Oh dear. He wasn't leaving. Why wasn't he leaving? She'd told him she was fine. She'd told him she wanted to be alone. Why wouldn't he leave so she could hide the gems and flowers in her basket?
He seemed so nice, she wanted to be nice in return. But she wasn't supposed to speak to strangers. Her father-in-law, the king, told her that over and over again. She couldn't talk to strangers, because they might be brigands who would steal her away if they discovered her “gift.” Opal wasn't always certain she didn't want to be stolen way, but she thought criminals wold probably not be very kind. And she did like her big fluffy bed at the castle.
So when one of the guards addressed the man as “your grace,” Opal felt much better. This wasn't a criminal, this was someone important. She was still learning what titles went with what people, but your grace was important. Though he was still a stranger...
A stranger that turned around to see if she was alright.
A stranger that didn't want to leave her somewhere he thought was dangerous.
A stranger that was asking for her name.
Giving him her name couldn't hurt, could it? And it would be polite, wouldn't it? With her hand still covering her mouth, she replied, “Opal.”
And that very gem came tumbling from her lips. She did her best to catch it, but there were already rubies and pearls and roses and other things in her hand, and when she made the grab for the opal, not only did it slip from her grasp, so did several of the others. They slid down her bodice before dropping in the dust at her toes. Opal froze, eyes wide, terrified of what was about to happen, certain it could be nothing good. She was so scared she completely forgot that perhaps she should give her own title, or mention who her husband was.