The Gallaghers of Ardmore Trilogy

winged horse with the faerie prince behind her. In his fear and lack of understanding he thought only to save her from the spell he was sure she was under. So he forbade her to have truck with Carrick again, and to ensure her safety he betrothed her to a steady young man who made his living on the water. And Lady Gwen, a maid with great respect for her father, dutifully tucked her heart away, ceased her walking, and prepared to be wed as was bid her.”
    Now, the little slash of sunlight that danced across the table between them vanished, and the kitchen plunged into gloom lit only by the simmering fire.
    Aidan kept his eyes on Jude’s, fascinated by what he saw in them. Dreams and sadness and wishes.
    “On first hearing, Carrick gave way to a black temper and sent the lightning and thunder and wind to whip and crash over the hills and down to the sea. And the villagers, the farmers and fishermen trembled, but Lady Gwen sat quiet in her cottage and saw to her mending.”
    “He could have just taken her into the raft,” Jude interrupted, “and kept her for a hundred years.”
    “Ah, so you know something of how it’s done.” Those blue eyes warmed with approval. “True enough he couldhave snatched her away, but in his pride he wanted her to come to him willing. In this way the gentry aren’t so very different from ordinary people.”
    He angled his head, studying her face. “Would you rather be snatched up and away without a choice or romanced and courted?”
    “Since I don’t think one of the Good People is going to come along and do either in my case, I don’t have to decide. I’d rather know what Carrick did.”
    “All right, then, I’ll tell you. At dawn Carrick mounted his winged horse and flew up to the sun. He gathered fire from it, formed dazzling diamonds from it, and put them in a silver sack. And these flaming and magic jewels he brought to her at her cottage. When she went out to meet him, he spilled them at her feet, and said to her, ‘I’ve brought you jewels from the sun. These are my passion for you. Take them, and me, for I will give you all I have, and more.’ But she refused, telling him she was promised to another. Duty held her and pride him as they parted, leaving the jewels lying among the flowers.
    “And so they became flowers.”
    When Jude shuddered, Aidan reached for her hand. “Are you cold, then?”
    “No.” She forced a smile, deliberately freed her hand and picked up her tea, sipping slowly to soothe away the flutter in her throat.
    She knew the story. She could see it, the magnificent horse, the lovely woman, the man who wasn’t a man, and the fiery blaze of diamonds on the ground.
    She had seen it, all of it, in her dreams.
    “No, I’m fine. I think my grandmother must have told me some version of this.”
    “There’s more yet.”
    “Oh.” She sipped again, made an effort to relax. “What happened next?”
    “On the day she married the fisherman, her father died. It was as if he’d held on to his life, with all its pains, until he was assured his Gwen was safe and cared for. So, her husband moved into the cottage, and left her before the sun rose every day to go out and cast his nets. And their life settled into a contentment and order.”
    When he paused, Jude frowned. “But that can’t be all.”
    Aidan smiled, sampled his tea. Like any good storyteller, he knew how to change rhythm to hold interest. “Did I say it was? No, indeed, it’s not all. For you see, Carrick, he could not forget her. She was in his heart. While Gwen was living her life as was expected of her, Carrick lost his joy in music and in laughter. One night, in great despair, he mounted his horse once again and flew up to the moon, gathering its light, which turned to pearls in his silver bag. Once more he went to her, and though she carried her first child in her womb, she slipped out of her husband’s bed to meet him.
    “ ‘These are tears of the moon,’ he told her. ‘They are my longing for you. Take them, and me, for I will give you all I have, and more.’ Again, though tears of her own spilled onto her cheeks, she refused him. For she belonged to another, had his child inside her, and would not betray her vow. Once more they parted, duty and pride, and the pearls that lay on the ground became moonflowers.
    “So the years passed, with Carrick grieving and Lady Gwen doing what was expected of her. She birthed her children, and took joy in them. She tended her flowers,