Faith had often proclaimed that romance was nothing more than fanciful fluff. Hope couldn’t understand why her sister was so determined never to fall in love.
“We would be very happy to hear your story, Mr. MacKinnon,” Hope said, elbowing Faith ever so gently.
“Yes please,” Grace added, coming forward.
Graham smirked at Grace's eagerness, and Hope’s heart fluttered. The stubble that the men wore on their faces this far north had seemed unkempt to her at first, but when standing in the middle of a Scottish stronghold, surrounded by men and women dressed in traditional Scottish wears, it seemed charming, in a rough sort of way.
As he began to tell his story, Hope relished the chance to stare at him, noting the gentle creases at the corner of his greeneyes. His nose was average in size, and his hair had been combed back to reveal a slight widow's peak. It fell to the side of his head in a decidedly roguish fashion. His mouth was full and Hope had to fight to ignore the way her stomach seemed to flip when he spoke.
“Legend tells of a lass who fell in love with a man deep in these woods, long ago,” Graham, said. “The man loved the lass very much, but he had been captured by the fae people and the fae queen would not let him free.”
“Fae?” Grace repeated. “Like little people?”
“Aye,” Graham said, as a few others overheard his story and came to stand with them. “The fae are a mischievous and tricky bunch.”
“Excuse me,” Faith said. “I think you mean to say they'resupposedto be a mischievous and tricky bunch.”
His brow creased.
“No, I mean theyare.”
“Mr. MacKinnon, you cannot expect us to believe that you believe in fairy creatures.”
Everybody that had been listening to Graham's tale craned their necks to stare at the middle Sharpe sister. She blinked back at them, utterly confused by their reaction.
“Faith, it isn't polite to interrupt,” Hope said hastily, hoping to avoid offending anyone. Though fairy tales were commonly believed to be fiction, it wasn’t unheard of for country folk to believe in the old stories, especially those that had been passed down from generation to generation. It wasn’t courteous to disregard their beliefs, even if she didn’t share them, herself. “Please, Mr. MacKinnon, continue.”
“Well, this man who had been captured by the fae queen needed to be rescued.”
“Aye, and only a bonny lass could do it,” said a handsome, stout man with copper-colored hair. He looked rather similar to the McTavish men. “Tam Lin!”
“Tam Lin!” others said, smiling and nodding at the mention of a beloved folk heroine.
“Who is Tam Lin?” Hope asked.
“Tam Lin was the brave lass who outsmarted the fae queen and won her true love's freedom,” Jared said as he elbowed his way into the group.
“You mean a woman was the rescuer?” Grace asked, bobbing slightly up and down on her heels. “That's brilliant.”
“Och, who is this smart lass?” a woman with fiery red hair asked, coming up.
“Grace Sharpe,” Grace said with a quick curtsy. “And these are my sisters, Hope and Faith.”
“A pleasure to meet you. I'm Mrs. Jeanne Carlyle,” she said. “So, you lot are living in Lismore Hall?”
“Yes,” Grace replied.
Hope watched Jeanne's gaze land on Graham and she could have sworn a tension was growing in him.
“Well, go on, Graham,” Jeanne said after a stilted pause. “Finish the story.”
“Is there more?” Hope asked him. “What else is there to say other than that Tam Lin saved her love?”
“Aye, she did,” he said slowly, tearing his eyes away from Jeanne to focus on Hope. “But it was how she did it that makes the tale truly grand. See, the fae queen insisted that Tam Lin wasn't strong of heart and couldn't manage her tasks. She told Tam Lin that if she could hold onto her love, she would set them free. Then the queen used her magic to change the man's form.
“He turned into all manners of beasts, but he warned Tam Lin that no matter his form, he would do her no harm and she was to hold on tight. He also warned her that when he changedinto a burning coal, she was to toss him into a stream and he would appear.”
“Naked,” an older woman said saucily, causing everyone to laugh.
