Page 6 of The Forest Bride

His news would ruin anything else. “Say it, then.”

“We pledged one secret, so here is another for our trust. Listen. I saw you in a vision. We were married.” She smiled so sweetly that his heart broke, then and there.

“Did you.” Vision? What a dreamer she was. He must tell her now.

“My great-grandfather has a seeing stone. He calls itclach na firinn, a truth stone. The Queen of Faery gave it to him, you see. He is True Thomas. Thomas the Rhymer. You may know his name.” She beamed when he nodded. “The stone has a hole through it, a magical opening that shows the truth and the future if you can see it.”

He huffed. “Such things do not happen.”

“They do! I looked through his seeing stone. And I saw something. Instead of the room where I stood, I saw a knight and a lady. It was you—and me.”

“But we only met as children. And then again today.”

“But I knew it was you and me, older than we are now. We each carried a hawk on a glove. We were married. And so happy.”

He frowned. “That is a fancy. You saw what you wanted to see.”

“I saw the truth through that stone. I know it, I.”

That phrase gave him pause. His mother used those words when she had a strong premonition. Then he shook his head. “A pretty dream.”

“Not a dream. My Grandda called me a forest bride. He said one day I might have sadness and strife, but happiness wouldcome. I reminded him that I was already betrothed and would be married soon.”

Duncan gazed far down the meadow. “What did he say to that?”

“He said, ‘bonny wee forest bride, wait and see.’ But we will not be married in the forest. We will be married in a chapel. So that part is silly. Though I do love the forest best of all.”

“Silly.” Far off, he saw a people coming from the castle across the long meadow toward them. He had only minutes left alone with her.

“I shall visit you often to help train our gyrfalcon. And her mate. Oh, he is gone!” She looked up.

“You are a wee dreamer, Margaret Keith.” He felt sad to say it.

“Papa says I am a dreamer like my sister Tamsin. Our sister Rowena is a practical sort. You will meet them soon. It is good to have dreams.”

She was so young. He felt old suddenly. “Dreamers get their hearts broken.”

“—and one day my husband, a brave and worthy knight, will be rewarded by the king for rescuing a precious falcon. That is, if we tell the king.” She wrinkled her nose.

In the meadow, he saw them running—his father, his mother, his sister, the falconer, and Sir Robert Keith. There were only moments left. This mess was his doing, and as a courteous knight, he was obliged to tell the lady the truth.

“Lady Margaret.”

“My family calls me Meg. And your family calls you Donnchadh or Duncan Dhu.”

“Aye.” He could not use her affectionate name. Not now. “Our betrothal—must be dissolved.”

“What?” She tipped her head like a hawk, green eyes wide, fixed on him.

The others were approaching. The bird shifted, clenched on the glove. “The agreement must be undone.” His heart thumped. “I am sorry.”

“But we are supposed to marry!”

“I must go away for a long while. Royal orders. I cannot marry now.”

“I would wait!”

“I do not want you to wait so long for me.”