Chapter Seven
The dancing goat had been a success, as had the puppet show down the street.
Several children were gathered to watch two jester puppets beat each other up with Romney, Orin and Brendt front and center.
They laughed with delight when a wooden puppet got its nose punched.
Emberley and Gart stood to the rear of the crowd, Lacy cradled in Gart’s big arms, and watched the spectacle.
Gart found it a rather interesting experience. He couldn’t remember when he last took leisure time, something that didn’t involve war or training or intrigue, so to stand on an open street in the midst of a festival, watching children enjoy a show was odd but not unpleasant.
He found himself watching the crowd of children, in particular Romney, Orin and Brendt, seeing such joy in their faces. He’d almost forgotten such things existed. It was a warm and wonderful realization.
The puppet show ended when the colorfully painted jester puppets began throwing candy made from honey and almonds at the children.
It was hard candy, hitting more than one child in the head, but they all jumped up with open hands and screamed when it came flying out at them.
Romney and Orin were on the front lines, grabbing more candy than they could hold.
Romney tried to use his tunic to hold it like a basket but it kept falling to the ground.
Finally, he raced back to his mother and shoved the horde of candy into her hands.
Before Emberley could stop him, he ran back to the front of the crowd to catch more candy. Emberley stood there, watching her greedy son, before looking to Gart with a slightly embarrassed expression. He burst into soft laughter.
“Do not look so surprised,” he told her. “Romney is a lad who knows what he wants. He is aggressive and unyielding. He will make a fine knight someday.”
She gave him a crooked smile, looking back to the crowd of children to see that Brendt was picking candy out of the mud and shoving it into his mouth.
“Brendt!” she called to him as she moved through the crowd of children. “Stop that. You will make yourself ill.”
With a grin on his face, Gart watched her go to the boys and make them put the dirty candy back on the ground. She also made Romney share his additional booty with his brothers, which completely upset the lad. He wanted all of it.
Gart watched her sweet, gentle manner, his heart softening.
She was such a lovely creature with grace, poise and wisdom.
As he gazed at Emberley, spellbound, Lacy decided to squeeze his neck happily and give him wet, baby kisses on his left cheek.
He let the little girl kiss him, even when she ended up hugging his head and not his neck.
Her little arm was across his nose as she squeezed.
He just stood there and took it because it was one of the sweetest things he had ever experienced.
For a man who had known little emotion or affection his entire life, the introduction of the affectionate baby was both foreign and wonderful. He knew he could grow to love it.
With the candy situation ironed out, Emberley and the boys returned to Gart and Lacy. Lacy now had her little arms up around one of Gart’s eyes and Emberley shook her head at the comical sight, reaching out to take the little girl from him. Gart resisted.
“She is fine where she is,” he told her, his words partially muffled by a baby hand that was now on his mouth. “Leave her be.”
Emberley bit her lip to keep from grinning. “But your face is all wet.”
“It is of no matter.”
She wouldn’t argue with him. She began to look around the avenue at the variety of shops and people all around.
“Now that we have sweets and toys and fabric, I am not sure there is much of a need to stay here,” she told him. “Perhaps we should return to Dunster.”
He shook his head. “There is much more to see and much more to purchase,” he told her. “Did you not say there was to be a joust exhibition?”
She nodded, shielding her eyes from the sun as she looked down the avenue. “Usually,” she pointed down the street. “There is a large field to the west that is used for tournaments and games.”
“Then that is where we shall go.”
She looked at him. “Why? I have seen all of the swordplay I care to see for one day.”
He fought off a grin. “Perhaps I wish to compete.”
Before Emberley could reply, Romney piped up. “Will you fight for money?” he wanted to know.
Gart looked down at the excited faces around him. “Not only will I fight, I will win,” he said confidently.
The boys began hooting and swinging the swords at each other, smacking them against the wooden shields.
Emberley wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about attending the exhibition but she could see how excited the boys were.
She remained silent as they continued down the avenue, pondering the events of the day, when Gart nudged her.
“Look there,” he pointed. “That man sells all manner of perfumes and soaps. Would you like to look?”
Emberley’s head came up and she gazed at the stall across the dirt avenue, rather large as far as stalls go.
The entire front of the stall was open and there were many types of goods on display.
She could see beautiful fabrics, wooden boxes with soaps, and other feminine things.
As she shrugged, Gart grasped her elbow and pulled her across the street to the alluring stall.
Given the way that they were starting to respond to each other, Emberley wasn’t entirely sure about accepting a gift from the man. There was a large part of her that very much wanted to be spoiled and pampered, something she had never known from Julian.
Truth be told, her husband was just a man she had met only once before marrying him and in eight years of marriage, he had shown himself to be petty, self-centered and brutal.
If she thought about it, he was still a stranger.
He’d never made the effort to know her. Emberley didn’t truly care that he and the queen were lovers.
As far as she was concerned, the queen could have him.
Julian held no part of her heart or mind.
He was a provider, the man who fathered her children, the man who beat her brutally when the mood hit him, and nothing else.
“Here,” Gart was holding up a gorgeous scarf with shades of gold and orange. “Do you like this?”
Shaken from her reflections, Emberley looked at the lovely piece and half-nodded, half-shrugged.
“It is beautiful,” she lowered her voice as the boys swarmed around her, fingering the expensive goods. “Truly, Gart, you do not have to buy me anything. I would prefer that you did not.”
His green eyes were steady on her. “Why not?”
She sighed regretfully, removing Brendt’s hand from a box of undoubtedly expensive soap. “Because I will have to explain it to Julian,” she whispered. “Already, I will have to explain these toys. I will have to lie or risk….”
She couldn’t finish, averting her gaze when the conversation became embarrassing and painful.
Gart watched her delicate features, knowing what she was going to say and feeling a surge of anger bolt through him.
But he fought it, mostly because the boys were clamoring around him and Lacy had her hands on his face.
He found he just couldn’t get angry with the children around him, like water on a fire that quickly doused the flame.
But along with the anger came the heartache, aching for Emberley in more ways than he could comprehend.
A man appeared in the door of the stall dressed in fine clothing and shoes with little silver bells on the toes. He swept from his shop and straight to Emberley, who was holding the box that she had taken from Brendt. His smooth, round face lit up with delight.
“My lady,” he bowed deeply, then did the same to Gart. “My lord, ’tis a pleasure to greet you on this fine day. How may I be of service?”
Emberley shook her head and set the box down when she realized the man was going to try very hard to sell them something.
He had that air about him. She didn’t dare look at Gart, who was now less confident about buying her something than he had been.
As Gart moved the baby’s hands from his mouth and attempted to reply, the man suddenly threw up his hands.
“Wait!” he exclaimed. “I have something wonderful for your wife. Wait!”
He bolted back into his shop, leaving the boys giggling and mimicking the noise that his shoes were making. They were dancing around and shaking their feet. Orin seemed particularly gleeful and he ran into the shop after the man, followed closely by Romney and Brendt.
“Oh… no,” Emberley charged in after them. “Romney? Orin? Come back here, please. Do not touch anything and, for Heaven’s sake, do not break anything!”
Gart followed with the baby in his arms, watching Emberley corral the boys and drag them back towards the entry.
The stall was dark inside, cluttered to the rafters with treasures, and it was difficult to walk the narrow aisles and not hit something.
As Emberley wrestled with the three, the merchant appeared from the rear of the stall with something in his hand.
As he drew closer, they could see it was a beautifully painted box and he popped open the lid as he came to Emberley.
“I purchased these from a merchant who travels the roads of the Orient,” he told her with some drama, as if he held a great treasure. “It is a soap that smells of flowers and oil that softens the skin. Would you smell it, my lady?”
It was all so beautifully packaged with a pretty box and pretty fabric that Emberley couldn’t resist. She lifted out the phial of oil and removed the glass stopper, smelling the contents. It was lilac and violets.