“And seven small pairs of shoes.”
The merchant lifted his eyebrows. “Sevensmall pairs, my lord?”
“For children.”
The merchant looked surprised. “You… you and your wife have seven small children?”
It was taking a lot of effort not to grin. “Seven,” he said. “Four boys and three girls. I shall mark out the size of their feet, approximately, and you shall have them made for me. Deliver them to Edenside Foundling Home as soon as you can and I shall pay you handsomely. Do you know where Edenside is?”
The merchant nodded, only now he wasn’t looking too terribly surprised. Concerned was more like it. “Edenside,” he breathed. “You… you are there with your children?”
Thomas nodded. “They all belong to me now and I intend to take good care of them,” he said. “Have you heard of the House of de Wolfe?”
The man nodded quickly. “I have, my lord.”
“Good,” Thomas said. “My father is William de Wolfe and I am the commander of his outpost at Wark Castle. You will make sure the lady is properly clothed, ensure she has a pair of new boots, and deliver seven new pairs of leather shoes to me at Edenside and I will make sure my father and mother purchase goods from your establishment. Fail at anything I have asked for and I will ensure my parents, and everyone else I know, has nothing to do with you. Is that clear?”
The man was overwhelmed with what he’d just been told, but he nodded firmly. “It is, my lord,” he said. “Leave me with thesizes of the little feet and I shall ensure they are delivered to you before the next week is out.”
Pleased that he had the merchant properly awed and frightened, Thomas was about to turn to look at any number of other wares in the stall when Maitland suddenly appeared from the rear of the establishment with the man’s wife trailing after her. She was out of the woolen long tunic she wore, the one that concealed her beautiful figure, and she was wearing a simple brown surcoat over a soft white shift with long sleeves. The garment had ties on the side, along her torso, and it was a little long, but it flattered her figure beautifully. She looked like an entirely new woman in it and Thomas could feel his heart flutter at the sight of her.
She was stunning.
“You look utterly beautiful, Mae,” he said, unable to take his eyes from her. “Is it comfortable?”
Maitland looked a little embarrassed by all of the fuss, but she nodded to his question. “So very warm and soft,” she said, sticking out her arm. “Feel the shift? It is of a very fine broadcloth.”
He touched it, feeling how soft but sturdy it was. “Do you like it?”
Hesitantly, she nodded. “I do, Thomas, but…”
He cut her off, turning to the merchant. “We will take this one,” he said, returning his focus to Maitland. “Is this the only one available?”
Maitland shook her head, looking down at herself. “Nay,” she said. “There is another one, light blue in color, that is of nearly the same style.”
“Then we shall take that one, too. Anything else?”
“Thomas,stop,” Maitland put her hand on his arm insistently. “It is too much. All of this; it is too much.”
Thomas ignored her as he turned back to the merchant. “We shall take both of these garments and she shall wear this one out of the shop,” he said. “When I return next week, have more ready-made garments for her to look at.”
The merchant and his wife scattered, going to collect the other blue surcoat as well as the ring that Thomas has purchased. As the wife rushed forward from the rear of the stall, she was carrying the pale blue surcoat with her, but she also had a small purse in her possession. It was mustard-colored silk, with a drawstring, and as she approached Maitland and held it up, they could see that there was a swarm of bees embroidered on it.
“To go with your new surcoat, my lady,” the woman said proudly. Then, she opened up the purse and pulled forth two big tortoise shell hair combs. “May I?”
She meant to put them in Maitland’s hair and not knowing what else to do, and afraid to refuse for fear of insulting Thomas, Maitland simply nodded her head and the woman pulled off the kerchief she kept around her head, revealing her lovely, dark hair. Maitland locked eyes with Thomas, clearly overwhelmed by everything that was happening to her, but he simply smiled as the merchant’s wife quickly drew the combs through Maitland’s hair to brush it out swiftly before braiding it and wrapping the braid at the base of her skull. Then, using those two big combs, she shoved them into Maitland’s hair to secure the braid.
Thomas stood there and looked at her, shaking his head in awe.
“Beautiful,” he breathed. “Absolutely beautiful.”
Maitland was flattered, giddy, and ill at east all at the same time. She ended up smiling bashfully at him and he snorted at her reaction, turning to the merchant and telling the man he’d have to return with the sizing for the children’s shoes after thetournament. He didn’t want to be late and they’d already taken up enough time to shop.
Taking the blue surcoat and Maitland’s old clothing under one arm, he held out his elbow to Maitland, who timidly took it. Thanking the merchant and his wife, Thomas quit the stall with Maitland on his arm.
Truly, he felt puffed up like a peacock with Maitland on his arm. This lovely, exquisite creature meant something to him, feelings he honestly never believed he would ever experience. Glancing up into the sky, he could see that the day was starting to lean towards the afternoon and, soon enough, the contests would be starting. Before they got to the blacksmith’s stall to collect Artus, he came to a halt and turned to Maitland.
“Here,” he said, pulling out a small pouch that had been wrapped up with the blue surcoat. “I bought this for you.”
