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He grimaced at the words, but bent over Ronson and the shield to kiss her on the forehead before growling, "Ye should have woke me when ye got up."
"Ye were tired and--"
"And ye should no' be out here. 'Tis no' safe," Niels interrupted grimly.
"I have me guards, and yer brothers and even Ronson here," she said, smiling down at the boy.
"Sorry, brother," Geordie muttered. "But yer wife can be fair persuasive when she wishes, and it seems the cook has run out o' a lot o' items while she was ill and whatnot."
"And I was thirsty," Edith added, trying for a pitiful look. "But it seems all the drink at the keep has been locked up. Even the cider. So we came down and had a drink at the inn before starting to shop, else we'd surely be done and back by now."
"No' likely. We'll be here until the market closes at this rate," Alick said under his breath, earning a scowl from Edith.
"Ye let her drink at the inn?" Niels asked with dismay.
"Well, o' course they did," Edith said, scowling at him now. "Why would they not? The innkeeper could hardly be the one poisoning me at the keep."
"Nay, but what if whoever is poisoning ye has followed ye from the keep and managed to drop poison in yer drink at the inn?" he asked sharply.
"I watched fer that, m'lord," Cameron said at once and Edith glanced to him with surprise. She hadn't even thought of that happening. It seemed her guards had, however. She supposed that's why they were some of Tormod's most trusted men. They thought of things like that.
"Wife," Niels said now, drawing her gaze back his way. "The drink being locked up and yer having guards are to keep ye alive. But ye make that harder to do by putting yerself out in the open where ye're an easy target. Ye should no' have left the keep."
Edith narrowed her eyes on him briefly and then asked, "Where are yer guards?"
"What?" he asked with surprise.
"Well, ye may be a target too now that ye've married me," she pointed out, and added, "After all, Brodie's Victoria was killed. Ye should have to stay in the keep too, and ye surely should no' be riding around without a guard. So . . . where are they?"
"She's right about that, brother," Geordie said and reminded him, "We were talking about it last night. Ye could be a target now too."
Niels scowled at his brother for his trouble, and then took Edith's arm and tried to steer her away. "Fine. Let us both return to the keep right now."
"Nay," Edith gasped, digging in her heels. "There are still things Jaimie needs."
When Niels paused and turned to frown at her, she added, "'Tis our job to supply what our people need, husband. Surely ye ken that? If I do no' get what he needs, he can no' properly do his job, and 'twould be because o' my failure, no' his."
Cursing, he released her and threw his hands up in the air. "Fine. We will get what the cook needs, but no dawdling, Edith. Get it done quickly so we can return to the keep."
Edith smiled at him brightly and nodded. "Aye, husband. And look, now ye're here, none o' the men need return to the wagon. Ye can help carry the spice and soap."
Edith then turned away and hurried to the spice merchant with Ronson and the men rushing to keep up and bumping her on every side.
"And now ye ken how we ended up here shopping with yer wife."
"Hmm," Niels muttered at that comment from Geordie as they followed Ronson and the other three men hovering around his wife.
"Although," Geordie added, "I will say she has brightened considerably since leaving the keep. She was sad-looking and dragging her feet there, but perked up once we got here."
Niels frowned at the news that Edith had looked sad and slow when she woke up, but supposed it should be expected considering all that had happened. While Edith had avoided talking about her father and brothers, he knew from things he'd heard from Saidh and Tormod that Edith had loved her father dearly, as well as her brothers . . . even Brodie, who by all accounts was a wastrel. She'd been quite fond of Cawley too. And all had died in short order. In his opinion, she was handling it all incredibly well.
"So I'm thinking her getting out and about today may be a good thing despite the risk," Geordie concluded.
"Aye," Niels muttered. Certainly Edith seemed animated and less pale than usual as she haggled with the spice merchant.
"Niels?" Alick said, sidling closer to him as he paused behind Ronson.
"Hmm?" he asked, glancing to his brother and noting that most of what the lad held were bolts of fabric. One was a fine green cloth the exact color of Edith's eyes that he hoped she planned to make a dress from. She'd look lovely in the material.
"We've nearly circled back around to the wagon," Alick pointed out. "Why do Geordie and I no' carry our items to the wagon, and then I'll wait there to watch over everything while Edith finishes and Geordie'll be able to help carry everything else she buys."
"Aye, if ye do no' mind that would help," Niels said with a nod.
"Trust me, I do no' mind at all," Alick assured him.
"O' course he does no' mind, it means he can sit and flirt with all the pretty girls here rather than traipse around after Edith with his arms full," Geordie said dryly, and then heading for the wagon with Alick, added, "I'll be back directly."
Niels smiled faintly as he turned back toward Edith and then glanced down with surprise when several items were piled on top of his crossed arms.
"Thank ye, husband," Edith said as she stacked the spices on top of each other on him. "Fearghas can no' carry any more, Ronson is busy with the shield and Cameron insists at least one o' them must keep their hands free to defend me should the need arise."
When she turned away quickly then, and hurried off to the next trader, Niels shook his head and shifted his arms slightly to hold the items now cradled against his chest. He then followed the others trailing after his wife. She was at the cheese trader now, he noted, and when his wife had selected several hunks of cheese and showed no sign of slowing, Niels glanced to Fearghas and suggested, "Mayhap ye'd best take that to the wagon and tell Geordie to hurry back."
"We might do better just to bring the wagon here," Cameron warned as Edith continued picking cheese. "The soap trader is next, but the capons come after that and with the whole castle to feed she'll want a lot o' them."
"Aye," Niels agreed.
"I'll take this to the wagon, and have Alick bring it here," Fearghas announced and turned to hurry away.
Niels turned back to his wife then and blinked as he saw that she'd moved on with just Ronson trailing her while they were distracted. She was now in front of the soap trader, examining the wares laid out on a plaid on the ground.
"Oooh, this smells nice," she was saying as she picked up and sniffed one of the soaps.
"Aye, m'lady, that one has oil o' rose in it," the trader said with a smile.
Pausing beside his wife, Niels waited until she had selected the soap she wanted and paid for it before asking, "Edith, did ye no' get any cheese?"
"Aye. I selected so much, Duer said he'd deliver it to the castle," she said, turning to begin piling soap on his arms, and then stopping with a frown as she eyed the spices he already held. Apparently, concerned the soap might affect the spice, she started to turn to Cameron, but paused suddenly and smiled as she peered past the two men. "Oh, good they're bringing the wagon."
"Aye. We thought ye'd need it fer the cheese and capons," Niels said dryly.
Edith shook her head and moved forward to dump the soap she held in the back of the wagon as it stopped next to them. "Nay. I always get so many capons that once I place the order and pay, Iain delivers them to the castle as well."
Niels merely grunted and moved up to pile the spices he held in the wagon as she backed up. When he finished and turned around, she'd bustled off to the capon man and was bartering with him. Ronson, Geordie, Fearghas and Cameron were with her, so he walked up to the front of the wagon and said, "The capons are the last o' it, but they'll be delivered. Ye can head back to the keep do ye wish."
Nodding, Alick took up the reins and headed out, leaving Niels to approach the others. He'd spotted the horses by the inn as he arrived and had tied up his horse there as well, so that was where they all went when Edith finished her bartering. Niels took Edith up before him on his horse, and then suggested, "Geordie, why do ye no' take Ronson up before ye?"
"Oh, nay, m'lord," Ronson protested at once. "I must ride with ye. I have to keep the shield in front o' Lady Edith when we get to the bailey."
Niels had been going to take the shield from the lad to give him a break--he'd started to look weary toward the end--but nodded now. "Very well, lad."
