in the street didn’t seem to mind it. The women talked amongst themselves as they shucked corn and patched up worn clothes while the men worked the land. She couldn’t make sense of the stark contrast between the poverty that they all seemed to live in and the joy they had anyways.
And at the center of it all was a market bursting with people and their goods. Stalls and booths were set up to create a large square where customers could walk from one vendor to the next, never missing a single item that was being sold. People shouted out their deals on fabrics and chickens and pelts. Someone was playing the fiddle while accompanied by a rich tenor voice. There was another telling a grand story that included the most rare artifacts he was trying to pander off. They all looked hungry and more than a little desperate, but that hardly muted the colors of the market.
“Och, Cameron,” she murmured, her hand gripped tight around his arm as they walked their horses to the nearest tree. “Have ye ever seen anything like it?”
He chuckled and the sound pulled her attention from the market to his smiling face.
“Aye, I have. I grew up here, remember?”
Shame flooded her cheeks and she offered him a bashful smile.
“I forgot.”
“They deserve better. I have been trying to give them what I can so they can afford to repair their homes. But every village in the clan looks almost as bad as this one. They all need more. They all need my aid. Sometimes it is hard to remind myself that only a few months ago, I was little more than another man from the village, too.”
He tied their horses to the tree trunk and then fixed his attention on her. With a determined look, he recentered her hood over her head, tucking some errant strands behind the heavy fabric.
“Did ye ever grow tired of it?” she asked, her eyes searching his face.
“Tired of living in the village? Nay. Tired of market days? Only when I did nae sell enough.”
He turned them to walk into town and it dawned on her that there was still so much about his life that she knew nothing about. He might have struggled to learn how to read, but he knew how to survive and that was so much more than she did. It was the kind of knowledge that would actually help serve his people and lead them into a better life.
She opened her mouth to tell him just that, but he pulled her into the center of the market and pointed to one of the many booths.
“She always sold the best fabrics at the best prices, but ye really have to dig to find anything worth yer while. And he made the sharpest blades. I worked with him for a summer and he taught me how to skin a deer and tan the hide.”
Charlotte’s mind was overwhelmed with everything he was saying. There was so much to take in between all that the market had to offer and all that he was sharing with her. She let her mind wander as her eyes tried to soak it all in.
With his hand on the small of her back, he guided her from one booth to the next, letting her look as long as she was interested. More than anything, she wanted to know more about the people. They had watched Cameron grow up, many of them teaching him how to live. She had thousands of questions to ask but none of the words would come.
They both tried to keep their heads down so as not to attract any attention. She understood the dangers of a Laird leaving his castle unprotected. And while she didn’t know how the village would receive him as their Laird, it was better that they didn’t find out right now when things were still so unsettled.
They had been in the market for close to an hour, with Cameron whispering little details about each person they passed in her ear, before she grew close to being tired. As if he could sense it, he leaned in once more.
“We can leave whenever ye are ready.”
His breath was warm against her neck, his voice deep and comforting. She was half tempted to sag back into him and soak up whatever comfort he could offer. But propriety had her standing straight even as she turned to face him.
“Aye, I think I am—”
The words died on her tongue as her eyes caught the glimpse of something shining. She wasn’t usually one to get caught up in jewels and fancy things, but there was something about the piece staring back at her that she couldn’t break away from.
She stepped towards it and Cameron turned around to see just what had so fully captured her attention.
