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"Perhaps ye should let at least one o' me guards accompany me into the kitchen," Edith interrupted, afraid they were going to start a brawl. "That way he can keep me safe and help me carry drinks fer everyone."
There was silence for a moment as the men glared at each other, and then the kitchen guard relented and stepped to the side. "All right, but just one o' ye, and I'll accompany ye too, to be sure all is well. The rest o' ye will wait out here with Arnie."
"Fine," Edith said quickly before anyone could protest. Glancing at Geordie's and Alick's scowling faces, she smiled reassuringly. "I'll only be a moment and I'll bring us all something to break our fast."
Turning away then, she hurried into the kitchen, intent on preventing further protest or problems. Edith didn't bother looking around to see whether Cameron or Fearghas was the guard to accompany her, but simply headed toward Jaimie as soon as she spotted him chopping up a large side of beef.
"Oh! M'lady," he greeted, dropping the large cleaver and quickly wiping his hands when he saw her approaching. "Good morn. How are ye feeling? Are ye ready to break yer fast?"
"Aye, Jaimie." She smiled at him gratefully. "Geordie and Alick are up too and ready to break their fast as well, and . . ." She glanced back to see that Cameron was the one who had followed her inside with the guard from the door. When she raised her eyebrow in question, he shook his head.
"Fearghas and I already broke our fast, thank ye, m'lady," he murmured.
Turning back to Jaimie, she said, "Then mayhap just a pitcher o' ale fer the men. That way Cameron and Fearghas can have some if they like. But I'll have cider this morning, I think." After the incident with the mead on her wedding night, she was now as loathe to drink that as she was wine. Hopefully, her new distaste of the two beverages wouldn't last long, for if this kept up, there'd be nothing she'd want to drink, Edith thought, and then noticed that Jaimie had gone quiet and was looking toward her guards with alarm. Raising her eyebrows, she asked, "Is there something amiss? Are we out of cider?"
"N-nay," Jaimie stammered, and then shook his head and explained, "But I can no' fetch ye aught to drink, m'lady. Tormod locked up the buttery to ensure no one could poison ye again."
"Oh," Edith said nonplussed, and then smiled wryly. "I suppose I shall have to find Tormod then so I can have a drink."
"Ah . . ." Cameron said behind her and when Edith turned to him in question, he explained apologetically, "Tormod took a wagon and some men to ride out to the lodge at first light. He gave the key to yer husband ere leaving though."
"But he's sleeping," Edith said with a sigh.
"I could send Fearghas to go wake him and ask fer the key," Cameron suggested, but she shook her head.
"Nay. He's had very little sleep o' late and needs it." Forcing a smile, she turned back to the cook and said, "I suppose I'll just have an apple or something for now, Jaimie, and then eat something more filling when me husband wakes and I can have a drink with it."
Nodding, he turned and rushed to the pantry, barking at the women cutting vegetables to get food and drink together for the men.
Sighing, Edith walked idly around the kitchens as she waited and smiled wryly to herself. She'd never seen it so empty. Usually there were loads of people rushing around and she wondered if having his staff so restricted would make things harder on Jaimie.
"Here ye are, m'lady. I got ye two. The finest o' the bunch," Jaimie said as he rushed back to her.
"Thank ye," Edith murmured, accepting the apples he offered.
He nodded and smiled crookedly, but there was worry in his eyes and Edith raised her eyebrows in question and asked, "Is something wrong, Jaimie?"
"Oh, nay, nay," he assured her, and then frowned and added, "Well, aye, I was wondering . . ."
"What?" Edith asked encouragingly.
Sighing, Jaimie shook his head and said apologetically, "'Tis market day in the village, m'lady."
"Is it?" Edith asked with surprise. They had market day in the village on every Saturday. The priest had wanted it to be on Sundays to encourage parishioners to attend mass ere visiting the merchants who lined up with their wares, but their neighbors, the Lindsays, had theirs on Sundays and some of the sellers were traveling merchants who traded at both places, so Saturday it was.
Edith supposed it was a sign of the stress she'd been under that she'd managed to lose track of what day it was and nearly forgot all about market day. She always went to buy cheese, eggs, capons and spices or whatever else Jaimie might need. It saved him the trouble, and gave her a chance to get out of the castle. Besides, she liked looking at everything on display. Sometimes she found some nice cloth, or some quality soap imported from Spain or the hotter countries. It depended on what merchants managed to make it to market day.
"Aye, 'tis," Jaimie said now, twisting his apron between his hands anxiously. "And ere yer return I planned to attend meself to get the things we need, but with the new restrictions reducing me staff, I fear I've no' the time and--"
"Nay, of course not," Edith interrupted, patting his hand. "I'll go. Just tell me what ye need and I'll fetch it back fer ye."
"Oh, thank ye, m'lady," Jaimie said with relief.
"There's no need to thank me, Jaimie," she assured him solemnly. "I am just sorry ye had to remind me o' me duty. I fear I did no' even realize 'twas market day until ye mentioned it."
"Aye, well, 'tis no small wonder that," the cook said sadly, sympathy on his face, and then bit his lip and offered, "And if 'tis too much trouble this time, I'm sure I can make do with what we have and--"
"Nay," Edith assured him and then smiled wryly and admitted, "In truth, 'twould be nice to go to market and forget what's been happening around here fer a bit."
Jaimie brightened at once. "Oh, well, that's fine then," he said and began to rattle off a list that made her realize just how painful his offer to do without had been. With her being sick for weeks, and Jaimie's having a limit on how much coin Tormod would give him to take to market, they'd run out of a great deal of things in the castle. It made her wonder how he'd managed to produce the delicious meals he'd come up with. But now that she was thinking on it, most of the meals she'd eaten since waking had been stews and soups. If that's all they'd had to eat recently, then she imagined everyone would be heartily sick of them.
As his list continued, Edith began to be grateful for having her guards. In fact, she started to hope that Geordie and Alick insisted on accompanying her too, because she would need the help bringing everything back. Mayhap she would take Ronson and Laddie with her as well . . . and a cart. Nay, a wagon.
"M'lady, do ye no' think we should head back to the wagon now?"
Edith turned to respond to Cameron's pleading words, and blinked in surprise when she bumped her nose on the shield Ronson was struggling to hold up behind her as he followed her around.
"Sorry, m'lady," Ronson said earnestly, stepping back a pace.
"That's fine, lad," she said with a smile, and then glanced to Cameron, opened her mouth and then closed it again with a frown as she saw that while his hands were free, one of them was on his sword. In the meantime, Fearghas, Geordie and Alick were all juggling overflowing armloads of the items she'd been passing back as she bought
them. She hadn't realized she'd bought so much. And she was only halfway through the list.
Biting her lip, she said, "Mayhap we should take everything back to the wagon. Then one o' ye can wait with our goods while the rest o' us continue shopping."
"M'lady," Cameron said wearily. "Ye really should no' be here."
"Aye," Geordie agreed. "Niels did no' even want ye out o' the keep, let alone down in the village."
"That's as may be, but as lady at Drummond there are certain things that need doing, and if ye all want to fill yer bellies on something other than stew fer the next week, then we need to finish getting the items on Jaimie's list," Edith said firmly. This was the argument that had convinced them to reluctantly relent and let her leave the castle to begin with. Which was just utter nonsense to her. She was the Lady of Drummond and simply could have ordered her guards to make Geordie and Alick get out of the way and accompany her to the market and they would have had to do it. But she didn't think that was likely to win her any points with her new in-laws, so she'd reasoned, wheedled and begged until the men had caved in.
Although, in truth, Edith suspected that in the end it was the threat of stew all week again that had won her argument. It certainly had turned the tide for Cameron and Fearghas, which had helped with the reluctant Geordie and Alick. It seemed stew had pretty much been the meal of choice the past three weeks and her people were heartily sick of it.
"How much more is there to get?" Geordie asked finally after the men all exchanged glances.
"Several spices, capons and cheese," Edith responded at once, and then frowned and added, "And we are nearly out o' soap too."
Geordie shook his head, but said, "Carry on then. But one o' us'll soon have to start taking items back to the wagon. We can no' carry much more."
"Two o' ye will have to carry items back and then one will have to watch the goods in the carriage while the other returns to carry more."
Edith whipped around at that dry voice and smiled brightly at Niels as he pushed his way between Geordie and Alick to reach her. "Husband! Ye're up."
