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“He told me that he took them down by the river,” she said softly.

“He took them out of Edenside completely and it was Queenie, who was the cook, who smuggled them food and blankets. The old girl may have stolen food out of their mouths, but it sounds as if she helped them through the crisis, at least a little. Some of the coinage you gave me went to Queenie when I sent her away to reward her for helping the children. I do not want her at Edenside, but I am appreciative of what she did for them. I cannot even imagine the horrors these children have endured, Thomas. That is why it makes me so happy to see them laughing and eating and making cheese to sell. They need someone they can trust, and they need a sense of normalcy, a sense of security.”

Thomas was nodding as she spoke. “And you have given that to them,” he said, glancing over at Artus, who was asking the smithy a question. “And that lad is a hero, whether or not he knows it. He seems smart and resourceful.”

“He is,” Maitland said, looking over at the boy. “He is very bright.”

“But he does not know who his family is?”

“Not at all. He has been at the foundling home since he can remember.”

Thomas cocked his head thoughtfully. “How old would you say he is?”

Maitland shrugged. “Ten years of age,” she said. “At least, that is what I told him. He does not really know.”

“He is old enough to foster at Wark,” Thomas said. “The lad can become a page and mayhap even a soldier someday. It would be good training for him beyond making cheese. It would give him a profession.”

Maitland looked at him in surprise. “You would take a child with no family and no background to foster?” she said. “That is astonishing, Thomas. What would your family say? A position in a de Wolfe household is a coveted thing.”

It was his turn to shrug. “I can do as I wish,” he said. “Smart lads are always welcome. Believe me, I have seen lads from the finest families who are as stupid as a fence post. An intelligent boy is a valuable commodity.”

Maitland thought that was a rather magnanimous view. “I do not know many men that would say that,” she said. “In fact, I do not know any, except mayhap Lord de Vesci. He was a generous man, too, much as you are. But what will your wife…”

She suddenly came to a halt, realizing she had brought up the one subject they’d been dancing around since he appeared yesterday.

She hadn’t meant to bring it up; it simply came out.

When she glanced at him, embarrassed and smiling apologetically, Thomas took a step towards her and lowered his voice.

“Finish what you were going to say.”

She shook her head. “I should not have said it,” she muttered. “It just slipped out. Forgive me.”

He sighed in understanding. “There is nothing to forgive,” he said. “You want to know about Adelaide.”

She wouldn’t look at him, lifting her shoulders weakly. He continued.

“I am glad you brought her up,” he said.

“We’ve not spoken about anything that we should have, so let us get it all out in the open.

First, let us speak on what happened yesterday.

I will be honest when I tell you that it was, mayhap, one of the most important experiences of my life and I want you to know that come what may, I shall always belong to you.

I told you that Adelaide may have my name, but you will always have my heart, Mae.

I know that it is not proper, but I cannot help what I feel.

You know the situation with Adelaide… it is only an arrangement, and an unhappy one at that.

I wish things were different. I wish that with all my heart. ”

Maitland was looking at him now, her expression somewhat guarded. “I do not know what came over me yesterday,” she said. “One moment I was looking at you and in the next…”

“Are you ashamed?”

“Of my behavior? Aye. But not of what I feel for you.”

He smiled faintly. “Tell me what you feel for me, Mae. Please.”

She grimaced and averted her gaze. “I have tried not to feel anything, but I cannot help it. There is nothing about you that I do not adore.”

“Nor I about you.”

She looked at him, then. “You asked me once if you were to go through the rest of your life wondering what could have been between us,” she said.

“I have held you off and told you it was not fair to me to press your affections, but the truth is that I have affection of my own towards you. Mayhap when the affection is as strong as it is between two people, that affection will find a way.”

“And that is the case with us?”

“I believe it is.”

He stared at her a moment, a glimmer in his eyes that wavered between delight and sorrow, before suddenly reaching out to grasp her hand.

“Come with me,” he said.

After telling Artus to remain at the smithy stall, Thomas hauled Maitland down the avenue, pulling her through groups of people, clearly in search of something.

Maitland went along with him, knowing she couldn’t very well pull away, but also quite curious as to what he was searching for.

He was a man on a mission, towing her through the crowd under the midday sun until he found what he was looking for.

Maitland found herself being pulled into a rather large merchant stall.

In fact, the stall was at least four times the size of a normal stall– there was a stall section in the middle, and on both ends, and then it stretched back away from the street, and the entire place was loaded with more merchandise than Maitland had ever seen.

Thomas marched right up to a man who appeared to work there, as he wore expensive clothing and an elaborate cloth around his head.

“Is this your establishment?” Thomas asked.

The man turned to look at him, a very big knight with expensive clothing, expensive protection, and a very expensive sword. He perked right up.

“Aye, my lord,” he said. “What do you have need for?”

Thomas pulled Maitland forward. “Her,” he said. “Do you have garments you can sell her? Things she can wear today?”

As Maitland gasped and shook her head, the man nodded. “I do,” he said. “Let me bring my wife. She sells pre-made garments to some of the finest ladies in the north. I am sure she has something to suit your… your…”

“Wife,” Thomas said without hesitation, digging into the purse on his belt.

“Give her at least three or four things she can wear. They must be durable and well-made, and pretty, but not too elaborate. She serves the church in a capacity and it would not do for her to wear something gaudy. Is that clear?”

As the man looked rather confused, Thomas put a gold coin in his palm, a truly princely sum. The man’s eyes widened and he quickly nodded his head.

“Aye, my lord,” he said, suddenly darting away, calling for his wife. “Leave your lady in my hands, my lord. She will be properly clad!”

As he rushed off, yelling for his wife, Maitland turned to Thomas. “You know I cannot wear what has not been given to me by the church,” she said. “I cannot…”

“ I am donating the clothing to you,” he said.

“Mae, you are a beautiful woman. You deserve to wear something other than these sacks and rags that you have on. I am not trying to hurt your feelings, but a durable dress that is somewhat better fitting would be much better than what you have on, don’t you think? ”

Maitland was both horrified and interested.

She’d had nice clothing, once, but it had been too elaborate for her charity work with the church.

Beguines didn’t wear silks and damask, so when Henry had died, she’d given her finery away in lieu of more appropriate clothing.

But, God help her, she missed wearing something soft and figure-fitting.

Perhaps it was vain of her, but she missed it nonetheless.

“Well,” she said reluctantly. “I suppose it would be all right if the garments were not too elaborate.”

Thomas held up his hands as if to ease her. “You may pick anything you wish,” he said. “You will choose what you shall wear, but please let me do this for you. You deserve everything I can provide for you, Mae.”

Maitland looked at him, realizing that her eyes were stinging with tears. I can give you everything but my name, he’d said once. Perhaps he’d really meant it. Perhaps he was actually a man of his word in a world that saw little of that. Now, he was trying to take care of her– her .

Not the charity, not the children, but her.

It had been so long since anyone had taken care of her and, at that moment, Maitland realized how much she had missed it.

It was wrong to be so weak; oh, so very wrong.

She was allowing him to buy her things and to call her his wife when she wasn’t.

She swore that she would never carry on with a married man, but as Thomas pointed out, he wasn’t married– yet.

Yet.

Perhaps she was simply living in a fool’s paradise.

But Maitland didn’t say anything more as the merchant and his wife rushed towards her, both of them very eager to help the lady, and Thomas stood off to the side and grinned as the pair fussed over Maitland and discussed what would be best for her.

She seemed uneasy, and uncertain, and she kept looking at Thomas as if to seek reassurance that this was the right thing to do.

He nodded at her, encouragingly, and then she simply seemed resigned.

As the wife dragged Maitland back into the rear of the stall, Thomas’ attention found the jewelry cases that the man had against the wall.

The cases were literally that– locked boxes that contained precious items. Thomas knew this because he’d seen enough merchants in his travels to and from The Levant to know how they transported their fine gems and gold.

Curious, he called the merchant over to unlock them, and the man did, presenting Thomas with a multitude of beautiful gold and silver jewelry.