Page 26 of Highland Treasure (Highland Brides 9)

“Dear heavens,” Elysande breathed, and then shook her head. “I always wished I had brothers and sisters, but now think I must have been lucky not to. Who knew children could be so cruel?”

“Ye were an only child, then?” Rory asked solemnly, and when she nodded, he admitted, “I’d assumed as much, but did no’ ask fer fear o’ bringing up a painful memory.”

“Mother was with child several times ere I was born,” she said quietly. “And several more after. But I was the only one to survive more than a few days past birth. ’Twas a source of terrible sadness for her. She had always wanted several children.”

“Which is why you were her treasure,” Rory murmured.

“Aye.” She smiled faintly. “She used to call me that all the time.”

Rory nodded with understanding and opened his mouth as if to comment, but then paused and glanced around with surprise when he bumped into Conn, who had stopped.

“We’re here,” the warrior said, gesturing to the shop he’d stopped in front of. “The pinner should have what ye need, or be able to make one.”

“Oh. Right.” Rory smiled wryly, and then ushered Elysande inside. “Ye men wait here, we’ll no’ be a minute, and then we’ll find somewhere for our nooning meal.”

Elysande glanced around the shop with interest as Rory explained what they wanted to the shopkeeper. She’d never been in a pinner’s shop before and was surprised at the array of goods available. There were pins for headdresses and clothing in wood, iron, bronze, silver and even gold. She’d never seen this kind of selection from the traveling merchants. It was really quite wondrous to her. Despite the selection, however, he didn’t have exactly what they were looking for. Plain pins were popular because they were less expensive and he claimed he’d sold his last one just before they’d arrived. But he was planning to make more that afternoon if they’d like to return later in the day.

Once Rory described what was needed, Elysande gave the man a coin to be sure he didn’t sell it to someone else before they returned and they thanked him and went out to rejoin the men.

They left there to find an inn willing to feed them and filled up on sausages and lese fryes, a sweet cheese tart that was quite good. With time to kill, they dawdled over their meal, and then visited several more shops they came across. They stopped at a glover’s where Conn and Rory purchased new leather gloves to keep warm on the ride, a girdler’s where Elysande purchased a belt to replace the rope Mildrede had used to secure the plaid around her waist, a souter’s where Simon had a hole in the bottom of one of his boots repaired and then a potter’s with beautiful bowls and pots.

Even with all their stops, the brooch wasn’t quite ready when they got back to the pinner’s shop, and they had to wait a bit while it was polished. By the time Rory had approved it and she’d paid, it was getting late. They returned to the alehouse to find Mildrede had their dinner ready for them.

This meal was much different than the night before. Tonight they were served fresh bread for trenchers and a hearty stew with mutton in it. Albert and Mildrede even joined them, Mildrede blushing and pleased while her husband flushed with pride at the many loud compliments the men all gave her on the meal.

Afterward, they sat over their ales and talked of this and that. Elysande was enjoying the company and talk at first, but as the night wore on and the numbness in her back began to fade, she began to stiffen in her seat. She finally had to excuse herself and leave the table. Tom and Simon immediately started to rise, but she waved them back to their seats. Murmuring that she was just going to fetch something, she slid out of the room and headed for the stables.

What she needed to fetch was her liniment, and only to put more on. She did not need witnesses for that.

Climbing up the ladder to the loft wasn’t the trial it would have been the night before after riding all day, but it was bad enough that she would have been grateful for Rory’s carrying her up again. Her legs and arms were trembling and there was sweat on her forehead by the time she stumbled into the loft. Elysande retrieved her liniment. Not wanting to go to the effort of removing and redonning the plaid, she only removed her breeches, yanked up the back of her skirts and quickly applied the salve to her legs and bottom. She then pulled the breeches back on, and removed the pin to let the top of the plaid fall away, before working herself out of the top of the gown and tunic. Leaving them to hang down at her waist, Elysande proceeded to apply some liniment to as much of her back as she could reach. Which wasn’t much, she was realizing when she heard the stable door open.

A squeak of alarm slipping from her lips, Elysande scrambled to pull her gown up to cover herself, but paused when Mildrede called out, “M’lady?”

“Aye?” she responded with relief.

“I thought mayhap you could use some help putting on more liniment ere sleeping?”

“Oh.” Elysande sighed the word, and then said, “Aye, if you do not mind?”

“Nay. ’Tis why I came out,” Mildrede said, her voice growing closer as she mounted the ladder. “It did not occur to me at first, else I would have come with you when you excused yourself. But then I got thinking on how you had gone quiet as the evening progressed and realized the liniment must be wearing off.”

“And you were right,” Elysande said with a smile as she watched the older woman pull herself up into the loft. “I already did my legs and bottom, but was struggling with my back when I heard the stable door open,” she admitted.

“’Twill be quick work, then,” Mildrede said lightly as she approached. “Lay yourself down.”

Elysande lay down on the fur, letting the top of her tunic and gown drop as she did. “Thank you, Mildrede.”

“My pleasure,” Mildrede murmured as she collected the ceramic pot from where Elysande had set it. Pausing, she examined it and then picked up the lid that went with it. “This is interesting. Where did you get it, m’lady?”

“’Twas Rory’s idea,” she said, turning her head to glance at the small pot with a faint smile. “We came across a potter’s while waiting for my pin to be ready. He was making cups and Rory asked him to make one without the handle and with a lid. He offered to pay him extra did he have it done by end of day and he did. The lid comes off easily though, so ’twill have to be wrapped with cloth or something while we travel.”

“’Tis very clever,” Mildrede said as she knelt on the fur next to her.

“Aye,” Elysande agreed, and then fell silent for the few minutes it took Mildrede to smooth the liniment over her back.

“There you are,” Mildrede said, putting the lid back on the pot as she straightened.

“Thank you.” Elysande sat up and quickly redonned her tunic and pulled the top of her gown back into place. Once finished with the task, she stood and met Mildrede’s gaze as she added, “For everything.”

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