The Highlander

Chapter Fourteen

Finlay

The streets were packed when I ventured into the centre of the town. People, rich and poor, wandered from stall to stall buying food, clothes, weapons and various other objects. On multiple occasions I had to bite my tongue when someone barged into me and didn't apologise, or in fact blamed me.

Only the lady at the tavern knew who I was when I requested a bath for Rose. But I presumed by the end of the day the whole town would know. The lady had a big mouth and had already talked my ear off by the time I was able to escape through the door.

I imagined Rose in the bath. Relaxing with her eyes closed, head resting on the edge of the tub, the water covering her silky soft skin. I groaned in pain of my pleasure and had to place my hands in front of my pants to keep the tent that was forming from the view of the people passing by me.

I wished I could return to her now and keep her in the room for eternity but I needed to collect a few things before I could return to her side. I grumbled at myself and contemplated getting one of the warriors to do my bidding for me. Brushing that thought aside I strode forward, further away from Rose.

I turned a corner and walked into the centre of the town. It was a large circle with a large well in the centre. Many people stood in line with buckets to collect water whilst people walked by them to the multiple stores and stalls that surrounded it.

I looked at the different shops until my eyes landed on the one I sought out. Walking swiftly through the crowd I pushed open the door to be met with a gentle old man behind the counter.

"Hello! How can I help ye?" the old man asked as he walked around the counter to stand beside me. He wore clothes that were finer than a peasant's yet not as fine as a nobleman's or Lairds.

"I am looking for a dress for my wife." I replied, letting my gaze wander around the store. Multiple gowns hung from the walls or were folded neatly in piles upon tables. The dresses were different colours, leaving an array to choose from. I gulped nervously wishing I hadn't chosen to do this myself. If Rose didn't like what I picked I could easily have blamed it on the warrior who bought it but could I now? I didn't know if Rose would be able to tell if I was lying or not.

"Well, is yer wife a small lass or no?" the man asked as he potted over to some dresses on the wall opposite.

"Aye, she has a small waist and small in height." I replied and watched as the man pulled out multiple dresses, deciding on two before turning back to me and presenting them.

"Well, I have these two that ye might like." The man said. I looked at the dresses. In his left he held a midnight blue dress that flowed gently to the floor where the tips of it had a silver trim. The neckline was a square and the sleeves stopped short, I estimated around Rose's elbow. The gown in the dress maker's right hand was a pale pink, the same colour as Rose's lips. The bodice had a golden thread sewn in multiple swirls and curves to form the outlines of multiple roses. It was beautiful artwork that grasped my attention and I took the dress from the man's hands and ran my own finger across the golden thread.

The material of the dress was quiet soft and when I held it out in front of me, the skirt flowed to the ground like a waterfall. There was a small band around the waist of the dress, underneath the bodice design, in a darker pink which indicated where the golden roses stopped. The neckline of the dress was a smooth curve and I imagined it on Rose, not wanting to buy her a dress that showed her assets off to other men too much. The arms of the dress were long and ended with a sharp arrow shaped cuff. Over the sleeves was a tippet, a long over sleeve which floated down past the waist of the dress.

The dress was utter perfection. Just like my Rose.

"I'll have this one." I told the man, not taking my eyes off the dress. The man smiled widely before gently taking the dress from my hands.