Chapter 7

7

F inlay had to stop himself from staring at Anne for too long, lest she find it unsettling. There was something so natural and pure about her beauty, as though she didn't have to try at all to be alluring. He had loitered around the stables for so long that he thought she was never going to appear. Thankfully, her companion had found him and Finlay had bribed him with some breakfast. The cake wasn't going to deplete his funds, but he was going to have to be careful. He acted with indifference at all the items on the market, pretending that none of them were up to his standards. The truth was that he didn't want to make a show of wealth because then she would become accustomed to it, and soon enough he would find his pockets empty. No, he had to wait until he had an opportunity to steal her jewels and get to the heart of her wealth.

He had been anticipating the morning to be rather dreary as he didn't expect a noble girl like her to offer any interesting conversation at all. Most of them were quiet and shy, only speaking when spoken to. So it was a delight that Anne was quite the opposite. She had a grand sense of humor and some of the things she said forced a genuine belly laugh to erupt from his stomach. He put it down to her being related to a merchant. They were always loud, boisterous people who sought attention from potential customers, and some of it must have rubbed off on her. There was no doubt that she was a particularly precious jewel at this gathering and he noticed other men staring at her. No doubt they would have approached her if not for Finlay's sharp glares to warn them away. He would have to try and keep her to himself, for her needed her attention if he was to get what he wanted.

It wasn't long before he grew tired of the market, however. He craned his neck around, always worried in case someone recognized him. He subconsciously stroked his chin and touched his hair. It had been a long time since he had shown his face around here, and in the midst of so many strangers it was unlikely that anyone would notice him, but he couldn't take that chance. When he thought of what might happen if anyone did see him, the chaos that would ensue; his heart beat rapidly and he found that he had to breathe deeply to compose himself.

A similar thing happened when Anne asked him about his father. At first, he almost blurted out the truth and admonished himself. He didn't want to give her too many details about the fake family and clan he had created in case she started to see holes in his story. Being a noble girl, she must have been far more attuned to the different clans in the Highlands than he was and if he made an error she would likely pick up on it. While he backed his talents to nimbly navigate such a predicament, he didn't want to plant any seeds of doubt in her mind. He wanted her filled with love and hope and all those other sweet things that naive girls dreamed about.

But it would be forward to try and take her away from the market and even then, where was he supposed to take her? While he struggled with this he spotted a stall that sold fruit and bread. He guided Anne towards it and pointed out a particularly lovely bushel of apples. Anne bent low and the merchant seemed delighted at the chance of some custom. He pushed his chest out and boasted about the food he was selling. Finlay took the opportunity to grab a small piece of bread and a few pieces of fruit. He had pockets sewn into his tunic for such occasions, and it only took a quick flick of the wrist before the possessions were his own. Neither the merchant nor Anne suspected anything, and when the alarm was not raised he breathed with relief.

He thought that perhaps he could suggest taking her on a picnic in the fields that surrounded the village, getting away from all the noisy people. He would have to act as though he didn't know where he was going, however. She couldn't know that he had grown up in this place, that it was once his home. The thought made his throat tighten with anguish and there was a heaviness to his heart that had weighed him down for many years. He remembered the cursed words hurled at him, as well as the innocent pleas that fell on deaf ears. Bitterness stained his tongue and he was tempted to rail against all those who had wronged him. Rage flowed like a river inside him, burning his innards. He had to remain patient, though. Justice would come to him soon enough, and Anne was the key.

"Anne, would ye like tae-" he started, but Anne's eyes lit up as she saw a blacksmith's stall. He found himself pulled in that direction and had no choice but to follow her. He didn't get a chance to finish his conversation, even though he dreaded the moment because he recognized the blacksmith. The burly man had been a burly boy once upon a time, and Finlay had played with him in the fields. His name was Edgar and now he had taken his father's place as a blacksmith.

"Look at that," Anne gasped, her gaze falling on a dagger. It wasn't what Finlay expected to draw her attention, but then she had already defied his expectations in so many ways. The dagger was a thing of beauty. Edgar had clearly inherited his father's skill. The dagger was about eight inches long, the blade tapering to a sharp point. There was a design etched onto the blade, a signature of Edgar's family and something that set them apart from the other blacksmiths in the clan. Finlay took a step back, trying to keep as much distance between himself and Edgar as possible in the hope that Edgar would not recognize him.

"It's one of my finest pieces, my lady," Edgar said, the words stumbling over each other. He had never been very good with women, Finlay recalled.

"Ye made this yerself?" Anne gasped. Edgar puffed out his chest and seemed to grow a couple of inches taller.

"Oh aye, ma'am. I learned everything from my Da."

"I hae heard that the McLeod clan was famous for its blacksmiths, but I hae nae idea ye would be this talented."

"We try and outdae each other. Competition breeds greatness. That's what my Da says. And ye will find nae finer dagger here."

"I know someone who will love this," Anne said. Finlay wondered who she could mean. Presumably her uncle. Being a merchant must have been dangerous, what with all the thieves about. If a merchant had a dagger like this then thieves would think twice about stealing from them. Finlay knew that he would.

"I can wrap it up for ye if ye would like?" Edgar asked, clearly delighted at Anne's reaction. Anne then turned to Finlay and rolled her lower lip under her teeth.

"But my Uncle is nae here yet." She turned back to Edgar. "Dae ye think this will be here later in the day?"

Edgar wore an uncertain look. "Ah, I'm nae sure of that. I cannae guarantee that someone else will nae buy it, and with everyone around I cannae hold it for ye, I'm afraid," he said. Clearly, the smithing skills were not the only thing he had inherited from his father, a man who had always been known to drive a hard bargain. Anne turned back towards Finlay.

"I feel as though I must hae this dagger, Finlay. I hate tae be improper, but would ye be able tae buy it for me? I can assure ye that I will repay ye as soon as my uncle arrives with the money. I would never ask this of ye if it were nae of the utmost importance, and I would be eternally grateful tae ye. Ye would hae me in yer debt forever," the words dripped out of her mouth like honey. Her eyes glistened with promise and Finlay had to admit he liked the sound of that, even if the rest of the proposition was distasteful to him. Spending this amount of money on a dagger had not been a part of his plan, and he had to be careful with how he distributed his funds, especially after giving over most of his money to his father. He only had a few coins to call his own now and of course, he was a resourceful man, but he never liked spending coin unless it was absolutely necessary.

Unfortunately, he couldn't think of a way to dissuade Anne without offending her. He was representing himself as a man of means, and even though he suggested he was from a small clan, he was still supposed to be the Laird's son. What son of a Laird could not afford a simple dagger, especially when it was a gift for a woman to whom he was making romantic overtures? If he refused her this request then he would end up offending her, and the spark of attraction she felt might well be diminished. As he saw it, there was no choice but to buy the dagger. He supposed the riches at the end would make up for it, and it would help improve her opinion of him.

"Of course, I would be glad tae," he found himself saying, forcing a smile that was belied by the hardness of his eyes. "Perhaps ye would like tae join me for a picnic afterwards and we can admire yer dagger taegether?" he said, wanting to lock her into a promise of spending time alone before anything else could happen. She nodded enthusiastically and placed her hands on his arm to say thank you. She fluttered her eyelashes at him and he found it hard to be angry with her.

He fished some gold out of his purse and begrudgingly handed it over to Edgar, turning away quickly. However, Edgar frowned.

"Dae I know ye, sir?" he asked.

Finlay kept his chin tucked down and his face tilted away from Edgar.

"I dinnae think sae," Finlay said.

"He is the son of a Laird. Finlay Ross," Anne boasted. "Perhaps yer legend is growing," she teased, nudging him in the ribs. Finlay cleared his throat, becoming flustered.

"I hae never heard of the Ross clan, but yer face… there is something familiar about it," Edgar said.

"I'm afraid ye must be mistaken. This is my first time in the area. Speaking of the area, we should be off. I heard some people talking about a lovely opening over there," Finlay pointed far away from the market, and whirled around to offer his back to Edgar. He started walking away, taking Anne's arm again. The last thing he wanted was to give Edgar enough opportunity to remember him. He just had to hope that Edgar would shake the feeling away and that the memory would fade into the mist.

"Thank ye sae much for this, it really means a lot," Anne said, clutching the dagger tightly.

"Dinnae think anything of it," Finlay said through gritted teeth. She had better be worth it, he thought, because spending time with her out in the open was not only risking his life, but also his gold reserves. At least he would be repaid for the dagger, which helped soften the blow on his finances. She flashed a wide smile towards him and it quickly helped him forget about the drain on his resources. A stray lock of hair fell across her face, and by instinct, he reached up and pushed it behind her ear, his hand lingering on her skin just a second too long.