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“Twopence,” the young man said. Olivia looked at the cup again, then offered him a penny, purely out of habit. Jamie leaned closer to her, his eyes bright with amusement.

“I’ll wager ye a penny ye canna persuade him to halve his price while praising his work.” Olivia turned toward him. “And what am I supposed to stake?”

He grinned at her. “If ye win, I’ll buy the cup for ye and give ye the penny.” He winked at her. “And if ye lose, ye have to empty the chamber pot for a fortnight.”

She wrinkled her nose. While she’d gotten used to the outhouse, she’d found herself using the chamber pot if she woke in the middle of the night, instead of going outside, and she complained about having to empty it every single day.

“I’ll take that wager.” She held out a hand, and laughed when Jamie took hers, grinning from ear to ear, clearly thinking he was going to win.

The carver blinked, then looked at Jamie, clearly uncertain what was going on.

Jamie shifted the basket farther up his arm and leaned closer, lowering his voice enough that it wouldn’t carry to the neighboring table. “Ye’re meant to bargain as though ye’re reluctant.”

“I am reluctant.”

“You told him his cup was excellent.”

“It is excellent.”

“And then ye offered less.”

“That’s how bargaining works.”

The young man’s mouth had begun twitching. Jamie pointed at him. “Dinna encourage her.”

Olivia looked between them. “I’m purchasing a cup, not invading France.”

“Give it time,” Jamie murmured, looking to the heavens and likely praying to some saint or other.

After several minutes of back and forth, the carver finally agreed to a penny. Jamie pressed the pennies into her hand. She paid for the cup with one and pocketed the other, enjoying the pleasure of spending money she’d earned, however absurdly. As they moved on, Jamie placed the cup into the market basket and shook his head.

“What now?”

He stepped aside to let a woman carrying a milk pail pass between them and a cheese stall.

“Ye spent five minutes explaining why his work was fine enough to justify the price he asked, then expected him to believe ye were reluctant to pay it.”

“He lowered the price and I won your penny.”

“Aye, because he said ye were bonny.”

Olivia looked back. The young man was still smiling and when he saw her looking, he waved. “I wasn’t flirting with him.”

“I didna say ye were.”

She arched a brow. “You didn’t have to.”

“Ye smiled at him, praised his hands, argued over coin, and then looked pleased when he yielded.”

“It was a beautifully made cup. I’m going to drink out of it tonight.”

Jamie gave her a patient look. “Olivia.”

The way he said her name stopped her. He didn’t sound jealous, if anything, he looked faintly amused.

“What am I missing?” And if part of her had wished he was a little jealous, well, she kept that to herself.

He shifted closer while two boys struggled past carrying a sack of meal between them, then nodded toward a group of women sorting wool near the kirk wall.