Page 25 of Marry the Highland Villain
“Come, get dressed,” she said, pulling open the thick drapes to let the sunlight stream into the room, which looked much more welcoming with the tapestries they’d found yesterday and the new chairs and table by the fire. “The market willnae last all day, and even if it did, Conall’s patience with the two of us bein’ outside the castle walls willnae.”
The reminder of what Conall had agreed to the night before sent Brigid scrambling for one of the dresses she and Emily had discovered the day before. It was dark blue, a little tight around the hips but comfortable around the bust, and it went well with the sash Emily had given her.
The two women joined the others in the Great Hall for the morning meal. Brigid gulped down a cup of hot, sweet tea, thenenjoyed a bowl of porridge with honey and milk, along with some fresh bread spread thickly with fruit preserves.
She had to admit, the food served here was so delicious.
She was almost finished when a shadow fell over her chair, and she looked up to see Conall standing over her.
For one moment, her heart sank. She couldn’t help but think that he’d thought over his decision and changed his mind.
From the scowl on Oliver’s face, it was clear he did not approve of the plan—not that Oliver ever seemed to approve of anything concerning Brigid. Perhaps he’d convinced Conall not to let her go, after all.
Instead of forbidding her to leave the castle, however, all Conall did was pull a fat, jingling pouch from his sash and set it on the table before her. “Ye’ll need some coppers an’ silvers if ye wish to make any purchases at the market.”
It was all she could do not to gape at him like an idiot. Brigid had never seen so much money in one place at a time, not unless it was a treasure chest of her father’s, meant to be split between his men.
“Ye… Are ye certain…?”
She hadn’t even thought of how to pay for the goods she intended to buy at the market—an oversight that now made her blush as she realized Conall had been one step ahead of her.
“Aye. Whatever ye dinnae spend, ye can bring back.” To her surprise, the faintest of wry smiles tugged at his mouth for the space of a breath. “As ye pointed out last night, I dinnae ken what ye want for sketchin’ and the like, so I thought ‘twas as well to give ye the funds an’ let ye get whatever yer heart desires on yer own.”
“I… Thank ye, but…”
She hesitated, wondering if accepting his generosity was the right thing to do.
Conall’s eyes flicked to Emily for the briefest of moments. “A wise woman reminded me that it is a husband’s duty to provide for his wife. Considerin’ how I’ve done so far, this seems little enough.”
Brigid blushed as he sat beside her, and she picked up the pouch. Any objections she might have made faded at his words. She drank the last of her tea, then rose eagerly from her seat.
Before she could think about it too much, she leaned forward and kissed Conall on the cheek. He stiffened, as if startled, then smiled, his face softening. Brigid flushed and hurried to join Emily by the door.
What on earth made me do that? And why did it feel so natural?
The two women donned cloaks—Brigid wearing one she’d found in the storerooms the day before—then left the castle, Brigid holding her breath as they went through the main doors and the gates. She half expected the guards to stop her, but they nodded to Emily and otherwise ignored them.
Brigid breathed a sigh of relief and allowed herself to relax. Her shoulders and her death grip on the basket loosened.
Emily grinned. “Feelin’ better?”
“Aye. For a moment there, I thought…”
Emily chuckled. “I ken what ye thought. But I’m nay fool, and nay more is Conall. He kens to choose his battles wisely.” She looped her arm through Brigid’s and squeezed gently. “Now, let’s go and enjoy the market day.”
The village wasn’t far from the main gates of the castle. Brigid kept her steps light and quick, outwardly confident as she approached but inwardly apprehensive as she recalled her visits to the market nearest to her home.
What if they all scorn me as the villagers did? I ken Emily is here, and as the Laird’s kin, she might protect me, but I dinnae want to face more disdain and insults, especially nae in front of her.
The street was lively, the market full of bustling figures at different stalls. And there were far more stalls than Brigid was used to seeing—the market in this village was much larger than the isolated town nearest to her family’s cottage.
Her eyes darted from one place to another, trying to take in everything at once. There was the smithy, smoke curling up from the forge at the far end of the road. Several fruit, vegetable, grain, and flower sellers were interspersed between sellers of other goods. There was a cobbler, a leather worker, and…
“Och, there’s a bookseller!”
“Aye. He comes every other moon.” Emily grinned. “And if ye look at the other side of the lane, there’s a fortune teller.”
“A fortune teller?” Brigid stared at the woman with wide eyes. “Why, I’ve never met such a person.”
