I stood and spun on my heel to find a hooded figure hovering at the edge of the artist’s booth. His face was angled away, but the set of broad shoulders beneath his cloak was unmistakable.
The boy slid a wooden sword from his belt and brandished it in front of him, rushing in Jamie’s direction. “En garde, ye scoundrel!”
Jamie turned toward the boy, a tiny grin tilting his lips as he pushed his hood back and extended his empty hands in front of him. “I am unarmed, sir. Show mercy.”
“No mercy for the weak. Choose your weapon!” Lachlan turned sideways, his little feet set in a fencer’s pose, and poked Jamie’s leg with the tip of his sword.
Jamie whirled and snatched a long baguette from the neighboring stall, wielding it in front of him like a weapon. “What be the stakes, Sir Lachlan?”
Clearly this wasn’t their first mock sword fight. I glanced over at Lachlan’s parents. His father grinned indulgently and his mother’s eyes glinted with a kind of pride, perhaps because her son wasn’t intimidated by the future king of Doon.
Lachlan inclined his head in my direction. “We’ll fight for yon lady’s favor.”
A playful grin spread across Jamie’s face and the heavy mantel of responsibility he carried disappeared before my eyes. “Yer on.”
My heart twirled in a joyful pirouette as I watched the way Jamie engaged Lachlan, allowing the boy to gain the upper hand as they danced across the narrow space between stalls, their swords crossing again and again.
Lachlan advanced with wide sweeps, his little face set in concentration. Jamie retreated and then parried, taunting the boy. “Ah, Sir Lachlan, surely a champion of the crown can do better than that.”
“Perhaps ye need to spend more time in the lists, ye nasty rogue!” The boy hefted his sword in both hands and chopped off the end of Jamie’s baguette.
Laughter burst from my chest as Jamie stared in stunned indignation at his broken bread sword.
Pressing his advantage, Lachlan lunged. Jamie leaned into the blow allowing the toy sword to slide between his side and his arm. “Ugg! Ye got me!” The baguette dropped to the ground and Jamie staggered back, hunched over and clutching his gut with both hands.
Lachlan jumped up and down, cheering and waving his weapon in the air as the villainous prince fell to the ground. After a moment, Jamie’s writhing and groaning stilled and Lachlan approached cautiously, leaning over his fallen advisory. Cupping his hand around his mouth, he whispered loudly, “Ye’ll never win the pretty maiden’s heart that way.”
The prince’s eyes popped open. “Ye dinna think?” He grabbed Lachlan around the waist and lifted him into the air, the boy’s giggles echoing through the square as Jamie rolled him into the grass and tickled his ribs.
“Vee, you’ve got to check out this sushi.” Kenna materialized out of nowhere and took my hand to pull me away, but not before Jamie sat up, his laughing eyes locking with mine in a shared, carefree moment. I smiled tentatively, hoping he didn’t notice the blush heating my cheeks.
Jamie’s lips quirked in a rueful grin and then he glanced away, hoisting himself to his feet just as Kenna gave my hand a yank. Reluctantly, I let her guide me away, but my mind lingered on the playful boy who happily indulged a child’s fantasy without any ulterior motive.
Who was the real Jamie MacCrae? A ruthless ruler or a puckish prince? Perhaps he was a bit of both. And just like that, a tiny sprout of hope bloomed in my chest.
CHAPTER 13
Mackenna
After the throne room, I’d commenced something I liked to call Survivor: Brigadoon. The bridge would open in a little less than two weeks. If Vee and I were going to escape with our lives and hearts intact, I couldn’t afford to let my guard down for a second.