strangely
hypnotic. The spark she’d
seen there earlier flared for an instant and revealed glimpses of deep sapphire
blue. “Is he as handsome as I have envisioned?”
“Who?”
The woman
sighed, leaned back and scratched her ear.
“I see.
We’re goin’ to play cat n’ mouse are we? Well, to be frank ma’ lovely, I don’t
have that kind of patience any longer. I’m not gettin’ any younger you know.”
An awkward
feeling crept into her gut, like she’d been caught out somehow. But about what?
Her and Rowan? There wasn’t much to tell.
“Now, let
me ask you again.” The gypsy took a crumpled tissue from her sleeve and proceeded
to dust the top of the ball. “Is he handsome?”
Heat rushed
to her cheeks.
“So he is
then. So he is.” The gypsy looked over the rims of her glasses and smiled.
“Smitten with him, aren’t you?”
Hell. She
nodded. There seemed little point trying to fool this odd woman.
Apparently
satisfied, the gypsy waved a bony hand over the crystal ball and gazed into it.
Hoping to see something--anything--she leaned forward too. There was nothing,
not even her reflection. Oh boy, she’d been sucked in. It was all a con. The
gypsy must have guessed she’d had a potential boyfriend, and now she’d get some
sort of reading about her ‘future’. Just like those ‘dial-a-tarot’ readers back
home, fake readings for five bucks a minute.
As she was
about to make an excuse to leave, the old woman’s face grew deathly pale and she
seemed transfixed by the globe. She recited words in Gaelic, then in English.
“A tragic heart, an angry hand, he’s cursed and tethered to this land. His
penance paid will only be, when bloodlines spilled can set him free. And, by
the power to forgive, in times long dead, he will start to live.”
A riddle,
maybe. Seriously? The woman must have been practicing that one for days.
Disappointed,
she stood and made to leave.
The gypsy
continued staring into the ball. Then the woman grabbed her arm, startling her,
and shot her a determined look. “Not all eyes can see ma’ lovely.” Her grip
tightened. “What you see as reality is nothin’ of the sort. But don’t despair.
The one you seek is still waitin’, but his heart is one in the same.”
Terrific.
More riddles. Either the woman had been drinking or she was nutty as a
fruitcake.
What was in
her tea? Releasing her arm from the woman’s loosening grasp, she stood back and
reached for her wallet. “Okay, okay. How much do I owe you for that, er,
interesting reading?”
The old
woman rose, collected her mug and resumed sipping her brew. “I know you don’t believe
me lovely, but that won’t change a thing.” She motioned for her to put her
money away and walked toward a flap in the back on the tent then glanced back
at her, wrinkled face beaming. “I suppose you could always call one of those
fancy dial-a-tarot card readers, but they may be as nutty as me.”
Her jaw
dropped as the gypsy disappeared from the tent. How could she have known what she
was thinking? Spooky.
A crack of
thunder made her jump and gave her all the more reason to start heading back to
the manor. Between the nosy bartender and a crazy gypsy, she didn’t need any
more weird stuff that day.
As she
passed through the town, many of the stands were already packing up. The skies threatened
to pour down at any moment. The bags of books she’d bought didn’t weigh much at
first, but the longer she walked, the heavier they grew. Right about now, she
could have used that lift Daniel had promised.
Having time
to herself, she couldn’t help but think about Rowan, already more complicated and
unusual than any other guy she’d known. And what of all the nonsense the gypsy
woman proclaimed? He wasn’t the one she was looking for. What would that crazy
old bat know? Though corny, even to her, she felt somehow destined to be with
him. Anyway, it was her future, and she would decide who to be with.
She
shuddered, as
hypnotic. The spark she’d
seen there earlier flared for an instant and revealed glimpses of deep sapphire
blue. “Is he as handsome as I have envisioned?”
“Who?”
The woman
sighed, leaned back and scratched her ear.
“I see.
We’re goin’ to play cat n’ mouse are we? Well, to be frank ma’ lovely, I don’t
have that kind of patience any longer. I’m not gettin’ any younger you know.”
An awkward
feeling crept into her gut, like she’d been caught out somehow. But about what?
Her and Rowan? There wasn’t much to tell.
“Now, let
me ask you again.” The gypsy took a crumpled tissue from her sleeve and proceeded
to dust the top of the ball. “Is he handsome?”
Heat rushed
to her cheeks.
“So he is
then. So he is.” The gypsy looked over the rims of her glasses and smiled.
“Smitten with him, aren’t you?”
Hell. She
nodded. There seemed little point trying to fool this odd woman.
Apparently
satisfied, the gypsy waved a bony hand over the crystal ball and gazed into it.
Hoping to see something--anything--she leaned forward too. There was nothing,
not even her reflection. Oh boy, she’d been sucked in. It was all a con. The
gypsy must have guessed she’d had a potential boyfriend, and now she’d get some
sort of reading about her ‘future’. Just like those ‘dial-a-tarot’ readers back
home, fake readings for five bucks a minute.
As she was
about to make an excuse to leave, the old woman’s face grew deathly pale and she
seemed transfixed by the globe. She recited words in Gaelic, then in English.
“A tragic heart, an angry hand, he’s cursed and tethered to this land. His
penance paid will only be, when bloodlines spilled can set him free. And, by
the power to forgive, in times long dead, he will start to live.”
A riddle,
maybe. Seriously? The woman must have been practicing that one for days.
Disappointed,
she stood and made to leave.
The gypsy
continued staring into the ball. Then the woman grabbed her arm, startling her,
and shot her a determined look. “Not all eyes can see ma’ lovely.” Her grip
tightened. “What you see as reality is nothin’ of the sort. But don’t despair.
The one you seek is still waitin’, but his heart is one in the same.”
Terrific.
More riddles. Either the woman had been drinking or she was nutty as a
fruitcake.
What was in
her tea? Releasing her arm from the woman’s loosening grasp, she stood back and
reached for her wallet. “Okay, okay. How much do I owe you for that, er,
interesting reading?”
The old
woman rose, collected her mug and resumed sipping her brew. “I know you don’t believe
me lovely, but that won’t change a thing.” She motioned for her to put her
money away and walked toward a flap in the back on the tent then glanced back
at her, wrinkled face beaming. “I suppose you could always call one of those
fancy dial-a-tarot card readers, but they may be as nutty as me.”
Her jaw
dropped as the gypsy disappeared from the tent. How could she have known what she
was thinking? Spooky.
A crack of
thunder made her jump and gave her all the more reason to start heading back to
the manor. Between the nosy bartender and a crazy gypsy, she didn’t need any
more weird stuff that day.
As she
passed through the town, many of the stands were already packing up. The skies threatened
to pour down at any moment. The bags of books she’d bought didn’t weigh much at
first, but the longer she walked, the heavier they grew. Right about now, she
could have used that lift Daniel had promised.
Having time
to herself, she couldn’t help but think about Rowan, already more complicated and
unusual than any other guy she’d known. And what of all the nonsense the gypsy
woman proclaimed? He wasn’t the one she was looking for. What would that crazy
old bat know? Though corny, even to her, she felt somehow destined to be with
him. Anyway, it was her future, and she would decide who to be with.
She
shuddered, as
Similar Books
