Page 43 of With Fangs and Claws (The Wolf Queen 1)

The man flushed then, which was a strange thing to see, but he did look pleased.

“I am,” I said with a nod.

Pep paid the man then for the clothing I was wearing and then again for the ones he was yet to make, before she came and looped her arm in mine.

“I think we’re going to get on famously, not-Princess-Darcy,” she said, grinning when I shot her a dark look. “Now, let’s get you some more shirts and a pair of good leather trews. They last forever.”

We ended up getting the clothes and more, stopping at a pie stall on the way out, Pep’s eyes bugging at the wares there.

“You eating with your mouth or your eyes this time, Pepin?” a stout woman asked, softening her words with a smile.

“Do we have enough coin?” I asked Pep.

“Coin enough.” She jingled the pouch, making clear it was still half full. “But—”

“What’re your most popular pies, Mistress?” I asked the stallholder.

“Mistress? I don’t think even my husband calls me that. I’m Kelly and you are?”

“Darcy.”

“Well, Miss Darcy, Pep here is a big fan of the mulberry tarts.”

“Two of them, please,” I asked, then slapped my hand over my stomach as it rumbled noisily. Apparently, not eating for days will do that to you. “Perhaps three.”

“I’ll pop another one in for free,” Kelly said, sliding heavenly-looking little tarts on some paper before wrapping them up and then Pep handed over some coin. “So Miss Pep here doesn't start sniffing around you, looking for a bite.” She looked me up and down. “You look like you could stand to eat quite a few pies, girl. Come back when you’re ready for more.”

And with that, we walked out of the markets, munching on the small confections which were a glorious explosion of tart berries, sweet sugar and crumbly, buttery pastry.

“By all the gods,” I groaned. “Thank goodness you took me there. These are incredible.”

“Wait until you try her apple and custard pies,” Pep enthused, then moaned noisily, people’s eyes jerking up to watch us as we passed. “It’s like you’ve died and gone to heaven.”

I might not know muchabout Strelae, but I did have a comprehensive understanding of Kelly’s menu by the time we got back to the stables. I looked around for a saddle blanket and tack, but Pep sat me down on top of a hay bale first, raking my hair back from my face.

“One more step,” she said, fingers working quickly to put several thin braids in the hair around my face, then using a few of them on each side to tie back the mass of it. She stepped back to survey the results. “Now you look Strelan born. So, I think your saddle was stored—”

“Messing around with my tack again, Pep?” a masculine voice said and my head jerked up, my legs instantly straightening me to stand.

“Nordred?”

I just breathed his name, unable to believe that I was seeing a familiar face here. I frowned slightly, feeling a terrible longing to rush over, but habit kept me where I was. The horse master didn’t seem to care, coming over and wrapping his arms around me.

Get grounded, Pep had suggested, not realising this exchange went more than halfway to achieving exactly that. The man’s heavy frame, the weight of his arms, the way he held me like I was the most precious thing in the world, that sentiment mirrored in his face as he then held me at arm’s length.

“I’m sorry, lass—”

“No. No. Nordred, how are you here?”

“I thought I had your father’s measure,” he said, his blue eyes hardening as he seemed to see what he spoke of. “I knew the man was all too handy with a crop, but he seemed to have at least a selfish sense that going too far would damage his asset.” His mouth twisted at using that description for me. “I assumed that you’d increase in value for him once the princes took notice of you. That it’d be in his best interest to see you in good health before the wedding.”

He shook his head slowly then, his hand coming up to rest on my cheek.

“Of course, it was my bloody arrogance that stopped me from anticipating just how broken that man was. Linnea hissing in his ear like the viper she was, trying to twist what was already twisted. I failed you, lass.”

“No, Nordred—”

“I thought I knew what was coming. That I could prepare you, train you, make you ready to meet whatever it was they’d dish out, but…” He looked me up and down then, his head shaking slowly.

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