Her breath snagged though she covered it quickly with a scoff. “Och, ye say that now.”
“Aye,” he said without pause, “And I’ll say it again until ye believe it.”
Scarlett turned her face forward, willing her cheeks to cool. She didn’t want to admit how his words slid under her skin, how they rattled in her chest like something dangerous.
I willnae believe a word he says…
The horse’s steady gait carried them through the village street, the murmur of merchants and clang of pots spilling around them. Scarlett forced her eyes to the stalls, anything to steady herself. Then, as though caught by an invisible thread, her gaze halted.
Her heart jumped. Among the jumble of heavy brooches and gaudy rings in a jeweler’s display, one piece gleamed back at her, a simple necklace, a slender silver chain strung with a single green stone, oval-shaped and clear as spring water.
The sight tugged so hard at her chest she nearly swayed in the saddle.
It looks just like hers…
Robert felt her stiffen against him. “What is it?” he murmured, following the line of her gaze.
“Nothing,” Scarlett said quickly, shaking her head. But her eyes betrayed her, fastened to the stone like a moth to flame.
Robert didn’t press with words. Instead, he slowed the horse to a halt, swung down with a fluid motion, and turned back to her. His hands rose, firm but careful, circling her waist as he lifted her from the saddle.
Scarlett’s breath caught at the sudden closeness, her skirts brushing his thighs as her boots touched the ground. He didn’tlet go right away, holding her steady a moment longer than was needed, his gaze heavy on her face.
“Show me,” he said simply.
Scarlett swallowed hard, her fingers tightening around the paints clutched to her chest. For one wild moment, she thought to refuse. To turn her back and keep the memory of her mother’s pendant to herself.
Robert followed her gaze. “Something caught yer eye?”
Scarlett shook her head too quickly, clutching her pigments tighter.
“Nay. Just… the work is fine, that’s all.”
His brow quirked. “Fine work?” He stepped closer to the stall, ignoring her protest. “Which piece?”
She bit her lip, cursing herself. “It matters nae. I was only looking.”
Robert’s hand was already reaching, large fingers lifting the necklace from its place. The green stone swung lightly, catching the light like a drop of spring rain. “This one?”
Scarlett’s heart lurched. “Aye…” She cut herself off, heat crawling to her ears. “It only reminded me of something. Of someone.”
Robert’s eyes sharpened. “Yer mother?” Her lips parted in surprise. “How?”
He shrugged, studying the pendant. “The way ye looked at it. A lass doesnae stare like that at trinkets unless it means more than silver.”
Scarlett swallowed hard. “She wore one just like it. Always. I used to sit at her knee and play with it, trace the stone with me fingers while she read to me. When she passed, it went missing. I always wondered what became of it.”
Robert’s gaze lingered on her face a moment longer then he turned to the jeweler. “Wrap it.”
Scarlett’s eyes flew wide. “Robert! Ye cannae…”
“I can,” he interrupted smoothly, dropping a coin on the stall before she could stop him.
The jeweler scrambled to obey, hands fumbling as he tucked the necklace into a small cloth pouch. Scarlett grabbed Robert’s sleeve. “Ye shouldnae have. Truly, I didnae mean?—”
His eyes cut to hers, “And yet I did.”
The pouch was pressed into her palm. Scarlett’s fingers closed around it automatically, her chest aching with something she couldn’t name.
