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“Whenever you decide,” he said, kissing her. “I shall leave that up to you.”
She looked doubtfully at him for several moments. “Are ye sure ye want me? After all, I speak my mind and….”
He kissed her again to shut her up. “And I love you that way.”
Happily, she threw her arms around his neck. Her Sassenach knight.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
The day was warm and sunny as Jordan and Aloria entered the inner bailey of Northwood. In the shadows it was cool, but as soon as they walked into the direct sunlight it was enough to make one sweat. They were silent as they walked and every so often, Jordan would glance behind her at the three knights. They would gaze back helplessly, wanting to tell her just what they thought of her new lady, but wisely kept silent. There was nothing any of them could do about it.
When the silence became uncomfortable, Jordan took to politely pointing out items she thought Aloria might find interesting. Aloria would nod shortly but remained quiet unless absolutely necessary. Jordan began to feel as if she were talking to a wall.
Jordan’s favorite place by far was the outer bailey and all of its activity. Peasants were bustling busily about and she often wondered what on earth kept the peasants so busy; they always had something to do.
She stopped at the little lean-to where the man with the mercantile kept his wares; she loved his shop best of all. He had all sorts of interesting little things along with bolts of material and she loved to inspect his stock.
The man, a thin fellow with receding hair, greeted her familiarly and began to show her his latest acquisition: perfume from the continent. Delighted, Jordan took to trying every bottle he had, and when she ran out of space on her arms, she put it on Deinwald. He, of course, was horrified, but in truth he liked the attention so he let her touch him with the oil and then smell it on his skin.
Aloria hung back, out of the way, watching her new mistress and the knights. She was such a beautiful, happy woman that Aloria was jealous and curious at the same time. She wished she could be like Lady Jordan, but she knew she had not the charm or the beauty. But it was more than physical beauty; it was the way she talked, the silly way she laughed, and the charming smile that came from within. They were signs of a very content, very happy lady.
Still, she wished she could laugh and joke with men the way Lady Jordan did, improper though it might be. She found herself watching with fascination.
Deinwald, smelling strongly, finally bowed away and Jordan grabbed Michael’s big arm so that she could smell the last two bottles. She would sniff and approve or disapprove, and then the knights would smell the scent and give their opinions. Not all opinions matched, however, but Jordan finally decided on three different fragrances. After the perfume, she delved into the new fabrics the man had.
A shadow fell across the doorway and everyone turned to see William crowding the opening with his massive frame, smiling at his wife.
“Well, hello, English,” she said gaily. “Come and see what I am to buy.”
He raised an eyebrow, entering the cramped space and highly aware of Aloria’s presence. “What now, my lady?”
He called her ‘my lady’ and Jordan suddenly remembered Aloria’s presence, too. She pointed to the bottles of perfume. “Look at these wonderful perfumes,” she said, turning to Michael. “Hold out yer arm and let him smell.”
Michael rolled his eyes comically and held out an arm to the captain. William cocked an eyebrow at his knight, although Michael refused to look at him, and took a quick sniff.
“Pleasant enough,” he observed. “But why is Michael wearing it?”
“Because I am already covered with the stuff,” she held up her arms to emphasize her point. “Deinwald is wearing perfume, too.”
William cast a reproving eye at his knights. “Good God, I shall be beating the men-at-arms away from them. What about you, Marc? Haven’t you been roped into this, as well?”
Jordan turned around, a large measurement of rose-colored fabric held up in front of her. She immediately put it against Marc, just under his neck and looked at it thoughtfully.
“What are you doing?” William asked on behalf of his knight.
She pursed her lips as she thought. “Seeing how well this color goes with his skin tone. His skin is fair, like mine, and our coloring is nearly the same. How does it look?”
William shook his head faintly in defeat. “He looks charming,” he said, backing away as she returned the material to the merchant.
“I think so, too,” she looked at the shopkeeper. “I shall take all ye have of that. And the blue, too,” she glanced at William, “for Jemma.”
William gave a feeble shrug, watching her barter for the price. When the amount was finally agreed upon, she noticed a tray of bracelets she hadn’t seen before. With a cry of delight, she began to inspect the bangles and bade Aloria to join her.
William turned to watch the big woman as she respectfully moved past him and quietly appraised the jewelry. He stood, arms folded across his chest, watching his wife and her new lady-in-waiting intensely, looking for any signs of discord or trouble. He had not met this woman yet and was displeased that already the lady was allowed such close access to his wife before he’d had a chance to interview her.
Jordan turned to her husband, her hands full of bracelets. “Lend me yer arm.”
He cleared his throat, knowing it would be useless to argue with her. Obediently, he extended his huge arms and she immediately put a bracelet on his wrist, but it was the only one that would fit. She scrutinized the bangle before removing it and spared William any more embarrassment.
