Page 39 of Dishonor Among Thieves
We walked the horses to the stall where I’d only yesterday met Laura. As we approached, she stood straighter and nodded at me before addressing Neo.
“Lord Oderisi.” Her voice was guarded but kind. “Good morning, sir. Welcome back, Miss Brexia.”
“Lady Oderisi,” Neo corrected without explanation. “I believe my wife was here yesterday and incurred a debt.”
For only a moment, Laura’s face looked horrified, betrayed even. But she quickly composed herself and grabbed the tally stick from the wall behind her. “Certainly, sir. If you’d like to settle the account…”
“Laura…” I handed Neo the reins to my horse and stepped forward to address the woman myself. “I’m so sorry. I hope you don’t feel deceived. I—”
Her smile was cautious but held a bit of warmth. I felt a small surge of hope that she would believe me. I could not stomach her thinking I’d been intentionally untruthful.
“Not at all, milady. Your business is your own to share as you see fit. I find myself a bit embarrassed that perhaps I spoke out of turn, and I…”
Ah, so that was it.
“No,” I said firmly. “You’ve been nothing less than a friend to me. An honest, considerate friend. I am in your debt for that, as well as for the services you provided to my sweet Sara.” I took the farrier’s half of the tally stick and handed it back to her. “We’ll not be settling the account today. We have other business—”
“I will handle it.” Neo reached for the sack strapped under his cloak, but my hand instinctively followed his.
I held his hand where it rested on his purse, his skin fiery beneath mine. “Husband,” I said, a note of warning in my voice. “I’ll return to pay the debt with my own means. I only meant to reassure the farrier that her trust in a stranger was well-placed and that she will indeed be paid soon.”
“Wife,” Neo said, withdrawing his hand from his cloak and slipping both hands around my waist. “What I have is yours whether we spend the coins today or in three months’ time. Let’s settle our debt while we’re here, shall we?”
“I’ll, uh, give you a moment.” Laura scurried behind the wall that led back to the stables, leaving us alone.
My hips pressed to Neo’s, I had no choice but to look into his face. “What are you doing?” I whispered. “I told you, I want to work and earn my way.”
“As you will,” he assured me. “But if we want people to believe we are married, we must play the part, no?”
I laced my hands around his hips, enjoying far too much the bond blossoming between us. “I suppose we must,” I breathed.
Once we separated, Laura returned. She came around the counter and looked Sara over. “What a remarkable recovery. Her wounds are almost fully healed.”
“Between my sister-in-law’s care and that of my wife, Sara could ask for no better.” Neo was quick to redirect the conversation and asked to review the figures on the tally stick. He set more than enough coins to satisfy my debt on the counter. “Thank you, Laura, for giving aid to my wife when she had nothing but her honor to offer.”
Laura flushed and extended her hand for my half of the tally stick. I didn’t want to forget how deeply indebted I’d felt to the woman for her kindness. This stick was a token of friendship in some ways. And friendship was not something I was used to being given.
“Brex,” Neo reminded me. “Flynn will be waiting for us.”
I nodded and handed Laura back the length of wood that would bring my account to zero. No debt. Nothing owed. At least nothing that could be measured in coin. My chest tightened with an inexplicable sense of gratitude. “Thank you,” I said in a hushed voice, my eyes bright. The words hardly seemed sufficient to convey the depth of my feelings, but to say more would only make the transaction more significant than it probably was.
I felt Neo’s hand on my shoulder, and I turned away from the counter.
“I look forward to your next visit, milady. And sir.” Laura’s words seemed purposefully directed at me, and I looked back at her with a friendly smile.
“As do I,” I said.
Neo and I led our horses into the square. “I probably should have asked what she told you about mebeforeI paid your debt,” he teased, a smirk curling the corner of his lips.
I shook my head, matching his grin, and followed him to a large shop that was already bustling with activity.
“Over here! I’ll take your horses!” Flynn was standing outside Serlo’s Cutlery, motioning for us to follow him. “Don’t go in the front,” he warned. “My father doesn’t approve of me working with the Oderisi family.” He looked at me and dramatically rolled his eyes. “Nothin’ personal, mind you. Doesn’t approve of my brother meeting with nonpaying clients. Doesn’t approve of much, truth be told.”
“We don’t mean to cause trouble for you, Flynn.” Neo helped the boy tie off the horses behind the shop.
“Pssshhhht.” Flynn waved a dismissive hand. “I’m always in some sort of trouble. But everyone knows I’m my dad’s favorite. He won’t stay mad for long.” He motioned toward the rear door. “Come on. Syndrian’s working in the office. You’ll have a bit of privacy. I’ll go up front and pester my father so he doesn’t grow curious.”
Flynn pounded on the rear door, and it flew open almost instantly.
