Page 29 of Taken By the Exiled Laird

"Thank ye," Briana said simply. "Thank ye so much. Ye didnae have tae help us."

"I've been waitin' tae get back at those arses since they arrived. Their lot is the reason me husband and son are dead," the innkeeper responded darkly. She glanced down at the children. "The reason bairns like this go without. Dinnae fear for them. They can eat what those pigs left and sleep here whenever they like. A woman like me could do with a new family."

Rosie stepped forward. "Are those men gonnae come back?"

Briana froze, but Theon crouched down so that he was eye-level with the little girl. "They willnae come back," he said, and Briana was struck by the softness in his voice. She'd never heard it before. "They'll hunt me friend and me, but this lady will be safe, and so will ye. They'll nae be able tae show their faces in this village again after losin' tae an innkeeper throwin' bottles. A woman, at that!"

Jock giggled. "She smashed so much glass! Helen is stronger than any of them!"

"She is," Briana agreed, though her eyes were still on Theon, her heart marveling at his ease in comforting the children. "And so are ye."

Theon glanced up at her with that rare, genuine smile that always seemed to make time stop around her. Then he turned back to Rosie and said, "I ken how hard it is for ye tae take care of yer wee brother. I had tae look after mine when he was a bairn, too, though we were a bit older than ye. It was hard. I was scared of failin'."

Briana watched, her breath caught in her throat.

"But ye cannae fail as long as ye stay together and look after each other," Theon continued. He nodded up at Helen, the innkeeper. "And if ye let good people help ye."

Rosie nodded. Theon got to his feet again, and Briana felt a strange fluttering in her chest. His display with the child had brought out a side of him she didn't know existed, and she was overwhelmed with the need to see more. She stepped toward him but did not quite close the gap between them. Instead, when he met her eyes again, she felt a shiver of inspiration.

"Come with us," she told the children. The weight of the stolen coin was heavy in her cloak. "Just for a bit. Then ye can come back."

"Come back here?" Jock asked.

Helen nodded. "Aye, lad. Come back home."

They reached one of the few open shops at the edge of the town near where they had left their horses. When they entered, only a single woman sat on a spindly stool, diligently sewing, not even looking up when they approached. Briana held Rosie's hand while Theon carried Jock on his back, and they stopped, admiring the woman's handiwork.

Colors existed here that were missing elsewhere in the village. The fabrics were thin and cheap, but they were bright, some with embroidered patterns and hues of nature dotted all around them. A few dresses and shirts, intricately tailored, hung on the walls, gathering dust. They were beautiful, though not practical for the hard work and cold weather around them without leather boots and thick cloaks.

Theon lowered Jock to the floor then took off his cloak. He approached the counter and placed it down, then drew out the money pouch he'd brought along with them. "Madam?"

"There isnae a madam here, lad, just an old spinster," the woman said, though she did look up. "If ye're lookin' for a new cloak, I can make ye one, but it willnae keep ye half as warm as that thing does. I gave all me finest materials away years ago, and those soldiers took the rest."

Briana sighed. Theon had been right that the soldiers who had attacked them would likely not return to the village, but she was almost certain that more would come in their place. By the look on Theon's face, she knew it too. But he turned his small frown into a smile a moment later.

"I'm nae here for a new cloak. I want ye tae use the material and make two small ones," Theon explained. He gestured to the children. "Keep and use the leftover material." He placed his entire bag of coins on the counter. "And use this gold tae get yerself better supplies and see this village well-clothed again. But do me a favor and make these bairns yer first customers."

Briana's pulse thundered, but though she was shocked, she couldn't say she was surprised. This was the Theon who she felt she'd known her whole life—the Theon who had lived in her dreams. For the first time in a long time, hope burned within her that he really existed.

But no. She knew he was a traitor, a thief and a murderer—a monster. Wasn't he? Could someone be both of those things at once?

The spinster's eyes brightened, though she still looked wary. "Are ye mockin' me, lad?"

Theon shook his head. "Nay. I'm makin' a purchase."

"We're gettin' new clothes?" Rosie asked. She was staring at the fabric the way she'd stared at the water earlier. "Here?"

"Of course ye are," Briana replied, her heart melting at the disbelief in the child's voice. She beckoned to Jock and led the two children over to some of the brighter fabrics. "Here. Pick yer favorite colors. Let's get ye somethin' really wonderful."

As the seamstress worked, Theon leaned against the counter and watched Briana with the children and wondered at the situation he'd found himself in. His face and hand hurt from the fight, but he barely noticed the pain. He knew they couldn't linger there long, but at that moment, watching Briana laugh with the children, he felt more at peace than he had in as long as he could remember.

"Do ye need these?" the seamstress, Neila, asked.

Theon turned to face her and his stomach plummeted. Neila was holding the letters in her hand, the seal glaringly obvious as it stared at him from where she was.

Theon quickly grabbed them and tucked them away in his tartan, furtively looking over to Briana. She hadn't noticed, which filled him with a relief he wasn't quite ready to examine. He should go before it was too late and find a messenger. There was still time.

Neila watched him but didn't say anything. "While ye're waitin', why nae choose a dress for yer lady?"