Page 15 of Transporting a Ruthless Highlander
Just then, they heard the sound of voices. They were the lively voices of common people, laughing, joking, and singing, then they turned a bend in the path and found the village.
As luck would have it, there was a market that day, and the main street was crowded with stalls selling everything from clothes to meat, fabric, yarn, and needles. There was even a stall where a dark, veiled lady was selling perfumed oils, and a few prosperous-looking men and women were standing around her, oohing and aahing over the fragrances. Gavina’s eyes lit up as she watched them. Here was a way she could use her talents for their survival.
It was good to see the faces of children again, Gavina thought, watching the smiles on their faces as they ran in and out of the crowds, playing and screaming. It was the first time she had ever thought about having any of her own, although she doubted that children were in her future.
“I must get myself a dress,” Gavina whispered. “Everybody is lookin’ at me.”
It was true. The sight of a tall woman holding on to the arm of a very big, muscular man was an unusual sight in Scotland, where most people were short, but a woman wearing trousers was positively scandalous!
“What are you going to do?” Struan asked, suddenly afraid.
They were walking around the village when they saw a tailor shop. The dresses were secondhand but in good condition and were very cheap, but since she had not a penny to her name, they might as well have cost a hundred pounds each.
Gavina sighed, wondering if she would ever reconcile herself to the loss of theWeeping Willow.The ship had not only been the source of all her income, but in a strange way they had become friends over the years, and without her, Gavina had nothing. However, she was determined to change that.
Presently, they came to the stall where the exotic woman sold her perfumes. There was a heady fragrance around it made up of the scent of dozens of perfumed oils. The woman looked up at Gavina and suddenly a little smile appeared on her lips. Gavina understood. They were both out of place in this little village. She smiled back, then turned to look surreptitiously at the people who were standing next to her. They were obviously not lacking in funds!
One of the women was wearing a purple velvet cloak trimmed with fox fur, and another was wearing a pair of diamond pendant earrings that was likely worth the cost of Gavina’s lost ship. She was a short but very pretty woman, and beside her stood a man who was obviously her husband. He was much older than she but obviously devoted to her since he hung on her every word and devoured her with his eyes.
Brilliant!Gavina thought. This was just the sort of situation she loved. If the man had been standing by himself and she had tried to rob him, she would have been easily seen and caught in minutes. However, they were standing amidst a crowd of others, and there was a far better opportunity for a quick escape. She laughed inwardly. She was an expert at this.
“Struan,” she whispered, “go over there an’ try some o’ that sandalwood oil at the other side o’ the stall. I will tell ye why later.” She pointed to a spot behind the young woman in the luxurious cloak.
Struan looked confused. Surely they should be finding something to eat first? However, he did as he had been bidden and immediately the well-dressed women looked around at him appreciatively. He opened one of the bottles and took a deep, appreciative sniff, closing his eyes and savoring it. The women were enraptured, seemingly unable to keep their eyes off him.
Struan smiled at them, then stoppered the bottle and shook his head regretfully.
“Do you not like it?” the wife of the older man asked.
Struan gave her a disarming smile. “I am afraid not,” he answered pleasantly, then bowed and smiled at both of them. “Have a good day, ladies.” He began to walk away, looking for Gavina, who seemed to have disappeared. Presently, he heard his name being called, and he found her standing just outside the tiny church, beckoning to him. As soon as he was within reach, she grabbed his arm and pulled him into an alcove.
“Look,” she whispered. She opened her hand to reveal a fistful of coins, mostly copper, with one silver shilling. “It is no’ much, but it will buy us some food an’ a few clothes for our backs.”
“Where did you get that?” he asked, knowing the answer already.
She looked at him as though he was simple. “Struan, ye are a clever man. I am sure ye can guess.”
He frowned. “I am not happy about this,” he said doubtfully. Dishonesty of any kind did not sit well with him.
Gavina put her hands on her hips, her green eyes blazing. “Ye are no’ happy, are ye?” she asked furiously. “Go an’ give it back, then, big man. Go an’ sleep by the sea, but dinnae ask me tae go wi’ ye. Those people have plenty o’ coin tae spare, an’ likely wilnae even miss it. We have none. Go ahead an’ starve, but dinnae ye expect me tae join ye!” She was poking her finger into his chest for emphasis as she spoke, then she turned on her heel and went to the baker’s stall.
Immediately, any further words of protest died on Struan’s lips as he saw Gavina buying a big loaf of rye bread, and his stomach began to rumble loudly. She followed this with a wedge of cheese, a haggis, two cups of ale, and two apples, then, without another murmur, he joined her, and they sat in the shadow of a tree and began to eat.
They wolfed their food down, and afterward, Gavina could hardly believe how much she had eaten. However, even if she had insisted on dividing the food in half, she could not have eaten as much as Struan did. She ate barely a third of it, and he disposed of the rest, but both were finally satisfied.
“Did you have enough?” he asked anxiously. “I eat too much, I know.”
“I am fine,” she assured him, then looked at the money she had left. “I must get us some clothes an’ blankets,” she said, “but we will have tae be careful wi’ the money.”
He nodded. “Where shall we sleep tonight?”
She grinned. “I will take care o’ that,” she said mischievously. “Stay here while I arrange things.”
Struan watched her walk back into the street, then he lay down on the needle-strewn ground, looking up at the leaves blowing in the breeze above her. For the first time since he had almost drowned, he felt perfectly calm, and he knew it was because of Gavina. As long as he was with her, he felt safe.
He asked himself why that should be since it was usually a man’s lot to protect a woman, but Gavina seemed to be the last woman on Earth who needed to be kept safe. He laughed as he thought that perhaps the world needed to be kept safe fromher!
Gavina went to the clothes stall first and bought herself a plain gray woolen dress. It was too short and showed a shocking amount of ankle, but she did not care about that. No one knew her here. She had enough left over for two shabby cloaks that could double as blankets, and she kept a small amount in reserve to buy food for the next day.
