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Chapter One
Celtic Ireland
Autumn held the proe fair was alive with a joyous sense of prosperity and hope Un mothers balanced their rosy-cheeked babes on their hips and sang along with the hthearted merriment, the farain or simply sipped ale in the shade of an ancient oak
Though hastily constructed, Oriana’s booth afforded the privacy necessary for telling fortunes, and, as usual, she was enjoying a profitable, and therefore quite pleasant, day Then, without warning, she felt an abrupt change in the afternoon, as though the whole world had suddenly taken a deep breath, and a deathly stillness settled around her
She cast an anxious glance over the head of the young wo her advice and was surprised to find the colorful pennants atop the tent opposite hers still fluttering in the breeze She would never have left her forest home had her need for a neoolen cloak not been acute, but now she did not care whether she had earned sufficient silver to provide the wararment
Ever mindful of her own reputation, however, she atte calm and murmured persuasively, “Love can’t be rushed, nor can it be coaxed fro suitor You’re very pretty; isn’t there another s to make you his wife?”
The tearful young woman replied between choked sobs, “Yes, but he isn’t nearly as handsome as the one I love That’s why I’ve co better in my future?”
Sadly, Oriana knew the poor girl would soon be forced to wed a farmer as not unkind, but si with love for the babe she carried, she would die in childbirth Oriana would never reveal that heartache, however, for though no one could avoid fate, she would not condemn them to live in deathly fear of it
Instead, Oriana considerately presented the elegant theatrics she always performed for an audience of one With a warm smile, she offered a solden thread “Let us consult the Stones of Tomorrow,” she invited “Reach in and choose the first one you touch”
Turning shy, the young woman brushed thehand into the bag Just as hesitantly, she withdrew a sray stone and placed it in Oriana’s outstretched palm
“Here Does this one provide a good omen?” she asked
Oriana rested the pouch in her lap to free her hands, and then rolled the stone between her palms She closed her eyes briefly to pretend rapt concentration, and when she looked up, her tone was thoroughly convincing
“You’ve made an excellent choice This pretty stone comes from the Stream of Life It means there’s another man you’ve not yet considered—he’s your true husband The fareat happiness Now dry your tears, and do not shed another until it springs from boundless joy”
Oriana gestured gracefully “The ribbon merchant has such lovely wares Go across the way to his tent and purchase colorful ribbons for your hair so your new man will be sure to notice you”
“Oh, thank you, dear lady,” the girl said, her voice catching in her throat Greatly encouraged, she dropped another silver coin into Oriana’s basket and swiftly left the tent to do her bidding
With no further need to treat the gray stone as precious, Oriana tossed it into her bag and yanked the drawstrings tight Before she could rise and be on her way, a man’s dark shadow fell across the entrance of her tent
“I’m so sorry, sir,” she called out to him, “but I’m finished for the day”
“No I think not,” he replied in a resonant baritone He bent low to enter Oriana’s booth and with the sa hers A slow sarded her with open admiration
She was a rare beauty with hair the fiery red of a suolden cord encircled her head to tame her wavy tresses, and it allowed him to fully appreciate the perfection of her delicate features But it was her rereen, they sparkled with the unence
Her perfu floral blend with a subtle hint of cloves He drank it in with every breath, and his co by many, Oriana, but I was not certain you really existed Now I can truthfully swear you orth thy search”
His gray cloak was tattered at the hes were dusty, and his leather shoes were scuffed, but his e far wealthier than that of a careworn peasant His hair was darker than a ht and fell over his shoulders in a wild mane, but a sophisticated humor lit his smoky blue eyes He was clean-shaven, and his teeth were even and white against his deep tan
Oriana had never seen aa solitary life, and was uncomfortable when anyone came near This man’s presence so filled her small tent that, when coht, she was fast becoht in a snare
“I’m truly sorry for your trouble, sir, but it doesn’t naturally follow that I wished to be found,” she replied in a hushed whisper
Amused, the man shook his head “No, obviously you did not, but now that I’ve succeeded in my quest, I refuse to return home without you”
Startled by such an unexpected boast, Oriana drew back as best she could, but there was still far too little space between them With an effort, she forced herself to breathe in and out in a deep, regular rhyth appearance, she sensed a grave peril that demanded sh
e keep a firm hold on her wits Surely it had been his arrival that had disrupted the peace of the afternoon, and she regretted not being quick enough to elude him