He cleared his throat weakly. “Aye, that’ll suit. Add it to the bill.”
Blood simmered in his veins. The familiar stirrings of desire low in his gut clamored for attention, and he clenched his jaw, forcing down the sensations.
The seamstress, probably oblivious to his discomfort, nodded briskly. “I’ll package it up.”
At that moment, the curtain whisked back, revealing Skye.
The dark blue dress suited her more than he could have imagined. It hugged her figure, the thick material promising warmth against rough wind and driving rain. In some lights, the color seemed almost black, but the contrast of her hair against the dress made it glow more blue than ever.
“What do ye think?” she asked, anxiety nipping at her voice. She fidgeted with the pearl-encrusted cuffs, glistening cream against the dark dress. A similar, thick border of pearls circled the hem, clinking softly when she moved. “Is it too much?”
Ye look like a goddess.
He blinked, closing his jaw with a snap.
“It’ll do,” he said abruptly. “What about the other dresses ye liked? There was a green tartan one and a red one?”
She reddened. “I daenae need that many dresses.”
He shrugged. “I’ll buy them for ye, even so.”
The seamstress inclined her head. “I’ll take care of it.”
Sometime later, they stepped outside the shop, laden with bags and boxes. Evander set about strapping them to the horses’ saddles, while Skye shifted from foot to foot, her new blue cloak snapping around her in the wind.
“Thank ye,” she blurted out. “For the dresses, I mean. All of the clothes, really.”
“No need to thank me.”
“I’m sure me braither or me cousin will pay ye back.”
He paused, glancing back at her. “Pay me back? Ye are me wife, are ye nae? Besides, ye look very regal and attractive in all that. I did it as much for me as I did it for ye.” He punctuated his comment with a wink to make it clear that he was teasing her.
Skye blinked, her eyes widening, then broke into a tentative smile. A giggle reluctantly escaped her lips, and Evander allowed himself to grin.
I’ve missed this.
When was the first time he’d heard her giggle like that? It had been some time after they’d first returned to Keep Bryden; or was it the first time they met? No, that first day it hadn’t been a giggle, it had been a laugh.
It was the bloody cat that made her giggle the first time,he thought, and his mood soured.Just the cat. Nae me. This has always been a marriage of convenience. No point tryin’ to change that.
He cleared his throat, checking the tension of the knots he’d used to bind their purchases to the saddles. They would hold, for now.
“There is one thing that still bothers me,” Skye said after a moment.
He glanced back at her, lifting his eyebrows questioningly.
“Me faither,” she elaborated. “Yer faither killed mine. I was so angry about it. I must still be angry about it. I hated ye and yer clan for that, so how could I have gotten over that?”
He was silent for a moment. Perhaps now wasn’t the time to tell her everything. If he told her too much, perhaps she’d get confused about what were her own memories and what he’d told her.
“Perhaps ye realized that it was me faither who committed that crime,” he said. “Nae me.”
She nibbled on her lower lip. “Perhaps.”
He turned away, heaving himself up onto the saddle. “Come, we’d better get going. If we leave now, we can reach Keep Bryden before dark. I’m keen to get home.”
As they approached Keep Bryden, Skye scanned it eagerly for any familiar sign. Surelyshe must recognize the place?
