Page 34 of Ties of Legacy

He gave the stall holder a stern look. “I recommend you warn anyone who takes one of your sweets in the future. Don’t go making assumptions.”

“Of course, sir,” she said quickly. “It was an honest mistake. Usually we only sell to doctors or to merchants who supply doctors, so they all know what they’re buying.” She looked at Avery in his arms. “She’ll be all right in a couple of hours, though.” She glanced uneasily at the small space behind the stall and then at the setting sun. “Did you want to lay her down back here?” she asked reluctantly.

Elliot shook his head. The stall holder would be packing up soon, eager to get back across the border to her own kingdom, and it wouldn’t be a comfortable space for Avery anyway.

“No, I’ll take her back to the inn,” he said, and the woman instantly brightened.

He barely refrained from rolling his eyes, saving his energy for navigating the crowd. Thankfully, most people parted before him, whispers following him as he strode from the square.

He smiled grimly. He must look a dramatic sight, striding along with a beautiful woman asleep in his arms.

Thankfully, Avery had taken them to an inn near the market square. He could never have carried her all the way back to the inn where he usually stayed. As it was, his arms were shaking with the strain by the time he made it into the inn’s courtyard.

The groom exclaimed in horror at the sight of them and hurried over.

“Has something happened to Mistress Avery?” he asked, staring down at her just in time for her to give a little snoring grunt.

He blinked as Elliot chuckled tiredly. “She ate a sweet from the market without checking what it was first.”

The man’s eyebrows shot up. “One of the Oakdenian sweets, I take it.” He examined Elliot from under bushy brows. “You’re the young man who arrived with her.”

Elliot nodded. His arms felt like they were about to give way, but he couldn’t bring himself to brush off the man’s concerned scrutiny. He was glad someone cared enough to check that Avery was safe.

“Well,” the man said at last, “if she was traveling with you and skipping around markets with you, she must trust you.”

Elliot smiled weakly. He wasn’t so sure the man was right. He didn’t know what had pushed Avery into accepting his company. But in this context it didn’t matter. Whether Avery believed it or not, she was safe with him.

“I passed on her message,” the man continued. “You’ll find two rooms waiting for you.”

Elliot nodded his thanks and finally continued into the inn. If Avery was awake, he knew she would want to check on Nutmeg, but that was beyond his ability in the moment. He needed to deposit her in her room and see the door safely locked behind him.

The innkeeper bustled forward as he walked into the main room of the inn, exclaiming over Avery. But like the groom outside, he seemed to accept that any traveling companion of Avery’s was worthy of trust.

“We’ve got two rooms already prepared for you,” he said, gesturing to a young woman. “She’ll show you the way.”

Elliot gritted his teeth and locked his arms as he carried Avery up the staircase behind the woman. He only had to make it a short way further.

When they reached the top, the girl gestured at the second door on their left.

“That’s one of them,” she said before pointing down the corridor. “The other is the last door on the right.”

Elliot stared down the long corridor. “The rooms aren’t next to each other,” he said blankly.

The woman gave him an odd look. “It’s market day, so we’re almost full. We don’t have two free rooms next to each other. Does it matter?”

“I—” Elliot fell silent. It did matter, but he couldn’t explain why to this stranger. “Never mind,” he said instead. The important thing was putting Avery down before his arms and shoulders gave way. “Would you mind opening the door for me?”

The woman complied, watching him curiously as he walked inside. He glanced back at her, still standing there staring at them, and used his foot to close the door behind him.

Grunting, he almost fell forward to the bed and dropped Avery onto its surface. She bounced slightly, lying in an awkward position. Immediately repentant, he straightened her out on top of the covers, tucking a spare blanket over her.

Gazing down at her, he saw that her hair had fallen across her face again. This time his hands were free, so he smoothed it out of the way.

When he finally stepped back, he shook out his arms, stretching first one and then the other and groaning as he did. When he’d finished, he collapsed into the chair beside the small fireplace.

What was he supposed to do now?

He looked across at Avery, taking in the peaceful stillness of her features. It was all fine for her—dreaming away without a care in the world—but that just left him to make the difficult decisions.

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