I squealed.
Magnus’s horse, Dràgon, tossed his head, side-stepping in protest, and Magnus yelled, hilariously, “Gack!”
I burst into laughter, the out of nowhere kind, theI can’t believe that we are completely drenched on horseback in a downpour in 1710kind. We were wearing modern rain jackets, but it did not help at this point, we were totally drenched. This Scottish rain was committed to wetting us through, and it was soprofoundly, specifically ridiculous that there was simply nothing else to do.
Magnus chuckled. Then he set his face really seriously and said, “Tis dreich.”
I devolved into hysterics.
I thought of a funny joke, but it took three tries because I was laughing so hard, but I finally got out, “I love… yourdry… wit.” And laughed even more.
Magnus was laughing. “Please daena fall from yer horse, Osna will be verra worried.”
I patted the side of Osna’s neck. “I would not want Osna to be worried about me.” I wiped my eyes and face. “Dreich. That is a perfect word.”
“Aye, ye hae tae grimace when ye say it, ye canna be smiling,Dreich, it explains the weather and there inna anything more tae be said about it.”
The rain streamed off the brim of my hood in a small waterfall. I pointed at it. “Look, Magnus, look what is happening. I have been turned into a downspout, my insides are as wet as my outsides. I need you to tell me what’s happening.”
His eyes were merry. “We are riding tae the woods, tis what we are talkin’ about?—”
“Butwhy, Magnus? What’s the secret? What is my surprise? Something made you drag me out here even though the sky isclearlyfalling.”
Something in his pocket made a squawking noise.
“Are you carrying a radio?”
“Aye and…” There was fumbling while he tried to get his raincoat open to pull it from an inside pocket.
Then he pressed the button on the side. “Magnus, here.”
Sean’s voice came through the radio, but I couldn’t hear because the rain was coming horizontal.
He grinned. “Now the surprise is ready.”
“Tell me the surprise, Magnus.”
“Remember when I was planning it seemed like a verra good plan, not one that could ever go wrong.”
“Except the weather,” I rolled my hand for him to keep going.
Somewhere in the direction of the clearing, a branch cracked.
Magnus chuckled sadly — the sound of a man who comes up with a plan and watched it dissolve in precipitation. “I was goin’ tae take ye down this path tae the King’s woods, and we were goin’ tae cut a branch that I could carve ye a new heart?—”
“Yes, you told me...”
“I was goin’ tae get the wood while I talked tae ye about our lives and our family and the trees around us, ye were goin’ tae love how romantic twas tae be.”
“That does sound good. But that could have easily happened later in the week.”
“And then the children are here.”
“What? The children are here!”
“Aye, when I was distractin’ ye, the kids were goin’ tae come from behind the trees tae surprise ye.”
“What —really?That’s so sweet, Magnus, truly.” I got kind of overwhelmed and tears welled up. “Wow. I love it, but wait, they traveled all by themselves?”
