Men and women bowed, children snickered only to be reprimanded by their parents. Tara had to confess it was fun.

Someone pushed a glass of wine in her hand as soon as Tara made it to their table. “Good God. This is crazy. You would think we actually meant something to these people.”

“You said we wouldn’t have a good time.” Cassy took a hefty pull from the glass in her hand. “Tell me more about this mystery guy. I don’t remember much from last night.”

“Really?” Tara asked sarcastically. “Maybe it had something to do with the amount of this...” She pointed to the glass Cassy held. “...you drank last night.”

Unaffected by her friend’s accusation regarding the sobriety of the previous night, Cassy asked again about Duncan and the time Tara spent with him.

“Tell me what he looks like.”

“Well, he is about yea high.” Tara placed her hand a good six inches above her height. “His shoulders are out to here. He has dark hair that falls to his shoulders.” She paused for a moment and closed her eyes. “I never thought I’d find long hair on a man attractive.”

Cassy smiled as she continued.

“Once I realized his accent was real, I wanted to melt.” Tara looked around to make sure no one else listened to her confession. “I’ve never been so tempted in all my life.”

A man approached Tara from behind. Cassy saw him put a finger to his lips asking for her to be quiet.

Playing along Cassy asked, “So what stopped you?”

“I honestly don’t know. But man, does he make my blood boil.” She sighed.

Cassy laughed and looked beyond Tara.

“Is that so, lass?” The voice was familiar, but not quite right.

Tara turned and looked at who must be Duncan’s brother. He looked like him, so much in fact she wondered if they were born on the same day.

“Nice try,” she said. “You must be Duncan’s brother.”

“I’m gravely disappointed, Tara. All afternoon I’ve spent with you and you don’t remember me?” He delivered his most charming smile in an effort to convince her she was mistaken.

“Ha! My guess is your mother tanned your hide when you tried that on her. Your teachers may have been fooled, but I’m not.”

They did look a lot alike, Tara thought. The height was off by a margin and this brother’s nose was a little too straight, his expression much less serious than Duncan’s.

Duncan’s brother laughed and caught Tara’s hand. Like Duncan, he brought her fingers to his lips and kissed their tips. “’Tis a pleasure to meet you, Tara. Our mother would appreciate your keen observation.”

Yin and yang, she mused. Where Duncan was serious, this man was not. “I’m sorry, but in all our conversation Duncan never told me your name.”

“My friends call me Fin.” He snapped his legs together and gave her a quick bow. “At your service.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Fin. This is my friend Cassy.” Tara moved aside.

Fin kissed the back of Cassy’s hand. She watched his every movement with a gaping mouth.

“Duncan will be along in a minute. I took advantage of the opportunity to see who it was he was talking my ear off about. It seems all he says is true.”

“All good I hope.”

“Of course.” Fin took the wine that was offered him. “Ah, here comes my much older brother now.”

Laughter peeled from Tara at the comment.

“Much older my foot! What is it, twelve or thirteen months between you?”

Fin smiled but didn’t answer her question.

Watching the enemy from across the room, Grainna calculated her next move. Patience was never her strong point. With victory in sight it grew terribly short. It took every ounce of will to keep from snatching Tara up and hiding her until the solstice. No, it would not bode well to have the authorities alerted of a missing person. Besides, Tara was surrounded by Grainna’s guard, and now that she knew of the threat, watching them would be easy. When all was said and done, no one would be able to touch her. Besides, by the time the authorities found Tara’s body, Grainna would be long gone.

The anxious woman sitting beside her hung on every word Grainna muttered. Fools, all of them are fools.

If she told the woman what she really saw in her palm, or read in her mind, the woman would search out her unfaithful husband this minute. Telling these simpletons the truth only hurt the cause.

Grainna looked over at Tara and saw the man’s hand take hers to his lips. The color flowing into Tara’s flesh was telling.

Grainna smiled at her current customer, mumbled a cryptic, “You’ll live long and love another.” She then waved off the other patrons waiting for their turn.

Chapter 5

Duncan marveled at how easily Tara slipped into her regal role. She walked toward him with hands extended, her smile radiant. He kissed her in greeting, a chaste kiss, but powerful enough to put a blush in her cheeks. “You look lovely.”

“Well you know what they say, if you can’t beat them, join them.”

Duncan didn’t have a clue as to what she meant, but instead of pointing out his confusion, he nodded and stepped back when she announced dinner.

Duncan found her tales of school fascinating.

Her effort to be a healer didn’t come as a surprise, but without the knowledge of how it was done in this century he couldn’t add anything to the conversation. He listened, and thought how much his mother would love to discuss how medicine would change in time.

Cassy and Tara did go on about their lives.

Duncan wanted to tell her tales of his own youth and the adventures he and Fin had had. However, it wasn’t possible. How could he tell her of the time he learned the ability to light a fire without the aid of flint? How with his brother’s encouragement, he almost burned down the west end of the Keep?

Nay. He could only listen. In an effort to feel closer to Tara, he took her hand. Heat surged to her face in the form of a blush, her pulse quickened under his thumb.

Not so unaffected by my charms.

Fin leaned forward and whispered so only Duncan could hear. “She comes.”

Grainna walked toward them quickly, halting all conversation at their table. Duncan and Fin’s inner thoughts turned to the music being played and the woman in their company. Both shielded their feelings so Grainna couldn’t read them.

“Ladies.” She gathered her skirts and stepped up on the platform. “I trust you are enjoying yourselves?”