The Recruit (Highland Guard #6)(9)

The woman returned the smile, relieved by her understanding. “This is only half. I’ve three lads helping their da with the livestock.” Suddenly, she noticed the bag the baby held in his hand. Her eyes widened like her daughter’s had. “Willie! Where did you get that?”

“Don’t worry,” Mary said, taking it back. “I let him play with it.” Anticipating a similar reaction to the ribbon in Beth’s hands, she added, “I hope you don’t mind. But I should like Beth to have this.”

The woman started to protest that it was too much, but Mary insisted. “Please, it is a trifling, and she—” she stopped, her throat suddenly thick. “She reminds me of someone.”

It hadn’t struck her until now, but the girl bore a distinct resemblance to her and Janet when they were girls. Wispy blond hair, pale skin, big blue eyes, and fair, delicate features.

Seeming to sense the emotion behind the offer, the young woman thanked her and hustled her children away.

“I leave you alone for a few minutes and you are giving the merchandise away for free? That’s it, I wash my hands of you. You will never be a tradeswoman.”

Mary turned, surprised to see the merchant standing there watching her. Though his words were chastising, his tone was not. From the glimmer of sadness in his eyes, Mary could see that he’d seen more than she wanted him to.

She gathered the frayed ends of her emotions and bundled them back together. That part of her life was over. She’d been both a wife and a mother—even if neither had turned out the way she’d planned. There was no use dwelling on what was past. But the brief exchange sent a ripple of longing across the quiet life she’d built for herself, reminded her of all that she’d lost.

She might never be able to get David’s childhood back, but she was determined to have a part in his future. The handful of opportunities she’d had to see him the past few years hadn’t brought them any closer, but she hoped that would change. Her son would be leaving the king’s household soon to become a squire, and Sir Adam was doing his best to see him placed with one of the barons in the north of England, close to her.

The merchant handed her a small wooden box.

“What is this?” she asked.

“Open it.”

She did so and gasped at what she saw. Carefully, she removed the two round pieces of glass framed in horn and connected by a center rivet from the silky bed upon which they rested. “You found them!”

He nodded, inordinately pleased at her reaction. “All the way from Italy.”

Mary held them up to her eyes, and like magic the world had suddenly become larger. Occhiale, they called them. Eyeglasses. Invented by an Italian monk more than two decades ago, they were still quite rare. She’d mentioned them once when she’d realized how much of a toll the long hours working by candlelight were taking on her eyesight. It was getting harder and harder to see the tiny stitches. “They are magnificent.” She carefully placed them in the box and threw her arms around him, giving him a big hug.

“Thank you.”

He blushed, chortling happily.

Such displays of emotion weren’t normal for her—at least not since she was a girl—and she was surprised at the emotion welling in her chest. She realized she felt more affection for the old merchant than she had for her own father.

Just for one moment, her arms tightened as if she would hold onto him for dear life.

Then, suddenly embarrassed, she pulled away. What must he think of her? But her usual reserve seemed to have deserted her. “How much do I owe you?” she asked.

He bristled, waving her off as if she’d offended him. “They are a gift.”

She eyed him sharply. “Giving the merchandise away for free? You should be ashamed to call yourself a tradesman.”

He chuckled at her attempt to sound like him. “It’s an investment in future returns. How can you sew if you cannot see? I intend to make quite a healthy profit off you, milady.”

Mary’s eyes felt suspiciously damp. “Careful, old man, your reputation as a ruthless negotiator is in jeopardy.”

His eyes seemed to be shining a little brighter than normal as well. “I shall deny every word. Now you’d best take yourself away from here, or mine isn’t the only secret that will be in jeopardy.”

With one more hug, Mary did as he bade.

Though she would have loved nothing better than to enjoy the bright sunshine by wandering around the fair for a while, she knew it was better if she did not. The instinct not to draw attention to herself went deep.

If there was a slight wistfulness in her heart after the exchange with the children and the merchant, she knew it would pass. She had everything she needed. If at times she felt as if she were missing something, she reminded herself to be grateful for what she had.

Finding the groomsman waiting for her where she’d left him, Mary mounted her horse and started on the long ride back to the castle.

With the silver in her purse, the sun shining on her face, and no longer the need to look over her shoulder, she felt a sense of peace that she would have thought impossible three years ago. Against all odds, the frightened, sheltered, overlooked wife of a traitor had built a new life for herself. On her own.

Mary’s hard-won contentment turned to barely restrained excitement when she saw who awaited her on her arrival. Sir Adam! Did he bring news of her son? Please, let him be squired nearby …