Edith’s anger flared at his arrogance, and she glared at him for a moment before nodding.
“It is expected that ye get a dress for the binding, so ye will,” he continued. “’Tis another matter if ye wear it for another occasion. Like the harvest festival.”
Edith swallowed. It made sense that people saw them getting a dress for the binding ceremony. It made their arrangement look real.
She moved slightly backwards, but before she could escape, Aaron reached out, grabbed her by the waist, and lifted her onto the horse.
She stilled, her entire body stiffening under his touch.
“Steady yerself,” he said quietly, his hands lingering on her waist as though it were nothing. “Ye are making Sirius nervous.”
Edith blinked, her face reddening.
“I am still,” she protested, though her throat felt tight.
It was as though Sirius could feel the tension in her body. The horse started, raising her forelegs and nearly throwing her off the saddle.
Aaron was faster. He caught her, pulling her against him before she could hit the ground. She gasped against his chest, her heart pounding so violently that she was almost certain he could feel it.
His body was rock hard, a mountain of muscles, holding her tightly to keep her from falling.
She did not dare to look up at him. She stood frozen, her freckles standing out sharply against the furious red spreading across her cheeks.
Damn me.
Her hands instinctively held on to him, unsure what to do.
“Perhaps we should go another day,” he said coolly, and her head snapped up.
“Nay.” She avoided his eyes as though they would turn her into stone, tearing herself from his grip. “I’ll have me lesson with Martin tonight,” she breathed, reaching for the reins again. “We go today.”
She placed her foot in the stirrup and pulled herself up onto the horse in one strained, albeit successful move.
“Stubborn,” Aaron muttered.
She nodded, not bothering to protest it. “Aye. Ye ken that already.”
The market was already bustling by the time they arrived.
Voices echoed through the street as merchants called out to passing customers, their words overlapping into a familiar hum. The scent of fresh bread drifted in the cold air alongside smoke from roasting meat. Carts rattled over the uneven road, their iron wheels making a different noise.
Aaron rode beside Edith in silence. His horse moved steadily through the crowded street, though his attention was fixed somewhere else entirely.
Edith.
He caught every glance in her wake. Every glance of surprise, curiosity, and even admiration that spread quickly as the villagers and merchants realized who she was.
Word had already reached the market.
Of course it has.
Aaron kept his expression unreadable as another pair of merchants bowed their heads while he passed.
Beside him, Edith sat stiffly atop Sirius. She held the reins properly enough, though he could still see traces of tension lingering in her posture after what had happened at the stables earlier. Still, she had not complained once during the ride.
Willful lass.
The thought came with the faintest trace of amusement, and he bit back the smile tugging at his lips.
