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He grinned. “We are in my private carriage.”
“And out in public in it,” I countered as I tried to scoot away from him, but he kept a good grip around my waist. “We can hanky-panky later after you’ve given me in matrimony to a mummy.”
Will lifted an eyebrow. “A mummy?”
“It’s a shriveled-up corpse wrapped in bandages,” I explained.
His eyes lit up with understanding and his smile returned. “I see. If anyone does try to propose, I’ll be sure to object at the last moment.”
My face drooped. “Before or after I’ve kissed the groom?”
“Before, if I can.”
I snorted. “You’d better, otherwiseyou’llbe kissing mummy, too. I’ll make sure of that.”
He stared ahead and winced. “Point taken. I’ll ensure things don’t get out of hand.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
“Before we visit the catacombs,however, what do you say to our getting you some new attire?” Will suggested as he looked me up and down.
I followed his gaze and beheld my frumpy attire. “That would probably be a good idea. Nobody would be caught dead marrying me in this.”
A muffled guffaw came out of nowhere. I blinked at Will whose eyes twinkled. They also darted upward and to the front of the carriage. I lifted an eyebrow and shook my head.
Will lowered his voice to a whisper. “Raines.”
I blinked at him for a moment before realization struck me. “Did he just laugh at my joke?”
Will raised his voice and a sly smile curled onto his lips. “You may be growing on him yet.” A muffled harumph was the reply.
“Probably just a fungus,” I quipped as I pulled aside the curtain and looked out. The busy streets flashed by with its myriad of citizens, all of whom wore something just a little different from the others. “So what’s the style nowadays?”
“I’m afraid I don’t know,” Will admitted with a shrug. “But we’ll get you something that suits you at Madam Andwis’ shop.”
“Madam Andwis?” I repeated as I turned back to him.
“My seamstress when I’m in town,” he admitted as he folded his arms over his chest. “My reclusive lifestyle means I visit her but rarely, but she always makes room for someone willing to pay upfront for any extra work.”
We rolled our way through the streets and eventually stopped somewhere in the depths of its commercial district. Shops lined both sides of the street and the faint scent of perfume permeated the air. People hurried to and fro with hat boxes and paper-wrapped fabric tucked under their arms.
“Is this all clothing stores?” I asked my guide as Will stepped out.
“For the whole street until it turns to the butchers,” he told me as he nodded at a shop in front of us. The sign readOriginal Outfitterwith a date below that which readEstablished 137 AF. “This is our shop.”
“So what’s the year refer to?” I wondered as we sauntered through the open door.
“After the flood, of course,” a young voice spoke up, and the owner popped their head out from behind a stack of fabric. She appeared to be about twenty-five with her red hair in curls that framed her face. Her eyes widened as she beheld Will. “Lord Thorn! What a pleasure to see you!”
“The pleasure is all mine, Madam Andwis,” Will returned as he moved over to her.
I took in the sights of the strange little shop. There were the usual dozens of rolls of fabric and mannequins advertising their wares, but what I didn’t expect to find were the swords. The wide assortment of weaponry lined one whole wall of the shop, their blades shimmering against the fresh sunlight. There was everything from tiny throwing knives to hulking broadswords that looked like they could drag my arms off my body.
I tried to catch Will’s attention as he spoke with the seamstress about sewing some new threads for me. “Could you have them ready in a day or two?”
She wrinkled her nose without looking up from cutting some fabric off a roll. “I could but it’d cost you extra.”
Will smiled. “I’m willing to pay the price.”
