A sense of style
Bringing the morale up.
The ride from the quartermasters to the office felt rather strange to Balgair as he was the recipient of desirous looks by Delilah. “You act like you’ve never seen a man in uniform before.” He casually commented.
Drawn from her reverie by his statement, her eyes widened in surprise. “That’s not true.” She breathed, and then a slow smile crossed her lips. “Have you always looked that good in uniform?”
Balgair brushed his fingers down the navy blue sleeves, smoothing the nonexistent wrinkles. “Do you think the deputies will look as good in uniform?” He reached up and adjusted the brim of his short-brimmed hat.
The scribe took a deep, appreciative breath as she watched his hand dance over the hat’s brim with a casual grace. “If the uniforms fit them like yours, they’ll look great.” She flicked her tongue across her lips.
“In that case, maybe I should design a uniform for the support staff,” he casually stated, almost hypnotically. “Maybe light blue blouses with short sleeves, a knee-length blue skirt, silk hose down to the feet, and a big bow in the hair.”
“What?” Delilah tried to recall what he’d just said. “Hold on, just a diog.” She blinked, recalling part of what he’d described. She looked at him in suspicion. “Skirts, hose, bows?”
“Why yes,” Balgair repeated his choices. “I think it would look cute.”
Is he serious? The scribe wondered as she examined his face. Surely, he’s teasing. “You’re kidding, right?”
Balgair laughed deep in his belly. “About the bow, yes. But the rest would make a good uniform for the support staff.”
Delilah swatted his arm. “You are mean,” she huffed, “But if our uniforms closely match yours, it’s workable.’
The smile settled into one of satisfaction. “Would you wear it?”
That caught her by surprise. Men don’t ask women what they think. They usually give orders and expect us to obey. She eyed the Reeve for a few minutes before giving a curt nod. “Light blue blouse and Navy Skirt?” He nodded. “White silk hose?” Another nod got her thinking. “Black half-boots?” Please say yes. She could already see the outfit in her mind.
Balgair closed his eyes, picturing the complete ensemble. “We can do black half-boots or sandals.”
Delilah almost denied it out of spite, but his sincerity won her over. “Can we stop by Maighstir Samar’s store before we go to the office? He should have everything we need in stock. That way, I could show them what you have in mind.”
“Done,” Balgair coughed. “Samson, can we divert to Samar’s Store first?”
“Of course, sir,” the driver said as he started watching for the next side street that would take them near the store.
“What do you think?” Delilah asked as she turned, the navy skirt swirling around her legs, rising slightly above her knees.
Balgair tapped his chin as he examined her attire. The blouse was a shade lighter than navy and went great with the Navy skirt and white silk hose. It was the half-boots that made the uniform work. “It looks good. I approve.’
The scribe beamed in happiness at his words, and she almost blushed as she whispered. “Thank you, Maighstir Balgair.”
Unable to resist, the Reeve ruffled her hair. “Don’t mess up my hair,” the scribe whimpered as she stared aghast at him. “Do you know how long it took me to get rid of the snarls from sleep?”
“Only about three-quarters of an uair,” he said calmly, bringing another blush to her face. She blinked like an owl, not expecting him to keep such an exacting watch. “What? Didn’t your Dafyd know exactly how long it took you to get dressed?”
The shocked scribe could only nod. My Goddess, he isn’t a normal man. Then, a slow warmth crawled up her body as she wondered what it would be like to bond with such a man. I will have so many questions for his Bannaichean when they arrive. She gazed at him, trying to understand what she was feeling. “I’m ready when you are, Maighstir.”
Balgair gave her a knowing smile and opened the outside door for her. “Let’s go, scamp.” He grinned as she walked into the office ahead of him.
“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen,” Balgair called out as he entered the Reeve’s office, followed by Delilah.
The scribe was instantly surrounded by eight other women working in the office. After five minutes of excited chatter, one of the women turned to Balgair. “Will we also get a uniform like that?”
The Reeve didn’t have to think about it. “Yes, go to Samar’s store when you have time and order enough for five days. The office will pay for it.”
There was complete silence as they all turned and looked to a redhead, who wrung her hands together as she looked at Balgair.
Crap, I should have asked about funding first. Balgair walked over and gazed at her. “Does the office have the funds?”
“Barely, sir.” She whispered. “We can cover it, but it will almost break us.”
Well, damn it all. “Get what you need and send the bill to the house. I’ll cover what we need until we raise the funds.”
The women nodded and then went back to work.