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“Aye, some,” said Mr. Fraser before nodding towards his daughter. “Isla drew a few.”
“They are stunning.” Blair stared down at the pictures, not knowing what would look best on her. She had only ever had two dresses, and both had been simply made.
“Green would bring out yer eyes, Miss,” said Isla.
“And blue is a very popular color now,” Mr. Fraser added.
Blair nodded, unable to contain her smile. “Yes,” she said while handing the book back to Isla, the page opened to a woman wearing a long, wide skirt. “I would like this in those colors.”
Mr. Fraser and Isla bowed curtly.
“Yer wish is my command,” said Mr. Fraser with a bright smile.
* * *
Blair never knew how long it took to choose fashions, colors, and shoes. She felt as if she had been in the shop for years when she finally stepped outside. The sun’s light was beginning to dip, hinting it would be sunset in the next hour or two. The sky was cast in hues of dark blue and faint orange. Women ushered their children from the streets while men, covered in mud and dirt from a long day’s work, stumbled towards the pub.
She stood at the top step leading towards the shop, feeling excited about her dresses. Mr. Fraser had assured her that once they were finished, he and his daughter would come to Castle Lachlan with the garments. She had acquired the emerald and the sapphire colors, which had caught her attention from before. Blair requested the clan’s colors to be designed into one of her dresses, hoping to wear it at one of the laird’s great feasts or festivals. However, Isla had also talked her into a purple shade, reminding her of the primroses in the laird’s garden. It was a color Blair had never thought to wear, but Isla had insisted it brought out the loveliest shades in her skin.
Sighing, she didn’t know if it was right to have the laird pay for such things when he was already too kind. She would have to thank him properly either this evening in the great hall or in the morn when she was giving him his tea.
Blair didn’t know how long it had been, but the sun was dipping lower. The lights in the shops were beginning to dim. She frowned, looking around and noticing neither Alisa nor Aindreas was in the vicinity. Taking the two steps down to the cobbled road, she continued searching the streets, taking two steps to the left before turning around and taking two steps the other way. She didn’t want to wander too far from the shop for fear she would become lost. She wondered if Alisa had finished her personal arrangements. It had been at least several hours since she last saw the lady.
“Excuse me, Miss.”
Blair turned around, finding a thin short woman wearing a simple brown dress. She tilted her head to the side, recognizing the woman. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was the same woman who had been talking to Alisa earlier when the lady first left her in the company of Mr. Fraser and his daughter.
“Are ye Miss Blair?” the woman asked while cradling her basket closer to her. She pushed her blond hair away from her face while lowering her gaze to the ground.
“Aye, I am.”
“I’m afraid Lady Alisa had urgent business.”
Blair’s brow furrowed at the slight tremble in the woman’s voice. “Is everything alright?”
The woman nodded vigorously. “Aye, but,” the woman stopped, and Blair noticed the way she clenched her jaw, the way her brows furrowed in distaste, “she had to return to the castle immediately.”
Blair blinked. “Are ye sure everything is alright? Was the lady ill?”
“Nae, she was not ill,” the woman said angrily. “She informed Mr. Aindreas of her leaving. He said he would meet ye in the town’s square before sunset.”
Blair’s frown deepened. Why did he change the meeting place? She wondered while looking up at the sky. The sun was beginning to dim. Sunset would be upon them sooner rather than later. She clutched her scarf closer to her, trying to remember where she saw the square when they first entered the town. It had all been a blur to her.
“Could ye—“
Blair paused, her mouth hanging open as she stared at the place the woman had just been. In the distance, she saw her briskly walking through the alley, not bothering to turn around or provide any more aid to Blair. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, trying to calm the worry pulling at her stomach. The town square couldn’t be so difficult to find, she told herself while stepping through the alley. It wasn’t like this place was Edinburgh. Surely, all the alleys would eventually lead her to the square.
She looked around, wanting to stop someone to help her, but the crowds she saw before were no longer there. Everyone was either indoors, eating their final day’s meal, or at the pub. Turning around, she picked up her skirts, her feet taking her back to Mr. Fraser’s shop, but she promptly stopped. Mr. Fraser and Isla had spent the better part of their day helping her. To interrupt their dinner after a hard day’s work would simply be rude, she admonished herself. The square couldn’t be that far away, and she still had time. It wasn’t as if she was utterly inept.
She heard men singing, saw them swaying while holding their pints from the window she peeked through. Pursing her lips, she wondered if she should enter and ask someone for aid, but she shook her head, knowing she would be putting herself in more danger.
Blair continued down the alley, watching as it opened into a large square. She paused, staring at the well she had seen so many women standing near. This must be the square, she told herself while smiling brightly and looking around. A man was lighting lanterns. There were several men standing in the far corner, laughing amongst themselves.
But where was Aindreas? she asked herself, not finding him anywhere nearby. There was still time before sunset. He probably got held up somewhere and would be with her shortly.
Yet, as the sun continued to dim, there was no sign of Aindreas. She fidgeted with her scarf, ignoring the curious gazes of men passing by. The men standing at the corner of the square were watching her. She recognized them from earlier when they had passed through the square on their way to the tailor’s shop.
One had a scar going down the length of his face. He was surrounded by three other men, dressed similarly in dirty shirts and faded tartans. Two were older with greying dark hair, while another had a long red beard and a plaid cap. Slowly, they approached her.
Where is he? Blair wondered while looking into the alley near her, wondering if the men coming her way knew of Aindreas and could take her to him. She shivered as the red-bearded man licked his lips while the other, with the scar, brandished a knife.
