Page 16 of Retribution

Aidric picked that moment to make a reappearance, distracting the pair from their conversation. One look at his face and they could see that he didn’t seem pleased.

“Aidric?” Dirk said, brow furrowed with concern. “What is it?”

Aidric’s handsome face was tense. “Nothing I cannot deal with,” he said. “It seems that they may be too busy to complete our tunics by the feast. I have demanded to see Adelie herself and someone has gone to fetch her.”

Dirk and Bennet exchanged somewhat amused glances. “It was suggested to you that she might be too busy,” Dirk said as tactfully as he could. “Where is Britt?”

“Who do you think is summoning Adelie?”

Dirk rolled his eyes. “He will scare the piss out of the woman,” he said. “Why did you send him?”

“Because I want results.”

Aidric wasn’t going to back down from his determination that they should have their unifying tunics by tomorrow evening’s feast. Even if the rest of them thought it was a futile hope, Aidric did not. He wasn’t in the habit of not getting what he wanted, by any means necessary.

Therefore, Dirk didn’t say anything more to that. He and Bennet went back to inspecting the silks and finery that Adelie had on display. Aidric was waiting impatiently for Britt and Adelie to make an appearance, folding his big arms across his chest and planting himself near the entry door, watching the Cambridge escort beyond. But he quickly grew bored with that and ended up wandering into the shop, peering at the items on display. He also noticed a couple of armed men roaming the chamber, assuming they were guards of some kind. Most merchant houses employed them. He was coming to the end of the chamber where it branched off into other rooms when he happened to catch a glimpse of a white-haired lady off to his right.

The angel.

Aidric wasn’t one to chase women. He never had been. The only woman he’d ever been interested in had broken his heart long ago, when he’d been a newly minted knight, and the pain of that sting was something he well remembered. It had been enough to keep him from falling for any subsequent female charms. His father, a hard man, had made him feel quite ashamed that the woman he wanted to marry had chosen another, and Aidric swore he’d never suffer failure like that again. He hadn’t since, mostly because he simply steered clear of a situation where failure might actually be an option when it came to a woman. But in watching that white hair in the next chamber, he felt a pull toward it that he couldn’t resist. He couldn’t even explain it. He just wanted a word with her, and a brief word at that.

Just a word and he’d be satisfied.

Idiot…

Aye, that was the word.

Because he was one.

Casually, Aidric wandered into the chamber where the white-haired woman was being shown more fabric by a woman who seemed to be pushing the product quite forcefully. The white-haired woman was touching the crimson fabric, feeling the quality, but she didn’t seem to have much to say about it. That frustrated the saleswoman, but before she could bully the customer into a sale, the white-haired woman’s maid chased the saleswoman away.

As the saleswoman fled, unhappily, the white-haired woman whispered something to her maid, who reluctantly went after the woman she’d just insulted. Since Aidric was still standing near the door, partially hidden by some shelves containing fabric and other notions, none of the women had seen him. The maid departing the chamber left the white-haired woman all alone.

Aidric stepped out of the shadows.

He wasn’t sure what he was going to say to her, but he had to think of something. What he was doing was incredibly bold, and considered quite ill-mannered, but he had to do it. He might not have another chance.

Taking a deep breath, he hesitated slightly before speaking.

“That color is magnificent,” he said quietly. “I mean the fabric you were looking at. The color is magnificent.”

The white-haired woman startled, gasping with fright as she whirled in his direction. Aidric came to an immediate halt when he saw her fear and he put up his hands in surrender.

“I mean you no harm, my lady, I swear it,” he said quickly. “I simply saw you looking at the crimson fabric and was providing my observation should you be indecisive on whether or not to purchase it. Sometimes a man’s opinion on such things can help. If it was unwelcome, I apologize.”

She was staring at him with those brilliant eyes, now wide with terror. Her mouth moved as if she wanted to say something, but no sound came forth. She just stood there and breathed as if unable to catch her breath.

Aidric lowered his hands.

“My sincerest apologies, my lady,” he said in a deep, soft tone. “I can see that my boldness was not well met. I realize we should have been properly introduced before I spoke to you, but I’ve never been much for social graces. It is simply that I saw you when I entered the business and… and I suppose I wanted to say that I once spoke with the most beautiful woman in all of England. I suppose I can still say that, even though I have done all of the talking. It was enough that I had your attention and for that, I thank you. I will trouble you no further.”

With that, he smiled weakly and bowed his head, turning to take his leave and trying not to feel overwhelming embarrassment. Idiocy didn’t even cover his behavior, so he deserved what he received. He was nearly to the door when he heard a soft, silky voice behind him.

“You truly like the color, my lord?”

He came to a halt, a smile flickering on his lips, but he made sure to wipe it away before turning to her. “Aye,” he said, nodding. “It will be most becoming if you are thinking of wearing it.”

She didn’t seem so afraid of him anymore. Her gaze lingered on him before finally returning to the fabric she’d been so recently inspecting.